Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / Material testing is an important test to researchers in material science fields and other engineering related fields. This is the base for material evaluation prior to the application. This test is used in the engineering field to determine the strength of materials which is an aspect of assigning materials to different functions. The uniaxial tensile testing of material is the most common form of testing the strength of metallic material - usually to investigate whether or not the material is worthy of the intended application. Material testing is normally performed under uncontrolled conditions in most laboratories. Numerous attempts had been previously made in attempt to control the temperature conditions when performing the tensile test on special materials such as shape memory alloys (SMA) and other smart materials. Various methods had been employed to control the temperature during tensile testing, methods such as induction heating, warm liquid baths, etc. The aim of this study was to develop a temperature controlled environment for the Houndsfield tensile testing machine which is found at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in the Mechanical Engineering Department workshop. This was achieved through designing and manufacturing of a thermally controlled chamber -better known as a furnace. This chamber was tested for the optimal combination of proportional, integral and derivative parameters which were tuned on the proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. Performing the tensile test under controlled thermal conditions will allow the analysis of SMAs and other materials behaviour at different temperatures. With the aid of the manufactured chamber, the superior features of the SMA will be able to be studied. The manufactured thermal chamber which is electrically powered is insulated with a special ceramic refractory material to prevent the heat from escaping the chamber. The PID controller was used to control the temperature and heating elements act as the heat source. The manufactured chamber could withstand the maximum temperature 350oC that it was initially designed for. However, the challenge of having the specimen to be tested fully inside the chamber was overcame by designing specimen connectors that connected the specimen to the tensile testing machine. Tensile tests were conducted on the SMA wire at room temperature and other various controlled temperatures and different behaviours were observed on the stress-strain graphs.

The aim of this thesis is to attempt to solve technical and spatial issues in an architectural project by looking at a species of spider, Cyrtphora Citricola. This will be done using desk-based research, reference reading and testing models. The work of architect Frei Otto will also be used as a reference for technical and programmatic solutions in the architectural intervention. The thesis will attempt to answer the question, ‘What aspects of technical and spatial adaptability can be brought into an architectural context by studying spiders and their behavior?’ Spider silk is built up through a protein chain hierarchy, making for a unique structural material. As a species, spiders are particularly adaptable to different living conditions. The specific species Cyrtphora Citricola has a very unique way of building its web which has a tent-shaped formation. It is very adaptable to different sites and living conditions and shares similarities with the tent and netted roof structures designed by Otto. Being a pioneer in the fields of minimal architecture and tension construction, he claims architecture needs to integrate with nature as well as be light and minimal in order to solve the environmental problems we face in modern society. These theories have influenced this thesis and the resulting architectural project proposal. To gain further understanding of tensional structures, experiments using two different methods of model making have been explored. The first uses string and soap film to test the naturally occurring minimal surface of physical models and the second uses a similar method by programming computational software to act like the soap film. The project is summarized in one potential usage of the spider in architecture, an elementary school located in the planned neighborhood Tomtebo Strand, Umeå. The plot is currently all forest, which will be used in the project as a statement of adaptability. As a result of insufficient research surrounding spiders, the project developed into a modern recreation of Otto’s work with tensile construction. The purpose of the architectural project ‘NETWORK’ is to investigate how a large structure can adapt to any location, causing minimal impact. By studying spiders and spider technology and combining the research with the work of Otto; aspects of adaptability, technical function and aesthetical form have been combined to create a project which answers the thesis question.

As humans explore greater depths of Earth’s oceans, there is a growing need for the installation of subsea structures. 71% of the earth’s surface is ocean but there are limitations inherent in current detection instruments for marine applications leading to the need for the development of underwater platforms that allow research of deeper subsea areas. Several underwater platforms including Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and wave gliders enable more efficient deployment of marine structures. Deployable structures are able to be compacted and transported via AUV to their destination then morph into their final form upon arrival. They are a lightweight, compact solution. The wrapped package includes the deployable structure, underwater pump, and other necessary instruments, and the entire package is able to meet the payload capability requirements. Upon inflation, these structures can morph into final shapes that are a hundred times larger than their original volume, which extends the detection range and also provides long-term observation capabilities. This dissertation reviews underwater platforms, underwater acoustics, imaging sensors, and inflatable structure applications then proposes potential applications for the inflatable structures. Based on the proposed applications, a conceptual design of an underwater tubular structure is developed and initial prototypes are built for the study of the mechanics of inflatable tubes. Numerical approaches for the inflation process and bending loading are developed to predict the inflatable tubular behavior during the structure’s morphing process and under different loading conditions. The material properties are defined based on tensile tests. The numerical results are compared with and verified by experimental data. The methods used in this research provide a solution for underwater inflatable structure design and analysis. Several ocean morphing structures are proposed based on the inflatable tube analysis. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection