Orientador: Jozué Vieira Filho / Banca: Suely Cunha Amaro Mantovani / Banca: Bernardo José Guilherme de Aragão / Resumo: Neste trabalho propõe-se o monitoramento da integridade estrutural (SHM) em sistemas de tubulações usando-se a técnica da impedância Eletromecânica (EMI), que é uma forma de avaliação não destrutiva (NDE). A técnica EMI tem como base a Função de Resposta em Frequência (FRF) e se destaca por utilizar transdutores piezelétricos de baixo custo. Através da implementação de um sistema de SHM nas tubulações, é possível monitorar a integridade estrutural de forma contínua e reduzir, assim, os riscos de acidentes que podem prejudicar a população e o meio ambiente. A técnica proposta é baseada em transdutores do tipo PZT, que são colados na superfície curva do corpo principal do tubo da estrutura por meio de um adesivo de alta rigidez, e tem como vantagem básica a simplicidade. Os sensores, devidamente posicionados, são excitados em uma determinada faixa de frequência, gerando uma resposta que é medida através da impedância elétrica. O processo de monitoramento da integridade estrutural da tubulação é feito através de medições periódicas da impedância da estrutura e a detecção do dano é baseada nas alterações das respostas. Para detectar o dano, as diferentes medições são analisadas usandose índices de falha métrica tradicionais na área de SHM, como o RMSD RMSD (Root Mean Square Deviation) e o CCDM (Correlation Coefficient Deviation Metric). A técnica utilizada demonstrou capacidade para identificar corretamente a presença de danos no corpo principal dos segmentos de tubos das estruturas utilizadas, mostrando-se viável para detecção de danos em tubulações / Abstract: In this work proposes the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) in piping systems using the technique of Electromechanical Impedance (EMI), which is a form of non destructive Evaluation (NDE). The EMI technique is based on the Frequency Response Function (FRF) known for its simplicity and for the use of low cost piezoelectric transducers. Through the implementation of a SHM system on the pipes, if possible to monitor the structural integrity continuously, reducing the risk of accidents to the people and the environment. The proposed technique is based on the PZT transducers type, which are pasted on the curved surface of the main body of the pipe with a high stiffness adhesive. The sensors, properly positioned, are excited in a certain range frequency, generating a response that is measured by the electrical impedance. The process of monitoring the structural integrity of the pipes is done through periodic measurements of the impedance and the detection of damage is based on the responses changes. To detect the damage, the different measurements are analyzed using the traditional metric damage indexes in the area of ? SHM, the RMSD (Root Mean Square Deviation) and the CCDM (Correlation Coefficient Deviation Metric). The technique has demonstrated its ability to correctly identify the presence of damage on the main body of the pipes segments of the structures / Mestre

Thesis. 1975. Sc.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / Sc.D.

Este trabalho visa o desenvolvimento de um processo de fabricação para a produção de pequenos lotes de transdutores piezelétricos de ultrassom. O comportamento destes transdutores é estudado através de modelos matemáticos e verificações experimentais, com o objetivo de obter especificações de projeto para seleção de cerâmicas piezelétricas, dimensionamento da camada de retaguarda e da camada de casamento de impedância acústica. Utilizando as equações constitutivas dos materiais piezelétricos e a solução da equação de onda, o transdutor é modelado como um produto de matrizes, sendo cada matriz correspondente a uma camada do transdutor. As relações entre os parâmetros de entrada e saída das camadas analisadas do modelo são utilizadas para determinar as funções características de interesse no projeto de transdutores específicos. O processo de fabricação foi desenvolvido visando diminuir o tempo de montagem e aumentar a confiabilidade de funcionamento, melhorando a qualidade de soldagem das conexões elétricas, da colagem e da vedação, e aumentando a precisão de posicionamento dos componentes do transdutor. Assim objetiva-se obter lotes homogêneos em relação às especificações de projeto, com repetitividade no comportamento dos transdutores produzidos. Utilizando o processo de fabricação desenvolvido, um lote de 133 transdutores de 5 MHz foi produzido, com cerâmicas piezelétricas de 10 mm de diâmetro para suportar pressões de até 500 atm. Os transdutores foram testados individualmente e os resultados mostram uma grande repetitividade do processo desenvolvido. / This work aims the development of a manufacturing process for the production of small batches of piezoelectric ultrasonic transducers. The behavior of these transducers is studied by means of mathematical models and experimental tests, in order to get the design specifications for the piezoelectric ceramics selection, scaling the backing and matching layers. Using the constitutive equations of piezoelectric materials and the wave equation solution, the transducer is modeled as a product of matrices, each matrix corresponding to a layer of the transducer. The relationship between input and output parameters of transducer layers is used to determine the characteristic functions of specific transducers. The manufacturing process was developed for small production batches of transducers and aim decrease assembly time and increase reliability operation, improving the quality of welding of electrical connections, bond and seal, and increasing the positioning accuracy of the transducer components. So the objective is to obtain homogeneous batches regarding to design specifications, with repeatability in the behavior of the manufactured transducers. Using the process manufacturing developed, a 133-transducers batch of 5 MHz was produced, with 10 mm diameter piezoelectric ceramics, to withstand pressures up to 500 atm. The transducers are individually tested and the results show a high repeatability of the manufacturing process.

Within the context of the verification of infinite-state systems, 'Regular model checking' is the name of a family of techniques in which states are represented by words or trees, sets of states by finite automata on these objects, and transitions by finite automata operating on pairs of state encodings, i.e. finite-state transducers. In this context, the problem of computing the set of reachable states of a system can be reduced to the one of computing the iterative closure of the finite-state transducer representing its transition relation. This thesis provides several techniques to computing the transitive closure of a finite-state transducer. One of the motivations of the thesis is to show the feasibility and usefulness of this approach through a combination of the necessary theoretical developments, implementation, and experimentation. For systems whose states are encoded by words, the iteration technique proceeds by comparing a finite sequence of successive powers of the transducer, detecting an 'increment' that is added to move from one power to the next, and extrapolating the sequence by allowing arbitrary repetitions of this increment. For systems whose states are represented by trees, the iteration technique proceeds by computing the powers of the transducer and progressively collapsing their states according to an equivalence relation until a fixed point is reached. The proposed iteration techniques can just as well be exploited to compute the closure of a given set of states by repeated applications of the transducer, which has proven to be a very effective way of using the technique. Various examples have been handled completely within the automata-theoretic setting. Another applications of the techniques are the verification of linear temporal properties as well as the computation of the convex hull of a finite set of integer vectors.

This thesis examines the dynamics of the formation of tethers, which are tubes of lipids 20 - 200 nm in diameter. In particular, this work investigates how the loading rate affects the observed threshold force at which a tether forms from a vesicle membrane. Tether dynamics are important to a myriad of biological processes such as signaling when white blood cells adhere to the walls of healthy and diseased blood vessels, or in the transport of intracellular material between neighboring cells. To understand the dynamics of tether formation in such systems more fully, the studies presented in this thesis focus on the dependence of the force needed to create a tether on the rate of force change. To conduct these experiments, I combined, for the first time, a microfabricated magnetic force transducer, or a microscale device that generates well-controlled and localized magnetic fields, and microaspiration, a technique to apply known tension to a lipid membrane. Using the combined global and local mechanical control of the joint system, I discovered a strong correlation between the threshold force of tether formation and the applied force ramp. An energy model, based upon that used to describe membrane rupture, characterized the observed dependencies and provided a mechanism to examine physically relevant quantities within the system. The usefulness of this combined approach was further substantiated by determining the influence of membrane modulators, including cholesterol, tension, adhesion site concentration, and phosphatidylserine, on the dependence seen between force threshold and force rates. Additionally, application of the experimental technique developed in this thesis led to the calculation of the inter-layer drag coefficient between membrane leaflets and to the first measurements of the thermal expansivity in aspirated 1-stearoy1-2-oleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine vesicles. This new tool for dynamic studies of membrane mechanics may further be extended to study how tethers form off of flowing cells or how phase regimes, induced by the presence of cholesterol, influence membrane dynamics.

This investigation examines a novel means of integrating high-performance ZnO piezoelectric thin films with a flexible stainless steel substrate (SUS304) to fabricate a double-sided piezoelectric transducer. The double-sided piezoelectric transducer is constructed by depositing ZnO piezoelectric thin films on both the front and the back sides of SUS304 substrate. The titanium (Ti) and platinum (Pt) layers were deposited using a dual-gun DC sputtering system between the ZnO piezoelectric thin film and the back side of the SUS304 substrate. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction of ZnO piezoelectric films reveal a rigid surface structure and highly c-axis-preferring orientation. To fabricate a transducer with a resonant frequency of about 80 Hz, a cantilever length of 1 cm and a vibration area of 1 cm2 are designed, based on the cantilever vibration theory. The maximum open circuit voltage of the power transducer is approximately 18 V. After rectification and filtering through a 33 nF capacitor, a specific power output of 1.3 £gW/cm2 is obtained from the transducers with a load resistance of 6 M£[.

Aluminum nitride (AlN) thin films were deposited on SiO2/Si substrates using the reactive RF magnetron sputtering in this thesis. By means of the analysis of XRD, SEM, TEM and AFM, the optimal deposition conditions of highly C-axis oriented AlN films were obtained with RF power of 190W, sputtering pressure of 3mTorr, nitrogen concentration (N2/N2+Ar) of 30%, and substrate temperature of 400¢J. The characteristics of films annealed at temperature range from 600¢J to 1150¢J with N2 flow for 2 hours has been studied. Experimental results reveal that the films retain the high quality up to 800¢J. But when the temperature above 1000¢J, AlN films will be oxided to AlO:N. In addition, the interdigital transducers (IDTs) were fabricated on the films annealed at 800¢J for 2 hours to study the characteristics of SAW devices. The results show that the central frequency, insertion loss and phase velocity of SAW were 182.25 MHz, -12.95 dB and 5824 m/sec, respectively. At the same time, we try to match the impedence of devices and improve the frequency response by using a simulation program. After the impedence was matched, the insertion are not strongly improved but the frequency response and closed-in sidelobe rejection exhibit better. The effects of temperature on the SAW devices show that the central frequency almost does not shift when the temperature increases. But the insertion loss slightly increases with the temperature increased, the variation is about -0.02 dB/¢J.

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references.

Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on Feb 18, 2010). 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. Thesis advisor: Dr. Stephen Lombardo. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010. / Committee Chair: Walker, Bruce N.; Committee Member: Corballis, Paul M.; Committee Member: Corso, Gregory M.; Committee Member: Folds, Dennis J.; Committee Member: Houtsma, Adrianus J. M. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.