A methodology for the automatic translation of a Hardware Description Language (HDL) formulation of a VLSI system to a structured array-type of target realization is the subject of this investigation. A particular combination of input HDL and target technology has been implemented as part of the exercise, and a detailed evaluation of the result is presented. The HDL used in the study is AHPL, a synchronous clock-mode language which accepts the description of the hardware at Register Transfer Level. The target technology selected is Storage Logic Array (SLA), an evolution of PLA concept. Use of the SLA has a distinct advantage, notably in the ability to sidestep the interconnection routing problem, an expensive and time-consuming process in normal IC design. Over the past years, an enormous amount of effort has gone into generation of layout from an interconnection list. This conventional approach seems to complicate the placement and routing processes in later stages. In this research project the major emphasis has therefore been on extracting relevant global information from the higher-level description to guide the subsequent placement and routing algorithms. This effectively generates the lower-level layout directly from higher-level description. A special version of AHPL compiler (stage 3) has been developed as part of the project. The SLA data structure formats and the implementation of the Data and Control Sections of the target are described in detail. Also the evaluation and possibilities for future research are discussed.

To achieve success in today's competitive environment, companies are realising the importance of design collaboration during new product development. The aim of this research was to develop a collaborative design tool for use by industrial designers and engineering designers. To achieve this, a literature review was undertaken to understand the working relationship among the two disciplines during new product development. Following this, empirical research through interviews and observations outlined three problem areas: conflicts in values and principles; differences in education; and differences in representational tools and methods. The latter was chosen because the problem area of design representations was found to be highly significant. In looking at bridging differences in design representations, a taxonomy comprising 35 forms of sketches, drawings, models and prototypes was generated. A second stage of empirical research was conducted to establish the popularity of each representation and the type of design / technical information that industrial designers and engineering designers communicated with. The information was indexed into CoLab cards that would enable the two disciplines to gain joint understanding and create shared knowledge when using visual design representations. Following a pilot evaluation and minor modifications, student and practitioner interviews with a case study were employed to assess the significance of CoLab. The findings revealed that 82% of the interviewees felt CoLab to have built a common ground through the use of visual design representations. 75% gave a positive rating when asked if the system would enhance collaboration and 91% gave the physical cards a positive response as it provided instant access to information and allowed easy sharing. This thesis is a step towards a greater understanding of collaboration between industrial designers and engineering designers. The use of the CoLab system provides the prospect of achieving a common ground between the two disciplines.

No description available.

Les responsables de la conception des produits que nous utilisons tous les jours ont un grand pouvoir car ils sont responsables de la conception d’une très partie du monde qui nous entoure. Tous les produits et services d’aujourd’hui n’étaient autrefois qu’une partie de la nature et l’impact des activités humaines sur cette nature devient de plus en plus préoccupant. Des efforts sont faits à tous les niveaux, des utilisateurs aux multinationales, pour réduire l’impact des hommes mais ce n’est pas une tache simple. Dans une première partie, cette thèse présente le processus de la conception de produits et différents moyens qui peuvent être utilisés pour conduire ce processus vers des solutions plus respectueuses de l'environnement. La conception de produits est une activité complexe qui peut être modélisée comme un processus composé de trois phases – conceptual, embodiement et detailed. Les décisions prises au cours des premières étapes de ce processus conduisent à la majorité des coûts finaux, monétaire, environnementaux, etc., d'un projet. Après ces étapes, toutes modifications apportées au projet augmentent les coûts mais peuvent aussi ne pas être réalisables. Les responsables de la conception de produits ont accès à certains outils afin de produire des objets plus respectueux de l'environnement, dont les directives Design for Environment, qui ne fournissent pas de données quantifiables, et des méthodes basées sur l’ACV, extrêmement gourmandes en ressources et ne donnent pas de résultats fiables avant la modélisation finale. Afin de pallier aux différents points faibles de ces méthodes, cette thèse propose l’approche DA-Ex basée sur l'exergie et l'analyse dimensionnelle. Le but de cette approche est d'utiliser des données faciles d’accès qui peuvent être stockées dans une base de données de faible taille, être applicable lors des premières phases du processus de conception lorsque l'artefact étudié n'est pas encore défini en sa totalité, fournir des résultats de qualité comparable à ceux obtenus avec des méthodes et outils existants, et offrir la possibilité d'élargir les domaines étudiés en dehors de l’évaluation environnementale. L'approche DA-Ex considère trois aspects - l'efficacité de la transformation de l’exergie, l'efficacité d'utilisation des ressources, et les émissions environnementales. La possibilité d’extension de l’approche est illustrée avec l’analyse des coûts. Plusieurs études de cas ont été réalisées pour tester l'approche DA-Ex. Les résultats obtenus avec cette approche ont été comparés à ceux fournis par des méthodes et indicateurs existants. / Engineering designers wield a tremendous power as they are responsible for the design of a large part of the world that surrounds us. All artificial products and services were once a pristine bit of nature and the impact that mankind has on this planet is a growing concern at all levels, from single customers to world-wide companies and governments. The task of producing something that does not contribute to this impact is daunting. The first part of this thesis elaborates on engineering design and the ways of influencing product design towards more environmentally conscious solutions. Engineering design is a complex activity that can be modelled as a process made up of three basic phases - conceptual, embodiment, and detailed design. The decisions made during the early stages of this process are responsible for the majority of the final costs, monetary, environmental or otherwise, of a project. Any changes made to the design after these stages not only unnecessarily bring up the costs, but there are also fewer opportunities to make them. The question remains of how designers can be supported during the design process to produce more environmentally conscious artefacts. Design for Environment guidelines are a good start but they do not provide quantifiable data, full LCA methods are extremely resource consuming and do not provide robust results before the design is finalised, etc. In order to alleviate the shortfalls of these methods, the thesis proposes the DA-Ex approach based on exergy and dimensional analysis. The aim of the approach is to use readily available data that can be stored in a lightweight database, be applicable during the early phases of the design process when the studied artefact is not yet fully defined, provide results of comparable quality to those obtained with existing methods and tools, and offer ways of expanding the studies to fields related to sustainability beyond environmental assessment. The DA-Ex approach first considers exergy transformation efficiency, resource use efficiency, and environmental emission metrics. An expansion is also proposed to cost analysis. Several case studies were performed to test the DA-Ex approach. The results obtained with the approach were compared to those provided by existing methods and indicators, although they could not be compared number to number due to the fact that all methods and indicators function with different characterisations and base hypotheses. The next step for the DA-Ex approach is to include a systemic view, as to not only cover the designed artefact in a study but also its environment and what impact it has on it.

The increasing system design complexity is negatively impacting the overall system design productivity by increasing the cost and time of product development. One key to overcoming these challenges is exploiting Component Based Engineering practices. However it is a challenge to select an optimum component from a component library that will satisfy all system functional and non-functional requirements, due to varying performance parameters and quality of service requirements. In this thesis we propose an integrated framework for component selection. The framework is a two phase approach that includes a system modeling and analysis phase and a component selection phase. Three component selection algorithms have been implemented for selecting components for a Network on Chip architecture. Two algorithms are based on a standard greedy method, with one being enhanced to produce more intelligent behavior. The third algorithm is based on simulated annealing. Further, a prototype was developed to evaluate the proposed framework and compare the performance of all the algorithms. / by Chad Calvert. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis advisor: Michael Barnett / This mixed method study examined the impact of a LEGO<super>TM</super>-based, engineering-oriented curriculum compared to an inquiry-based curriculum on fifth graders' content learning of simple machines. This study takes a social constructivist theoretical stance that science learning involves learning scientific concepts and their relations to each other. From this perspective, students are active participants, and they construct their conceptual understanding through the guidance of their teacher. With the goal of better understanding the use of engineering education materials in classrooms the National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council in the book "Engineering in K-12 Education" conducted an in-depth review of the potential benefits of including engineering in K-12 schools as (a) improved learning and achievement in science and mathematics, (b) increased awareness of engineering and the work of engineers, (c) understanding of and the ability to engage in engineering design, (d) interest in pursuing engineering as a career, and (e) increased technological literacy (Katehi, Pearson, & Feder, 2009). However, they also noted a lack of reliable data and rigorous research to support these assertions. Data sources included identical written tests and interviews, classroom observations and videos, teacher interviews, and classroom artifacts. To investigate the impact of the design-based simple machines curriculum compared to the scientific inquiry-based simple machines curriculum on student learning outcomes, I compared the control and the experimental groups' scores on the tests and interviews by using ANCOVA. To analyze and characterize the classroom observation videotapes, I used Jordan and Henderson's (1995) method and divide them into episodes. My analyses revealed that the design-based Design a People Mover: Simple Machines unit was, if not better, as successful as the inquiry-based FOSS Levers and Pulleys unit in terms of students' content learning. I also found that students in the engineering group outperformed students in the control group in regards to their ability to answer open-ended questions when interviewed. Implications for students' science content learning and teachers' professional development are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

A mandioca (Manihot Sculenta Crantz) é amplamente cultivada no Brasil e nos países tropicais do mundo por ser uma cultura de grande valor nutritivo e resistência às condições edafoclimáticas, servindo de segurança alimentar para vários países. A preponderância do cultivo no país é para abastecer mercados de consumo in natura de raízes e amido para várias agroindústrias. Apesar de sua grande aplicação, toda a cadeia agroindustrial nacional encontra obstáculos para sua expansão devido ao baixo rendimento de produção, alta demanda de mão de obra, cada vez mais escasso devido principalmente à atividade de grande esforço físico, falta de disponibilidade de máquinas especialmente para a colheita. O objetivo do trabalho foi descrever as etapas de colheita para identificar pontos de mecanização e propor alternativas de solução que se adequem melhor às necessidades da produção agrícola. Para isso, a pesquisa focou nas regiões produtoras de mandioca industrial dos estados do Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul e São Paulo onde apresentam maior emprego de tecnologia na colheita, onde uma área de 10 a 20 hectares foi selecionada como público alvo. Aplicou-se a metodologia de projeto sistemático para a obtenção de informações através da realização de visitas técnicas e experimentos em campo, para estabelecer uma lista de requisitos a serem atendidos pela colheita mecanizada. Constatou-se da revisão da bibliográfica e visitas às áreas de produção que a operação de extração, destaque, e coleta das raízes seriam as principais oportunidades de estudo para a mecanização, onde a principal restrição ao desenvolvimento estaria nas operações de posicionamento e destaque das mesmas, em razão das raízes apresentarem certa aleatoriedade de geometria e dependência do ajuste das demais operações do cultivo e variedades. Nessa perspectiva, foram coletadas informações sobre a geometria das raízes para três diferentes variedades de mandioca em dois períodos de colheita. Para a proposição de uma solução para a colheita, foram estudados sistemas mecânicos alternativos para cada etapa do processo, gerando uma matriz morfologia que orientou a proposição de desenhos esquemáticos de cinco variantes de colhedoras. Por fim, selecionou-se a variante de um implemento de colheita composto por braços mecânicos com posicionamento assistido por operadores, onde o destaque das raízes deveria ser realizado por garras mecânicas para a separação da parte aérea das plantas ainda no solo. Com o objetivo de favorecer sua posterior extração através da análise de requisitos técnicos, econômicos, ambientais e sociais. A pesquisa visou contribuir com a cadeia da cultura da mandioca, com a formalização de informações e restrições para o projeto de colhedora ajustada para as condições nacionais, indicar alternativas de colhedoras a serem desenvolvidas e validadas em campo através de pesquisas posteriores. / Manihot (Manihot Sculenta Crantz) is widely cultivated in Brazil and in the tropical countries as a crop of great nutritional value and resistance to edaphoclimatic conditions, providing food security for several countries. The prevalence of the cultivation in the country is to supply markets of in natura consumption of roots and starch for several agroindustries. Despite its great application, the entire agroindustrial chain has obstacles to its expansion due to the low yield of production, high demand of labor, increasingly scarce due mainly to the arduous work, lack of availability of harvest machines. The objective of this work was to describe the harvesting stages to identify mechanization gaps and to propose alternative that best fit the farming production. The research focused on the industrial cassava production of the states of Paraná, Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo that holds the highest technology harvesting, and an area of 10 to 20 hectares was selected as the market target. A systematic design methodology was applied to obtain information through technical visits and field experiments, to establish a requirements list to appropriate answer the mechanized harvest. It was verified the bibliographical revision and visits that the operation of extraction, detach, and collection of the roots would be the main opportunities of the mechanization, and the main restriction to the development would be in the operations of positioning and detach, because the roots present a geometry randomness and dependence of the other operations adjustment of the crop and varieties. From this perspective, geometry information was collected for three different varieties of cassava in two harvest periods. The proposition a solution for the harvest, alternatives of mechanical systems was studied for each step of the process, creating a morphology matrix that guided to bring up the five harvesters schematic drawings. Finally, we selected the variant of a harvesting implement composed of mechanical arms with operatorassisted positioning, where the detach of the roots should be performed by mechanical claws to separate the plants aerial parts still in the soil, with the objective to facilitate after root extraction through the analysis of technical, economic, environmental and social parameters. Finally, this study aimed to contribute to the cassava culture chain, with the formalization of information and restrictions for the design of harvester machines adjusted for the national conditions, to indicate alternative to be developed and validated in the field through further works.

