Quando as atividades de um sistema mecatrônico são realizadas em ambientes com intenso campo elétrico e ou magnético, os dispositivos que irão executar as tarefas devem ser cuidadosamente projetados para que a presença de peças metálicas não se torne um risco. O campo elétrico pode gerar descargas elétricas e o campo magnético, exercer forças não previstas sobre peças metálicas. Assim o uso de alguns elementos, como motores elétricos, peças metálicas ou sensores eletrônicos se torna inviável. A motivação inicial para esse trabalho foi encontrar um atuador que possa ser construído sem o uso de elementos metálicos e com ele, construir um manipulador inerte a campos magnéticos e elétricos. Neste contexto, a transmissão de energia para os atuadores por meios hidráulicos ou pneumáticos se torna a opção mais indicada. Frequentemente, sistemas pneumáticos e hidráulicos apresentam atuadores com componentes metálicos, devido a resistência mecânica destes componentes. Em situações na qual os requisitos quanto a esforços são menores, elementos metálicos podem ser substituídos por materiais poliméricos de uso comum na Engenharia. Entre os atuadores hidráulicos e pneumáticos, um que já apresenta poucas partes metálicas é o músculo pneumático artificial (MPA). O MPA possui características tais como: baixo peso relacionado ao esforço gerado, escala de esforços similar a um cilindro pneumático de mesmo tamanho e construção simples. Assim, o MPA foi escolhido como atuador para o manipulador não-condutor desenvolvido neste trabalho. Adotando o MPA como elemento central, este trabalho tem por objetivo identificar as diretrizes para a aplicação do MPA na construção de um manipulador inerte a campos elétricos e magnéticos. Para isso, primeiramente foi desenvolvido um MPA livre de qualquer parte metálica. Visando sua aplicação, as características do músculo como: gama de esforços, tempo de resposta e histerese foram avaliadas através de testes. Algumas estratégias de controle do atuador foram testadas e comparadas, e com o atuador desenvolvido foi construído um manipulador inerte a campos magnéticos e elétricos. O manipulador construído tem como objetivo exercer movimentos distintos sobre a mão de um paciente, o mesmo deve acompanhar o paciente durante um exame de ressonância magnética. O atuador apresentou uma gama de esforços dentro do previsto, um tempo de resposta característico de atuadores pneumáticos e ao contrário do esperado, uma baixa histerese. Através de elementos mecânicos e com o uso de dois MPA, o manipulador foi capaz de exercer um trabalho sobre a mão de um voluntario fora do campo da RM, mostrando a viabilidade da aplicação. / When activities executed by a mechatronic system are performed in environments with strong magnetic and or electric field, the devices that will perform the tasks should be carefully designed so that the presence of metal parts does not become a risk. The electric field can generate electrical currents and the magnetic field may exert unexpected force in a metal part. Thus the use of some elements, such as electric motors, metallic parts or electronic sensors becomes unviable. The initial motivation for this work was to find an actuator that could be built without metallic elements and, using such actuator, build a manipulator inert to magnetic and electric fields. In this context, the use of hydraulic or pneumatic actuators becomes the most indicated option. Frequently, pneumatic and hydraulic systems have actuators with metal parts so as resist mechanical loads. In situations where the actuator is loaded by small loads, metal parts may be replaced by polymeric materials commonly used in Engineering. Among hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, one that already presents a few metal parts is the pneumatic artificial muscle (PAM). PAM has characteristics such as: low weight to effort ratio, simple construction as well as range of generated force and dimensions similar to a pneumatic cylinder. Thus, the PAM is chosen as the actuator for the non-conductive manipulator developed in this work. Adopting the PAM as a central element, this work aims identifying directives on using the PAM in the construction of a manipulator inert to electric and magnetic fields. For this, firstly it is developed a PAM free from any metal part. Next, the characteristics of the PAM such as range of efforts, response time and hysteresis curve are assessed through tests. Some strategies for the actuator control are tested and compared. Finally, using the developed actuator, a manipulator inert to magnetic and electric fields are constructed. The purpose of this manipulator is to induce motions to the fingers of a patient hand while the patient is examined in a MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) equipment. The actuator presented a range of efforts according to expectations, a response time compatible with pneumatic actuators and, contrary to expectations, low hysteresis.

