[pt] No presente trabalho realizou-se a implementação de um programa de análise de estabilidade de encostas incluindo aspectos não convencionais tais como ruptura progressiva, anisotropia de resistência e considerações de não saturação do solo. O método generalizado das cunhas de Sarma 79 foi utilizado para consideração destes aspectos, tomando-o como base para o desenvolvimento desta nova ferramenta analítica, aplicável ao estudo da estabilidade de encostas em solos residuais não saturados. A simulação dos efeitos da ruptura progressiva foi realizada a partir do trabalho desenvolvido por Huaman (1991), na Puc-Rio. O programa desenvolvido apresenta rotinas de geração automática da superfície de ruptura e do conjunto das inclinações críticas das interfaces das cunhas, além de diversas formas de consideração das poropressões, incluindo a possibilidade de ocorrência da sucção. Além do critério de ruptura de Mohr-Coulomb foi implementado um modelo anisotrópico de resistência que permite a representação de uma anisotropia que pode existir, mesmo em solos homogêneos, de acordo com a metodologia apresentada por Bicalho (1991). Os resultados obtidos através das rotinas implementadas foram comparados com os existentes na literatura, resultantes de análises realizadas por outros métodos de análise, comprovando desta forma, a eficiência do programa desenvolvido neste trabalho. / [en] Here a computer software including non traditional issues as progressive failure, anisotropy and unsaturated soil for general slope stability analysis is implemented.The generalized method Sarma 79 was the base to consider these non-traditional issues on this new tool for the slope stability study of unsaturated residual soils.The progressive failure simulation effects were carried out following Huaman (1991) in his work at PUC-Rio, and aspects of anisotropy followed the work by Bicalho (1991). The computer program has subroutines that automatically construct the critical failure surfaces of any shape and the critical inclination of wedges set besides several ways of considering water pressures and suction ocurring. The strength anisotropy model allows to consider micro structural anisotropy within the context of the Mohr- Coulomb failure criterion. The results from the developed tool were compared with ones published on the current literature.

A future limitation of autonomous ground vehicle technology is the inability of current algorithmic techniques to successfully predict the allowable dynamic operating ranges of unmanned ground vehicles. A further difficulty presented by real vehicles is that the payloads may and probably will change with unpredictably time as will the terrain on which it is expected to operate. To address this limitation, a methodology has been developed to generate real-time estimations of a vehicle's instantaneous Maneuvering Manifold. This approach uses force-moment method techniques to create an adaptive, parameterized vehicle model. A technique is developed for estimation of vehicle load state using internal sensors combined with low-magnitude maneuvers. An unscented Kalman filter based estimator is then used to estimate tire forces for use in determining the ground/tire coefficient of friction. Probabilistic techniques are then combined with a combined-slip pneumatic trail based estimator to estimate the coefficient of friction in real-time. This data is then combined to map out the instantaneous maneuvering manifold while applying techniques to account for dynamic rollover and stability limitations. The algorithms are implemented in MATLAB, simulated against TruckSim models, and results are shown to demonstrate the validity of the techniques. The developed methodology is shown to be a novel approach that is capable of addressing the problem of successfully estimating the available maneuvering manifold for autonomous ground vehicles. / Ph. D.

