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Thesis. 1978. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography : leaves 241-256. / Ph.D.

No description available.

This thesis discusses the theory and limitations of a system that has been designed and constructed for the purpose of measuring the phase shift and attenuation of high-frequency (15 MHZ) electromagnetic waves propagating between two insulated antennas that have been lowered down air-filled boreholes (cased with PVC pipe) at San Xavier Mine, Pima County, Arizona. Both the transmitting and receiving antennas are center-fed, sleeve dipoles that have been tuned to approximately their resonant lengths. The insulated-sleeve dipole antenna is modelled as the inner conductor of a radiating, coaxial transmission-line, which allows simple transmission-line formulas to be used in approximating the antenna impedance and current distribution along the antenna. Experimental results at the San Xavier Mine indicate the analogy is valid. Consequently, the most easily interpreted and repeatable measurements have been made with the antennas centered in the borehole.

In the first section, the thickness of ice on the lakes and canals is estimated by analyzing the sound spectrum generated by dispersion of Lamb type waves propagating in ice. In winters when the lakes and canals freeze, it is important to know the thickness of the ice layer before setting foot on it. When a stone is thrown on the ice layer, a fluting sound can be heard. This is recorded for different thicknesses of ice, and the sound spectrum is compared with the results simulated using a parameterized model. This model is created using a combination of plane waves for different incident angles and frequencies to generate dispersion curves for different thicknesses of ice. The frequencies of the reflected sound are then compared with the frequencies of musical instruments in order to assign different musical notes to different thicknesses of ice. The technique enables thickness estimation without the use of specialized equipment or time consuming drilling and may therefore be of practical value in the preservation of the lives of ice skaters and playing children. In the second half of the study, high frequencies (400 MHz and 1 GHz) are used to investigate samples with micro structures. Acoustic microscopy is a well established technique as far as smooth surfaces are concerned. V (z) curves are obtained from which, through surface wave generation, important features concerning elasticity and related properties can be extracted. Recently, high resolution imaging using high frequency focused transducers, based on acoustic microscopy has appeared. The surface profiles of the samples used in this study, have periodic structures but lack smoothness. The periodicity causes sound diffraction and the roughness influences the acoustic microscopic investigation. The small acoustic contrast between the substrate and the periodic corrugation on the material, gives us information about the additional stresses which develop and affect the bonding between the two materials. In this study, experiments are conducted using samples with corrugations of different periodicity, and a comparison is made between the results for smoother surfaces and results for the periodic structures of the same material. An attempt is made to analyse the effects described above.

The use of real-time continuous dynamics monitoring often indicates dynamic behaviour that was not anticipated by model-based studies. In such cases it can be difficult to locate the sources of problems using conventional tools. This thesis details the possibility of diagnosing the causes of problems related to oscillatory stability using measurement-based data such as active power and mode decay time constant, derived from system models. The aim of this work was to identify dynamics problems independently of an analytical dynamic model, which should prove useful in diagnosing and correcting dynamics problems. New statistical techniques were applied to both dynamic models and real systems which yielded information about the causes of the long decay time constants observed in these systems. Wavelet transforms in conjunction with General Linear Models (GLMs) were used to improve the statistical prediction of decay time constants derived from the system. Logic regression was introduced as a method of establishing important interactions of loadflow variables that contribute to poor damping. The methodology was used in a number of case studies including the 0.62Hz Icelandic model mode and a 0.48Hz mode from the real Australian system. The results presented herein confirm the feasibility of this approach to the oscillation source location problem, as combinations of loadflow variables can be identified and used to control mode damping. These ranked combinations could be used by a system operator to provide more comprehensive control of oscillations in comparison to current techniques.

published_or_final_version / Physics / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy