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The Caribbean steelpan is a pitched percussion instrument that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the Second World War. Despite several research initiatives to improve the making of this relatively new instrument, several areas remain unaddressed. This thesis presents new approaches to help improve the making of the instrument. These approaches are situated in the production, vibration and material aspect of the steelpan. A novel sheet forming technology termed Incremental Sheet Forming (ISF) is applied to the production of miniature steelpan dishes. The thickness distribution in the wall of the ISF dishes is compared to the wall thickness distribution in a traditionally formed steelpan dish and a wheeled dish. Unlike traditional forming and wheeling, ISF produces stretching in only a portion of the walls of the formed dishes. Multi-pass ISF is used to extend the stretched zone but this extension is minimal. A break even analysis is also applied to investigate the fiscal viability of ISF application to the production of miniature and full size steelpan dishes. The application of ISF to steelpan making is found to be commercially profitable but could be jeopardised by the tuning stage of the steelpan making process. A preliminary study on the effect of impact on tone stability is conducted on a pair of notes on a fullsize steelpan and detuning is found more likely to occur by repeated impact of the note at its centre. Mode confinement in test-pans is also investigated. ISF is used to produce miniature test-pans with test-notes that are geometrically identical to notes on full size pans. It is possible to confine modes by varying the curvature of the bowl surrounding the test-note. The number of localised modes in the test-note increases as the radius of curvature of the surrounding bowl increases. The natural frequency of the first confined mode in the test-notes is sensitive to material springback in ISF and the mechanism of confinement appears to be due to the change in geometry that occurs between the flat test-note region and the bowl wall. This control of mode confinement may find use in future efforts to completely or partially automate the steelpan making process. Material damping and mechanical properties in low-carbon steel used to produce steelpans are researched. Damping and mechanical properties are extracted from low-carbon steel that is subjected to identical stages to the steelpan production process. Material damping trends suggest that an annealing temperature between 300°C and 400°C would be appropriate for the heat treatment of steelpans. Air-cooled and water-quenched low-carbon specimens exhibit comparable damping trends. Hardness increases in cold formed low-carbon specimens is attributed to strain hardening and not strain ageing. Investigation of damping trends and mechanical properties in ultra low bake-hardenable and interstitial-free steels reveals that a wider range of low-carbon steels may be suitable for steelpan making.

Fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs) offer a stronger and lighter weight alternative to traditional materials used in engineering components such as wind turbine blades and rotorcraft structures. Composites for these applications are often fabricated using liquid molding techniques, such as injection molding or resin transfer molding. One significant issue during these processing methods is void formation due to incomplete wet-out of the resin within the fiber preform, resulting in discontinuous material properties and localized failure zones in the material. A fundamental understanding of the resin evolution during processing is essential to designing processing conditions for void-free filling, which is the first objective of the dissertation. Secondly, FRCs used in rotorcraft experience severe vibrational loads during service, and improved damping characteristics of the composite structure are desirable. To this end, a second goal is to explore the use of matrix-embedded nanoscale reinforcements to augment the inherent damping capabilities in FRCs. The first objective is addressed through a computational modeling and simulation of the infiltrating dual-scale resin flow through the micro-architectures of woven fibrous preforms, accounting for the capillary effects within the fiber bundles. An analytical model is developed for the longitudinal permeability of flow through fibrous bundles and applied to simulations which provide detailed predictions of local air entrapment locations as the resin permeates the preform. Generalized design plots are presented for predicting the void content and processing time in terms of the Capillary and Reynolds Numbers governing the molding process. The second portion of the research investigates the damping enhancement provided to FRC's in static and rotational configurations by different types and weight fractions of matrix-embedded carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in high fiber volume fraction composites. The damping is measured using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and modal analysis techniques, and the results show that the addition of CNTs can increase the material damping by up to 130%. Numerical simulations are conducted to explore the CNT vibration damping effects in rotating composite structures, and demonstrate that the vibration settling times and the maximum displacement amplitudes of the different structures may be reduced by up to 72% and 50%, respectively, with the addition of CNTs. / Ph. D.

This thesis explores experimentally and theoretically two different aspects of the properties and behaviour of metals: their ability to damp noise and their susceptibility to crack when solidifying. The first part concerns intrinsic material damping, and is motivated by increased demands from society for reductions in noise emissions. It is a material’s inherent ability to reduce its vibration level, and hence noise emission, and transform its kinetic energy into a temperature increase. To design new materials with increased intrinsic material damping, we need to be able to measure it. In this thesis, different methods for measurement of the intrinsic damping have been considered: one using Fourier analysis has been experimentally evaluated, and another using a specimen in uniaxial tension to measure the phase-lag between stress and strain has been improved. Finally, after discarding these methods, a new method has been developed. The new method measures the damping properties during compression using differential calorimetry. A specimen is subjected to a cyclic uniaxial stress to give a prescribed energy input. The difference in temperature between a specimen under stress and a non-stressed reference sample is measured. The experiments are performed in an insulated vacuum container to reduce convective losses. The rate of temperature change, together with the energy input, is used as a measure of the intrinsic material damping in the specimen. The results show a difference in intrinsic material damping, and the way in which it is influenced by the internal structure is discussed. The second part of the thesis examines hot cracks in solidifying shells. Most metals have a brittle region starting in the two-phase temperature range during solidification and for some alloys this region extends as far as hundreds of degrees below the solidus temperature. To calculate the risk of hot cracking, one needs, besides knowledge of the solidifying material’s ability to withstand stress, knowledge of the casting process to be able to calculate the thermal history of the solidification, and from this calculate the stress. In this work, experimental methods to measure and evaluate the energy transfer from the solidifying melt have been developed. The evaluated data has been used as a boundary condition to numerically calculate the solidification process and the evolving stress in the solidifying shell. A solidification model has been implemented using a fixed-domain methodology in a commercial finite element code, Comsol Multiphysics. A new solidification model using an arbitrary Lagrange Eulerian (ALE) formulation has also been implemented to solve the solidification problem for pure metals. This new model explicitly tracks the movement of the liquid/solid interface and is much more effective than the first model. / QC 20100929

Concrete structures can often be modeled as plates, for example, bridges, tunnel walls and pipes. Near-surface damage in concrete structures mostly takes the form of cracking. Surface-breaking cracks affect concrete properties and structural integrity; therefore, the nondestructive evaluation of crack depth is important for structural monitoring, strengthening and rehabilitation. On the other hand, material damping is a fundamental parameter for the dynamic analysis of material specimens and structures. Monitoring damping changes is useful for the assessment of material conditions and structural deterioration. The main objective of this research is to develop new methodologies for depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks and the evaluation of damping in concrete plates. Nondestructive techniques based on wave propagation are useful because they are non-intrusive, efficient and cost effective. Previous studies for the depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks in concrete have used diffracted compressional waves (P-waves). However, surface waves exhibit better properties for the characterization of near surface defects, because (a) surface waves dominate the surface response, they carry 67% of the wave propagation energy, and present lower geometrical attenuation because the propagating wave front is cylindrical; and (b) the penetration depth of Rayleigh waves (R-waves) depends on their frequency. Most of the R-wave energy concentrates at a depth of one-third of their wavelengths. The transmission of R-waves through a surface-breaking crack depends on the crack depth; this depth sensitivity is the basis for the so-called Fourier transmission coefficient (FTC) method. R-waves only exist in a half-space (one traction-free surface); whereas in the case of a plate (two traction-free surfaces), Lamb modes are generated. Fundamental Lamb modes behave like R-waves at high frequencies, because their wavelengths are small relative to the plate thickness. Lamb modes are not considered in the standard FTC method, and the FTC method is also affected by the selected spacing between receivers. The FTC calculation requires the use of an explicit time window for the identification of the arrival of surface waves, and the selection of a reliable frequency range. This research presents theoretical, numerical and experimental results. Theoretical aspects of Lamb modes are discussed, and a theoretical transfer function is derived, which can be used to study changes of Lamb modes in the time and frequency domains as a function of distance. The maximum amplitude of the wavelet transform varies with distance because of the dispersion of Lamb modes and the participation of higher Lamb modes in the response. Numerical simulations are conducted to study the wave propagation of Lamb modes through a surface-breaking crack with different depths. The surface response is found to be dominated by the fundamental Lamb mode. Using the 2D Fourier transform, the incident, transmitted and reflected fundamental Lamb modes are extracted. A transmission ratio between the transmitted and incident modes is calculated, which is sensitive to crack depths (d) normalized