Estudos em assimetria cerebral funcional (ACF) apontam que há diferenças entre os hemisférios cerebrais esquerdo (HE) e direito (HD). O HE é especializado para tarefas de linguagem enquanto o HD para tarefas espaciais. Ainda, pode ocorrer uma superestimação de tamanho no campo visual esquerdo (CVE) em relação ao direito (CVD). Já homens possuem melhor desempenho do HD em tarefas espaciais, mas nas mulheres o desempenho dos hemisférios é equivalente. Ainda, há evidências que homens são menos sensíveis ao contexto dos estímulos que mulheres. Mas não é claro como a forma do estímulo, a variação da sua distância ao centro da tela (excentricidade) e se um gradiente de textura podem afetar a ACF. Com base nisso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar se a variação da excentricidade influenciaria a percepção de tamanho de dois tipos de estímulos no CVE e CVD em homens e mulheres (Experimento I). Também (Experimento II) verificar se um gradiente de textura influenciaria um possível efeito observado no Experimento I. Nos dois experimentos a técnica do campo visual dividido foi associada ao método dos estímulos constantes (30 repetições) com escolha forçada de duas alternativas (qual o maior?). Os estímulos no Experimento I foram círculos (um padrão e sete de comparação) e elipses horizontais (uma padrão e sete de comparação). Esses estímulos foram contrabalanceados em ambos os hemicampos visuais. Os estímulos foram apresentados em três excentricidades (2,5°, 5° e 7,5°) por 100ms num fundo cinza, para universitários destros (10 homens e 10 mulheres por tipo de estímulo). No Experimento II foram apresentados círculos a 2,5° num gradiente de textura (dividido verticalmente e com mesmas informações de profundidade no CVE e CVD), para 10 mulheres universitárias destras. A partir dos dados foram calculados o Erro Relativo e o coeficiente angular sensibilidade discriminativa. Os resultados do Experimento I mostram que a média do erro relativo do CVD para círculos a 2,5° foi maior que a 5° e 7,5°. Nas mulheres houve diferenças entre os hemicampos visuais a 2,5°, sendo o CVD superestimado. Os coeficientes angulares foram maiores a 2,5° de excentricidade e maiores também para os círculos. Os homens apresentaram diferença nos coeficientes angulares para a variação da excentricidade, sendo a de 2,5° maior que 5° e 7,5°. Já as mulheres tiveram coeficientes maiores para círculos. Nos círculos os coeficientes das mulheres a 2,5° foram maiores que a 7,5°. Nas elipses os coeficientes a 2,5° foram maiores em geral e nos homens. Nesses ainda houve uma diferença no CVD, em que os coeficientes a 2,5° foram maiores que a 7,5°. No Experimento II o erro relativo não mostrou diferenças significativas, exceto na comparação de resultados com o Experimento I. Nessa análise a média do CVE foi menor que do CVD. Os coeficientes não apresentaram diferenças significativas. Esses resultados mostram que a ACF não é um efeito absoluto, mas sim dependente das características dos estímulos, da tarefa e pode ser influenciada por diferentes estratégias de homens e mulheres. Apesar de haver diferenças na sensibilidade discriminativa, elas não resultaram numa distorção perceptual. Isso sugere que além da percepção, medidas de sensibilidade também devem ser analisadas para a ACF. Ainda, o efeito do gradiente de textura se sobrepõe a ACF. / Functional brain asymmetry (FBA) studies point out that there are differences between left (LH) and right (HD) brain hemispheres. LH is more specialized for processing language while HD for processing spatial information. Still, there may be a size overestimation in left visual field (LVF) compared to the right visual field (RVF).But men perform better on spatial tasks using LVF/RH, while women perform equivalently in each brain hemisphere. Also, there is evidence that men are less sensitive to stimuli context than women. However, it is not clear how the shape of the stimulus, variation of its distance from the center of the screen (eccentricity) and a texture gradient can affect FBA. Based on this, the aim of this study was to verify if eccentricity variation can influence size perception of two types of stimuli in LVF and RVF in men and women (Experiment I). Also (Experiment II) we investigate if a texture gradient can influence a possible effect observed in Experiment I. In both experiments we used the divided visual field technique associated with the method of constant stimuli (30 repetitions) with two alternative forced choice (\"what is the bigger?\"). Stimuli in Experiment I were circles (one standard and seven for comparison) and horizontal ellipses (one standard and seven for comparison). These stimuli were counterbalanced in both visual hemifields. Stimuli were presented at three eccentricities (2.5°, 5° and 7.5 °) for 100 ms on a gray background to right-handers (10 men and 10 women by stimulus type). In Experiment II circles were presented at 2.5° in a texture gradient (divided vertically and with same depth information on LVF and RVF), for 10 right-handed women. From data we calculated Relative Errors and psychometric slopes - discriminative sensitivity. Results of Experiment I show that relative error mean for 2.5° in RVF circles was greater than 5° and 7.5°. Women showed an overestimation for circles presented in RVF at 2.5° eccentricity. Slope coefficients were greater for 2.5 ° eccentricity and for circles. Men showed a difference in slope coefficients for eccentricity variation, with 2.5° mean greater than 5 ° and 7.5°. Women had higher coefficients for circles than ellipses. Mean circles coefficients were greater at 2.5° than 7.5° eccentricities. Mean ellipses coefficients were greater at 2.5° in general and in men. Men also showed a difference in RVF in which coefficients were greater at 2.5° than 7.5°. Experiment II showed only a difference for relative errors in comparison with Experiment I. These results show that FBA is not an absolute effect, but rely on stimuli characteristics and different strategies for men and women in the task. Although there are differences in discriminative sensitivity, they did not result in a perceptual distortion. This suggests that for FBA not only perceptual parameters should be analyzed, but also the psychometric slope and discrimination sensitivity. Furthermore, the effect of the gradient texture overlaps the FBA.

Induction machines are the most widely used type of electrical machines because of their robustness, simplicity, and relatively low cost. However, the small airgap in the induction machine makes them more susceptible to Unbalanced Magnetic Pull (UMP). This is because the magnitude of the UMP is a function of the degree of eccentricity, which is the ratio between the length of misalignment and the mean airgap length. The bearing-related failure accounts for approximately 41% of the total failures of induction machines; the percentages of bearing-related failure would be higher for applications in a harsher environment. In this thesis, the UMP caused by rotor eccentricity is investigated, because a small degree of rotor eccentricity is unavoidable due to the manufacturing tolerance and 80% of the mechanical faults could cause rotor eccentricity in electrical machines. When the rotor is not at the centre of the stator, the eccentric rotor causes an uneven airgap around the rotor, in which the magnetic permeance with the higher harmonics content will be created. The magnetomotive force (MMF) produces additional pole-pair ±1 magnetic flux around the airgap. The interaction between each magnetic flux with its pole pair ±1 magnetic flux produces UMP. As only the magnetic flux that crosses the airgap causes UMP, the magnetic flux is categorised into magnetising flux and airgap leakage flux, because both types of flux possess different characteristics at a different rotor slip. As the airgap leakage flux is difficult to calculate analytically, an empirical method is proposed to estimate the UMP caused by the airgap leakage flux. Then, the UMP caused by the magnetising flux can also be estimated by using the empirical method. The parameters for the empirical method can be found by using either the FEA or the experimental results. The damping effect of the magnetising flux in a parallel connected rotor bar is discussed and a damping coefficient is introduced to explain this scenario. The damping coefficient can also be used to calculate the UMP in a steady state analysis. UMP comparisons between the cage rotor and wound rotor induction machines are made. The wound rotor has a much higher UMP because the pole-specific wound rotor could not damp the additional pole pair ±1 magnetic flux. Therefore, a damper winding at the stator slot is also proposed in order to damp the UMP by producing a counteracting flux. In addition, analytical equations have also been derived for different scenarios, such as static eccentricity, dynamic eccentricity, axial-varying eccentricity, and skew rotor bars. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and experimental work are used to demonstrate the derived analytical equation. Furthermore, the power losses caused by the rotor eccentricity are investigated. Iron losses, copper losses, and frictional loss are discussed and compared with both the analytical equation and the FEA results. In order to reduce the UMP in the induction machines, the two proposed methods are the slip control method and damper windings topology. The slip control method utilises the non-linearity characteristic of the UMP at different rotor slip. To find the optimum operating slip with the lowest UMP, the UMP/Torque ratio is introduced. The characteristics of the UMP/Torque ratio varies with the type and design of the induction machines. However, this method is only applicable when the machine is lightly loaded, because the magnetising flux is limited by the capped terminal voltage and the core saturation of the machine. For the damper winding topology, a circulating current flowing in the damper winding could produce a counteracting flux to damp the UMP. The proposed damper windings configuration is only suitable for the induction machine with an even pole pair number. Finally, comparisons between both UMP reduction methods are made.

Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar o comportamento pós-pico de pilares com concretos de alta resistência confinados com e sem adição de fibras metálicas, submetidos à flexo-compressão. Para tanto, realizou-se inicialmente uma extensa revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema, na qual, elencaram-se os principais fatores que influenciam o comportamento pós-pico desses elementos estruturais. Em seguida, desenvolveram-se estudos paramétricos com o intuito de estabelecer os modos de influência de cada fator. Com base nesses estudos preliminares, um programa experimental, dividido em duas fases, foi proposto. Na primeira fase, ensaiaram-se vinte e seis pilares de concreto armado e 14 pilares de concreto simples. Três fatores foram estudados: a taxa de adição de fibras metálicas, a taxa de armadura transversal e a resistência à compressão do concreto. Os pilares possuíam seções transversais quadradas com dimensões 15 cm x 15 cm e altura de 50 cm e foram ensaiados à compressão centrada com controle de deslocamento. Observou-se que os três fatores analisados influenciam diretamente a ductilidade desses elementos estruturais e que, por meio de adição de fibras metálicas, é possível garantir índices de ductilidade aceitáveis para os pilares com concreto de alta resistência. Outrossim, analisando-se os diagramas força vs. deformação dos pilares, observou-se que para o primeiro pico de força, toda a seção resiste a esforços de compressão e que a adição de fibras melhora o trabalho conjunto entre o cobrimento e o núcleo do pilar. Finalizando esta fase, propuseram-se modificações para o modelo para concreto confinado de Cusson e Paultre (1995), de modo que, permitisse ao mesmo modelar o comportamento do concreto confinado com e sem adição de fibras metálicas. Na segunda fase do programa experimental, quinze pilares de concreto armado foram ensaiados a compressão excêntrica. Essa fase teve como objetivo investigar a influência da excentricidade, da taxa de armadura transversal e da taxa de adição de fibras metálicas no comportamento pós-pico desses elementos estruturais. Os pilares, nessa fase, possuíam seção transversal quadrada com dimensões de 15 cm x 15 cm e altura de 170 cm. Para realização dos ensaios foi confeccionado um par de rótulas unidirecionais, as quais apresentaram excelente desempenho, conseguindo transferir integralmente o momento externo aplicado ao pilar. Observou-se que, tanto a flambagem das barras da armadura longitudinal, quanto a perda de massa de concreto nesses pilares ocorrem de modo bem mais crítico que nos pilares submetidos à compressão centrada. Constatou-se, ainda, que quando os valores dos três fatores analisados são elevados, a ductilidade desses elementos estruturais é melhorada. Finalmente, foi observado que o efeito da flexão faz com que as tensões de confinamento se distribuam de modo diferenciado dentro da seção transversal dos pilares; contudo, observou-se que a tensão de confinamento na região comprimida da seção transversal pouco é modificada. / This thesis aims to investigate the ductility of high strength concrete columns, with confinement and/or with steel fibre addition, under combined axial load and bending. For this, an extensive survey was performed, and the main factors, which influence the column ductility, were pointed out. Then, parametric studies were done, aiming to establish the mode of influence of each factor. Based on these preliminaries studies, an experimental investigation, divided in two steps, was proposed. In the first part, twenty-six reinforced concrete columns and fourteen concrete columns were tested and three factors were analysed: the ratio of fibre addition, the transversal reinforcement ratio and the concrete compressive strength. The columns have 15 cm x 15 cm square cross section and were 50 cm high. They were tested under concentric load with displacement control. It was observed that all factors interfere in the columns\' ductility, and that, by adding fibre in the concrete, is possible to provide acceptable ductility index to high strength concrete columns. The load vs. column strain diagrams were studied and it was verified that for the first load peak, all the column cross section resists the axial load. Besides that, it was observed that the fibre addition improves the work together between the cover and the column core. Finally, several modifications to the concrete confinement model of Cusson and Paultre (1995) were proposed to allow this model to analyse the compressive behaviour of the confined concrete with or/not fibre addition. In the second part of the experimental program, fifteen reinforced concrete columns were tested under eccentric load. The effects of the load eccentricity, the ratio of steel fibre addition and the transversal reinforcement ratio on the column ductility were investigated. The columns have 15 cm x 15 cm square cross section and were 170 cm high. A pair of unidirectional hinges was design, which presented exceptional performance, transferring integrally the external applied moment to the columns. A most critical model of longitudinal reinforcement buckling and mass lost was observed. In addition, it was verified that when the values of all factors were increased, the column ductility was improved. Finally, a different distribution mode of the confinement pressure on the column cross section was observed, when combined axial load and bending is applied. Nevertheless, the confinement pressure on the compressive region of the column cross section is not modified.

The trend toward ever-expanding variable speed induction motor applications results in the need for reliable condition monitoring and detection schemes for closed-loop motor-drive systems. This research focuses on the detection of air gap eccentricity in induction motors supplied by a vector-controlled drive. The majority of existing eccentricity detection techniques is based on monitoring fault harmonics in the stator current. This research analyzes the distribution of the eccentricity-related fault harmonics between the stator voltage and current, and points out that monitoring only the stator current is insufficient. When the motor is supplied by a vector-controlled drive, both voltage and current become modulated signals and contain fault harmonics. Either stator voltage or current can contain larger fault harmonics due to the influence of the drive controllers and the mechanical load. Therefore, a combination of monitoring both variables is necessary to ensure good detection reliability. Furthermore, with an AC drive, the motor speed and load will change widely, which changes fault harmonics too. A new detection scheme using an artificial neural network is proposed to incorporate the influence of changing operating conditions into the fault detection. This detection scheme is more reliable and cost efficient. In addition, a new off-line non-invasive eccentricity detection method is proposed by using the surge test. Simulation and experiments are conducted to validate the feasibilities of the proposed detection schemes.

Isothermal flow development, gap instability, and gap vortex street generation in eccentric annular channels have been studied experimentally. A representative paradigm of a flow in a highly eccentric annular channel was examined for a channel having an inner-to-outer diameter ratio d/D = 0.50 and an eccentricity e = 0.8 for a Reynolds number Re = 7300. Observation of the flow development has identified three distinct regions: the entrance region, the fluctuation-growth region and the rapid-mixing region. Weak quasi-periodic velocity fluctuations were first detected in the downstream part of the entrance region, and grew into very strong ones, reaching peak-to-peak amplitudes in the narrow gap that were nearly 60% of the bulk velocity. The dependence on inlet conditions, d/D, e and Re on the development and structure of flows was also investigated. Experimental conditions covered the ranges: 0 ≤ Re ≤ 19000, 0 ≤ e ≤ 0.9 and d/D = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75. For Re < 7000, the Strouhal number, the normalized mid-gap axial flow velocity and the axial and cross-flow fluctuation intensities at mid-gap were found to increase with increasing Re and to depend strongly on inlet conditions. At higher Re, however, these parameters reached asymptotic values that were only mildly sensitive to inlet conditions. A map was constructed for the various stages of periodic motions vs. e and Re and it was found that, for e < 0.5 or Re < 1100, the flow was unconditionally stable as far as gap instability is concerned. For e ≤ 0.5, transition to turbulence occurred at Re ≈ 6000, whereas, for 0.6 ≤ e ≤ 0.9, the critical Reynolds number for the formation of periodic motions was found to increase with eccentricity from 1100 for e = 0.6 to 3800 for e = 0.9. The use of an empirically derived "mixing layer Strouhal number" permitted a universal description of gap vortex street periodicity in eccentric annular channels. This study has contributed to our understanding of the physical mechanisms that lead to gap instability and the development of a gap vortex street and the dependence of these flow phenomena on the channel geometry and the dynamic conditions of the flow.

Le cube de Fibonacci est un sous-graphe isométrique de l'hyper- cube ayant un nombre de Fibonacci de sommets. Le cube de Fibonacci a été initialement introduit par W-J. Hsu comme un réseau d'interconnexion et, comme l'hypercube, il a des propriétés topologiques très attractives, mais avec une croissance plus modérée. Parmi ces propriétés, nous discutons de l'hamiltonicité dans le cube de Fibonacci et aussi dans le cube de Lucas qui est obtenu à partir du cube de Fibonacci en supprimant toutes les chaînes qui commencent et nissent avec 1. Nous trouvons également le nombre de som- mets des cubes de Fibonacci et Lucas ayant une certaine excentricité. En n, nous présentons une étude de deux cubes du point de vue de la domination et du 2-packing. / The Fibonacci cube is an isometric subgraph of the hypercube having a Fibonacci number of vertices. The Fibonacci cube was originally proposed by W-J. Hsu as an interconnection network and like the hypercube it has very attractive topological properties but with a more moderated growth. Among these properties, we discuss the hamiltonicity in the Fibonacci cube and also in the Lucas cube which is obtained by removing all the strings that begin and end with 1 from the Fibonacci cube. We give also the eccentricity sequences of the Fibonacci and the Lucas cubes. Finally, we present a study of both cubes from the domination and the 2-packing points of view.

The increasing activity of oil and gas extraction in deep water has stimulated several studies to solve problems encountered in drilling wells. During the drilling operation, a fluid (drilling mud) is pumped through the column to the bottom, carrying to the surface the drill cuttings generated, through the annular space formed between the column and the borehole wall. In this type of flow may appear a kind of hydrodynamic instability characterized by the appearance of toroidal vortices. This type of instability (Taylor-Couette) may profoundly alter the pressure drop of the flow, the shear stress at the borehole wall and the ability of carrying the solids. Moreover, during the process of drilling a well it is necessary promotes the well cementing and coating to provide a mechanical support, as well as, to isolate it from different rock formations traversed. For this step to be successful, the drilling mud must be completely removed from the annular space, and this removal may be impaired in wells which have varying eccentricity along the tube. Due to high costs of correction transactions and loss of drilling time, it is crucial to predict the mud flow around the annular. The effects of this variation of the eccentricity have not been much discussed in the literature, and they may have great influence on the displacement of the mud in the annular space. As an initial phase of work, numerical simulations were performed to study the flow and the emergence of Taylor- Couette instabilities in a concentric annular section, in order to compare them with literature data. Numerical simulations were developed in annular periodic sections, concentric and eccentric (E = 0.5) in order to obtain average profiles of axial and tangential velocities using different turbulence models, aiming at a comparison of simulated results with experimental data from literature. Later, it was made an experimental study and simulation to assess the effect of internal axis rotation on the pressure drop in the flow of non-Newtonian fluids (aqueous solutions of xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose with 0.2% by weight) in a section annular concentric and the other with fixed eccentricity (E = 0.75). Finally, it was elaborated an experimental design (3k) with four variables, such as, xanthan gum concentration (0.05%, 0.10% and 0.15% by weight), eccentricity (0.0, 0.23 and 0.46), fluid flow rate (5, 7 and 9 m3/h) and internal rotation axis (0, 100 and 200 rpm). Following this planning, experimental data of pressure drop were collected, as well as, numerical simulations (CFD) in periodic annular sections to get results of axial velocity, in order to evaluate the effect of variable eccentric rotation on the fluid dynamics of non-Newtonian flows in annular spaces. / A crescente atividade de extração de petróleo e gás em águas cada vez mais profundas tem impulsionando diversos estudos para solucionar problemas encontrados na perfuração de poços. Durante a operação de perfuração, um fluido (lama de perfuração) é bombeado através da coluna até o fundo do poço, retornando à superfície carreando os cascalhos gerados pela broca, passando pelo espaço anular formado entre a coluna e a parede do poço. Neste tipo de escoamento pode ocorrer um tipo de instabilidade hidrodinâmica caracterizada pelo aparecimento de vórtices toroidais. Este tipo de instabilidade (Taylor-Couette), pode alterar profundamente a perda de carga do escoamento, a tensão cisalhante na parede do poço e a capacidade de carreamento de cascalho. Além disto, durante o processo de perfuração de um poço é necessário promover o revestimento e a cimentação do poço para fornecer a sua sustentação mecânica, bem como, para isolá-lo das diferentes formações rochosas atravessadas. Para esta etapa ser bem sucedida, a lama de perfuração deve ser completamente removida do anular, sendo que, esta remoção pode ser prejudicada em poços que apresentem excentricidade variando ao longo do tubo. Devido aos altos custos das operações de correção e a perda de tempo de perfuração, é fundamental prever este deslocamento da lama ao redor do anular. Os efeitos desta variação da excentricidade ainda não foram muito abordados na literatura e podem apresentar grande influência no deslocamento da lama no espaço anular. Como etapa inicial do trabalho, foram realizadas simulações numéricas para estudar o escoamento com surgimento de instabilidades do tipo Taylor-Couette em uma seção anular concêntrica, com intuito de compará-las com trabalhos da literatura. Depois foram desenvolvidas simulações numéricas em seções anulares periódicas, concêntrica e excêntrica (E = 0,5), a fim de obter perfis médios de velocidades axial e tangencial usando diferentes modelos de turbulência, visando uma comparação dos resultados simulados com os dados experimentais da literatura. Posteriormente, foi feito um estudo experimental e de simulação para avaliar o efeito da rotação do eixo interno sobre a queda de pressão no escoamento de fluidos não-Newtonianos (soluções aquosas de Goma Xantana e de Carboximetilcelulose a 0,2% em peso) numa seção anular concêntrica e outra com excentricidade fixa (E = 0,75). Finalmente, elaborou-se um planejamento fatorial de experimentos do tipo 3k com quatro variáveis, tais como, concentração de Goma Xantana (0,05%, 0,10% e 0,15%), excentricidade (0,0; 0,23 e 0,46), vazão volumétrica (5, 7 e 9 m3/h) e rotação do eixo interno (0, 100 e 200 rpm). Seguindo este planejamento foram levantados dados experimentais de queda de pressão, bem como, simulações numéricas (CFD) em seções periódicas para obtenção de resultados de velocidade axial, com intuito de avaliar efeito do movimento de rotação excêntrica variável sobre a dinâmica do escoamento de fluidos não-Newtonianos em espaços anulares. / Doutor em Engenharia Química

Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar o comportamento pós-pico de pilares com concretos de alta resistência confinados com e sem adição de fibras metálicas, submetidos à flexo-compressão. Para tanto, realizou-se inicialmente uma extensa revisão bibliográfica sobre o tema, na qual, elencaram-se os principais fatores que influenciam o comportamento pós-pico desses elementos estruturais. Em seguida, desenvolveram-se estudos paramétricos com o intuito de estabelecer os modos de influência de cada fator. Com base nesses estudos preliminares, um programa experimental, dividido em duas fases, foi proposto. Na primeira fase, ensaiaram-se vinte e seis pilares de concreto armado e 14 pilares de concreto simples. Três fatores foram estudados: a taxa de adição de fibras metálicas, a taxa de armadura transversal e a resistência à compressão do concreto. Os pilares possuíam seções transversais quadradas com dimensões 15 cm x 15 cm e altura de 50 cm e foram ensaiados à compressão centrada com controle de deslocamento. Observou-se que os três fatores analisados influenciam diretamente a ductilidade desses elementos estruturais e que, por meio de adição de fibras metálicas, é possível garantir índices de ductilidade aceitáveis para os pilares com concreto de alta resistência. Outrossim, analisando-se os diagramas força vs. deformação dos pilares, observou-se que para o primeiro pico de força, toda a seção resiste a esforços de compressão e que a adição de fibras melhora o trabalho conjunto entre o cobrimento e o núcleo do pilar. Finalizando esta fase, propuseram-se modificações para o modelo para concreto confinado de Cusson e Paultre (1995), de modo que, permitisse ao mesmo modelar o comportamento do concreto confinado com e sem adição de fibras metálicas. Na segunda fase do programa experimental, quinze pilares de concreto armado foram ensaiados a compressão excêntrica. Essa fase teve como objetivo investigar a influência da excentricidade, da taxa de armadura transversal e da taxa de adição de fibras metálicas no comportamento pós-pico desses elementos estruturais. Os pilares, nessa fase, possuíam seção transversal quadrada com dimensões de 15 cm x 15 cm e altura de 170 cm. Para realização dos ensaios foi confeccionado um par de rótulas unidirecionais, as quais apresentaram excelente desempenho, conseguindo transferir integralmente o momento externo aplicado ao pilar. Observou-se que, tanto a flambagem das barras da armadura longitudinal, quanto a perda de massa de concreto nesses pilares ocorrem de modo bem mais crítico que nos pilares submetidos à compressão centrada. Constatou-se, ainda, que quando os valores dos três fatores analisados são elevados, a ductilidade desses elementos estruturais é melhorada. Finalmente, foi observado que o efeito da flexão faz com que as tensões de confinamento se distribuam de modo diferenciado dentro da seção transversal dos pilares; contudo, observou-se que a tensão de confinamento na região comprimida da seção transversal pouco é modificada. / This thesis aims to investigate the ductility of high strength concrete columns, with confinement and/or with steel fibre addition, under combined axial load and bending. For this, an extensive survey was performed, and the main factors, which influence the column ductility, were pointed out. Then, parametric studies were done, aiming to establish the mode of influence of each factor. Based on these preliminaries studies, an experimental investigation, divided in two steps, was proposed. In the first part, twenty-six reinforced concrete columns and fourteen concrete columns were tested and three factors were analysed: the ratio of fibre addition, the transversal reinforcement ratio and the concrete compressive strength. The columns have 15 cm x 15 cm square cross section and were 50 cm high. They were tested under concentric load with displacement control. It was observed that all factors interfere in the columns\' ductility, and that, by adding fibre in the concrete, is possible to provide acceptable ductility index to high strength concrete columns. The load vs. column strain diagrams were studied and it was verified that for the first load peak, all the column cross section resists the axial load. Besides that, it was observed that the fibre addition improves the work together between the cover and the column core. Finally, several modifications to the concrete confinement model of Cusson and Paultre (1995) were proposed to allow this model to analyse the compressive behaviour of the confined concrete with or/not fibre addition. In the second part of the experimental program, fifteen reinforced concrete columns were tested under eccentric load. The effects of the load eccentricity, the ratio of steel fibre addition and the transversal reinforcement ratio on the column ductility were investigated. The columns have 15 cm x 15 cm square cross section and were 170 cm high. A pair of unidirectional hinges was design, which presented exceptional performance, transferring integrally the external applied moment to the columns. A most critical model of longitudinal reinforcement buckling and mass lost was observed. In addition, it was verified that when the values of all factors were increased, the column ductility was improved. Finally, a different distribution mode of the confinement pressure on the column cross section was observed, when combined axial load and bending is applied. Nevertheless, the confinement pressure on the compressive region of the column cross section is not modified.

Estudos em assimetria cerebral funcional (ACF) apontam que há diferenças entre os hemisférios cerebrais esquerdo (HE) e direito (HD). O HE é especializado para tarefas de linguagem enquanto o HD para tarefas espaciais. Ainda, pode ocorrer uma superestimação de tamanho no campo visual esquerdo (CVE) em relação ao direito (CVD). Já homens possuem melhor desempenho do HD em tarefas espaciais, mas nas mulheres o desempenho dos hemisférios é equivalente. Ainda, há evidências que homens são menos sensíveis ao contexto dos estímulos que mulheres. Mas não é claro como a forma do estímulo, a variação da sua distância ao centro da tela (excentricidade) e se um gradiente de textura podem afetar a ACF. Com base nisso, o objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar se a variação da excentricidade influenciaria a percepção de tamanho de dois tipos de estímulos no CVE e CVD em homens e mulheres (Experimento I). Também (Experimento II) verificar se um gradiente de textura influenciaria um possível efeito observado no Experimento I. Nos dois experimentos a técnica do campo visual dividido foi associada ao método dos estímulos constantes (30 repetições) com escolha forçada de duas alternativas (qual o maior?). Os estímulos no Experimento I foram círculos (um padrão e sete de comparação) e elipses horizontais (uma padrão e sete de comparação). Esses estímulos foram contrabalanceados em ambos os hemicampos visuais. Os estímulos foram apresentados em três excentricidades (2,5°, 5° e 7,5°) por 100ms num fundo cinza, para universitários destros (10 homens e 10 mulheres por tipo de estímulo). No Experimento II foram apresentados círculos a 2,5° num gradiente de textura (dividido verticalmente e com mesmas informações de profundidade no CVE e CVD), para 10 mulheres universitárias destras. A partir dos dados foram calculados o Erro Relativo e o coeficiente angular sensibilidade discriminativa. Os resultados do Experimento I mostram que a média do erro relativo do CVD para círculos a 2,5° foi maior que a 5° e 7,5°. Nas mulheres houve diferenças entre os hemicampos visuais a 2,5°, sendo o CVD superestimado. Os coeficientes angulares foram maiores a 2,5° de excentricidade e maiores também para os círculos. Os homens apresentaram diferença nos coeficientes angulares para a variação da excentricidade, sendo a de 2,5° maior que 5° e 7,5°. Já as mulheres tiveram coeficientes maiores para círculos. Nos círculos os coeficientes das mulheres a 2,5° foram maiores que a 7,5°. Nas elipses os coeficientes a 2,5° foram maiores em geral e nos homens. Nesses ainda houve uma diferença no CVD, em que os coeficientes a 2,5° foram maiores que a 7,5°. No Experimento II o erro relativo não mostrou diferenças significativas, exceto na comparação de resultados com o Experimento I. Nessa análise a média do CVE foi menor que do CVD. Os coeficientes não apresentaram diferenças significativas. Esses resultados mostram que a ACF não é um efeito absoluto, mas sim dependente das características dos estímulos, da tarefa e pode ser influenciada por diferentes estratégias de homens e mulheres. Apesar de haver diferenças na sensibilidade discriminativa, elas não resultaram numa distorção perceptual. Isso sugere que além da percepção, medidas de sensibilidade também devem ser analisadas para a ACF. Ainda, o efeito do gradiente de textura se sobrepõe a ACF. / Functional brain asymmetry (FBA) studies point out that there are differences between left (LH) and right (HD) brain hemispheres. LH is more specialized for processing language while HD for processing spatial information. Still, there may be a size overestimation in left visual field (LVF) compared to the right visual field (RVF).But men perform better on spatial tasks using LVF/RH, while women perform equivalently in each brain hemisphere. Also, there is evidence that men are less sensitive to stimuli context than women. However, it is not clear how the shape of the stimulus, variation of its distance from the center of the screen (eccentricity) and a texture gradient can affect FBA. Based on this, the aim of this study was to verify if eccentricity variation can influence size perception of two types of stimuli in LVF and RVF in men and women (Experiment I). Also (Experiment II) we investigate if a texture gradient can influence a possible effect observed in Experiment I. In both experiments we used the divided visual field technique associated with the method of constant stimuli (30 repetitions) with two alternative forced choice (\"what is the bigger?\"). Stimuli in Experiment I were circles (one standard and seven for comparison) and horizontal ellipses (one standard and seven for comparison). These stimuli were counterbalanced in both visual hemifields. Stimuli were presented at three eccentricities (2.5°, 5° and 7.5 °) for 100 ms on a gray background to right-handers (10 men and 10 women by stimulus type). In Experiment II circles were presented at 2.5° in a texture gradient (divided vertically and with same depth information on LVF and RVF), for 10 right-handed women. From data we calculated Relative Errors and psychometric slopes - discriminative sensitivity. Results of Experiment I show that relative error mean for 2.5° in RVF circles was greater than 5° and 7.5°. Women showed an overestimation for circles presented in RVF at 2.5° eccentricity. Slope coefficients were greater for 2.5 ° eccentricity and for circles. Men showed a difference in slope coefficients for eccentricity variation, with 2.5° mean greater than 5 ° and 7.5°. Women had higher coefficients for circles than ellipses. Mean circles coefficients were greater at 2.5° than 7.5° eccentricities. Mean ellipses coefficients were greater at 2.5° in general and in men. Men also showed a difference in RVF in which coefficients were greater at 2.5° than 7.5°. Experiment II showed only a difference for relative errors in comparison with Experiment I. These results show that FBA is not an absolute effect, but rely on stimuli characteristics and different strategies for men and women in the task. Although there are differences in discriminative sensitivity, they did not result in a perceptual distortion. This suggests that for FBA not only perceptual parameters should be analyzed, but also the psychometric slope and discrimination sensitivity. Furthermore, the effect of the gradient texture overlaps the FBA.

Isothermal flow development, gap instability, and gap vortex street generation in eccentric annular channels have been studied experimentally. A representative paradigm of a flow in a highly eccentric annular channel was examined for a channel having an inner-to-outer diameter ratio d/D = 0.50 and an eccentricity e = 0.8 for a Reynolds number Re = 7300. Observation of the flow development has identified three distinct regions: the entrance region, the fluctuation-growth region and the rapid-mixing region. Weak quasi-periodic velocity fluctuations were first detected in the downstream part of the entrance region, and grew into very strong ones, reaching peak-to-peak amplitudes in the narrow gap that were nearly 60% of the bulk velocity. The dependence on inlet conditions, d/D, e and Re on the development and structure of flows was also investigated. Experimental conditions covered the ranges: 0 ≤ Re ≤ 19000, 0 ≤ e ≤ 0.9 and d/D = 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75. For Re < 7000, the Strouhal number, the normalized mid-gap axial flow velocity and the axial and cross-flow fluctuation intensities at mid-gap were found to increase with increasing Re and to depend strongly on inlet conditions. At higher Re, however, these parameters reached asymptotic values that were only mildly sensitive to inlet conditions. A map was constructed for the various stages of periodic motions vs. e and Re and it was found that, for e < 0.5 or Re < 1100, the flow was unconditionally stable as far as gap instability is concerned. For e ≤ 0.5, transition to turbulence occurred at Re ≈ 6000, whereas, for 0.6 ≤ e ≤ 0.9, the critical Reynolds number for the formation of periodic motions was found to increase with eccentricity from 1100 for e = 0.6 to 3800 for e = 0.9. The use of an empirically derived "mixing layer Strouhal number" permitted a universal description of gap vortex street periodicity in eccentric annular channels. This study has contributed to our understanding of the physical mechanisms that lead to gap instability and the development of a gap vortex street and the dependence of these flow phenomena on the channel geometry and the dynamic conditions of the flow.