Submitted by PPG Engenharia e Tecnologia de Materiais (engenharia.pg.materiais@pucrs.br) on 2018-08-23T14:01:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandro Fernandes Firmino_TESE.pdf: 4757608 bytes, checksum: 52ddad6a85c21dfa1d36627079848e04 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sheila Dias (sheila.dias@pucrs.br) on 2018-08-27T11:21:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandro Fernandes Firmino_TESE.pdf: 4757608 bytes, checksum: 52ddad6a85c21dfa1d36627079848e04 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T11:37:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Sandro Fernandes Firmino_TESE.pdf: 4757608 bytes, checksum: 52ddad6a85c21dfa1d36627079848e04 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-20 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / This work proposes the development of a low cost protocol for the production of TCNTs based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) on rigid substrates, and the improvement of the deposition technique to obtain a higher layer homogeneous, aiming at the optimization of its optical and electrical properties. For this, silver nanowires with length and diameter control were produced, aiming to evaluate the influence of these parameters on the optical and electrical properties of TCTFs. The effects of thermal annealing on the morphology of AgNWs networks and on the electrical and optical properties of TCTFs were also investigated. Studies were carried out to improve the deposition technique to obtain more homogeneous films and, as a result of this study, a new deposition technique (VMCV - Vertical Controlled Mechanical Vibration) was developed with INPI (National Institute of Intellectual Property). Silver nanowires were synthesized through the polyol process, which uses a polymer (N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) as the coating agent. The prepared solutions of AgNWs were deposited on rigid substrates (glass / silicon) for analysis of topological and chemical surfaces, resulting in a random network of nanowires. The networks of AgNWs were characterized by MEV-FEG, UV-Vis, XPS and DSC-TGA techniques. The effect of thermal annealing on the AgNWs networks was investigated by means of in situ measurements of the evolution of the electrical resistances, through the technique of two tips, on a hot plate with temperature control system. Our best results exhibit an optical transparency (~ 83% at 550 nm) equivalent to commercial metal oxide thin films (indium oxide-oxide, ITO or fluoride oxide and tin oxide, FTO) and sheet resistance of ~ 23 ? / ?. / Este trabalho tem como proposta o desenvolvimento de um protocolo de baixo custo para produ??o de TCTFs (Filmes Finos Condutores Transparentes) ? base de nanofios de prata (AgNWs) sobre substratos r?gidos, e o aperfei?oamento da t?cnica de deposi??o para a obten??o de uma camada homog?nea, visando ? otimiza??o de suas propriedades ?pticas e el?tricas. Para isto, foram produzidos nanofios de prata com controle de comprimento e di?metro, visando avaliar a influ?ncia destes par?metros sobre as propriedades ?pticas e el?tricas dos TCTFs. Tamb?m foram investigados os efeitos do recozimento t?rmico na morfologia das redes de AgNWs e sobre as propriedades el?tricas e ?pticas dos TCTFs. Foram realizados estudos para o aperfei?oamento da t?cnica de deposi??o para a obten??o de filmes homog?neos e, como resultado deste estudo, desenvolveu-se uma nova t?cnica de deposi??o (VMCV- Vibra??o Mec?nica Controlada Vertical) registrada junto ao INPI (Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Intelectual). Os nanofios de prata foram sintetizados atrav?s do processo poliol, que utiliza um pol?mero (N-vinilpirrolidona) (PVP) como o agente de cobertura. As solu??es preparadas de AgNWs foram depositadas sobre substratos r?gidos (vidro/sil?cio) para an?lises de superf?cies topol?gicas e qu?micas, resultando em uma rede aleat?ria de nanofios. As redes de AgNWs foram caracterizadas pelas t?cnicas MEV-FEG, UV-Vis, XPS e DSC-TGA. O efeito do recozimento t?rmico sobre as redes de AgNWs foi investigado por meio de medi??es in situ da evolu??o das resist?ncias el?tricas, atrav?s da t?cnica de duas pontas, sobre uma chapa quente com sistema de controle de temperatura. Nossos melhores resultados exibem uma transpar?ncia ?ptica (~ 83% a 550 nm) equivalente a das pel?culas finas de ?xido de metal comercial (?xido de ?ndio-?xido, ITO ou ?xido de fl?or e ?xido de estanho, FTO) e resist?ncia de folha de ~ 23 ?/?.

O óxido de zinco é um material semicondutor que apresenta alta transparência óptica no espectro visível, alta energia de ligação de éxcitons e piezoeletricidade. Por suas propriedades, ele é utilizado na área de sensores, eletrodos transparentes e dispositivos optoeletrônicos. No entanto, sua utilização ainda é limitada pela dificuldade de obtenção de condutividade tipo p, cujo principal dopante é o nitrogênio, devido à assimetria de dopagem ocasionada por defeitos intrínsecos do material, dopagem em valências diferentes das esperadas e formação de níveis de aceitadores profundos na banda proibida. A aplicação em dispositivos piezoelétricos também exige alta resistividade e ótimas propriedades cristalinas. Muitos processos de deposição estabelecidos hoje ainda utilizam altas temperaturas, o que impede sua deposição sobre superfícies ou substratos sensíveis a altas temperaturas. O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver técnicas de deposição de filmes de ZnO, principalmente em baixas temperaturas ( 100°C), pelo método de magnetron sputtering de rádio frequência, para avaliar a influência dos gases de processo nas características estruturais, estequiométricas, elétricas e ópticas dos filmes. Para isso, foram obtidos filmes utilizando pressão total de argônio, e pressões parciais de argônio e oxigênio e argônio e nitrogênio, utilizando alvo cerâmico de óxido de zinco ou alvo metálico de zinco. Para alvo de ZnO, filmes com condutividade tipo n foram obtidos em ambiente de argônio, em condições que geraram deficiências de oxigênio. Filmes altamente resistivos foram obtidos com a utilização de pressão parcial de oxigênio no gás de processo, em condições que resultaram em filmes estequiométricos, inclusive com condutividade tipo p. Condutividade tipo p mais alta foi observada, apenas por ponta quente, para uma amostra obtida em argônio logo após a utilização de nitrogênio na câmara de processo, que provavelmente sofreu influência da dopagem não intencional do cobre, que foi identificado como um contaminante do processo devido à estrutura da câmara. Para alvo de Zn, observou-se a formação de nitreto de zinco, que demonstrou alta capacidade de oxidação em ambiente atmosférico, e portanto, transforma-se naturalmente ao longo do tempo ou por processos de oxidação térmica em ZnO dopado com nitrogênio. Filmes de ZnO produzidos a partir de nitreto de zinco foram os únicos dos testados que apresentaram fotoluminescência característica do ZnO, mesmo para processos onde não houve aquecimento intencional. / Zinc oxide is a multifunctional semiconductor, which presents high optical transparency in the visible range, high exciton binding energy and piezoelectricity. Due to its properties, ZnO is used in several areas, such as sensors, transparent electrodes and optoelectronics. However, its usage is still limited by the lack of p-type conductivity, which is very difficult to achieve because of intrinsic material defects, unwanted valence states of doping elements and formation of deep acceptor levels. Piezoelectric devices also demand high electrical resistivity and excellent crystallographic properties. Many current deposition processes still apply high temperatures, preventing material deposition onto temperature sensitive substrates and surfaces. The main goal of this investigation is to develop low temperature ( 100°C) deposition techniques by radio frequency magnetron sputtering, to evaluate the influence of process gases in structural, stoichiometric, electrical and optical properties. Thin films were obtained using either pure argon, argon and oxygen or argon and nitrogen partial pressures, by sputtering ceramic ZnO or metallic Zn targets. For ZnO target, n-type conductivity was achieved in argon environment, by creating oxygen deficient films. High resistivity was observed by using oxygen partial pressure, resulting in stoichiometric material and changing carrier type from electrons to holes. Higher p-type conductivity was observed, only by Seebeck measurement, for a nonintentionally heavily doped sample, as there was copper originating from the deposition chamber. For Zn target, zinc nitride formation was observed, showing high capability of transforming itself into nitrogen-doped ZnO by air exposure or thermal annealing. ZnO films produced from zinc nitride were the only ones that exhibited photoluminescence, even when there was no intentional heating involved.

Background: Hearing aid prescriptive recommendations for hearing losses having a conductive component have received less clinical and research interest than for losses of a sensorineural nature; as a result, much variation remains among current prescriptive methods in their recommendations for conductive and mixed hearing losses (Johnson and Dillon, 2011). Purpose: The primary intent of this brief clinical note is to demonstrate differences between two algebraically equivalent expressions of hearing loss, which have been approaches used historically to generate a prescription for hearing losses with a conductive component. When air and bone conduction thresholds are entered into hearing aid prescriptions designed for nonlinear hearing aids, it was hypothesized that that two expressions would not yield equivalent amounts of prescribed insertion gain and output. These differences are examined for their impact on the maximum power output (MPO) requirements of the hearing aid. Subsequently, the MPO capabilities of two common behind-the-ear (BTE) receiver placement alternatives, receiver-in-aid (RIA) and receiver-in-canal (RIC), are examined. Study Samples: The two expressions of hearing losses examined were the 25% ABG + AC approach and the 75% ABG + BC approach, where ABG refers to air-bone gap, AC refers to air-conduction threshold, and BC refers to bone-conduction threshold. Example hearing loss cases with a conductive component are sampled for calculations. The MPO capabilities of the BTE receiver placements in commercially-available products were obtained from hearing aids on the U.S. federal purchasing contract. Results: Prescribed gain and the required MPO differs markedly between the two approaches. The 75% ABG + BC approach prescribes a compression ratio that is reflective of the amount of sensorineural hearing loss. Not all hearing aids will have the MPO capabilities to support the output requirements for fitting hearing losses with a large conductive component particularly when combined with significant sensorineural hearing loss. Generally, current RIA BTE products have greater output capabilities than RIC BTE products. Conclusions: The 75% ABG + BC approach is more appropriate than the 25% ABG + AC approach because the latter approach inappropriately uses AC thresholds as the basis for determining the compression ratio. That is, for hearing losses with a conductive component, the AC thresholds are not a measure of sensorineural hearing loss and cannot serve as the basis for determining the amount of desired compression. The Australian National Acoustic Laboratories has been using the 75% ABG + BC approach in lieu of the 25% ABG + AC approach since its release of the National Acoustic Laboratories—Non-linear 1 (NAL-NL1) prescriptive method in 1999. Future research may examine whether individuals with conductive hearing loss benefit or prefer more than 75% restoration of the conductive component provided adequate MPO capabilities to support such restoration.

Children frequently experience fluctuating conductive hearing loss during and following episodes of otitis media with effusion. With the prevalence of the disease increasing in the non-Aboriginal population in Australia, many children may be at risk of long-term learning and behavioural problems. There are conflicting findings in the research literature regarding the effects of this type of hearing loss. Although it is expected that the insertion of tympanostomy tubes (grommets) will reduce the duration and prevalence of both the disease and the conductive hearing loss, this does not always happen. For some primary school aged children it appears that experience with otitis media with effusion with or without grommet insertion is associated with various education problems including poor academic achievement and inappropriate behaviour. A current concern is whether or not these possible effects would continue to influence the learning and behaviour of children as they continue into their high school years. A review of the literature suggests that multiple factors including interrelationships between experience of otitis media with effusion, family and childcare environments may be involved in explaining why some students do not achieve as expected at school (Roberts et al., 2000). The literature further suggests there may be a cumulative effect in these factors, which introduces both quantitative and qualitative aspects to the discussion. A study was undertaken to identify the impact of otitis media with effusion and its associated sequelae on the learning and behaviour of high school students. Information from parents of high school students in Years 8 and 9 was used to identify students for inclusion in the study and to provide information on their medical and educational history as well as the parents' perceptions of various aspects of the students' learning and behaviour (including social skills). Three groups were formed: a Non-OME/Non-Grommet Group (n = 28), an OME/Grommet Group (n = 17) and an OME/Non-Grommet Group (n = 32). The TORCH, WRAT 3 and the Test of Syntactic Abilities (Screening Test) were administered to the students who also provided their own perceptions of specific aspects of their own learning and behaviour on a survey form. Teachers' perceptions on these areas were also collected. School academic records as well as data from school behavioural records were used. Analysis of the results revealed a range of mild effects. These included poorer academic results particularly for girls with a history of grommets, who also exhibited a lack of confidence in their social skills. An increase in behaviour problems for boys with a history of the disease (with or without grommets) was also found. The study identifies a number of associated teaching and learning issues including noise levels in childcare environments and school classrooms, current teaching and learning methodology and the training of new teachers. It recommends a number of areas for future research including more in-depth questioning of parents regarding their awareness of hearing problems in their children, the use of more fine-grained measures to assess learning outcomes and the identification of possible gender differences associated with the disease and experiences with grommets.

The first part of the dissertation focuses on understanding and modeling the conduction mechanism of conductive adhesives. The contact resistance is measured between silver rods with different coating materials, and the relationship between tunnel resistivity and contact pressure is obtained based on the experimental results. Three dimensional microstructure models and resistor networks are built to simulate electrical conduction in conductive adhesives. The bulk resistivity of conductive adhesives is calculated from the computer-simulated model. The effects of the geometric properties of filler particles, such as size, shape and distribution, on electrical conductivity are studied by the method of factorial design. The second part of the dissertation evaluates the reliability and investigates the failure mechanism of conductive adhesives subjected to fatigue loading, moisture conditioning and drop impacts. In fatigue tests it is found that electrical conduction failure occurs prior to mechanical failure. The experimental data show that electrical fatigue life can be described well by the power law equation. The electrical failure of conductive adhesives in fatigue is due to the impaired epoxy-silver interfacial adhesion. Moisture uptake in conductive adhesives is measured after moisture conditioning and moisture recovery. The fatigue life of conductive adhesives is significantly shortened after moisture conditioning and moisture recovery. The moisture accelerates the debonding of silver flakes from epoxy resin, which results in a reduced fatigue life. Drop tests are performed on test vehicles with conductive adhesive joints. The electrical conduction failure happens at the same time as joint breakage. The drop failure life is found to be correlated with the strain energy caused by the drop impact, and a power law life model is proposed for drop tests. The fracture is found to be interfacial between the conductive adhesive joints and components/substrates. This research provides a comprehensive understanding of the conduction mechanism of conductive adhesives. The computer-simulated modeling approach presents a useful design tool for the conductive adhesive industry. The reliability tests and proposed failure mechanisms are helpful to prevent failure of conductive adhesives in electronic packages. Moreover, the fatigue and impact life models provide tools in product design and failure prediction of conductive adhesives.

The aim of this study was to improve the mechanical and electrical properties of conductive polymer composites. For this purpose, different studies were performed in this dissertation. In order to investigate the effects of the carbon nanotube (CNT) surface treatment on the morphology, electrical and mechanical properties of the composites, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) based conductive polymer composites were prepared by using as-received, purified and modified carbon nanotubes in a twin screw extruder. During the purification of carbon nanotubes, surface properties of carbon nanotubes were altered by purifying them with nitric acid (HNO3), sulfuric acid (H2SO4), ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) mixtures. Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) results indicated the removal of metallic catalyst residues from the structure of carbon nanotubes and increase in the oxygen content of carbon nanotube surface as a result of purification procedure. Surface structure of the purified carbon nanotubes was also modified by treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and diglycidyl ether of Bisphenol A (DGEBA). Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra of the carbon nanotube samples indicated the existence of functional groups on the surfaces of carbon nanotubes after modification. All composites prepared with purified and modified carbon nanotubes had higher electrical resistivities, tensile and impact strength values than those of the composite based on as-received carbon nanotubes, due to the functional groups formed on the surfaces of carbon nanotubes during surface treatment. In order to investigate the effects of alternative composite preparation methods on the electrical and mechanical properties of the composites, in-situ microfiber reinforced conductive polymer composites consisting of high density polyethylene (HDPE), poly(ethylene terephthalate) and carbon nanotubes were prepared in a twin screw extruder followed by hot stretching of PET/CNT phase in HDPE matrix. Composites were produced by using as-received, purified and PEG treated carbon nanotubes. SEM micrographs of the hot stretched composites pointed out the existence of in-situ PET/CNT microfibers dispersed in HDPE matrix up to 1 wt. % carbon nanotube loadings. Electrical conductivity values of the microfibrillar composites were higher than that of the composites prepared without microfiber reinforcement due to the presence of continuous PET/CNT microfibers with high electrical conductivity in the structure. To investigate the potential application of conductive polymer composites, the effects of surfactant usage and carbon nanotube surface modification / on the damage sensing capability of the epoxy/carbon nanotube/glass fiber composite panels during mechanical loadings were studied. Surface modification of the carbon nanotubes was performed by using hexamethylene diamine (HMDA). 4-octylphenol polyethoxylate (nonionic) (Triton X-100) and cetyl pyridinium chloride (cationic) (CPC) were used as surfactants during composite preparation. Electrical resistivity measurements which were performed during the impact, tensile and fatigue tests of the composite panels showed the changes in damage sensing capabilities of the composites. Surface treatment of carbon nanotubes and the use of surfactants decreased the carbon nanotube particle size and improved the dispersion in the composites which increased the damage sensitivity of the panels.

The growth of flexible electronics industry has given rise to light-weight, flexible devices which have a wide range of applications such as wearable electronics, flexible sensors, conformal antennas, bio-medical applications, solar cells etc. Though several techniques exist to fabricate flexible devices, the limiting factors have been durability, cost and complexity of the approach. In this research, the focus has been on developing stretchable (flexible) conductors using a multi-layer structure of metal and conductive rubber. The stretchable conductors developed using this approach do not lose electrical connection when subjected to large strains up to 25%. Also, the conductivity of the conductive rubber has been improved by ~20 times using the multi-layer approach. Furthermore, the multi-layer approach was used to fabricate devices for RF and antenna applications. A flexible micro-stripline was fabricated using the multi-layer approach to study the performance at microwave frequencies up to 5 GHz. It was observed that using an optimal metal and conductive rubber layer structure can help to reduce the loss of the device by 58% and also the device does not get damaged due to bending. In addition to this, an aperture-coupled patch antenna at 3.1 GHz was fabricated using the multi-layer approach to demonstrate reconfigurability. Ideally, the multi-layer patch antennas can be stretched up to 25% which helps to tune the resonance frequency from 3.1 GHz to 2.5 GHz. The multi-layer patch antennas were tested up to ~10% strains to study their radiation properties. It was demonstrated that using an ideal multi-layer structure of metal and conductive rubber layer can help to improve the antenna's peak gain by 3.3 dBi compared to a conductive rubber based antenna.

No description available.

No description available.