The reliability of the main cable of a suspension bridge is crucial to the reliability of the entire bridge. Throughout the life of a suspension bridge, its main cables are subject to corrosion due to various factors, and the deterioration of strength is a slowly evolving and dynamic process. The goal of this research is to find the pattern of how the strength of steel wires inside a suspension bridge cable changes with time. Two methodologies are proposed based on the analysis of five data sets which were collected by testing pristine wires, artificially corroded wires, and wires taken from three suspension bridges: Severn Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and Williamsburg Bridge. The first methodology is to model wire strength as a random process in space whose marginal probability distribution and power spectral density evolve with time. Both the marginal distribution and the power spectral density are parameterized with time-dependent parameters. This enables the use of Monte Carlo methods to estimate the failure probability of wires at any given time. An often encountered problem -- the incompatibility between the non-Gaussian marginal probability distribution and prescribed power spectral density -- which arises when simulating non-Gaussian random processes using translational field theory, is also studied. It is shown by copula theory that the selected marginal distribution imposes restrictions on the selection of power spectral density function. The second methodology is to model the deterioration rate of wire strength as a stochastic process in time, under Ito's stochastic calculus framework. The deterioration rate process is identified as a mean-reversion stochastic process taking non-negative values. It is proposed that the actual deterioration of wire strength depends on the deterioration rate, and may also depend on the state of the wire strength itself. The probability distribution of wire strength at any given time can be obtained by integrating the deterioration rate process. The model parameters are calibrated from the available data sets by matching moments or minimizing differences between probability distributions.

New textile materials are constantly being brought into the automotive field, and automobile design is a leader in innovative and spectacular developments where smart textile materials are used. The main elements of the current project are textile material research, automotive research, design and development of two upholstery concepts for automotives using smart textiles. The added values are RFI/EMI (Radio Frequency Interference / Electro Magnetic Interference) shielding qualities, light emitting, light reflective and antistatic qualities. Values in the smart-textile area are obtained through choice of material and textile techniques. Transportation textiles are considered high performance technical fabrics, but they must also meet the aesthetic demands of the market. In the current project the design is inspired by Japanese architectural thinking and strives to relate to outdoor environment to reduce the border between indoor and outdoor environment. The inspiration source is water surfaces. The colour setting is also inspired by water surfaces. Material selection is based on the chosen added values, material qualities, appearance and availability. The result of the work is two different upholstery concepts visualizing qualities of smart materials and requests the automotive field. Sprinkle is an upholstery with light emitting, light reflective and antistatic values. The materials used are monofilament, polyester and electroluminescent wires. Wave is an upholstery design with antistatic, light reflective and RFI/Emi shielding qualities. The materials used are stainless steel yarn, rubco and monofilament. / <p>Program: Konstnärligt masterprogram i mode- och textildesign</p><p>Uppsatsnivå: D</p>

L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer des méthodes pour étalonner un robot parallèle à câbles de grande dimension. Afin d'améliorer le comportement global d'un robot, il est nécessaire d'identifier au mieux les paramètres de son modèle. Pour cela, il est important d'obtenir des informations redondantes en mesurant l'état du robot dans différentes configurations. Cependant, le modèle choisi est un compromis entre sa capacité à représenter le comportement réel du manipulateur et les informations disponibles pour le renseigner. Dans le cas particulier des robots à câbles de grande dimension, la masse et l'élasticité des câbles ont une influence non négligeable sur le comportement du robot mais sont difficiles à modéliser. En effet, le modèle physique des câbles est complexe et nécessite de connaître la tension à laquelle ils sont soumis. Les capteurs disponibles ne pouvant nous fournir cette information avec une précision suffisante pour renseigner un modèle de câble réaliste, nous proposons d'utiliser un modèle simplifié. Dans le but de proposer un étalonnage efficace, il est donc nécessaire de définir les conditions pour l'emploi de ce modèle simplifié. Ensuite, nous avons adapté et implanté d'une part plusieurs techniques classiques pour l'étalonnage des robots parallèles mais nous avons également élaboré des approches plus innovantes. Nous proposons en effet un modèle pour les robots à câbles reposant sur une représentation des incertitudes de modélisation, de mesures et de paramètres au moyen d'intervalles. / The main objective of this thesis is to propose new methods for the calibration of a large scale cable-driven robot. The principal method to improve the global behavior of a robot consists to identify the parameters of the model. For this, it is important to get redundant information by measuring the state of the robot in different configurations. However, the model used is a compromise between its ability to represent the actual behavior of the manipulator and the information available to fill in it. In the special case of the large scale cable-driven robots, mass and elasticity of the cables have a significant influence on the behavior of the robot but they are difficult to model. Indeed, the physical model of the cable is complex and requires knowledge of the tension inside it. Available sensors cannot provide this information with a sufficient accuracy to fill in a model of a realistic cable, we thus propose to use a simplified model. In order to provide an efficient calibration, it is necessary to fix the requirements to use this simplified model. Then, we have adapted and implemented some classical techniques for the calibration of parallel robots, but we also developed more innovative approaches. We propose a model for cable robots based on a representation of the uncertainties from modeling, measurements and parameters using intervals. By exploiting the interval analysis, we have developed various approaches to identify with certification the geometric parameters of the structure. We thus propose a new approach and associated algorithms to characterize and compute different kind of solutions for the calibration problem.

Nos Ãltimos anos, observou-se o surgimento e a rÃpida disseminaÃÃo da tecnologia WLAN IEEE 802.11 que integrou-se ao mercado atual e tornou-se opular como rede de banda larga sem fio de acesso à Internet. Paralelamente, o serviÃo de VoIP apresenta uma das maiores taxas de crescimento dentre as aplicaÃÃes de Internet da atualidade. GraÃas à convergÃncia destas duas tendÃncias, acredita-se que o serviÃo de VoIP em redes WLAN venha a ser uma importante aplicaÃÃo de Internet. Entretanto, o "efeito avalanche" foi identificado como um grave problema passÃvel de ocorrer em uma rede WLAN fucionando prÃximo ao seu limite de capacidade, na qual a admissÃo de um novo usuÃrio pode vir a provocar a degradaÃÃo de todas as sessÃes VoIP prÃ-existentes. Neste contexto, o controle de admissÃo de chamadas foi identificado como um nicho a ser explorado. A avaliaÃÃo de desempenho de quatro algoritmos de CAC foi realizada neste trabalho. Dois deles foram encontrados na literatura pesquisada, um deles baseado numa equaÃÃo teÃrica (EQA) e outro na taxa de utilizaÃÃo do canal (CBA). Os outros dois algoritmos representam as propostas inovadoras desta dissertaÃÃo, um deles se baseia a FER mÃdia do sistema no enlace direto (FEA) e outro na taxa de utilizaÃÃo do buffer de transmissÃo do ponto de acesso (BSA). O FEA demonstrou um melhor aproveitamento dos recursos da rede em relaÃÃo aos algoritmos de CAC selecionados da literatura. No entanto, este algoritmo supÃe a disponibilidade da medida precisa da FER no ponto de acesso. Jà com o BSA, o "efeito avalanche" foi praticamente eliminado, possibilitando a obtenÃÃo dos melhores ganhos dentre todos os algoritmos avaliados. AlÃm disso, sua implementaÃÃo à mais simples e a obtenÃÃo da mÃtrica de decisÃo se dà diretamente no prÃprio ponto de acesso. / In the last years, the IEEE 802.11 WLAN has become very popular and widely deploved for Internet acess. On the other hand, voice over IP is one of the fast growing Internet apllications today. Thanks to the convergence of these two trends, it is believed that VoIP over WLAN is expected to become an important Internet application. However, the so called "avalanche effect" has been identified as a real problem in a WLAN, when operating near its capacity limit, in which the admission of an additional call may result in unacceptable QoS for alll the ongoing VoIP connections. In this context, the call admission control has beeen pointed out as an interesting research issue. We have proceed the performance evaluation of four CAC algorithms. Two of them were fond in specialized literature, one based on a theoretical equation (EQA) and the other based on the channel busyness ratio (CBA). The other algorithms represent the innovative proposals of this work, one based on the measured downlink FER (FEA) and the other based on the transmission buffer utilization ratio (BSA). The resource allocation provided by the FEA is more efficient than the one provided by EQA or CBA. However, this algorithm considers the accurate availability of the downlink FER metric at the access point. The BSA has almost eliminated the "avalache effect" achieving the best gains in terms of capacity and resource allocation when comparing with all the algorithms evaluated. Additionally, the practical implementation of the BSA is very simple and the decision metric is readily available at the access point

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo acerca dos principais parâmetros que caracterizam o fenômeno da biestabilidade em dois tubos dispostos lado a lado submetidos a escoamento cruzado turbulento. A técnica experimental da anemometria de fio quente em canal aerodinâmico é aplicada na medição das flutuações de velocidade do escoamento após os tubos. As séries temporais obtidas são utilizadas como dados de entrada para determinação das funções densidade de probabilidade (PDF) usando um modelo de mistura finita, de acordo com uma função t de Student assimétrica e com o auxílio do método de Monte Carlo. Transformadas de ondaletas discretas e contínuas são aplicadas na filtragem das séries temporais para determinadas bandas de frequências e na análise do conteúdo de energia destes sinais. Através de conceitos de sistemas caóticos, é realizada a reconstrução do atrator do problema pelo método dos atrasos temporais, a partir das séries experimentais de velocidade, permitindo a determinação da dimensão de imersão e o cálculo do maior expoente de Lyapunov. Os resultados mostram a existência de dois patamares distintos de velocidade média nas séries temporais, correspondentes aos dois modos do escoamento, cada qual com números de Strouhal e funções densidade de probabilidade distintas. Uma análise conjunta das componentes axial e transversal do escoamento e suas PDF indicam as regiões no plano de medições onde o fenômeno se manifesta, sendo que reconstruções da trajetória filtrada das séries temporais para determinadas bandas de frequências apresentam características caóticodeterminísticas. O maior expoente de Lyapunov das séries experimentais é positivo, o que é um indício de comportamento caótico. / This work presents a study of the main parameters that characterize the phenomenon of bistability in two tubes placed side by side submitted to turbulent crossflow. The experimental technique of hot wire anemometry in aerodynamic channel is applied in the measurement of velocity fluctuations of the flow after the tubes. The time series obtained are used as input data for determining the probability density functions (PDF) using a finite mixture model, according to an asymmetric Student t function and with the aid of a Monte Carlo method. Wavelet transforms are applied in discrete and continuous filtering of time series for certain frequency bands and in the analysis of the energy content of these signals. By means of chaotic systems concepts, the attractor reconstruction of the problem is performed using the method of time delays from the experimental series of velocity, allowing the determination of the embedding dimension and calculating the largest Lyapunov exponent. The results show the existence of two different levels of mean velocity in time series, corresponding to two flow modes, each one with different Strouhal numbers and probability density functions. A joint analysis of axial and transverse components of flow and its PDF indicate the regions in the measurement plan where the phenomenon is manifested, and reconstructions of the trajectory of the filtered time series for certain frequency bands have chaotic-deterministic characteristics. The largest Lyapunov exponent of experimental series is positive, which is an indication of chaotic behavior.

A utilização do fio diamantado na lavra de granitos ornamentais no Brasil é uma técnica de corte relativamente recente e, por esta razão, alguns problemas são decorrentes, principalmente do uso incorreto dos equipamentos, assim como também da falta de experiência dos operadores. Os casos aqui apresentados se reportam a observações em pedreiras localizadas no estado do Espírito Santo, nas quais as imperfeições no corte se relacionam à velocidade de corte, à torção do cabo, à refrigeração do fio, à retirada antecipada das polias auxiliares e à execução inadequada das emendas. A estes fatores técnicos se somam outros, de natureza geológica, como a necessidade de melhor conhecimento das características dos maciços rochosos e da petrografia dos granitos. / The use of the diamond wire in quarries of ornamental granites in Brazil is a relatively recent technique of cut and, for this reason, some problems are decurrent, mainly, of the incorrect use of the equipment, as well as of the lack of experience of operators. The cases here presented report the observations in quarries located in the state of Espirito Santo, in which the imperfections in the cut if regard the speed of cut, the twist and refrigeration of the wire and to the inadequate execution of the amendings. To these technical factors others are added, of geologic nature, like the necessity of better knowledge of the characteristics of the rocky bulks and the petrography of granites.

