Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Dynamic Vibration Absorbers (DVAs) have been used to attenuate vibrations in various types of mechanical systems. In its simplest form, a DVA is formed by an association of passive elements (inertia, stiffness and damping). The values of these parameters are selected so as to tune the DVA to a given value of the excitation frequency, assumed to be fixed. As a result, the attenuation capability of a passive DVA significantly decreases as the excitation frequency deviates from the nominal tuning frequency. To avoid this drawback, active and adaptive DVAs have been extensively studied lately, in an attempt to achieve larger effective bandwidths and self tunning capability. Active DVAs contain, besides the passive elements, an actuator, which applies a control force determined by an appropriate control law. Adaptive DVAs are understood as those constructed in such a way that the values of their physical parameters can be adjusted according to well-defined laws. In this work, some configurations of active and adaptive DVAs are assessed, namely: a) an active DVA using as feedback signal the timedelayed displacement response of the reactive mass (delayed resonator); b) a novel active DVA using a control law in which the control force is expressed as a linear combination of the displacement, velocity and acceleration of the reactive mass, relative to the primary mass; c) an active DVA exploring linear quadratic optimal control theory; d) a vibrating string-type adaptive DVA; e) a pendulum-type adaptive DVA; f) an adaptive DVA formed from a beam with piezoelectric patches. For each configuration the theoretical foundations are first developed. Then, numerical applications are presented to assess their main features and performance. / Os Absorvedores Dinâmicos de Vibrações (ADVs) vêm sendo largamente utilizados para a atenuação de vibrações estruturais, com aplicações nas engenharias mecânica, civil, naval e aeroespacial. Os ADVs mais comumente usados são os passivos, compostos por elementos de parâmetros concentrados de inércia, rigidez e amortecimento. Classicamente, os ADVs passivos são projetados de forma que sua freqüência natural seja sintonizada para a freqüência de excitação, admitida fixa. Entretanto, a banda de operação dos ADVs passivos é relativamente estreita, o que inviabiliza a sua aplicação para casos em que a freqüência de excitação passa a variar. Como forma de contornar esta limitação, recentemente foram desenvolvidas as concepções de ADVs ativos e adaptativos, que têm capacidade de sintonização em bandas freqüenciais mais largas. Os ADVs ativos são aqueles em que um atuador, colocado paralelamente aos elementos passivos do ADV, exerce uma força de controle que permite modificar sua sintonização. Por ADVs adaptativos entendem-se aqueles cujos parâmetros físicos de inércia, rigidez e amortecimento podem ser variados, de forma controlada proporcionando a sintonização desejada. Neste trabalho são estudadas três configurações de ADVs ativos e outras três de ADVs adaptativos. São elas: a) o ADV ativo com realimentação do sinal de deslocamento da massa do ADV, defasado no tempo (ressonador defasado); b) uma nova configuração proposta de ADV ativo com realimentação dos sinais de deslocamento, velocidade e aceleração relativos; c) o ADV ativo com controle ótimo; d) o ADV adaptativo tipo corda vibrante; e) o ADV adaptativo pendular; f) o ADV adaptativo tipo viga com atuadores piezelétricos. Neste estudo se incluem o desenvolvimento teórico e as simulações numéricas no domínio da freqüência e do tempo, realizadas com o objetivo de avaliar as características operacionais e o desempenho das configurações estudadas. / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Neste trabalho investigamos o comportamento da técnica de varredura z no caso onde a fase do campo elétrico se afasta do perfil Gaussiano devido a saturação da não-linearidade óptica. A teoria usual da varredura z, baseada no método da decomposição Gaussiana, não pode descrever os resultados obtidos com os bem caracterizados absorvedores saturáveis com tempos lentos de resposta (milisegundos): Al2O3:Cr3+ (rubí), Beal2O4:Cr3+ (alexandrita) e GdAlO3: Cr3+ (aluminato de gadolínio dopado com cromo). Este objetivo pode ser alcançado por meio de uma teoria baseada na transformada de Hankel do campo elétrico que se propaga através da amostra e pela inclusão da saturação da fase nesta teoria. O formalismo alternativo também permite a inclusão de outros efeitos como por exemplo, térmico. Como no caso do meio Kerr, o índice de refração não-linear pode ser obtido da medida da diferença entre o pico e o vale da transmitância, na determinação da refração não-linear, ou da transmitância de pico, na determinação da absorção não-linear. Em relação a parte experimental, é introduzida uma técnica de varredura z com um único feixe resolvida no tempo para caracterizar, com radiação cw, a refração não-linear dos materiais citados. Devido a eliminação dos efeitos lineares parasíticos, a técnica é capaz de medir distorções de frente de onda tão pequenas quanto N104. A demonstração experimental da técnica alternativa é realizada com um laser de Ar+ com baixa potência e um laser de He-Ne / In this work we investigated the behavior of the Z-scan technique in the case where the phase of the electric field departs from Gaussian due to the saturation of the optical nonlinearity. The usual theory of Z-scan, based on Gaussian decomposition method, cannot describe experimental results obtained with well-characterized chromium-doped saturable absorbers of slow (milisecond) response: Al2O3:Cr3+ (ruby), Beal2O4:Cr3+ (alexandrite) e GdAlO3: Cr3+ (chromium doped gadolinium aluminate). This aim can be accomplished by means of a theory based on the Hankel transform of the electric field passing through the sample and the inclusion of the phase saturation. The alternative formalism also allows the inclusion of thermal effects. As in the case of Kerr media, the nonlinear refractive index can be obtained from the measurement of the transmittance difference between peak and valley, in the refractive case, or of the transmittance peak, in the absorptive case. Concerning to experimental part, a single-beam time-resolved Z-scan is introduced to characterize the nonlinear refraction of the above materials. Owing to the elimination of parasitic linear effects, the technique is able to measure induced wave front as small as N104. We demonstrate this method on several materials using low power Ar+ and He-Ne lasers

Optimization methods have been developed and refined throughout many scientific fields of study. This work utilizes one such developed technique of optimization called simulated annealing to produce optimal operation parameters for a 15x15 fuel assembly to be used in an operating nuclear power reactor. The two main cases of optimization are: one that finds the optimal 235U enrichment layout of the fuel pins in the assembly and another that finds both the optimal 235U enrichments where gadolinium burnable absorber pins are also inserted. Both of these optimizations can be performed by coupling Adaptive Simulated Annealing to TransLAT which successfully searches the optimization space for a fuel assembly layout that produces the minimized pin power peaking factor. Within given time constraints this package produces optimal layouts within a given set of assumptions and constraints. Each layout is forced to maintain the fuel assembly average 235U enrichment as a constraint. Reductions in peaking factors that are produced through this method are on the order of 2% to 3% when compared to the baseline results. As with any simulated annealing approach, families of optimal layouts are produced that can be used at the engineer’s discretion.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Canterbury, 2009. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (p. 259-263). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Orientador: Paulo José Paupitz Gonçalves / Co-orientador: Edson Antônio Capello Sousa / Banca: Marcos Silveira / Banca: Fabricio Cesar Lobato de Almeida / Banca: Douglas Domingues Bueno / Banca: Laercio Javarez Junior / Resumo: O objetivo principal desta tese é a análise de amortecedores não lineares, incluindo os efeitos da folga, assimetria e histerese. A tese também apresenta um estudo sobre a influência da temperatura sobre esses efeitos. O estudo baseia-se em testes experimentais realizados em três diferentes amortecedores, incluindo um de atrito seco, um hidráulico e um do tipo magnetoreológico. Esses amortecedores foram testados em uma máquina de teste universal utilizando excitação cíclica para diferentes condições de amplitude, frequência e corrente elétrica no caso do amortecedor magnetoreológico. Três modelos paramétricos foram utilizados para representar as forças de amortecimento que foram medidas durante os ensaios experimentais, onde os parâmetros que definem esses modelos foram ajustados utilizando um algoritmo de otimização. A tese propõe