The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on December 22, 2009). Thesis advisor: Dr. Brent L. Rosenblad. Includes bibliographical references.

Tez (Yüksek Lisans) - Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi, Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü, Jeofizik Mühendisliği Anabilim Dalı, 2008. / Kaynakça var.

This dissertation presents a detailed investigation on the development of a quasi Yagi antenna with end fire radiation at 2.4 GHz (ISM band) over a metal reflector. Realization of an end fire radiator on top of a metal ground is very difficult because the reflected waves and image currents from the ground degrade the frequency bandwidth and steer the radiation pattern in the broadside direction. This destructive interference is reduced in this research through two quasi Yagi-ground configurations. The first arrangement utilizes a substrate of suitable thickness (7.5mm-0.19 ?g) to displace the ground away from the antenna. The second design implements a high impedance surface (HIS) as ground plane for the antenna. The preferred HIS is the Jerusalem Cross Frequency Selective Surface (JC-FSS) because of its compact size, numerous parameters for tuning and frequency stability in the operating band for a large angular spectrum of TE and TM polarized incident waves. In this work a new parameter is added to the model used for the derivation of the JC-FSS which accounts for the substrate of the antenna lying on top of the FSS, this addition allows for a smaller cell grid. The results for the quasi Yagi antenna over the 7.5mm grounded slab presented an operational bandwidth of 190 MHz with 40°; of beam steering in the end fire direction while the quasi Yagi over the JC-FSS offered 260 MHz of functional bandwidth and 54° of beam steering towards the end fire direction. In addition, the quasi Yagi design over the JC-FSS decreases the combined profile (antenna/backing structure) by 33% in relation to the 7.5mm grounded slab. This dissertation combines for the first time a quasi Yagi antenna with a JC-FSS to achieve end fire radiation in the presence of a ground metal.

Mechanical waves provide information about the stiffness and the condition of a medium; thus, changes in medium conditions can be inferred from changes in wave velocity and attenuation. Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods based on ultrasonic waves are often more economical, practical and faster than destructive testing. Multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) is a well-established surface wave method used for determination of the shear-wave profile of layered medium. The MASW test configuration is also applicable to assess the condition of concrete elements using appropriate frequency range. Both attenuation and dispersion of ultrasonic waves can be evaluated by this technique. In ultrasonic testing, the characterization of a medium requires the precise measurement of its response to ultrasonic pulses to infer the presence of defects and boundary conditions. However, any ultrasonic transducer attached to a surface affects the measured response; especially at high frequencies. On the other hand, ultrasonic transducers available for engineering application are mostly used to measure wave velocities (travel time method). Therefore, these transducers do not have a flat response in the required frequency range. Moreover, in the case of full-waveform methods, the recorded signals should be normalized with respect to the transfer functions of the transducers to obtain the real response of the tested specimen. The main objective of this research is to establish a comprehensive methodology based on surface wave characteristics (velocity, attenuation and dispersion) for condition assessment of cemented materials with irregular defects. To achieve the major objective, the MASW test configuration is implemented in the ultrasonic frequency range. The measured signals are subjected to various signal processing techniques to extract accurate information. In addition, a calibration procedure is conducted to determine the frequency response functions (FRF) of the piezoelectric accelerometers outside their nominal frequency range. This calibration is performed using a high-frequency laser vibrometer. This research includes three main studies. The first study introduces the calibration approach to measure the FRFs of the accelerometers outside of their flat frequency range. The calibrated accelerometers are then used to perform MASW tests on a cemented-sand medium. The original signals and the corrected ones by eliminating the effect of the FRFs are used to determine material damping of the medium. Although, the damping ratios obtained from different accelerometers are not same, the values from the corrected signals are found closer to the characteristic damping value compared to those from the uncorrected signals. The second study investigates the sensitivity of Rayleigh wave velocity, attenuation coefficient, material damping and dispersion in phase velocity to evaluate the sensitivity of these characteristics to the damage quantity in a medium. The soft cemented-sand medium is preferred as the test specimen so that well-defined shaped defects could be created in the medium. MASW test configuration is implemented on the medium for different cases of defect depth. The recorded signals are processed using different signal processing techniques including Fourier and wavelet transforms and empirical mode decomposition to determine the surface wave characteristics accurately. A new index, ‘dispersion index’, is introduced which quantifies the defect based on the dispersive behaviour. All surface wave characteristics are found capable of reflecting the damage quantity of the test medium at different sensitivity levels. In the final study, the condition assessment of six lab-scale concrete beams with different void percent is performed. The beam specimens involving Styrofoam pellets with different ratios are tested under ultrasonic and mechanical equipment. The assessment produce established in the second study with well-defined defects is pursed for the beams with irregular defects. Among the characteristics, attenuation, P and R-wave velocities and dispersion index are found as the promising characteristics for quantifying the defect volume.

No description available.

