Ce travail de thèse porte sur l’étude de deux éléments au cœur d’un système de nanopositionnement et de micromanipulation : a) un capteur interférométrique intégré sur puce ; ses caractéristiques, particularités et potentiels sont étudiés en détails ; b) un élément utilisable en capteur et actionneur : un polymère électro-actif à flexions.L'interféromètre PicoMove est le résultat de l'étroite collaboration entre LISV et l’entreprise TeemPhotonics. Cet interféromètre, qui fonctionne dans le domaine de l'infrarouge moyen (1,55 µm) est basé sur la technologie des guides d'ondes optique lui offrant une plus grande robustesse vis-à-vis de l'environnement extérieur. son architecture est basée sur une structure Michelson-Young modifiée. Des expérimentations ont été mises en œuvre pour caractériser ses performances. Il a été démontré une résolution sub-nanométrique et un très faible niveau de bruit. Une densité spectrale de puissance de 100 fm/√Hz a été atteinte en condition statique.En outre, sa robustesse aux conditions environnementales est démontrée, et ses sources d’erreurs et spécificités métrologiques sont discutées au travers d’une application sur un étage de nanopositionnement, fonctionnant avec un moteur à bobine mobile et un guidage flexible.Le second point de cette thèse concerne l’étude des propriétés électro-mécaniques d'un polymère électro-actif ionique (IEAP) en configuration poutre encastrée. Il est capable de fonctionner en mode actionneur et en mode capteur. Pour la partie actionneur, sa raideur et fréquence propre sont déterminées. Pour la partie capteur, sa bande passante, sa résolution et sa fonction de transfert sont étudiées expérimentalement.Les capacités micrométriques de ce polymère en mode actionneur et en mode capteur sont démontrées et discutées. / This work concerns the study of two elements of a system of nanopositioning and micromanipulation: a) integrated on-chip interferometric sensor; its characteristics, peculiarities and potential are studied in detail; b) an element usable in sensor and actuator mode: an electro-active flexural polymer.The PicoMove interferometer is the result of the collaboration between LISV and the company TeemPhotonics. This interferometer, which operates in the mid-infrared range (1.55 μm), is based on optical guide technology that gives a high degree of robustness to the external environment. Its architecture is based on a modified Michelson-Young structure. Experiments have been implemented to characterize its performance. It has been demonstrated nanometric resolution and very low noise level. A spectral power density of 100 fm/√Hz was reached under static conditions.In addition, its robustness to the environmental conditions is demonstrated, and the metrological specificities are discussed with details about the specific error sources. It is applied to a nanopositioning stage using mobile coil and flexible guidance.The second point of this PhD work concerns the study of electromechanical properties of an ionic electroactive polymer (IEAP) in a flexible cantilever configuration. It is able to operate in actuator mode and in sensor mode. For the actuator part, its stiffness and its natural frequency are studied. For the sensor part, its bandwidth, resolution and transfer function are experimentally studied.The micrometric capabilities of this polymer in actuator and sensor mode are demonstrated and discussed.

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<p>Unexpected failures in rotating machinery can result in production downtime, costly repairs and safety concerns. Electric motors are commonly used in rotating machinery and are critical to their operation. Therefore, fault detection and diagnosis of electric motors can play a very important role in increasing their reliability and operational safety. This is especially true for safety critical applications.</p> <p>This research aims to develop a Fault Detection and Diagnosis (FDD) strategy for detecting motor faults at their inception. Two FDD strategies were considered involving wavelets and state estimation. Bearing faults and stator winding faults, which are responsible for the majority of motor failures, are considered. These faults were physically simulated on a Permanent Magnet Brushless DC Motor (PMBLDC). Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed fault detection and diagnosis schemes were very effective in detecting bearing and winding faults in electric motors.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p>This thesis presents the design stages in creating a robotic driving system for performing in-lab driving schedule playback using a chassis dynamometer. This equipment is intended to assist research in improving the power train system in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV). The design stage layout contributes to showing how to effectively breakdown a mechatronics related project into manageable steps. The process includes background research, system requirements, system design and validation. Design stages are further broken up into three subsystems, mechanical, electrical and software.</p> <p>Two actuators control the gas and brake pedals of the test vehicle. An active control system allows the vehicle to follow a speed vs. time driving schedule. The control feedback loop uses two cascading Proportional-Integral (PI) controllers (vehicle speed and pedal position). Feedback signals come from the onboard diagnostics (OBD-II) port. The control software is implemented on a dSPACE MicroAutoBox capable of multiple inputs and outputs including a built in CAN Bus controller to receive messages from the OBD-II port. The control software is implemented in Simulink and provides a modular, maintainable architecture for future development.</p> <p>The system design steps lead to a practical system obtained through a systematic approach. Design documentation will allow for further development of this test system to meet future requirements.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

<p>The production of a novel micropump based on the synthetic jet principle is investigated both numerically and experimentally. The proposed micropump consists of a synthetic jet actuator driven by a vibrating diaphragm issuing into an inverted T- shaped channel structure forming the inlet/outlet channels of the pump.</p> <p>The software package Ansys is used to perform numerical investigations of the operation of the proposed micropump. Simulations were performed to study the effect of changing the inlet/outlet channel dimensions as well as the operating frequency, amplitude and duty cycle of the excitation signal. Inlet/outlet channel widths ranging from 200 to 800 μm and operating amplitude and frequency of excitation of the 5 mm square membrane driving the synthetic jet actuator ranging from 20 to 60 μm and from 20 to 60 Hz respectively were investigated.</p> <p>Based on the findings of the numerical simulations, a prototype design was chosen and produced. Prototype production using microfabrication techniques as well as micromachining was investigated. The final prototype was micromachined using plexiglass as the working material. An experimental setup was constructed to test the performance of the produced prototype, which allowed for measuring the produced flow rate, pressure head, actuation amplitude and frequency.</p> <p>The findings of the numerical simulations verified the possibility to produce a working micropump with flow rates of up to 1.3 ml/min. Simulation results also showed the dependence of the produced flow rate on both the inlet and outlet channel widths. An increase in the inlet channel width resulted in a gain in the average flow rate through the pump while an increase in the outlet channel width results in a reduction in the flow rate. Increases in either the actuation amplitude or frequency of excitation both resulted in an improvement in the produced flow rate. Changes in the ejection duty cycle, or the ejection time relative to the suction time during an actuation cycle, were found to influence the flow rate produced by the pump. A shorter ejection time produced a higher flow rate from the pump as compared to a longer ejection time. It was also found that changes in dimensions or operating parameters affected the fluctuations in the flow rate through the pump associated with the pulsating nature of the synthetic jet. Experimental investigations confirmed the findings of the numerical simulations in terms of the flow rate and the trends in the dependence of the flow rate on operating parameters. Values of maximum back pressure of up to 500 Pa were also reported experimentally and membrane driving powers of up to 122 μW were calculated numerically.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The demand for bandwidth is increasing vigorously. Thus wired network is using fiber optic telephone line instead of coaxial cable. The concept of Fiber to the Home (FTTH) is really coming into picture. Few countries like Japan, Korea etc are leading in this technology. But now the major challenge is how to provide the high speed internet connection wirelessly. Thus the change is to integrate the wireless and optical fiber communication. / Wireless Optical Communication

The developing flow field in a parallel plate microchannel, induced by wall motion, has been modeled numerically. This type of flow simulates the physical driving mechanism that exists in electro-osmotically generated flow with large channel diameter-to-Debye length ratios (Z). The physics of the flow field were compared between the moving wall model (MWM) and electro-osmotic flow (EOF) at Reynolds numbers of 1 and 1800, and Z > 2500. Also, Z-values between 50 and 500 were studied to investigate the accuracy of the MWM. Results show that for Z-values greater than 100 the MWM shows good agreement with EOF. The dynamics of the developing flow field for the MWM were explored for channel length-to-hydraulic diameter ratios (aspect ratio) of 5, 10, 20 and 40 at ten Reynolds numbers, Re (based on the wall velocity), below Re < 2000. The results show that far from the inlet the maximum fluid velocity occurs at the walls, as is expected, and the minimum velocity occurs at the channel center. Near the channel inlet, however, the centerline velocity is not a minimum but reaches a local maximum due to a resulting pressure imbalance generated by the wall motion. As the aspect ratio increases, the centerline velocity tends to approach the wall velocity far downstream from the inlet. Increases in the Reynolds number have the opposite effect on the centerline velocity. The hydrodynamic developing region, defined by that section of the channel where the wall shear stress is changing, also depends on the channel aspect ratio and Re, and is greater than the developing region for classical pressure-driven flow of a parallel plate channel. Also, the flow field physics was analyzed for a process called electro-mobility focusing (EMF). EMF is a process that separates and detects species of like charge with the use of electro-phoresis and EOF utilizing a varying voltage gradient. The velocity distribution and the effective diffusion were solved for analytically, for both a linear and non-linear voltage gradient, using the MWM and the creeping flow approximations. The resulting equations aid in optimizing the detection system by forcing the lowest effective diffusion (uniform velocity profile) to the detection location.

<p><h1>Abstract</h1></p> <p>As a compact, robust, and reliable power distribution method, hydraulic systems have been used for flight surface control for decades. Electro-hydrostatic Actuator (EHA) is increasingly replacing the conventional valve-controlled system for better performance, lighter weight and higher energy efficiency. The EHA is increasingly being used for flight control. As such its reliability is thereby critical important for flight safety. This research focuses on fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) for the EHA to enable predictive unscheduled maintenance when fault detected at its inception.</p> <p>An EHA prototype previously built at McMaster University is studied in this research and modified to physically simulate two faults conditions pertaining to leakage and friction. Nine different working conditions including normal running and eight fault conditions are simulated. Physical model has been derived mathematically capable of numerically simulating the fault conditions. Furthermore, for comparison, parametric model was obtained through system identification for each fault condition. This comparison revealed that parametric models are not suitable for fault detection and diagnosis due to the computation complexity.</p> <p>The FDD approach in this research uses model-based state estimation using filters. The filter based combined with the Interacting Multiple Model fault detection and diagnosis algorithm is introduced. Based on this algorithm, three FDD strategies are developed using a combination of the Extended Kalman Filter and IMM (IMM-EKF), the Smooth Variable Structure Filter with Varying Boundary and IMM (IMM-SVSF (VBL)), and the Smooth Variable Structure Filter with Fixed Boundary and IMM (IMM-SVSF (FBL)). All the three FDD strategies were implemented on the EHA prototype. Based on the results, the IMM-SVSF (VBL) provided the best performance. It detected and diagnosed faults correctly at high mode probabilities with excellent robustness to modeling uncertainties. It also was able to detect slow growing leakage fault, and predicted the changing trend of fault conditions.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The quantity and length of optical fibers required for the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy eXperiment (HETDEX) create unique fiber handling challenges. More than 33,000 optical fibers will enable the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET) to collect data on at least one million galaxies that are 9 billion to 11 billion light-years away, yielding the largest map of the universe ever produced [1,2]. The design advantages made possible by optical fibers also forms challenges to prevent damage to the fragile fibers that can lead to Focal Ratio Degradation (FRD) [3]. Therefore, a life cycle test must be conducted to study fiber behavior and measure FRD as a function of time. This thesis describes the design and design methodology of an electro-mechanical test apparatus for accelerated life testing of optical fiber assemblies. The design methodology summarizes the development of functional requirements and constraints that drove the design. The test apparatus design utilizes six linear actuators to replicate the movement of the fiber system deployed on HETDEX for over 65,000 accelerated cycles, simulating five years of actual operation. The electro-mechanical test apparatus will provide insight into the effects of load history on the performance of optical fibers which published data has thus far been lacking. Performance of the electro-mechanical test apparatus will be demonstrated through simulation, modeling and calculations. The test results that will be generated from the accelerated life test will be of great interest to designers of robotic fiber handling systems for major telescopes. / text

The present work verified the efficiency of electro-Fenton to destroy phenolic compounds present in Stripping Aircraft Wastewater. This research aimed to elucidate the influence of the catalyst nature, its concentration and of electric current density in efficiency of electro-Fenton process using an indivisible cell with a carbon felt cathode and platinum or borod doped diamond anodes. The experiments compared the effect of these variables to destroy phenol, cresols and their intermediates. The compounds and many intermediates formed were identified in High Perfomance Liquid Chromatograph and allowed obtaining apparent and/or absolute constants and simplified degradation mechanisms. In optimum conditions, measures of Total Organic Carbon showed high mineralization rates. At the end, the application of electro-Fenton process to high organics loads of real Stripping Aircraft wastewater allowed obtaining almost complete mineralization replacing Pt anode by Boron Doped Diamond.