uma contribuição para o campo de engenharia ao representar fenômenos não lineares típicos de amortecedores através de testes experimentais e descrevendo uma metodologia para representar as forças de amortecimento não linear e os efeitos da temperatura nestes modelos. / Abstract: The main objective of this thesis is the analysis of nonlinear dampers including the effects of clearance, asymmetry and hysteresis. The thesis also presents a study on the temperature influence over these effects. The study is based on experimental tests performed on three different damping devices (dashpots), including a dry friction, a hydraulic and a magnetorheological dashpots. Theses dampers were tested on an universal testing machine using cyclic excitation for different conditions of amplitude, frequency and current in the case of the magnetorheological damper. Three parametric models have been used to represent the damping forces that were measured during the experimental testes, where the parameters defining these models were adjusted using an optimization algorithm. The thesis proposes a contribution to the engineering field by representing typical nonlinear phenomena of dampers through experimental tests and describing a methodology to represent the nonlinear damping forces and the effects of temperature on these models / Doutor

Neste trabalho investigamos o comportamento da técnica de varredura z no caso onde a fase do campo elétrico se afasta do perfil Gaussiano devido a saturação da não-linearidade óptica. A teoria usual da varredura z, baseada no método da decomposição Gaussiana, não pode descrever os resultados obtidos com os bem caracterizados absorvedores saturáveis com tempos lentos de resposta (milisegundos): Al2O3:Cr3+ (rubí), Beal2O4:Cr3+ (alexandrita) e GdAlO3: Cr3+ (aluminato de gadolínio dopado com cromo). Este objetivo pode ser alcançado por meio de uma teoria baseada na transformada de Hankel do campo elétrico que se propaga através da amostra e pela inclusão da saturação da fase nesta teoria. O formalismo alternativo também permite a inclusão de outros efeitos como por exemplo, térmico. Como no caso do meio Kerr, o índice de refração não-linear pode ser obtido da medida da diferença entre o pico e o vale da transmitância, na determinação da refração não-linear, ou da transmitância de pico, na determinação da absorção não-linear. Em relação a parte experimental, é introduzida uma técnica de varredura z com um único feixe resolvida no tempo para caracterizar, com radiação cw, a refração não-linear dos materiais citados. Devido a eliminação dos efeitos lineares parasíticos, a técnica é capaz de medir distorções de frente de onda tão pequenas quanto N104. A demonstração experimental da técnica alternativa é realizada com um laser de Ar+ com baixa potência e um laser de He-Ne / In this work we investigated the behavior of the Z-scan technique in the case where the phase of the electric field departs from Gaussian due to the saturation of the optical nonlinearity. The usual theory of Z-scan, based on Gaussian decomposition method, cannot describe experimental results obtained with well-characterized chromium-doped saturable absorbers of slow (milisecond) response: Al2O3:Cr3+ (ruby), Beal2O4:Cr3+ (alexandrite) e GdAlO3: Cr3+ (chromium doped gadolinium aluminate). This aim can be accomplished by means of a theory based on the Hankel transform of the electric field passing through the sample and the inclusion of the phase saturation. The alternative formalism also allows the inclusion of thermal effects. As in the case of Kerr media, the nonlinear refractive index can be obtained from the measurement of the transmittance difference between peak and valley, in the refractive case, or of the transmittance peak, in the absorptive case. Concerning to experimental part, a single-beam time-resolved Z-scan is introduced to characterize the nonlinear refraction of the above materials. Owing to the elimination of parasitic linear effects, the technique is able to measure induced wave front as small as N104. We demonstrate this method on several materials using low power Ar+ and He-Ne lasers

