The purpose of the study is to better understand the factors that affect melt-wear in the armature-to-rail contact interface of an electromagnetic launcher (EML). In order to investigate the factors, the study uses finite element analysis (FEA) to vary parameters of a lab-scale EML at the Georgia Institute of Technology. FEA is used due to the complex nature of the system, which includes the geometry and various engineering aspects that the EML incorporates. The study focuses on an uncoupled analysis of the structural, electromagnetic (EMAG), thermal, and modal aspects. The reason for the uncoupled analysis was because the system was complex and there were computational limits. Also, by uncoupling the analysis fields, the way the parameters affected melt-wear could be viewed separately. The study varied the geometry of the armature, the stiffness of the rail system (compliance layer), and the material of the armature. The structural analysis was for the initial contact of the rail to the armature and found the von Mises stresses, contact area, and contact pressure. The EMAG analysis found the Lorentz forces in the system based on a current curve used in the lab-scale EML. The thermal analysis consisted of friction heating and Joule heating. The modal analysis was for the unstressed and pre-stressed armature. Based on the study conducted, it was found that aluminum would provide the best speeds due to its lighter mass, but lacked in the thermal resistance area. Tungsten provided the better thermal resistance, but lacked in the potential speed due to its heavier mass.

As silicon meets its performance limits, new materials and methods for advancing computing and electronics as a whole are being intensely researched, as described in Chapter 1. Memristors are a fusion of these two research areas, with new materials being pursued concurrently to development of novel architectures to take advantage of these new devices. A background of memristors and an overview of different memristive developments in the field are reviewed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 delves into the physical mechanisms of analog memristors. To investigate and understand the operation of analog memristors, a finite element method model has been developed. More specifically, the devices simulated include a simple memristor simulation where the lithium ions (dopants) are confined to the device, but allowed to move in response to a voltage applied across the device. To model a more physical memristor, charge carrier mobility dependence on dopant levels was added to the device, resulting in a simulated device that operates similarly to the first simulation. Thereafter, the effect of varying geometries was modeled, and it was determined that both the speed and the resistance change of the device were improved by increasing the ratio of the top and bottom metal contact lengths in a restrictive flow geometry. Finally, the effect of dopant removal was investigated. It was determined that if the greatest change in resistance is required, then the removal of dopants is the optimal operating regime for an analog memristor. Through a greater understanding of analog memristors developed by the simulation described herein, researchers will be able to better harness their power and implement them in bio-inspired systems and architectures.

<p>Injuries to the neck, or cervical region, are very importantsince there is a potential risk of damage to the spinal cord.Any neck injury can have devastating if not life threateningconsequences. High-speed transportation as well as leisure-timeadventures have increased the number of serious neck injuriesand made us increasingly aware of its consequences.Surveillance systems and epidemiological studies are importantprerequisites in defining the scope of the problem. Thedevelopment of mechanical and clinical tools is important forprimary prevention of neck injuries.</p><p>Thus, the main objectives of the present doctoral thesisare:- To illustrate the dimension of cervical injuries inSweden,- To develop a Finite Element (FE) model of the uppercervical spine, and- To study spinal stability for cervical injuries.</p><p>The incidence studies were undertaken with data from theinjury surveillance program at the Swedish National Board ofHealth and Welfare. All in-patient data from Swedish hospitals,ranging over thirteen years from 1987 to 1999, were analyzed.During this period 14,310 nonfatal and 782 fatal cervicalinjuries occurred. The lower cervical spine is the mostfrequent location for spinal trauma, although, this changeswith age so that the upper cervical spine is the most frequentlocation for the population over 65 years of age. The incidencefor cervical fractures for the Swedish population decreased forall age groups, except for those older than 65 years of age.The male population, in all age groups, has a higher incidencefor neck fractures than females. Transportation relatedcervical fractures have dropped since 1991, leaving fallaccidents as the sole largest cause of cervical trauma.</p><p>An anatomically detailed FE model of the human uppercervical spine was developed. The model was validated to ensurerealistic motions of the joints, with significant correlationfor flexion, extension, lateral bending, axial rotation, andtension. It was shown that an FE-model could simulate thecomplex anatomy and mechanism of the upper cervical spine withgood correlation to experimental data. Three studies wereconducted with the FE model. Firstly, the model of the uppercervical spine was combined with an FE model of the lowercervical spine and a head model. The complete model was used toinvestigate a new car roof structure. Secondly, the FE modelwas used for a parameter study of the ligament materialcharacteristics. The kinematics of the upper cervical spine iscontrolled by the ligamentous structures. The ligaments have tomaintain spinal stability while enabling for large rotations ofthe joints. Thirdly, the FE-model was used to study spinalinjuries and their effect on cervical spinal stability inflexion, extension, and lateral bending. To do this, the intactupper cervical spine FE model was modified to implementruptures of the various spinal ligaments. Transection of theposterior atlantooccipital membrane, the ligametum flavum andthe capsular ligament had the most impact on flexion, while theanterior longitudinal ligament and the apical ligamentinfluenced extension.</p><p>It is concluded that neck injuries in Sweden is a problemthat needs to be address with new preventive strategies. It isespecially important that results from the research on fallaccidents among the elderly are implemented in preventiveprograms. Secondly, it is concluded that an FE model of thecervical region is a powerful tool for development andevaluation of preventive systems. Such models will be importantin defining preventive strategies for the future. Lastly, it isconcluded that the FE model of the cervical spine can increasethe biomechanical understanding of the spine and contribute inanalyses of spinal stability.</p>

<p>In the past two decades depth-sensing indentation has becomea widely used technique to measure the mechanical properties ofmaterials. This technique is particularly suitable for thecharacterisation of materials at sub-micro or nano scale thoughthere is a tendency to extend its application to the micro ormacro scale. The load-penetration depth curve of depth-sensingindentation is a characteristic of a material and can be usedfor analysing various mechanical properties in addition tohardness. This thesis deals with the mechanicalcharacterisation of bulk materials, thin films and coatings,gradient materials, and composites using depth-sensingindentation. Finite element method has been resorted to as atool to understand the indentation behaviour of materials.</p><p>The piling-up or sinking-in behaviour of materials plays animportant role in the accurate determination of materialsproperties using depth-sensing indentation. Finite elementsimulations show that the piling-up or sinking-in behaviour isdetermined by the material parameters, namely<i>E/σ</i><i>y</i>ratio and strain hardening exponent orexperimental parameter<i>h</i><i>e</i><i>/h</i><i>max</i>ratio, and the contact friction. Anempirical model has been proposed to relate the contact area ofindentation to the<i>E/σ</i><i>y</i>ratio and the<i>h</i><i>e</i><i>/h</i><i>max</i>ratio and used to predict thepiling-up orsinking-in of materials. The existence of friction is found toenhance the sinking-in tendency of materials. A generalrelationship between the hardness and the indentationrepresentative stress valid for both soft and hard materialshas been obtained. A possible method to estimate the plasticproperties of bulk materials has been suggested.</p><p>Measuring the coating-only properties requires theindentation to be done within a critical penetration depthbeyond which substrate effect comes in. The ratio of thecritical penetration depth to the coating thickness determinedby nanoindentation is independent of coating thickness andabout 0.2 for gold / nickel, 0.4 for aluminium / BK7 glass, and0.2 for diamond-like-carbon / M2 steel and alumina / nickel.Finite element simulations show that this ratio is dependent onthe combination of the coating and the substrate and moresensitive to differences in the elastic properties than in theplastic properties of the coating/substrate system. Thedeformation behaviour of coatings, such as, piling-up of thesoft coatings and cracking of the hard coatings, has also beeninvestigated using atomic force microscope.</p><p>The constraint factors, 2.24 for WC phase and 2.7 for WC-Cocemented carbides, are determined through nanoindentation andfinite element simulations. A modified hardness model of WC-Cocemented carbides has been proposed, which gives a betterestimation than the Lee and Gurland hardness model. Finiteelement method has also been used to investigate theindentation behaviour of WC-Co gradient coatings.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>depth-sensing indentation, nanoindentation,finite element method, atomic force microscope, mechanicalproperties, hardness, deformation, dislocations, cracks,piling-up, sinking-in, indentation size effect, thin coatings,composite, gradient materials, WC-Co, diamond-like-carbon,alumina, gold, aluminium, nickel, BK7 glass, M2 steel.</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 114 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-113).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Glasgow, 2008. / Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Glasgow, 2008. Includes bibliographical references. Print version also available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 126-136). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 82 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-81).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2003. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.