Yes / A 9 x 18 x 1 feed-forward neural network (NN) model trained using a resilient back-propagation algorithm and early stopping technique is constructed to predict the shear strength of deep reinforced concrete beams. The input layer covering geometrical and material properties of deep beams has nine neurons, and the corresponding output is the shear strength. Training, validation and testing of the developed neural network have been achieved using a comprehensive database compiled from 362 simple and 71 continuous deep beam specimens. The shear strength predictions of deep beams obtained from the developed NN are in better agreement with test results than those determined from strut-and-tie models. The mean and standard deviation of the ratio between predicted capacities using the NN and measured shear capacities are 1.028 and 0.154, respectively, for simple deep beams, and 1.0 and 0.122, respectively, for continuous deep beams. In addition, the trends ascertained from parametric study using the developed NN have a consistent agreement with those observed in other experimental and analytical investigations.

no / Cellular beams are the preferred form of long span construction in multi-storey buildings. For efficient design of composite cellular beams, asymmetric sections are often manufactured in which the bottom flange is larger than the top flange. A further innovation is in the use of 80mm deep deck profiles which allows beam spacing to be increased to 4.5m, and so the effective slab width acting compositely with the long span beams is also increased. The values for shear connector (stud) resistance given in Eurocode 4 (EN 1994-1-1), when used in combination with these modern decking profiles, have led to problems in achieving the minimum degree of shear connection for composite beams in comparison to the former BS 5950-3. For secondary beams, the number of shear connectors that can be accommodated in a span is limited by the spacing of the deck ribs (typically 300mm for deep trapezoidal profiles), and it is found that even for pairs of shear connectors per deck rib, it is impossible to satisfy the shear connection rules in Eurocode 4 for long span asymmetric beams. SCI, with support from the Research Fund for Coal and Steel, is on the way to resolving this problem in design to Eurocode 4, and has completed a test on a 15.3m composite cellular beam at the University of Bradford. This is believed to be the longest composite cellular beam test ever carried out. The test was part-sponsored by ASD Westok.

Anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanopores are excellent templates to fabricate different nanostructures. However, the pores are limited to a hexagonal arrangement with a domain size of a few micrometers.  In this dissertation, focused ion beam (FIB) is used to create pre-patterned concaves to guide the anodization. Due to the advantage of FIB lithography, highly ordered AAO arrays with different arrangements, alternating diameters, and periodic pore densities are successfully achieved. Anodization window to fabricate ordered AAO is enlarged due to the FIB pre-pattern guidance. AAO has also been successfully used as a template to nanoimprint prepolymer to synthesize vertically aligned and high aspect ratio h-PDMS nanorod arrays with Moiré pattern arrangements. The formation mechanism of anodic TiO2 nanotubes is proposed in this dissertation. Moreover, FIB pre-pattern guided anodization is introduced to synthesize highly ordered TiO₂ nanotubes with different morphologies. The effects of inter-tube distance and arrangement to the structure of TiO₂ nanotubes are investigated. TiO2 nanotubes with branched and bamboo-type structures are achieved by adjusting anodization voltage. The influence of patterned concave depth and surface curvature on the growth of TiO₂ nanotubes and AAO are studied. The efficiency of TiO₂ nanotubes in supercapacitors and photoelectrochemical water splitting are optimized by enlarging surface area and increasing electrical conductivity. Focused ion beam can not only create concave arrays to guide the electrochemical anodization, but also be used for nanoscale sculpting and 3D analysis. When the TiO₂ nanotube surface is bombarded by FIB, there is a mass transfers due to ion-induced viscous flow and sputter milling, thus the TiO₂ nanotubes are selectively closed and opened. By combining FIB cutting and SEM imaging to create a series of 2D cross section SEM images, 3D reconstruction can be obtained by stacking SEM images together. This 3D reconstruction offers an opportunity to directly and quantitatively observe the pore evolution to understand the sintering process. / Ph. D.

The vibration of a uniform geometrically nonlinear shear deformable beam subjected to a transverse harmonic excitation is investigated by the method of numerical simulation. Rotatory and axial inertia are included in the model. The beam is simply supported with supports a fixed distance apart. The nonlinear partial differential equations of motion are discretized in space by the Rayleigh-Ritz method, resulting in a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations in time. The ordinary differential equations are integrated numerically to produce a time history of the solution of the equations. Transverse displacement, axial displacement, and cross sectional rotation are approximated by series of the corresponding linear natural mode shapes of the beam. Solutions of the equations of motion are compared to corresponding solutions where shear deformation and rotatory inertia are neglected. The effect of slenderness on the difference between the shear deformable case and the non shear deformable case is investigated by considering two beam configurations. In the simulations considered, the difference between the shear deformable model and the non shear deformable model increases as excitation frequency is increased and the length to thickness ratio of the beam is decreased. / Master of Science

In 1987 a NASA panel recommended the creation of the Mission to Planet Earth. This mission was intended to apply to remote sensing experience of the space community to earth remote sensing to enhance the understanding of the climatalogical processes of our planet and to determine if, and to what extent, the hydrological cycle of Earth is being affected by human activity. One of the systems required for the mission was a wide scanning, high gain reflector antenna system for use in radiometric remote sensing from geostationary orbit. This work describes research conducted at Virginia Tech into techniques for beam scanning offset Cassegrain reflector antennas by subreflector translation and rotation. Background material relevant to beam scanning antenna systems and offset Cassegrain reflector antenna system is presented. A test case is developed based on the background material. The test case is beam scanned using two geometrical optics methods of determining the optimum subreflector position for the desired scanned beam direction. Physical optics far-field results are given for the beam scanned systems. The test case system is found to be capable of beam scanning over a range of 35 half-power beamwidths while maintaining a 90% beam efficiency or 50 half-power beamwidths while maintaining less than 1 dB of gain loss during scanning. / Master of Science

A short history of acousto-optics research is presented along with a general description of how light and sound interact. The Multiple Scattering model is derived and used with a Gaussian light beam to observe the distortion in light beam profile within the sound field. Numerical results are presented for comparison to previous studies using thick holograms and two orders of light. The results from using two light orders are compared to four light order results. A Hamming sound amplitude distribution is introduced as a possible way to reduce the amount of light beam profile distortion. / Master of Science

The effects of electron beam radiation on the rheological behavior of a polystyrene/poly(vinyl methyl ether) blend as a function of absorbed dose, composition, and temperature, were investigated. The purpose of this research has been to modify the viscosity of polystyrene by studying the influences of the addition of a small amount of poly(vinyl methyl ether), combined with the exposure of the blends to low radiation doses. It is shown that the crosslinking behavior, in terms of the changes in the viscosity, is more pronounced and significant for the highest PVME content system composed of 10 wt % PVME. The other blends under consideration in this study do not display significant modifications in their rheological response after irradiation. The effects of radiation and composition on the temperature dependence of the viscosity is illustrated using the Arrhenius Law. The results obtained, in terms of flow activation energy, Ea, show that no real changes occurred due to radiation. On the other hand, it is found that the flow activation energy is strongly dependent on the blend composition. The phase separation temperature as a function of radiation dose and composition is also examined. It is shown that the most noticeable change occurs at a radiation dose of 10 Mrads, the phase separation temperature increasing also as PVME content increases in the blend composition. / Master of Science

Anodization is a kind of method that can produce oxide layer in a large area and on flexible shaped metals. In some specific conditions, anodic oxide layers exhibit interesting nanopore/nanotube structures. In this work, focused ion beam patterning method is introduced to general anodization, aiming to make highly ordered anodic porous alumina and titania nanotubes. Focused ion beam guided porous anodic alumina is carried out by pre-designing hexagonal and square guiding patterns with different interpore distances on well electropolished Al foil before anodization. After anodization, the guiding interpore distance is found to affect the new pores' locations and shapes. Two important elements, electrical field and mechanical stress, are discussed for the development of the guiding pores and the generation of new pores. Based on the proposed pore growth mechanism, novel patterns, non-spherical pores, and large patterns across the grain boundaries are successfully produced. The research on focused ion beam guided anodic titania nanotubes begins with surface polishing. The influence of four polishing conditions, as-received, chemically polished, mechanically polished, and electropolished samples, are investigated. A polished smooth sample provides a desired surface for focused ion beam guided anodization. Hexagonal guiding patterns with different interpore distances are created on Ti surface. Ordered nanotube arrays are produced, and the structure of the anodized guiding pattern is identified. / Master of Science

In an increasingly data-driven society, sensors and actuators are the bridge between the physical world and the world of "data." Electroacoustic transducers convert acoustic energy into electrical energy (or vice versa), so it can be interpreted as data. Piezoelectric materials are often used for transducer manufacturing, and recent advancements in additive manufacturing have enabled this material to take on complex geometric forms with micro-scale features. This work advances the additive manufacturing of piezoelectric materials by developing a model for predictive success of complex 3D printed geometries in Mask Image Projection-Stereolithography (MIP-SL) by accounting for mechanical wear on Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This work proposes a framework for the rapid manufacture of 3D printed transducers, adaptable to a multitude of transducer element forms. Using the print model and transducer framework, latticed hydrophone elements are designed and tested, showing evidence of selectively tunable sensitivity, resonance, and directivity pattern. These technology advancements are extended to enable a workflow for users to input polar coordinates and receive an acoustic element of a continuously tuned directivity pattern. Investigation into customer problem spaces via tech-push methods are adapted from the NSF's Lean Launchpad to reveal insight to the problems faced in hydrophone applications and other neighboring problem spaces. / Master of Science / In an increasingly data-driven world, sensors are the bridge between the physical world and the world of "data." The better the sensor; the better the data. Electroacoustic transducers are sensors that convert acoustic sound energy into electrical energy or vice versa. These are observed in the world around us as microphones, speakers, ultrasound devices, and more. In the early 1900's, piezoelectric materials became one of the dominant methods for transducer creation, and recent advancements in additive manufacturing have enabled this material to take on highly complex geometric forms with micro-scale feature sizes. Further advancements to additive manufacturing of piezoelectric materials are contributed through development of a model for predicting the success of complex 3D printed geometries in an Mask Image Projection-Stereolithography (MIP-SL) by accounting for mechanical wear on the Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) print window. This work proposes a framework for the rapid manufacture of 3D printed transducers, adaptable to a multitude of element forms. Using the developed print model and transducer framework, latticed hydrophone elements are designed and tested, showing evidence of selectively tunable sensitivity, resonance and beampattern. The advancements in technology are extended to enable a workflow for users to input polar coordinates and receive an acoustic element of continuously tuned beampattern. Investigation into customer problem spaces via tech-push methods are adapted from NSF's Lean Launchpad and reveals great insight to the problems faced in hydrophone applications and other neighboring industry spaces.

This thesis is a product of the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer's desire to develop a more accurate procedure for estimating the load capacity of an in-service T-beam bridge. A bridge type that is a stumbling block for U.S. Army field engineers due to the unknown amount and placement of the flexural reinforcement in the T-beam girder cross-sections. Personnel from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineer's Waterways Experiment Station in cooperation with personnel from Virginia Tech conceived a procedure that is potentially more accurate, can be quickly executed in the field, and is relatively easy to use by field engineers. In general, the procedure provides a method for transition between the quantity of flexural reinforcement in a reinforced concrete T-beam and the member's actual moment of inertia. Specifically, the goal of this thesis is to evaluate the accuracy of selected, effective moment of inertia models as a component in the proposed analysis procedure. The accuracy of the selected models is evaluated with test data generated from a testing program detailed herein, which load tested full-scale reinforced concrete T-beams. The test specimens were subjected to a closely-spaced, tandem-axle load configuration, a load configuration typical of military equipment. / Master of Science