The parcel shelf in a car is one of the things that are most exposed to ultraviolet light and heat. The sunlight causes ultraviolet radiation and excessive heat to this area. This can cause the material to degrade, fade or drift in colour. The parcel shelf production is today divided between three producers. This requires a good contact and cooperation between the different actors. As the automobile industry is a very complex industry, high demand is required of everyone involved. The goal of this study was to find improvements that could lead to a better ultraviolet and heat protection. Volvo Cars provided material and the experiments were held on their test facility. The tests were conducted based on the Volvo Cars requirements and methods. A Weather-Ometer is used to simulate the ultraviolet light and heat, the same way a parcel shelf is exposed to outdoors. Chemical analyses are used to determine whether there is any difference in the material when it is aged in a Weather-Ometer or not. The parcel shelf is made of needle punched, dispersed dyed polyester. The results showed that the present parcel shelf material does indeed show a colour shift after ageing. The authors present a number of suggestions to improve the material's characteristics. For example, Volvo could consider using an acrylic non-woven instead of polyester. Dyes that withstand ultraviolet radiation better can also be chosen and a variety of ultraviolet absorbers can be added. 2-(2-hydroxy-5-carboxy-phenyl)-2H-benzotriazole, Tinuvin P, 327 [2-(2-hydroxy-5-methyl-phenyl) 2H-benzotriazole, 2-(3,5-butyl-6-hydroxy)-2H-2-chloro-benzotriazole respectively] and 2,4-dihydroxy-benzophenone are example of absorbers that can be added to make the ultraviolet resistance better. / Program: Textilingenjörsutbildningen

This thesis is made up of two parts. Part A - describes the construction of a scintillation counter and its operation, as an instrument for use in medical research. Part B - is a study of the stopping of mesons in various absorbers as a preliminary to the investigation of the meson decay process. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 1993 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An extensive literature study revealed numerous Jauman absorber examples with reasonable absorption properties. Unfortunately, tractable and detailed design techniques were found to be scarce, and often only applicable to absorbers with two or three layers. The research described in this report was therefore aimed at, and culminated in, general design methods for multilayered electric screen J auman absorbers. As a starting point, the synthesis problem is formulated by idealizing the spacers (assumed lossless and commensurate) and resistive sheets (assumed to have zero thickness), and by considering the absorption of a normally incident plane wave. An equivalent circuit model is derived, using the analogy between plane waves in stratified media, and guided waves in TEM transmission lines. The network is analyzed using Richard's frequency surrogate, S = tanh(s = cr +jw), and concise equations and algorithms are presented for symbolic and numerical analysis. Maximum bandwidth synthesis of the classic one-layer absorber, or Salisbury screen, proved to be simple, clearly illustrates the analytic approach, and apparently has not been published before. The two-layer absorber was also found to be algebraically simple enough to be synthesized in closed form, is dealt with comprehensively, and the treatment consolidates and formalizes many of the design techniques available in the literature. Networks comprising commensurate transmission lines and conductances have been investigated by Richardsl , but unfortunately the topology-driven realizability constraints on the input impedance of the Jauman network is only dealt with briefly. Fruitless investigations by the author showed this to be a formidable problem, and as a result the research concentrated on tractable and iterative synthesis algorithms for multilayered absorbers, instead of formal filter synthesis techniques. These algorithms may be summarized as follows: • A key concept in the multilayer zero-placement synthesis methods that will be presented, is the ability to physically realize a given set of reflection coefficientzeros. This involves solving a set of highly non-linear equations, and a gradientmethod iterative algorithm has been developed to achieve this . • The first application of the aforementioned algorithm is to synthesize all reflection zeros at S →∞, thereby obtaining a maximally flat reflection coefficient magnitude response. Stable and rapid convergence was found for up to at least 20 layers, thereby extending the two- and three-layer algebraic solutions available in the literature. It was found that a stringent restriction exists on the maximum dielectric constant (Er) of the spacers, thereby limiting the practical implementation of these solutions . • Through judicious manipulation of reflection zeros at distinct physical frequencies, an equiripple absorption response may be obtained. An elegant algorithm is presented to facilitate this, and it was found that these solutions represent substantial improvements over examples available in the literature. Restrictions still apply to the spacer Er, but these are more relaxed and practical equiripple absorbers are possible. In addition, the spread in sheet resistivities is much smaller than in comparable maximally flat solutions. • Numerical searches indicated that the aforementioned equiripple responses are very close to, but not absolutely optimal, in the sense of maximum bandwidth. The small bandwidth and/or absorption improvements that were found were almost negligible from a practical viewpoint, but the optimal synthesis problem is academically very important. Through use of the general Chebyshev approximation method, an algorithm is developed which finds the local optimal response in the vicinity of such a parent equiripple solution. Although it might be tempting to classify the algorithm as a brute force method, it will be shown that this is not the case, and that its solutions provide the answer to the fundamental and unsolved optimal design problem. These algorithms have been implemented, and tables of resistive sheet values are presented for N up to 8, a range of Er values corresponding to low loss foams, and for various absorption levels. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

Resumo: Neste trabalho investigou-se a efetividade de um absorvedor de vibrações eletromecânico linear e um absorvedor de vibrações eletromecânico não-linear na atenuação de vibrações em estruturas não-ideais. Dois modelos não-lineares foram utilizados para representar o sistema estudado, uma viga engastada excitada por uma fonte não-ideal. Um modelo simplificado que considera o torque gerado pelo motor como sendo uma função linear e um modelo mais completo que considera as propriedades elétricas do motor CC. As equações que governam a dinâmica do sistema foram deduzidas pelas equações de Lagrange, parte mecânica, e pelas leis de Kirchhoff, parte elétrica. Simulações numéricas dos dois modelos foram realizadas no módulo Simulink® do software MATLAB®. Uma análise do efeito dos parâmetros não-lineares no sistema foi realizada. Resultados mostram a redução do "salto" nas curvas de resposta-frequência - efeito Sommerfeld - fenômeno típico de sistemas não-ideais. O estudo da estabilidade foi realizado conforme a análise de estabilidade de Lyapunov. Uma solução analítica aproximada, para o movimento estacionário do sistema, foi obtida através de um método de perturbação (método da média). Para completar o estudo, analisou-se a interação dinâmica dos absorvedores de vibrações eletromecânicos em outros modelos de sistemas não-ideais que apresentam comportamentos caóticos. Os resultados obtidos mostram a supressão de caos, através da transformação de movimentos caóticos em movimentos periódicos. / Abstract: In this work, we investigated the effectiveness of a linear electro-mechanical vibration absorber and a nonlinear electro-mechanical vibration absorber that is used for the vibration attenuation in a non-deal structure. Two nonlinear models were used to represent a cantilever beam supporting a nonideal energy source at its free end. The first model simplified takes into account the stationary characteristics of the energy source and the second model takes into account also influence of the dynamics of the oscillating mechanical elements on electrical properties of the DC motor. The governing equations of the models are deduced by Lagrange's equations and also by Kirchhoff's laws. The numerical simulations of models were implemented using the Simulink® module of Matlab® software. A numerical analysis of the effects of the parameters of nonlinearity was presented. Others results whowed the reduction of the Sommerfeld effect. We analytically determine the expression for the steady-state solutions using the method of averaging. We also analyzed the dynamic interaction between the electromechanical vibration absorber and the others nonideal structural that have chaotic behavior. We have found that the chaotic motion of the main system has been transformed to periodic motion, see as a quenching of chaotic vibrations. / Orientador: José Manoel Balthazar / Coorientador: Bento Rodrigues de Pontes Júnior / Banca: Jorge Luis Palacios Felix / Banca: Vicente Lopes Junior / Mestre