Portable mass spectrometers provide convenience for applications where conventional mass spectrometers are not suitable. However, a series of miniaturization issues show up in small mass spectrometers, specifically mass analyzers, that need to be thoroughly addressed before further miniaturization. The work in this dissertation focuses on miniaturization issues of ion trap mass analyzers. Space-charge is one of the major issues in small ion traps affecting their analytical performance. It limits ion trapping capacity when ion-ion repulsion causes spreading of a packet of ions. Simulation studies on the relationship between different trap dimensions and trapping capacity was done on a geometry-optimized cylindrical ion trap. A reasonable way of scaling the two important operating parameters (trapping voltage and trapping frequency as functions of the trap dimension) was discussed and applied in the simulation. The trapping capacity (N) decreased with the physical trap dimension (r0) as expected, and N is scaled exponentially as r0. Scaling laws for trapping parameters are proposed, confirmed by SIMION simulations that evaluate the space charge issue in small ion traps. This effect represents a practical limit in ion trap miniaturization.Geometry deviation is another issue that cannot be neglected in miniaturized ion traps, especially in small linear ion traps (LIT). The LIT our group is working on consists of an assembly of two plates, of which each was made by lithographically patterning a series of electrodes on an insulating plate. It is a promising way of expanding the trap capacity at a small trap dimension. However, misalignment of the two plates might seriously affect its performance, specifically resolution and signal intensity. Simulations were done on the misalignment of two-plate planar LIT in the six possible degrees of freedom (DOF) of misalignment between the two plates. Each DOF's influence on the mass resolution and the ion detection efficiency were discussed. Preliminary data from a previous ceramic plate design was collected while most of the misalignment experiments were done on an improved version. A platform was designed incorporating four motorized stages to precisely control the alignment of the ion trap in vacuum. The new plate design was demonstrated to achieve a better than unit resolution for toluene and deuterated toluene after the plates were aligned. The impact on the resolution and signal intensity from pitch, x-, y- and z-displacement were also experimentally studied.

An instrumented unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was developed and employed to observe the full range of turbulent motions that exist within the inertial subrange of atmospheric surface layer turbulence. The UAV was host to a suite of pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind sensors which provide the necessary data to calculate the variety of turbulent statistics that characterize the flow. Flight experiments were performed with this aircraft, consisting of a large square pattern at an altitude of 100 m above ground level. In order to capture the largest turbulent scales it was necessary to maximize the size of the square pattern. The smallest turbulent scales, on the other hand, were measured through the use of a fast response constant temperature hot wire anemometer. The results demonstrates that the UAV system is capable of directly measuring the full inertial subrange of the atmospheric surface layer with high resolution and allowing for the turbulence dissipation rate to be calculated directly.

A series of tests were performed on nickel-titanium alloy wire, also known as nitinol, to determine the plausibility of designing an actuator using this wire as the method of actuation. These tests have been designed to fully characterize how the wire behaves under steady state and transient conditions allowing for a specific wire selection to be made given known actuator specifications which will result in an efficient design. The wire transient data can be used to design a controller which reduces the actuation time. The research done for the overall project covers a wide scope including wire hysteresis, nitinol transition temperature, variable wire resistance, wire actuation as a function of current and pull force, cable fabrication, and wire actuation control to optimize performance. Using these test results, a prototype actuator has been designed using nitinol wire. It has been determined that an actuator can be efficiently designed using this material.

Hot-wire anemometry has been routinely employed for laboratory measurements of turbulence for decades. This thesis presents a hot-wire anemometer suitable for use with the Boundary Layer Data System (BLDS). BLDS provides a unique platform for in- flight measurements because of its small, self-contained, robust design and flexible architecture. Addition of a hot-wire anemometer would provide BLDS with a sensor that could directly measure flow velocity fluctuations caused by turbulence. Hot-wires are commonly operated in constant-temperature mode for high frequency response, but require a carefully tuned bridge. The constant-voltage anemometer (CVA) uses a simple op-amp circuit to improve frequency response over constant-current operation. Due to its balance between ease of operation and performance, a CVA system built for this project was tested with a 3.8 micron diameter, platinum-coated tungsten probe. The CVA was calibrated in a steady jet and a power-law curve fit accurately represented the calibration data. The CVA successfully measured velocity fluctuations in a turbulent jet, as well as in laminar and tripped turbulent boundary layers over a flat plate in a 110 MPH wind tunnel. CVA frequency response was investigated using a thermal/electrical model, controlled oscillation in a steady flow, and with a square wave test; these three methods showed agreement. The CVA is selected for integration with BLDS.