<div>Bike sharing system (BSS) is growing worldwide. Although bike sharing is viewed as a sustainable transportation mode, it still has environmental footprints from its operation (e.g., bike rebalancing using automobiles) and upstream impacts (e.g., bike and docking station manufacturing). Thus, evaluating the environmental impacts of a BSS from the life cycle perspective is vital to inform decision making for the system design and operation. In this study, we conducted a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of station-based and dock-less BSS in the U.S. The results show that dock-less BSS has a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions factor of 118 g CO2-eq/bike-km in the base scenario, which is 82% higher than the station-based system. Bike rebalancing is the main source of GHG emissions, accounting for 36% and 73% of the station-based and dock-less systems, respectively. However, station-based BSS has 54% higher total normalized environmental impacts (TNEI), compared to dock-less BSS. The dock manufacturing dominants the TNEI (61%) of station-based BSS and the bike manufacturing contributes 52% of TNEI in dock-less BSS. BSS can also bring environmental benefits through substituting different transportation modes. Car trip replacement rate is the most important factor. The results suggest four key approaches to improve BSS environmental performance: 1) optimizing the bike distribution and rebalancing route or repositioning bikes using more sustainable approaches, 2) incentivizing more private car users to switch to using BSSs, 3) prolonging lifespans of docking infrastructure to significantly reduce the TNEI of station-based systems, and 4) increasing the bike utilization efficiency to improve the environmental performance of dock-less systems.</div><div>To improve the design of current BSS from the life cycle perspective, we first proposed a simulation framework to find the minimal fleet size and their layout of the system. Then we did a tradeoff analysis between bike fleet size and the rebalancing frequency to investigate the GHG emission if we rebalance once, twice and three times a day. The optimal BSS design and operation strategies that can minimize system GHG emission are identified for a dock-less system in Xiamen, China. The results show that at most 15% and 13% of the existing fleet size is required to serve all the trip demand on weekday and weekend, if we have a well-designed bike layout. The tradeoff analysis shows that the GHG emission may increase if we continue to reduce the fleet size through more frequent rebalancing work. Rebalancing once a day during the night is the optimal strategy in the base scenario. We also tested the impacts of other key factors (e.g., rebalancing vehicle fleet size, vehicle capacity and multiple depots) on results. The analysis results showed that using fewer vehicles with larger capacity could help to further reduce the GHG emission of rebalancing work. Besides, setting 3 depots in the system can help to reduce 30% of the GHG emission compared with 1-depot case, which benefits from the decrease of the commuting trip distance between depot and the serve region.</div>

Lower tolerance limits (LTLs) methods was used to estimate design values of furniture joints. To have higher reliability in joint, LTLs were chosen for higher confidence/proportional level. The logic behind phenomena is that if stress on joint exceeds the given LTLs, failure on joints is most likely observed. Therefore, joint sizes were determined to maintain internal stresses on joint below LTLs value corresponding to external load.

The objective of this research was to characterize the seawater transport and its effect on the transverse tensile strength of a carbon/vinylester composite. The moisture contents of neat vinylester and unidirectional carbon/vinylester composite panels immersed in seawater were monitored until saturation. A model for moisture up-take was developed based on superposition of Fickian diffusion, and Darcy’s law for capillary transport of water. Both the predicted and measured saturation times increased with increasing panel size, however the diffusion model predicts much longer times while the capillary model predicts shorter time than observed experimentally. It was also found that the saturation moisture content decreased with increasing panel size. Testing of macroscopic and miniature composite transverse tensile specimens, and SEM failure inspection revealed more fiber/matrix debonding in the seawater saturated composite than the dry composite, consistent with a slightly reduced transverse tensile strength. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection