A method for numerical simulation of train induced track vibration and wave propagation in subgrade has been proposed. The method uses a mass to simulate the bogie of a train and considers the effect of rail roughness. For this method, rail roughness is considered as a randomly generated signal and a filter is used to block the undesired components. The method predicts the particle velocity around the track and can be applied to many kinds of railroad trackbeds including traditional ballast trackbed and modern Hot mix asphalt (HMA) trackbed. Results from ballast and HMA trackbeds are compared and effects of HMA layer on damping track vibration and dissipating wave propagation are presented. To verify the credibility of the method, in-track measurements were also conducted. Site measurements included performing geophysical tests such as spectral analysis of surface wave test and seismic refraction test to determine the subsurface conditions at the test site. Ballast and HMA samples were tested in the laboratory by resonant column test to obtain the material properties. Particle velocities were measured and analyzed in the frequency domain. Results from in-track tests confirm the applicability of the numerical method. The findings and conclusions are summarized and future research topics are suggested.

The present research is concerned with developing analysis methods for analyzing and exploring finite-amplitude elastic wave propagation through periodic media. Periodic arrangements of materials with high acoustic impedance contrasts can be employed to control wave propagation. These systems are often termed phononic crystals or metamaterials, depending on the specific design and purpose. Design of these systems usually relies on computation and analysis of dispersion band structures which contain information about wave propagation speed and direction. The location and influence of complete (and partial) band gaps is a particularly interesting characteristic. Wave propagation is prohibited for frequencies that correspond to band gaps; thus, periodic systems behave as filters, wave guides, and lenses at certain frequencies. Controlling these behaviors has typically been limited to the manufacturing stage or the application of external stimuli to distort material configurations. The inclusion of nonlinear elements in periodic unit cells offers an option for passive tuning of the dispersion band structure through amplitude-dependence. Hence, dispersion analysis methods which may be utilized in the design of nonlinear phononic crystals and metamaterials are required. The approach taken herein utilizes Bloch wave-based perturbation analysis methods for obtaining closed-form expressions for dispersion amplitude-dependence. The influence of material and geometric nonlinearities on the dispersion relationship is investigated. It is shown that dispersion shifts result from both self-action (monochromatic excitation) and wave-interaction (multi-frequency excitation), the latter enabling dynamic anisotropy in periodic media. A particularly novel aspect of this work is the ease with which band structures of discretized systems may be analyzed. This connection enables topology optimization of unit cells with nonlinear elements. Several important periodic systems are considered including monoatomic lattices, multilayer materials, and plane stress matrix-inclusion configurations. The analysis methods are further developed into a procedure which can be implemented numerically with existing finite-element analysis software for analyzing geometrically-complex materials.

The bulk of the research work in wave related areas considers sea waves as stochastic objects leading to wave forecasting techniques based on statistical approaches. Due to the complex dynamics of the sea waves’ behaviour, statistical techniques are probably the only viable approach when forecasting over substantial spatial and temporal intervals. However this view changes when limiting the forecasting time to a few seconds or when the goal is to estimate the quiescent periods that occur due to the beating interaction of the wave components, especially in narrow band seas. This work considers the multi disciplinary research field of deterministic sea wave prediction (DSWP), exploring different aspects of DSWP associated with shallow angle LIDAR systems. The main goal of this project is to study and develop techniques to reduce the prediction error. The first part deals with issues related to shallow angle LIDAR systems data problems, while the remaining part of this work concentrates on the prediction system and propagation models regardless of the source of the data. The two main LIDAR data problems addressed in this work are the non-uniform distribution and the shadow region problems. An empirical approach is used to identify the characteristics of shadow regions associated with different wave conditions and different laser position. A new reconstruction method is developed to address the non-uniformed sampling problem, it is shown that including more information about the geometry and the dynamics of the problem improves the reconstruction error considerably. The frequency domain approach to the wave propagation model is examined. The effect of energy leakage on the prediction error is illustrated. Two approaches are explored to reduce this error. First a modification of the simple dispersive phase shifting filter is tested and shown to improve the prediction. The second approach is to reduce the energy leakage with an iterative Window-Expansion method. Significant improvement of the prediction error is achieved using this method in comparison to the End-Matching method typically used in DSWP systems. The final part in examining the frequency domain approach is to define the prediction region boundaries associated with a given prediction accuracy. The second propagation model approach is the Time/Space domain approach. In this method the convolution of the measured data and the propagation filter impulse response is used in the prediction system. In this part of the research work properties of these impulse responses are identified. These are found to be quite complicated representations. The relation between the impulse response (duration and shift) with prediction time and distance are studied. Quantification of these impulse responses properties are obtained by polynomial approximation and non-symmetric filter analysis. A new method is shown to associate the impulse response properties to the prediction region of both the Fixed Time and Fixed Point mode.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering, 2017 / In the mining industry, communications systems are important for ensuring personnel safety and optimizing the mining processes underground. Achieving robust and reliable through-the-air (TTA) communication systems has always been a challenge in the underground mining environment due to harsh and dynamic conditions. TTA requires radio channel characterization for efficient designing and deploying of the communications systems. The literature covers the statistical radio propagation of a room and pillar coal mine, a longwall coal mine, CANMET Gold mine, Camborne School of Mines hard rock mine tunnel, MUZ Coal mine, an iron-ore mine and a lead-zinc mine with linearly polarized antennas at different frequencies. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / MT 2017

A dinâmica sedimentar sobre um trecho da plataforma continental leste brasileira foi analisada através da abordagem combinada entre a análise do clima de ondas (WAVEWATCH III), modelagem da propagação das ondas para águas rasas (MIKE 21 SW) e aplicação de equações que estimam o transporte de partículas em função da tensão de cisalhamento causada pelas ondas sobre o fundo marinho. Assim, baseado no clima de ondas da região, são estimados os potenciais de mobilidade sedimentar como resposta a diversas condições forçantes. O clima de ondas em frente a Ilhéus é caracterizado pela predominância de ondas do quadrante leste (60%), com 20% provenientes de sudeste e 15% de sul. Em frente a Caravelas, o espectro de ondas é caracterizado por 40% de ondas de leste, 15% do quadrante sudeste e 35% provenientes de sul. O clima de ondas é influenciado pelas descontinuidades na largura da plataforma continental nesse trecho da costa, atenuando a influência das ondas de swell provenientes do quadrante sul em frente a Ilhéus. Os resultados indicam mobilidade sedimentar até 50 m de profundidade na plataforma de Ilhéus e até 20 m na plataforma de Abrolhos ao longo do ano, no entanto, eventos esporádicos mais energéticos são capazes de mobilizar sedimentos até cerca de 200 m de profundidade na plataforma de Ilhéus e até 100 m na plataforma de Caravelas. A mobilidade de partículas de maiores dimensões, como os rodolitos da plataforma de Abrolhos, maior campo de rodolitos conhecido do mundo, foi analisada através do parâmetro de Shields, que leva em consideração tamanho e densidade das partículas. Os resultados indicam que a mobilidade dos rodolitos de Abrolhos está principalmente condicionada pela ocorrência de eventos mais energéticos, especialmente no outono. As regiões com maior mobilidade são a porção norte, próxima a quebra da plataforma e a porção centro-sul da plataforma, ambas com profundidades entre 20 e 40 m. O detalhamento do conhecimento sobre o transporte de sedimentos na plataforma continental leste brasileira contribui para o entendimento na dinâmica sedimentar na região. A morfologia complexa da plataforma, combinada com o clima de ondas incidente, são fatores fundamentais no potencial de mobilização de sedimentos. / The sedimentary dynamics on a stretch of the Brazilian continental shelf was analyzed through a combined approach between wave climate analysis (WAVEWATCH III), shallow water wave propagation modeling (MIKE 21 SW) and equations estimating the transport of particles as a function of bed shear stress by the waves. Thus, based on the wave climate of the region, sediment mobility potentials are estimated in response to several forcing conditions. Wave climate is characterized by the predominance of east waves in front of Ilhéus (60%), 20% from southeast quadrant and 15% from south. In front of Caravelas a wave spectrum is characterized by 40% from east quadrant, 15% from southeast and 35% from south. Continental shelf width discontinuity influences wave climate at Ilhéus, attenuating waves from south quadrant. The results indicate sediment mobility up to 50 m depth on the Ilhéus shelf and up to 20 m on the Abrolhos shelf along the entire year; however, more sporadic energetic events are able to mobilize sediments up to 200 m depth on the Ilhéus shelf and up to 100 m on the Caravelas shelf. Larger particle mobility, such as the rhodoliths of the Abrolhos shelf, the largest known rhodolite field in the world, was analyzed using the Shields parameter, which takes into account particle size and density. The results indicate that the mobility of Abrolhos rhodolites is mainly conditioned by the occurrence of more energetic events, especially in autumn. The regions with the greatest mobility are the northern portion, near the shelf break and the center-south portion of the shelf, both with depths between 20 and 40 m. The detailed knowledge on sediment transport in the Brazilian continental shelf contributes to the understanding of sedimentary dynamics in the region. The complex morphology of the continental shelf, combined with the incident wave climate, are fundamental factors in sediment mobilization potential.

Vazamentos em tubos pressurizados geram ondas acústicas que se propagam através das paredes destes tubos, as quais podem ser captadas por acelerômetros ou por sensores de emissão acústica. O conhecimento de como estas paredes podem vibrar, ou de outro modo como as ondas acústicas se propagam neste meio, é fundamental em um processo de detecção e localização da fonte de vazamento. Neste trabalho, foi implementado um modelo analítico, através das equações de movimento da casca cilíndrica, com o objetivo de entender o comportamento da superfície do tubo em função de uma excitação pontual. Como a superfície cilíndrica é um meio fechado na direção circunferencial, ondas que iniciaram sua jornada, a partir de uma fonte pontual sobre a superfície, se encontrarão com outras que já completaram a volta na casca cilíndrica, tanto no sentido horário como no anti-horário, gerando interferências construtivas e destrutivas. Após um tempo suficiente, uma estacionariedade é atingida, criando pontos de picos e vales na superfície da casca, os quais podem ser visualizadas através de uma representação gráfica do modelo analítico criado. Os resultados teóricos foram comprovados através de medidas realizadas em uma bancada de testes composta de um tubo de aço terminado em caixa de areia, simulando a condição de tubo infinito. Para proceder à localização da fonte pontual sobre a superfície, adotou-se o processo de solução inversa, ou seja, conhecidos os sinais dos sensores dispostos na superfície do tubo, determina-se através do modelo teórico onde a fonte que gerou estes sinais pode estar. / Leaks in pressurized tubes generate acoustic waves that propagate through the walls of these tubes, which can be captured by accelerometers or by acoustic emission sensors. The knowledge of how these walls can vibrate, or in another way, how these acoustic waves propagate in this material is fundamental in the detection and localization process of the leak source. In this work an analytic model was implemented, through the motion equations of a cylindrical shell, with the objective to understand the behavior of the tube surface excited by a point source. Since the cylindrical surface has a closed pattern in the circumferential direction, waves that are beginning their trajectory will meet with another that has already completed the turn over the cylindrical shell, in the clockwise direction as well as in the counter clockwise direction, generating constructive and destructive interferences. After enough time of propagation, peaks and valleys in the shell surface are formed, which can be visualized through a graphic representation of the analytic solution created. The theoretical results were proven through measures accomplished in an experimental setup composed of a steel tube finished in sand box, simulating the condition of infinite tube. To determine the location of the point source on the surface, the process of inverse solution was adopted, that is to say, known the signals of the sensor disposed in the tube surface, it is determined through the theoretical model where the source that generated these signals can be.

The open nature of the wireless medium makes the wireless communication susceptible to eavesdropping attacks. In addition, fading and shadowing significantly degrade the performance of the communication system in the wireless networks. A versatile approach to circumvent the issues of eavesdropping attacks while exploiting the physical properties of the wireless channel is the so-called physical layer-security. In this work, we consider a model in which two legitimate users communicate in the presence of an eavesdropper. We investigate the performance of the wireless network at the physical layer that is subject to a variety of fading environments that may be modeled by the Rayleigh, Nakagami-m, and Generalized-K distributions, to mention a few. We use the secrecy outage probability (SOP) as the standard performance metrics to study the performance of the wireless networks. We propose two different approaches to compute the secrecy outage probability, and derive explicit expressions for the secrecy outage probability that allow us to characterize the performance of the wireless networks. Specifically, we use a direct integration approach as well as a Taylor series base approach to evaluate the secrecy outage probability. Finally, we use computer simulations, based on MATLAB, to confirm the analytical results. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Vazamentos em tubos pressurizados geram ondas acústicas que se propagam através das paredes destes tubos, as quais podem ser captadas por acelerômetros ou por sensores de emissão acústica. O conhecimento de como estas paredes podem vibrar, ou de outro modo como as ondas acústicas se propagam neste meio, é fundamental em um processo de detecção e localização da fonte de vazamento. Neste trabalho, foi implementado um modelo analítico, através das equações de movimento da casca cilíndrica, com o objetivo de entender o comportamento da superfície do tubo em função de uma excitação pontual. Como a superfície cilíndrica é um meio fechado na direção circunferencial, ondas que iniciaram sua jornada, a partir de uma fonte pontual sobre a superfície, se encontrarão com outras que já completaram a volta na casca cilíndrica, tanto no sentido horário como no anti-horário, gerando interferências construtivas e destrutivas. Após um tempo suficiente, uma estacionariedade é atingida, criando pontos de picos e vales na superfície da casca, os quais podem ser visualizadas através de uma representação gráfica do modelo analítico criado. Os resultados teóricos foram comprovados através de medidas realizadas em uma bancada de testes composta de um tubo de aço terminado em caixa de areia, simulando a condição de tubo infinito. Para proceder à localização da fonte pontual sobre a superfície, adotou-se o processo de solução inversa, ou seja, conhecidos os sinais dos sensores dispostos na superfície do tubo, determina-se através do modelo teórico onde a fonte que gerou estes sinais pode estar. / Leaks in pressurized tubes generate acoustic waves that propagate through the walls of these tubes, which can be captured by accelerometers or by acoustic emission sensors. The knowledge of how these walls can vibrate, or in another way, how these acoustic waves propagate in this material is fundamental in the detection and localization process of the leak source. In this work an analytic model was implemented, through the motion equations of a cylindrical shell, with the objective to understand the behavior of the tube surface excited by a point source. Since the cylindrical surface has a closed pattern in the circumferential direction, waves that are beginning their trajectory will meet with another that has already completed the turn over the cylindrical shell, in the clockwise direction as well as in the counter clockwise direction, generating constructive and destructive interferences. After enough time of propagation, peaks and valleys in the shell surface are formed, which can be visualized through a graphic representation of the analytic solution created. The theoretical results were proven through measures accomplished in an experimental setup composed of a steel tube finished in sand box, simulating the condition of infinite tube. To determine the location of the point source on the surface, the process of inverse solution was adopted, that is to say, known the signals of the sensor disposed in the tube surface, it is determined through the theoretical model where the source that generated these signals can be.

"The present study utilizes the ultrasonic travel-time technique to diagnose grid-generated turbulence. The statistics of the travel-time variations of ultrasonic wave propagation along a path are used to determine some metrics of the turbulence. The motivation for this work stems from the observation of substantial delta-t variation in ultrasonic measuring devices like flow meters and circulation meters. Typically, averaging can be used to extract mean values from such time series. The corollary is that the fluctuations contain information about the turbulence. Experimental data were obtained for ultrasonic wave propagation downstream of a heated grid in a wind tunnel. Such grid-generated turbulence is well characterized and features a mean flow with superimposed velocity and temperature fluctuations. The ultrasonic path could be perpendicular or oblique to the mean flow direction. Path lengths were of the order of 0.3 m and the transducers were of 100 kHz working frequency. The data acquisition and control system featured a very high-speed analog to digital conversion card that enabled excellent resolution of ultrasonic signals. Experimental data for the travel-time variance were validated using ray acoustic theory along with the Kolmogorov “2/3” law. It is demonstrated that the ultrasonic technique, together with theoretical models, provides a basis for turbulent flow diagnostics. As a result, the structure constant appearing in the Kolmogorov “2/3” law is determined based on the experimental data. The effect of turbulence on acoustic waves, in terms of the travel time, was studied for various mean velocities and for different angular orientations of the acoustic waves with respect to the mean flow. Average travel time in the presence of turbulence was shorter then in the undisturbed media. The effect of the time shift between the travel times in turbulent and undisturbed media is associated with Fermat’s principle. The travel time and log-amplitude variance of acoustic waves were investigated as functions of travel distance and mean velocity over a range of Reynolds number varying from 4000 to 20000. Experimental data are interpreted using classical ray acoustic approach and the parabolic acoustic equation approach together with the perturbation method. It was experimentally demonstrated that there is a strong dependence of the travel time on the mean velocity even in the case where the propagation of acoustic waves is perpendicular to the mean velocity. The effect of thermal fluctuations, which result in fluctuations of sound speed, was studied for two temperatures of the grid: (no grid heating) and . A semi analytical acoustic propagation model that allows determination of the spacial correlation functions of flow field is developed based on the classical flow meter equation and statistics of the travel time of acoustic waves traveling through the velocity and the thermal turbulence. The basic flow meter equation is reconsidered in order to take into account sound speed fluctuations and turbulent velocity. The resulting equation is written in terms of correlation functions of travel time, sound speed fluctuation and turbulent velocity fluctuations. Experimentally measured travel time statistics data with and without grid heating are approximated by Gaussian function and used to solve the integral flow meter equation in terms of correlation functions analytically."

A dinâmica sedimentar sobre um trecho da plataforma continental leste brasileira foi analisada através da abordagem combinada entre a análise do clima de ondas (WAVEWATCH III), modelagem da propagação das ondas para águas rasas (MIKE 21 SW) e aplicação de equações que estimam o transporte de partículas em função da tensão de cisalhamento causada pelas ondas sobre o fundo marinho. Assim, baseado no clima de ondas da região, são estimados os potenciais de mobilidade sedimentar como resposta a diversas condições forçantes. O clima de ondas em frente a Ilhéus é caracterizado pela predominância de ondas do quadrante leste (60%), com 20% provenientes de sudeste e 15% de sul. Em frente a Caravelas, o espectro de ondas é caracterizado por 40% de ondas de leste, 15% do quadrante sudeste e 35% provenientes de sul. O clima de ondas é influenciado pelas descontinuidades na largura da plataforma continental nesse trecho da costa, atenuando a influência das ondas de swell provenientes do quadrante sul em frente a Ilhéus. Os resultados indicam mobilidade sedimentar até 50 m de profundidade na plataforma de Ilhéus e até 20 m na plataforma de Abrolhos ao longo do ano, no entanto, eventos esporádicos mais energéticos são capazes de mobilizar sedimentos até cerca de 200 m de profundidade na plataforma de Ilhéus e até 100 m na plataforma de Caravelas. A mobilidade de partículas de maiores dimensões, como os rodolitos da plataforma de Abrolhos, maior campo de rodolitos conhecido do mundo, foi analisada através do parâmetro de Shields, que leva em consideração tamanho e densidade das partículas. Os resultados indicam que a mobilidade dos rodolitos de Abrolhos está principalmente condicionada pela ocorrência de eventos mais energéticos, especialmente no outono. As regiões com maior mobilidade são a porção norte, próxima a quebra da plataforma e a porção centro-sul da plataforma, ambas com profundidades entre 20 e 40 m. O detalhamento do conhecimento sobre o transporte de sedimentos na plataforma continental leste brasileira contribui para o entendimento na dinâmica sedimentar na região. A morfologia complexa da plataforma, combinada com o clima de ondas incidente, são fatores fundamentais no potencial de mobilização de sedimentos. / The sedimentary dynamics on a stretch of the Brazilian continental shelf was analyzed through a combined approach between wave climate analysis (WAVEWATCH III), shallow water wave propagation modeling (MIKE 21 SW) and equations estimating the transport of particles as a function of bed shear stress by the waves. Thus, based on the wave climate of the region, sediment mobility potentials are estimated in response to several forcing conditions. Wave climate is characterized by the predominance of east waves in front of Ilhéus (60%), 20% from southeast quadrant and 15% from south. In front of Caravelas a wave spectrum is characterized by 40% from east quadrant, 15% from southeast and 35% from south. Continental shelf width discontinuity influences wave climate at Ilhéus, attenuating waves from south quadrant. The results indicate sediment mobility up to 50 m depth on the Ilhéus shelf and up to 20 m on the Abrolhos shelf along the entire year; however, more sporadic energetic events are able to mobilize sediments up to 200 m depth on the Ilhéus shelf and up to 100 m on the Caravelas shelf. Larger particle mobility, such as the rhodoliths of the Abrolhos shelf, the largest known rhodolite field in the world, was analyzed using the Shields parameter, which takes into account particle size and density. The results indicate that the mobility of Abrolhos rhodolites is mainly conditioned by the occurrence of more energetic events, especially in autumn. The regions with the greatest mobility are the northern portion, near the shelf break and the center-south portion of the shelf, both with depths between 20 and 40 m. The detailed knowledge on sediment transport in the Brazilian continental shelf contributes to the understanding of sedimentary dynamics in the region. The complex morphology of the continental shelf, combined with the incident wave climate, are fundamental factors in sediment mobilization potential.