The geophysical technique known as Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves, or MASW (Park et al., 1999) is a relatively new seismic characterisation method which utilises Rayleigh waves propagation. With MASW, the frequency dependent, planar travelling Rayleigh waves are created by a seismic source and then measured by an array of geophone receivers. The recorded data is used to image characteristics of the subsurface. This thesis explains how MASW was used as a geotechnical investigation tool on windfarms in the lower North Island, New Zealand, to determine the stiffness of the subsurface at each wind turbine site. Shear‐wave velocity (VS) profiles at each site were determined through the processing of the MASW data, which were then used to determine physical properties of the underlying, weathered greywacke. The primary research site, the Te Rere Hau Windfarm in the Tararua Ranges of the North Island, is situated within the Esk Head Belt of Torlesse greywacke (Lee & Begg, 2002). Due to the high level of tectonic activity in the area, along with the high rates of weathering, the greywacke material onsite is highly fractured and weathering grades vary significantly, both vertically and laterally. MASW was performed to characterise the physical properties at each turbine site through the weathering profile. The final dataset included 1‐dimensional MASW shear‐wave evaluations from 100 turbine sites. In addition, Poisson’s ratio and density values were characterised through the weathering profile for the weathered greywacke. During the geotechnical foundation design at the Te Rere Hau Windfarm site, a method of converting shear wave velocity profiles was utilised. MASW surveying was used to determine VS profiles with depth, which were converted to elastic modulus profiles, with the input parameters of Poisson’s ratio and density. This study focuses on refining and improving the current method used for calculating elastic modulus values from shear‐wave velocities, primarily by improving the accuracy of the input parameters used in the calculation. Through the analysis of both geotechnical and geophysical data, the significant influence of overburden pressure, or depth, on the shear wave velocity was identified. Through each of the weathering grades, there was a non‐linear increase in shear wave velocity with depth. This highlights the need for overburden pressure conditions to be considered before assigning characteristic shear wave velocity values to different lithologies. Further to the dataset analysis of geotechnical and geophysical information, a multiple variant non‐linear regression analysis was performed on the three variables of shear wave velocity, depth and weathering grade. This produced a predictive equation for determining shear wave velocity within the Esk Head belt ‘greywacke’ when depth and weathering data are known. If the insitu geological conditions are not comparable to that of the windfarm sites in this study, a set of guidelines have been developed, detailing the most efficient and cost effective method of using MASW surveying to calculate the elastic modulus through the depth profile of an investigation site.

A novel nano-structure is proposed to enhance extraordinary optical transmission from a periodic array of nano-holes. The Plasmonic Bragg reflector works by recapturing surface plasmons that are scattered off the edge of the array during the extraordinary optical transmission process, and reflecting them back towards the array where they can interfere with the light and enhance transmission. This reduces losses from a subwavelength aperture array. The reflectors are positioned to reflect in-phase with the light transmission. Polarization sensitivity of the plasmonic Bragg reflector is demonstrated. Modulation of the transmission is achieved by varying the separation between the array and reflectors. Isolation of adjacent structures on a plasmonic device by the use of the Bragg reflectors is attempted. Transmission and diffraction properties of quasiperiodic nano-hole arrays in a gold film are studied. Resonant transmission is observed, whose values do not simply match surface plasmon wave-vector values. Rotationally symmetric diffraction from the quasicrystal nano-hole array. This diffraction is seen to be controllable by the polarization of the excitation laser. Finite difference time domain calculations of the quasiperiodic array are performed to better understand the origin of the observed transmission resonances. Good agreement between theory and experiment is observed. Calculations show the formation of near-field hot-spots over the structure.

The interaction of steep waves with structures is a complex problem which is still not fully understood, and is of great importance for the design of offshore structures. A particular problem of interest is the phenomenon of ringing which is highly nonlinear. In this thesis a number of inviscid free surface flow problems are simulated using a finite element model. The free surface boundary condition is fully nonlinear, meaning nonlinear effects up to very high order can be simulated, depending on mesh resolution. The model uses a fully automatic unstructured mesh generator; this allows the mesh to change its shape and structure as the free surface deforms. Two unstructured mesh generators have been developed, one based on the advancing front method, the other on the Voronoi technique. Variations of each method are examined. Both methods give good quality meshes. The advancing front technique is found to be faster, but the Voronoi method is more robust and reliable. In addition to the standard finite element method, a sigma transformed version of the finite element formulation has been developed as an alternative. Both techniques have been used for the numerical simulations. The sigma transformation involves stretching of the mesh between the bed and free surface, and so has the advantage that remeshing is avoided. The standard finite element method is straightforward to apply to problems involving submerged arbitrary shaped bodies. Simulations have been performed of a number of test cases, such as a standing wave of large amplitude, a base excited tank and steep travelling waves. Convergence tests were carried out and results found to be in close agreement with analytical and alternative numerical solutions of Wu and Eatock Taylor (1994), Wu et al. (1998) and Chern et al. (1999). The force on a submerged horizontal cylinder due a travelling wave has been calculated. First and second order components have been obtained by Fourier analysis. The results have been compared with the theoretical predictions of Ogilvie (1963), Vada (1987) and Wu and Eatock Taylor (1990) and the experimental results of Chaplin (1984).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on August 10, 2009 Includes bibliographical references.

En géophysique, les réseaux denses améliorent la caractérisation spatiale et fréquentielle des différents types d’ondes dans le milieu. Bien entendu, l’acquisition en surface est sujette aux ondes de surface qui sont très fortes. Les ondes de surface ont un fort impact sur les données géophysiques acquises au niveau du sol. Elles peuvent être considérées comme du bruit et être sujettes à la suppression puisqu’elles cachent l’information de sous-surface. Cependant, elles peuvent être utiles pour l’imagerie de proche surface si elles sont convenablement récupérées.Dans tous les cas, leur caractérisation est cruciale en géophysique d’exploration active et passive. Dans la surveillance microsismique passive, le bruit de surface ambiant est composé d’ondes de surface. L’objectif principal de la surveillance passive est de minimiser l’impact des ondes de surface sur les données microsismiques. Le fort bruit de surface diminue la sensibilité etl’efficacité des méthodes de détection et de localisation. De plus, les méthodes actuelles de localisation et de détection nécessitent généralement la connaissance d’informations telles qu’un un modèle de vitesse ou un modèle d’événement. Dans la sismique active, de fortes ondes de surface sont générés par des sources actives. Les stratégies actuelles de traitement sont généralement basées sur une sélection manuelle des ondes de surface afin de choisir lesquelles garder. Il s’agit là d’une tâche complexe, coûteuse et sujette à interprétation. Cependant, cette tâche est nécessaire pour l’imagerie de proche-surface et de sous-surface. Les ondes de surface peuvent être particulièrement difficiles à récupérer dans des acquisitions clairsemées.Nous proposons d’appliquer les techniques d’interférométrie et de formation de voies (telles que le Matched Field Processing) dans le contexte des réseaux denses. Une densité de traces importante ouvre de nouvelles possibilités dans les traitements géophysiques, qu’ils soient actifs ou passifs. Nous montrons que le bruit ambiant peut être utilisé dans le traitement microsismique pour extraire des informations importantes sur les propriétés du milieu. De plus, nous développons une approche de débruitage qui permet de supprimer les sources de bruit à la surface et détecter les événements microsismiques. Nous proposons également une méthode automatique de détection et de localisation qui se base sur une quantité minimale d’information préalable qui permet de récupérer la distribution des hétérogénéités du réservoir, dans le voisinage du puits. En ce qui concerne la sismique active, nous proposons une approche interférométrique et automatique de caractérisation des ondes de surface. Nous récupérons les noyaux de sensibilité de phase des ondes de surface entre deux points quelconques de l’acquisition. Ces noyaux de sensibilité sont par conséquent utilisés pour obtenir les courbes de dispersion multimodales. Ces courbes de dispersion permettent la séparation des différents modes des ondes de surface, et fournissent l’information de proche surface suite à une simple inversion.Le réseau dense permet l’amélioration des méthodes présentées ci-dessus: elle permet des applications alternatives et innovantes dans le traitement du signal géophysique. / In geophysics, spatially dense arrays enhance the spatial and frequential characterization of the various waves propagating in the medium. Of course, surface array is subject to strong surface waves. Surface waves highly impact the processing of geophysical data acquired at ground level. They can be considered as noise and subject to suppression as they mask sub-surface information.However, they can be useful for near-surface imaging if they are well retrieved. In any case, their characterization is crucial in active and passive exploration geophysics. In passive microseismic monitoring, ambient surface noise consists of surface waves. The main goal of passive monitoring is to minimize the impact of surface waves on the actual microseismic data. The strong ambient surface noise lowers the sensitivity and the efficiency ofdetection and location methods. Moreover, current location and detection methods usually require strong a priori information (e.g., a velocity model or a template).Active sources generate strong surface waves. In active seismic, current processing strategies often consist in manually picking surface wave arrivals in order to use or remove them. This is often a complex, time consuming, and an ambiguous task. However, it is needed for near- and sub-surface imaging. Surface waves can be particularly difficult to retrieve in sparse arrays. We propose to apply the techniques of interferometry and beamforming (Matched Field Processing in particular) in the context of dense arrays. High trace density opens new possibilities in geophysical processing in both passive and active surveys. We show that the ambient noise can be explored in the case of microseismic monitoring to extract important information about the medium properties. Moreover, we develop a denoising approach to remove the noise sources at the surface and detect the microseismic event. Furthermore, we propose an automatic detection and location method with a minimum a priori information to retrieve the distribution of heterogeneities in the reservoir, in the well vicinity.In active survey, we propose an interferometric, automatic approach to characterize the surface waves. We retrieve phase-sensitivity kernels of surface waves between any two points of the acquisition. These kernels are consequently used to obtain multi-mode dispersion curves. These dispersion curves make it possible to separate different modes of surface waves and provide near-surface information if inverted.The above presented methodologies benefit from spatially dense arrays.Dense arrays of sources or receivers enable alternative, innovative applications in geophysical processing.