This study provides a comprehensive modeling evaluation of the dynamic stability of Long Combination Vehicles (LCVs) that are commonly operated on U.S. highways, using multibody dynamic simulations in MATLAB/Simulink®. The dynamic equations for a tractor with two trailers connected by an A-frame converter dolly (A-Dolly) are developed. The dynamic model is used for running MATLAB® simulations, with parameters that are obtained through measurements or obtained from other sources. The simulation results are verified using track test data to establish a baseline model. The baseline model is used for parametric studies to evaluate the effect of trailer cargo weight, center of gravity (CG) longitudinal location, and trailer wheelbase. The dynamic model is further used to analyze both single-trailer and double-trailer trucks through nondimensionalization. The nondimensionalization method has the added advantage of enabling studies that can more broadly apply to various truck configurations. The simulation results indicate that increasing the trailer wheelbase reduces rearward amplification due to the damping effect of the longer wheelbase. A larger momentum ratio due to increased trailer gross weight increases rearward amplification. The detailed models of pneumatic disc and drum brakes in LCVs, including the airflow delay and thermal characteristics, are also developed and are coupled with the articulated vehicle dynamic models. The disc and drum brake braking performance are evaluated and compared in straight-line braking and combined steering and braking at a 150-ft J-turn maneuver. In straight-line braking, the simulation results indicate that disc brakes provide significantly shorter braking distance than drum brakes at highway speeds on a dry road, mainly due to their larger braking torque. On a slippery road surface, however, the greater braking torque causes more frequent wheel lockup and ABS activation at higher speeds, and disc brakes do not provide a substantially shorter braking distance than drum brakes. The simulations also point out that the disc brakes' cooling capacity is higher than the drum brake, with the cooling efficiency heavily dependent on the airflow speed. At higher driving speeds, the airflow accelerates to a turbulent flow and increases the convection efficiency. For braking in-turn maneuvers, at higher entering speeds, disc brakes decelerate the vehicle slightly sooner and then scrub speed faster, resulting in better roll stability when compared with drum brakes. / Doctor of Philosophy / Long combination vehicles (LCVs) are the combination of a tractor and two or more trailers and have been widely used on U.S. highways for cargo transport. Although LCVs have a larger cargo volume and provide more modularity in transporting goods, at higher speeds, they can be more prone to rollovers and require longer stopping distances and space to maneuver from one lane of travel to another. This study investigates the dynamic stability of an LCV, A-double trailer that includes a tractor, two trailers, and a dolly through modeling and simulation. The dynamic equations of each vehicle unit are derived based on Newtonian Mechanics (i.e., F = ma). The dynamic models are tuned to match the track testing results for similar vehicles, performed by the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS) at Virginia Tech in the past. A novel evaluation method that nondimensionalizes the equations is used to allow for ease of use for LCVs with different cargo weights, lengths, and other similar variations. The dimensionless parameters are the function of vehicle parameters and express the relationship among the magnitude of vehicle parameters. Using the nondimensionalized model, the study performs a frequency analysis of the effect of trailer cargo weight, CG longitudinal position, and trailer wheelbase on roll stability and rearward amplification. Rearward amplification is the ratio of peak lateral acceleration between the tractor and the rearmost trailer. Slow-sweeping sinusoidal steering from 0.01 Hz to 0.6 Hz is used for the simulation analysis. The simulation results show that by increasing the trailer wheelbase—the distance from the trailer kingpin to the axle—the vehicle is more laterally stable because the longer wheelbases make the trailer more resistive to spinning around. Additionally, the pneumatic disc and drum brake models and thermal models are developed and coupled with the vehicle dynamic model. The disc and drum brake braking performance are investigated during both straight-line braking and combined steering and braking in a curve. The disc brakes generate a greater brake torque compared with drum brakes, and as such can decelerate the vehicle more efficiently on dry road surfaces, particularly at higher speeds such as highway speeds. This improves avoidance during emergency stops and roll stability during traveling in a curve, such as at a highway exit. The disc brakes also have greater cooling capacity because they can transfer the generated heat to the air due to the greater airflow and turbulence caused naturally by their design. This greatly helps to keep the brakes cooler on the track and to improve their stopping efficiency.

Low back disorders (LBDs) comprise one of the major health issues in the United States. Previous research used isometric studies to understand the mechanisms that cause LBDs. Occupational tasks involving dynamic trunk movements, muscle fatigue, and spinal instability are identified as major risk factors for developing low back pain. Dynamic stability and muscle forces during trunk flexion-extension movements are studied in this dissertation. Torso muscle fatigue is known to affect the neuromuscular muscle recruitment that influences spinal stability. The first part of this dissertation investigates the effect of muscle fatigue on the stability of dynamic trunk flexion-extension movements. Participants with no self-reported low back pain history performed repetitive trunk flexion-extension exercises before and after extensor muscle fatigue. The extensor muscles were fatigued to 60% of their unfatigued isometric maximum voluntary exertion force. The maximum finite-time Lyapunov exponent, λ_Max, was used to quantify the dynamic stability. Values of λ_Max increased with fatigue, suggesting dynamic stability of the torso decreases with muscle fatigue. Fatigue-by-task asymmetry interactions did not influence spinal stability. The purpose of the second part of this dissertation was to predict time-dependent muscle forces and spinal loads during symmetric flexion-extension movements. A 2-dimensional sagittal plane, lumped parameter model was built with one thorax and five lumbar vertebrae stacked upon a stationary pelvis. Kinematics driven optimization was used to estimate time-dependent muscle forces. Muscle forces were determined by minimizing the metabolic power while satisfying the equations of motion. Spinal loads were calculated as the vector sum of the muscle forces and the trunk weight. Abdominal activity was observed at the onset of flexion and at the end of extension. The multifidus and psoas muscles played a major role in the spine dynamics. The compressive spinal loads were found to reach highest values at the onset of flexion, while the shear loads reached the highest values at large flexion angles. / Ph. D.

This was a study undertaken to investigate municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill stability parameters and landfill leachate properties to determine how solid waste and leachate characteristics can be used to describe stability. The primary objective was to determine if leachate properties could be used to determine stability of the overlying refuse. All landfills studied were engineered landfill bioreactors giving insight to how leachate recirculation affects stability. This study investigated the correlation between cellulose, lignin, volatile solids, and biochemical methane production (BMP). These parameters can been used to characterize landfill stability. The BMP tests indicate that a saturated waste can produce methane. Cellulose is an indicator of landfill stability. Wastes high in cellulose content were found to have high BMP. Paper samples studied indicated gas production from high-cellulose paper was higher compared to low-cellulose samples. Lignin has been found to correlate fairly well with BMP. Increasing cellulose to lignin ratios correlate well with increasing BMP levels, further supporting the use of the BMP test to indicate solid waste stability. In the BMP test for leachate, a mixture of the standard growth medium (less 80% distilled water) and 80% v/v leachate incubated for 15 days produced the most consistent BMP results. Leachate cellulose and BMP correlated well. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) also had some correlation to BMP tests. Leachate COD was found to decrease over time in landfill bioreactors. The use of leachate rather than MSW to determine stability would be more efficient. / Master of Science

Multi-hull vessels have been considered for high-speed, military and commercial applications for decades. More recently the trimaran vessel, with three hulls, has captured interest among naval ship designers and stakeholders. A definition of multi-hulls is introduced as a continuum with monohulls on one end, catamarans on the other, and trimarans in-between. A review of methods to assess intact and damaged stability follows in addition to an overview of current research in the area of dynamic stability for monohulls and trimarans. An investigation of intact stability characteristics for multi-hulls along the continuum is presented and their trends are examined. Next, a series of trimaran configurations are modeled in CAD with subdivision to determine their allowable KG according to USN deterministic criteria and using quasi-static methods. A response surface model was determined for allowable KG as a function of center hull length to beam, side hull beam to draft, transverse position, and displacement for use as a rule of thumb measure and potential optimization constraint. / Master of Science

Cells generally manage to maintain stable phenotypes in the face of widely varying environmental conditions. This fact is particularly surprising since the key step of gene expression is fundamentally a stochastic process. Many hypotheses have been suggested to explain this robustness. First, the special topology of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) seems to be an important factor as they possess feedforward loops and certain other topological features much more frequently than expected. Second, genes often regulate each other in a canalizing fashion: there exists a dominance order amidst the regulators of a gene, which in silico leads to very robust phenotypes. Lastly, an entirely novel gene regulatory mechanism, discovered and studied during the last two decades, which is believed to play an important role in cancer, is shedding some light on how canalization may in fact take place as part of a cell’s gene regulatory program. Short segments of single-stranded RNA, so-called microRNAs, which are embedded in several different types of feedforward loops, help smooth out noise and generate canalizing effects in gene regulation by overriding the effect of certain genes on others. Boolean networks and their multi-state extensions have been successfully used to model GRNs for many years. In this dissertation, GRNs are represented in the time- and statediscrete framework of Stochastic Discrete Dynamical Systems (SDDS), which captures the cell-inherent stochasticity. Each gene has finitely many different concentration levels and its concentration at the next time step is determined by a gene-specific update rule that depends on the current concentration of the gene’s regulators. The update rules in published gene regulatory networks are often nested canalizing functions. In Chapter 2, this class of functions is introduced, generalized and analyzed with respect to its potential to confer robustness. Chapter 3 describes a simulation study, which supports the hypothesis that microRNA-mediated feedforward loops have a stabilizing effect on GRNs. Chapter 4 focuses on the cellular DNA mismatch repair machinery. A first regulatory network for this machinery is introduced, partly validated and analyzed with regard to the role of microRNAs and certain genes in conferring robustness to this particular network. Due to steady exposure to mutations, GRNs have evolved over time into their current form. In Chapter 5, a new framework for modeling the evolution of GRNs is developed and then used to identify topological features that seem to stabilize GRNs on an evolutionary time-scale. Chapter 6 addresses a completely separate project in Bioinformatics. A novel functional enrichment method is developed and compared to various popular methods. Funding for this work was provided by NSF grant CMMI-0908201 and NSF grant 1062878. / Ph. D.

As the scale and complexity of an interconnected power grid has increased significantly, power systems can be operated close to the verge of voltage instability. With the application of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs), dispatchers are able to monitor long term voltage stability in a real time operational environment. This research addresses the critical issues by proposing three different methods. Voltage Stability Assessment Index (VSAI) is a Thévenin Equivalent (TE) based method considering voltage dynamic mechanisms. To extend the model from one load bus to a critical load center, Optimal Power Flow-Loading limit (OPF-LI) is developed to assess the voltage stability margin. To utilize limited available PMU measurements, State Calculator (SC) is included in the algorithm to approximate the dynamic states at the buses where PMU measurements are not available. The online voltage regulating method in terms of On-load Tap Changer (OLTC) control is also investigated. The methods proposed in this research have been validated with the test cases from the WECC 179 bus system. / M.S. / This thesis proposed a hybrid solution of voltage stability monitoring and control in a power system. For the performance of motors, heaters or other loads in the power system, it is important that the customers are supplied with stable voltage. The variation of the voltage may cause damages to the load. Therefore, the methods in this thesis provides a feasible solution to monitor voltage stability of load centers in a power system. In addition, a novel approach for voltage control is proposed to prevent a voltage collapse of the system. The simulation results illustrate that the approach introduced in this thesis is promising for real time application.

The threat of capsize in unpredictable seas has been a risk to vessels, sailors, and cargo since the beginning of a seafaring culture. The event is a nonlinear, chaotic phenomenon that is highly sensitive to initial conditions and difficult to repeatedly predict. In extreme sea states most ships depend on an operating envelope, relying on the operator's detailed knowledge of headings and maneuvers to reduce the risk of capsize. While in some cases this mitigates this risk, the nonlinear nature of the event precludes any certainty of dynamic vessel stability. This research presents the use of Lyapunov exponents, a quantity that measures the rate of trajectory separation in phase space, to predict capsize events for both intact and damaged stability cases. The algorithm searches backwards in ship motion time histories to gather neighboring points for each instant in time, and then calculates the exponent to measure the stretching of nearby orbits. By measuring the periods between exponent maxima, the lead-time between period spike and extreme motion event can be calculated. The neighbor-searching algorithm is also used to predict these events, and in many cases proves to be the superior method for prediction. In addition to the ship stability research, the Lyapunov exponents are used in conjunction with bifurcation analysis to determine regions of stable behavior in strange attractors when the system parameters are varied. The boundaries of stability are important for algorithm validation, where these transitions between stable and unstable behavior must be accounted for. / Master of Science

The purpose of this study was to explore what strategy the U.S. Department of Defense should use and how its forces may/should be arrayed in future peace building and post-conflict reconstruction operations. The nature of the research for this study was analytical and qualitative. It considers U.S. Army as well as joint doctrine, and explores the recent scholarly literature on military efforts at peace building and post-conflict reconstruction. Based on this study, the author recommends the following as necessary implementations to U.S. doctrine and policy: 1) Revise NSPD-44, 2) Require a direct habitual relationship for training, planning, and operations between CRC and DOD, 3) Expand applicable training for CA personnel as well as other military officers, and 4) Revamp deployment cycle for civil-military peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction operations. / Master of Arts