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The use of global positioning systems, or GPS, as a means of logistical organization for fleet vehicles has become more widespread in recent years. The system has the ability to track vehicle location, report on diagnostic trouble codes, and keep tabs on maintenance schedules. This helps to improve the safety and productivity of the vehicles and their operators. Additionally, the increasing use of yaw and roll stability control in commercial trucks has contributed to an increased level of safety for truck drivers. However, these systems require the vehicle to begin a yaw or roll event before they assist in maintaining control. This thesis presents a new method for utilizing the GPS signal in conjunction with a new fuzzy logic-based stability index, the Total Safety Margin (TSM), to create a superior active safety system. This thesis consists of four main components: An overview of GPS technology is presented with coverage of several automotive-based applications. The proposed implementation of GPS in the new Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) driving simulator under development at the Virginia Tech Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS) is presented. The three degree-of-freedom (3DOF), linear, single track equation set used in the Matlab simulations is derived from first principles. Matlab and TruckSim 7® simulations are performed for five vehicle masses and three forward velocities in a ramp-steer maneuver. Using fuzzy logic to develop the control rules for the Total Safety Margin (TSM), TSM matrices are built for both the Matlab and TruckSim 7® results based on these testing conditions. By comparing these TSM matrices it is shown that the two simulation methods yield similar results. A discussion of the development and implementation of the aforementioned HIL driving simulator is presented, specifically the steering subsystem. Using Matlab/Simulink, dSPACE ControlDesk, and CarSim RT® software it is shown that the steering module is capable of steering the CarSim RT® simulation vehicle accurately within the physical range of the steering sensor used. / Master of Science

O desenvolvimento de cepas bacterianas multirresistentes tornou-se uma preocupação global. As plantas medicinais têm sido exploradas como uma fonte potencial terapêutica para o tratamento de várias doenças e para o desenvolvimento de medicamentos mais eficazes contra infecções bacterianas. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a atividade antibacteriana do extrato de cascas e folhas de Anacardium humile (St.) Hil, extrato de cascas de Davilla nítida (Vahl.) Kubitski, e extrato de folhas de Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. contra bactérias resistentes a múltiplos fármacos isoladas de infecções do pé diabético, e também contra cepas de referência da American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). A atividade antibacteriana foi avaliada pelos métodos de Ágar Disco-Difusão (DD), Microdiluição em Caldo (MC), Ensaio “Checkerboard” e Ensaio “Time-Kill”. O extrato das cascas de Davilla nitida (Vahl.) Kubitski mostrou atividade antibacteriana expressiva contra todos os grupos de bactérias testadas. O método de microdiluição em caldo foi mais sensível que o método disco-difusão para determinar a atividade antibacteriana presente no extrato das cascas. O extrato de cascas inibiu o crescimento de bactérias com altos níveis de resistência aos antibióticos, como Pseudomonas spp. (100,00%), Enterobacter spp. (88,89%), Staphylococcus aureus (54,55%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (75,00%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (92,86%). A combinação do extrato das cascas com antibióticos resultou em efeito aditivo contra a maioria das cepas testadas. O perfil cinético de tempo de morte do extrato de cascas mostrou propriedades bactericidas tempo-dependentes. Nossos resultados sugerem a presença de compostos bioativos nesta planta que podem ser utilizados para o desenvolvimento de novos agentes antibacterianos. O extrato de folhas de Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. mostrou atividade antibacteriana contra Citrobacter spp. (100,00%), Citrobacter youngae (ATCC-29935) (100,00%), Enterobacter spp. (33,33%), Pseumodonas spp. (66,67%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC-27853) (100,00%). O extrato de folhas quando associado com antibiótico amoxicilina/ácido clavulânico ou cefoxitina não evidenciou qualquer potencialização da atividade antibacteriana contra as bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas, sugerindo que extrato e antibióticos possuem mecanismos independentes relacionados à inibição do crescimento bacteriano. Nossos resultados mostraram que o extrato etanólico das folhas de Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. teve uma boa atividade antimicrobiana contra algumas bactérias resistentes a múltiplos fármacos. Entretanto, estudos adicionais e mais específicos são recomendados para determinar a eficácia deste extrato no tratamento de infecções bacterianas. O extrato das cascas e folhas de Anacardium humile (St.) Hil, tanto no método Disco-difusão quanto em microdiluição em caldo, inibiu significantemente o crescimento das bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas, como também o crescimento das bactérias comumente encontradas em lesões de pés diabéticos. Pelo método “Checkerboard”, a combinação do extrato das cascas (35,00%) e folhas (40,00%) sobre as bactérias Gram-negativas apresentaram efeitos sinérgicos semelhantes, enquanto que para as bactérias Gram-positivas, os extratos das folhas (45,00%) apresentaram um efeito sinérgico mais efetivo do que os extratos das cascas (17,50%). O perfil cinético “Time-Kill” apresentou atividade bactericida com propriedades dose e tempo dependente, sugerindo que os extratos das cascas e folhas podem potencializar os efeitos dos antibióticos, o que sugere que os extratos de Anacardium humile (St.) Hil podem ser usados com uma fonte alternativa de pesquisa para agentes antibacterianos com ação em bactérias Gram-positivas e Gram-negativas resistentes a multidrogas. No entanto, o isolamento dos compostos bioativos e estudos adicionais devem ser realizados para entender os mecanismos de ação bactericida, para definir a real eficácia e os efeitos tóxicos. / Development of multidrug resistant bacterial strains has become a global concern. Medicinal plants have been explored as a source of molecules with therapeutic potential for the treatment of various diseases and to the development of better drug against bacterial infections. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the bark and leaves extracts of Anacardium humile (St.) Hil, bark extract of Davilla nitida (Vahl.) kubitski, of leaf extract of Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. and against multidrug resistant bacteria isolated from diabetic foot infections, and also of reference strains from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). Antibacterial activity of the bark extract was evaluated by agar Disk-Diffusion (DD), Broth Dilution (BD), “Checkerboard” and “Time-Kill” methods. The bark extract of Davilla nitida (Vahl.) kubistki showed a significant antibacterial activity against all groups of bacteria tested. Broth dilution was more sensitive for determining the antibacterial activity of the bark extract than the Disk-Difusion method. The bark extract inhibited the growth of bacteria with high-levels of antibiotic-resistance, such as Pseudomonas spp. (100,00%), Enterobacer spp. (88,89%), Staphylococcus aureus (54,55%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (75,00%), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (92,86%). The combination of extract with antibiotics resulted in an additive effect against most of the strains tested. “Time-Kill” kinetics profiles of bark extract showed bactericidal and time-dependent properties. Our results suggest the presence of bioactive compounds in this plant that could be useful for the development of new antibacterial agents. The leaf extract of Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. showed antibacterial activity against Citrobacter spp. (100,00%), Citrobacter youngae (ATCC-29935) (100,00%), Enterobacer spp. (33.33%), Pseumodonas spp. (66.67%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC-27853) (100.00%). Extract of leaf associated with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid or cefoxitin antibiotics did not show any potentiation of antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, suggesting that extract and antibiotics have independent mechanisms related to inhibition of bacterial growth. Our results showed that the ethanolic leaf extract of Kalanchoe pinnata (Lam.) Pers. had a good antimicrobial activity against some multidrug resistant bacteria. However, further and more specific studies, are recommended to determine the efficacy of this extract in the treatment of bacterial infections. Barks and leaves extracts of Anacardium humile (St.) Hil, both in the Disk-Difusion and Broth Dilution methods, inhibited the growth of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as the growth of bacteria commonly found in diabetic foot lesions. By the “Checkerboard” method, the combination of bark extract (35,00%) and leaves (40,00%) on Gram-negative bacteria had similar synergistic effects, while for Gram-positive bacteria, leaf extracts (45,00%) presented a synergistic effect more effective than the bark extracts (17,50%). The “Time-Kill” kinetic profile showed bactericidal activity with dose and time-dependent properties, suggesting that bark and leaf extracts may potentiate the effects of antibiotics, suggesting that Anacardium humile (St.) Hil extracts can be used with an alternative source of research for antibacterial agents acting on multidrug resistant Gram- positive and Gram- negative bacteria. However, the isolation of bioactive compounds and additional studies should be performed to understand the mechanisms of bactericidal action, to define real efficacy and toxic effects.

Today, the investigation of fuel economy improvements in internal combustion engines (ICEs) has become the most significant research interest among the automobile manufacturers and researchers. The scarcity of natural resources, progressively increasing oil prices, carbon dioxide taxation and stringent emission regulations all make fuel economy research relevant and compelling. The enhancement of engine performance solely using incylinder techniques is proving increasingly difficult and as a consequence the concept of exhaust energy recovery has emerged as an area of considerable interest. Three main energy recovery systems have been identified that are at various stages of investigation. Vapour power bottoming cycles and turbo-compounding devices have already been applied in commercially available marine engines and automobiles. Although the fuel economy benefits are substantial, system design implications have limited their adaptation due to the additional components and the complexity of the resulting system. In this context, thermo-electric (TE) generation systems, though still in their infancy for vehicle applications have been identified as attractive, promising and solid state candidates of low complexity. The performance of these devices is limited to the relative infancy of materials investigations and module architectures. There is great potential to be explored. The initial modelling work reported in this study shows that with current materials and construction technology, thermo-electric devices could be produced to displace the alternator of the light duty vehicles, providing the fuel economy benefits of 3.9%-4.7% for passenger cars and 7.4% for passenger buses. More efficient thermo-electric materials could increase the fuel economy significantly resulting in a substantially improved business case. The dynamic behaviour of the thermo-electric generator (TEG) applied in both, main exhaust gas stream and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) path of light duty and heavy duty engines were studied through a series of experimental and modelling programs. The analyses of the thermo-electric generation systems have highlighted the need for advanced heat exchanger design as well as the improved materials to enhance the performance of these systems. These research requirements led to the need for a systems evaluation technique typified by hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing method to evaluate heat exchange and materials options. HIL methods have been used during this study to estimate both the output power and the exhaust back pressure created by the device. The work has established the feasibility of a new approach to heat exchange devices for thermo-electric systems. Based on design projections and the predicted performance of new materials, the potential to match the performance of established heat recovery methods has been demonstrated.

Spacecraft (S/C) docking is the last and most challenging phase in the contact closure of two separately flying S/C. The design and testing of S/C docking missions using software-multibody simulations need to be complemented by Hardware-In-The-Loop (HIL) simulation using the real docking hardware. The docking software multibody simulation is challenged by the proper modeling of contact forces, whereas the HIL docking simulation is challenged by proper inclusion of the real contact forces. Existing docking HIL simulators ignore back-reaction force modeling due to the large S/C sizes, or use compliance devices to reduce impact, which alters the actual contact force. This dissertation aims to design a docking HIL testbed to verify docking contact dynamics for small and rigid satellites by simulating the real contact forces without artificial compliance. HIL simulations of docking contact dynamics are challenged mainly by: I. HIL simulation quality: quality of realistic contact dynamics simulation relies fundamentally on the quality of HIL testbed actuation and sensing instrumentation (non-instantaneous, time delays, see Fig. 1) II. HIL testbed design: HIL design optimization requires a justified HIL performance prediction, based on a representative HIL testbed simulation (Fig. 2), where appropriate simulation of contact dynamics is the most difficult and sophisticated task. The goal of this dissertation is to carry out a systematic investigation of the technically possible HIL docking contact dynamics simulation performances, in order to define an appropriate approach for testing of docking contact dynamics of small and rigid satellites without compliance and using HIL simulation. In addition, based on the investigations, the software simulation results shall be validated using an experimental HIL setup. To achieve that, multibody dynamics models of docking S/C were built, after carrying out an extensive contact dynamics research to select the most representative contact model. Furthermore, performance analysis models of the HIL testbed were built. In the dissertation, a detailed parametric analysis was carried out on the available models’ design-spaces (e.g., spacecraft, HIL testbed building-blocks and contact dynamics), to study their impacts on the HIL fidelity and errors (see Fig. 1). This was done using a generic HIL design-tool, which was developed within this work. The results were then used to identify the technical requirements of an experimental 1-Degree-of-Freedom (DOF) HIL testbed, which was conceived, designed, implemented and finally utilized to test and validate the selected docking contact dynamics model. The results of this work showed that the generic multibody-dynamics spacecraft docking model is a practical tool to model, study and analyze docking missions, to identify the properties of successful and failed docking scenarios before it takes place in space. Likewise, the 'Generic HIL Testbed Framework Analysis Tool' is an effective tool for carrying out performance analysis of HIL testbed design, which allows to estimate the testbed’s fidelity and predict HIL errors. Moreover, the results showed that in order to build a 6DOF HIL docking testbed without compliance, it is important to study and analyze the errors’s sources in an impact and compensate for them. Otherwise, the required figure-of-merits of the instruments of the HIL testbed would be extremely challenging to be realized. In addition, the results of the experimental HIL simulation (i.e., real impacts between various specimen) serve as a useful contribution to the advancement of contact dynamics modeling.

This diploma thesis deals with creation of elektromechanical model in Modelica language which is subsequently imported into LabVIEW environment. The Modelica language, LabVIEW graphical programming tool and Functional Mock-up Interface 2.0 standard are described in the introduction of this thesis. Functional Mock-up Interface is a tool independent standard witch, defines a standardized interface to ModelExchange and Co-simulation of complex system components. The model of electromechanical system was created based on Functional Mock-up Interface standard. Part of the work focuses on the Functional Mock-up Unit storage possibilities and LabVIEW support to import models of this type. The imported model was simulated and tested in this environment. Finally, the instance of Functional Mock-up Unit was connected with LabVIEW FPGA target for the purpose of model HIL simulation on CompactRIO platform.

This thesis covers the development of complex HIL simulator for the fifth car door. The beginning of the thesis is dedicated to theoretical research in the area of In-the-Loop testing. Practical part describes development of HIL simulator complemented by power electronics part. A simulation environment Matlab/Simulink was used for control design and analysis. Before the beginning of the work was measured signal part of control unit and specific signal sequences were identified. The control was applied on sbRIO device from National Instruments company with the implementation of a model on FPGA. Specific requirements for sensing speed and generation of communication signals lead to creation of unique hardware for application needs. The result of the thesis is complex HIL simulator with intuitive GUI and possibility of simulations a wide range of DC motors.