A pressão intracraniana (PIC) é um dos principais parâmetros neurológicos em animais e humanos. A PIC é uma função da relação entre o conteúdo da caixa craniana (parênquima cerebral, líquido cefalorraquiano e sangue) e o volume do crânio. O aumento da PIC (hipertensão intracraniana) pode acarretar graves efeitos fisiológicos ou até mesmo o óbito em pacientes que não receberem rapidamente os devidos cuidados, os quais incluem o monitoramento em tempo real da PIC. Todos os métodos de monitoramento da PIC atualmente utilizados são invasivos, ou seja, é necessário introduzir um sensor de pressão no sistema nervoso central, acarretando aos pacientes riscos de infecções e traumas decorrentes do método. Neste trabalho desenvolvemos um método minimamente invasivo de monitoramento da pressão intracraniana, que consiste na utilização de sensores de deformação do tipo strain gauge fixados sobre a calota craniana. Os sinais oriundos deste sensor foram amplificados, filtrados e enviados para um computador com software apropriado para análise e armazenamento dos dados. O trabalho aqui apresentado objetivou os testes "in vivo" do sistema, onde foi utilizada mais de uma centena de animais em diversos testes, sendo que em todos os casos os resultados foram satisfatórios, apontando a eficácia do método. / The intracranial pressure (ICP) is one of the most important neurological parameter in animals and humans. The ICP is a function of the relation between the contents of the skull (brain parenchyma, cerebrospinal fluid and blood) and the volume of the skull. The increase in ICP (intracranial hypertension) may cause serious physiological effects and death in patients that do not receive appropriate care quickly, which includes real-time monitoring of ICP. All monitoring methods currently used in ICP are invasive, ie requiring invasion of the central nervous system by a pressure sensor, causing infections and traumas risks to patients. In this work we present a new minimally invasive method to monitor the intracranial pressure. This uses strain gauge deformation sensors, externally glued on the skull. The signal from this sensor is amplified, filtered and sent to a computer with appropriate software for analysis and data storage. "In vitro" and "in vivo" experiments let to the following results: (1) Our minimally invasive system is capable of adequately monitoring the ICP. (2) The measurements are in real and online time providing excellent signal and stability. (3) Simultaneous comparison with invasive methods not only validated our results but showed increased performance. The equipment cost effective will allow the use of our system in the Public Health System, with a important social aspect of our contribution.

The aim of the thesis is weigh measurement using strain gauges from cheap digital scales. Work describes problems connected with using strain gauges as temperature compensation and requirements for accurate voltage reference and summarize function and wiring of chaep digital scales using four strain gauges. Result of work is design of an electrical circuit for weigh measurement using four strain gauges from analyzed scale.

This thesis deals with the development of an affordable hive scale which will be placed under the hive. The scale is expected to show the user all necessary information via the GSM mobile network. Incoming SMS message informs the user about the current weight and moisture. The information obtained can be displayed graphically in the application for android phones.

The diploma thesis deals with examinations of forces which are acting from road surface on tyres. The aim is to design and build measuring circuit which measure forces in front suspension. The thesis deals with designing of mathematical model in addition describes problematic of strain gauge sensors, their calibration and verification measure in details. The results are data obtained from static and dynamic measurement and outputs from multi-body system softwares. The results are evaluated and compared at conclusion.

The current thesis work is based on fatigue testing of welded structures which is completed in collaboration with Volvo CE. Improvement of the technology and customers demands for higher quality products with lower price makes the VCE to invest on the product development projects. One of the projects in VCE focuses on the weight and production cost optimization of the bogie beam on the hauler. The present project is a completion of the previous project with the objective of the fatigue testing of the bogie beam of the hauler under oscillating loads for verification of the expected fatigue life assessed with FEM. In the process of this work, an existing test rig is modified. The strains over the beam are measured through strain gauges mounted on the beam. The simulated model, the stresses and strains are investigated. The fatigue life is evaluated with different fatigue assessment methods. Finally, the outcomes of all the methods for fatigue investigation of the beam are compared and verified. / Detta examensarbete, som utförts för Volvo CE, behandlar utmattningsprov av svetsade konstruktioner. Teknikutveckling och förändrade kundkrav på högre kvalitet till en lägre kostnad är drivkrafter för Volvo CE att investera i produkt- och metodutvecklingsprojekt, som exempelvis det aktuella projektet att optimera vikt och tillverkningskostnad för boggi-balkar till dumprar. Detta projekt är en fortsättning av ett tidigare arbete som hade som mål att verifiera utmattningslivslängden för en boggibalk till en dumper predikterad med FEM, genom att utmattningsprova balken för oscillerande last. Som en del av projektet modifieras en existerande provningsrigg. Töjningar på balken mats med ett antal töjningsgivare monterade på balken. Spännings och töjningfrån den simulerade modellen analyseras och utmattningslivslängden jämförs för olika metoder för att prediktera utmattning. Slutligen jämförs och veriferas dessa metoder.

Yes / Because of the recent worldwide construction expansion, new roads and buildings may be constructed over already existing buried infrastructures e.g. buried utility pipes, leading to excessive loads threatening their stability and longevity. Limited research studies are available to assess the effect of geogrid reinforcing layers inclusion on mitigating the additional stresses on buried structures due to cyclic loadings. In this research, large-scale fully instrumented laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the behaviour of flexible High-Density Polyethylene pipes (HDPE), in unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced sand, subjected to incrementally increasing cyclic loading, e.g. due to different vehicles capacities or load increase with passing time. Results illustrated that deformation rate in pipe and footing, strain generation rate in pipe and reinforcing layers are rapidly increased in the initial loading cycles, in particular during the first 300 cycles, and then the rate of change decreases significantly, as more cycles are applied. In the unreinforced case, increasing the pipe burial depth significantly reduced the generated deformation and strain in the pipe; however, it has a situational effect on the footing settlement, where it increased after pipe burial depth to its diameter ratio (H/D) of 2.5. In reinforced cases, deformation and strain significantly reduced with the increase in pipe burial depth and number of reinforcing layers. Measurement of strain illustrated that strain generated in the lower reinforcing layer is always higher than that recorded in the upper one, regardless pipe burial depth and value of applied load.

Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) has been used by many state highway agencies to save material, money, time, and energy in pavement construction and rehabilitation. The objectives of this thesis were to: (1) perform an instrumented verification analysis, (2) evaluate the response and performance of two pavement configurations with a CCPR base layer through accelerated pavement testing (APT), and (3) construct models using mechanistic-empirical pavement design software for comparison with the APT results. The pavement configurations featured a 5-inch CCPR mixture with either a 3-inch or 1.5-inch SM-9.5D surface mixture. Each section was instrumented with strain gauges, pressure cells, and thermocouples. A heavy vehicle simulator (HVS) was used to load three replicate test sections in each lane, with the temperature controlled at 39°C at a depth of 1.5 inches. Results from the instrument verification analysis showed that the strain gauges and pressure cells used in the experiment recorded pavement responses with a high degree of repeatability. In addition, the loading condition variables (speed, wheel load, and tire inflation pressure) affected the response following the expected trends and did not affect the repeatability of the instruments. The average CV of all strain gauge and pressure cell signals was approximately 0.009 or 0.9%, and 0.004 or 0.4%, respectively. In terms of the rutting comparison, the sections with the 3-inch surface layer outperformed the sections with the thinner 1.5-inch surface layer. However, the age of the pavement at the start of testing significantly affected the rutting performance. After adjusting for the pavement age at the time of testing, the section with the thicker surface showed approximately half of the rutting of the section with the thinner surface. The results from preliminary ME Design analysis indicate that the software cannot model the studied APT sections using the default material properties and calibration factors available at the time of analysis. In particular, the software does not seem to be prepared to model the CCPR materials. / Master of Science / Accelerated Pavement Testing (APT) is a useful method for evaluating pavements, validating instrument responses, and developing pavement models. The APT uses a Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) as a loading mechanism to simulate the effects of truck traffic on pavement sections. Strain gauges and pressure cells are installed in the pavement sections to monitor the pavement performance and record key points of strain and pressure. This thesis contains the findings and results of APT testing on two sections of pavement containing a cold central plant recycled (CCPR) base mixture; one section has a 3 inch surface mixture while the other has a 1.5 inch surface mixture. Also, an instrument verification exercise is conducted, and an ME Design model is constructed for comparison with the rutting results of the APT testing. Results from the instrument verification analysis showed that the strain gauges and pressure cells used in the experiment recorded pavement responses with a high degree of repeatability. In addition, the loading condition variables (speed, wheel load, and tire inflation pressure) affected the response following the expected trends and did not affect the repeatability of the instruments. In terms of the rutting comparison, the sections with the 3-inch surface layer outperformed the sections with the thinner 1.5-inch surface layer. However, the age of the pavement at the start of testing significantly affected the rutting performance. After adjusting for the pavement age at the time of testing, the section with the thicker surface showed approximately half of the rutting of the section with the thinner surface. The results from ME Design model indicate that the software cannot model the studied APT sections using the default material properties and calibration factors available at the time of analysis. In particular, the software does not seem to be prepared to model the CCPR materials.

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of automobile tires has been an active area of research in the last few years. Within this area, the monitoring of strain on tires using wireless devices and networks is gaining prominence because these techniques do not require any wired connections. Various tire manufacturers are looking into SHM of automobile tires due to the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) act which demands installation of tire pressure monitoring devices within the tire. Besides measuring tire pressures, tire manufactures are also examining ways to measure strain and temperature as well to enhance overall safety of an automobile. A sensor system that can measure the overall strain of a tire is known as a centralized strain sensing system. However, a centralized strain sensing system cannot find the location and severity of the damage on the tire, which is a basic requirement. Various sensors such as acceleration and optical sensors have also been proposed to be used together to get more local damage information on the tire. In this thesis we have developed a strain sensing system that performs local strain measurements on the tire and transmits them to a console inside the vehicle wirelessly. Our sensing system utilizes a new sensing material called Metal RubberTM which is shown to be conductive like metal, and flexible as rubber. Also, we have also developed a reliable and an energy efficient geographic routing protocol for transporting strain data wirelessly from a tire surface to the driver of the automobile. / Master of Science

Yes / In this study, large-scale fully instrumented laboratory tests were conducted to investigate the behaviour of buried flexible high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipes, in sand beds with and without voids subjected to incrementally increasing cyclic loading. Voids with a predetermined size were created at one side of the springlines of the pipes, which were buried at variable depths, H, of 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 times the diameter of the pipe, D. Results showed that increasing the pipe burial depth, H/D, contributed to decreasing the settlement of the footing, deformation of the pipe crown and invert, lateral displacement of the spring-line, and the stress and strain generated along the pipe crown and invert. Void presence led to a significant increase in the footing settlement, which ranged from 3 % up to 18 %, according to H/D. Furthermore, void presence led to a sharp increase in the crown, invert, and spring-line settlements, which ranged from 34 % to 52 %, 10 %–12.5 %, and 13 %–38 %, respectively. Increasing pipe burial depth was found to be highly effective in protecting buried pipes, minimising inevitable consequences of the presence of voids. However, this was combined with an increase in the pressure at the pipe spring-line that led to a positive horizontal support at the pipe’s spring-lines resulting in reducing pipe deformation.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / For over half a century the NPS Aerolabʼ Low Speed Wind Tunnel located in Halligan Hall of the Naval Postgraduate school has served to provide students and faculty with meaningful aerodynamic data for research and problem analysis. New data acquisition hardware was installed three years ago but never fully verified, and contained no integrated software program to collect data from the strain-gauge balance pedestal. Existing National Instruments based hardware for the NPS low-speed wind tunnel was reconfigured to obtain data from the strain-gauge pedestal. Additionally, a data acquisition software program was written in LabVIEW⠭ to accommodate the hardware. The Virtual Instruments (VI) program collects and plots accurate data from all four strain gauges in real-time, producing non-dimensional force and moment coefficients. A research study on the performance of an OH-6A helicopter fuselage was conducted. NPS Aerolabʼ wind tunnel tests consisted of drag, lift, and pitching moment measurements of the OH-6A along yaw and angle-of-attack sweeps. The results of the NPS wind tunnel data were compared against testing conducted on a full-scale OH-6A helicopter in NASA Ames' 40 ft. x 80ft. wind tunnel, along with the U.S. Army's Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) wind tunnel tests. Results of current testing substantiate the LabVIEW⠭ code. / Ensign, United States Navy