to the wavelength (λ) in a range (d / λ) = 0.1 to 1/3. A new wavelet transmission coefficient (WTC) method for the depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks in concrete is proposed to overcome the main limitations of the FTC method. The WTC method gives a global coefficient that is correlated with the crack depth, which does not require time windowing and the pre-selection of a frequency bandwidth. To reduce the effects of wave reflections, which are present in the FTC method because of the non-equal spacing configuration, a new equal spacing configuration is used in the WTC method. The effects of Lamb mode dispersion are also reduced. In laboratory tests, an ultrasonic transmitter with central frequency at 50kHz is used as a source; the 50kHz frequency is appropriate for the concrete plate tested (thickness 80mm), because the fundamental Lamb modes have converged to the Rayleigh wave mode. The new method has also been used in-situ at Hanson Pipe and Precast Inc., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and it shows potential for practical applications. In general, the evaluation of material damping is more difficult than the measurement of wave velocity; the dynamic response and attenuation of structural vibrations are predominantly controlled by damping, and the damping is typically evaluated using the modal analysis technique, which requires considerable efforts. The existing methods based on surface waves, use the Fourier transform to measure material damping; however, an explicit time window is required for the spectral ratio method to extract the arrival of surface wave; in addition, a slope of the spectral ratio varies for different frequency ranges, and thus a reliable frequency range needs to be determined. This research uses the wavelet transform to measure material damping in plates, where neither an explicit time window nor the pre-selection of a frequency bandwidth are required. The measured material damping represents an average damping for a frequency range determined by source. Both numerical and experimental results show good agreement and the potential for practical applications.

Concrete structures can often be modeled as plates, for example, bridges, tunnel walls and pipes. Near-surface damage in concrete structures mostly takes the form of cracking. Surface-breaking cracks affect concrete properties and structural integrity; therefore, the nondestructive evaluation of crack depth is important for structural monitoring, strengthening and rehabilitation. On the other hand, material damping is a fundamental parameter for the dynamic analysis of material specimens and structures. Monitoring damping changes is useful for the assessment of material conditions and structural deterioration. The main objective of this research is to develop new methodologies for depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks and the evaluation of damping in concrete plates. Nondestructive techniques based on wave propagation are useful because they are non-intrusive, efficient and cost effective. Previous studies for the depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks in concrete have used diffracted compressional waves (P-waves). However, surface waves exhibit better properties for the characterization of near surface defects, because (a) surface waves dominate the surface response, they carry 67% of the wave propagation energy, and present lower geometrical attenuation because the propagating wave front is cylindrical; and (b) the penetration depth of Rayleigh waves (R-waves) depends on their frequency. Most of the R-wave energy concentrates at a depth of one-third of their wavelengths. The transmission of R-waves through a surface-breaking crack depends on the crack depth; this depth sensitivity is the basis for the so-called Fourier transmission coefficient (FTC) method. R-waves only exist in a half-space (one traction-free surface); whereas in the case of a plate (two traction-free surfaces), Lamb modes are generated. Fundamental Lamb modes behave like R-waves at high frequencies, because their wavelengths are small relative to the plate thickness. Lamb modes are not considered in the standard FTC method, and the FTC method is also affected by the selected spacing between receivers. The FTC calculation requires the use of an explicit time window for the identification of the arrival of surface waves, and the selection of a reliable frequency range. This research presents theoretical, numerical and experimental results. Theoretical aspects of Lamb modes are discussed, and a theoretical transfer function is derived, which can be used to study changes of Lamb modes in the time and frequency domains as a function of distance. The maximum amplitude of the wavelet transform varies with distance because of the dispersion of Lamb modes and the participation of higher Lamb modes in the response. Numerical simulations are conducted to study the wave propagation of Lamb modes through a surface-breaking crack with different depths. The surface response is found to be dominated by the fundamental Lamb mode. Using the 2D Fourier transform, the incident, transmitted and reflected fundamental Lamb modes are extracted. A transmission ratio between the transmitted and incident modes is calculated, which is sensitive to crack depths (d) normalized to the wavelength (λ) in a range (d / λ) = 0.1 to 1/3. A new wavelet transmission coefficient (WTC) method for the depth evaluation of surface-breaking cracks in concrete is proposed to overcome the main limitations of the FTC method. The WTC method gives a global coefficient that is correlated with the crack depth, which does not require time windowing and the pre-selection of a frequency bandwidth. To reduce the effects of wave reflections, which are present in the FTC method because of the non-equal spacing configuration, a new equal spacing configuration is used in the WTC method. The effects of Lamb mode dispersion are also reduced. In laboratory tests, an ultrasonic transmitter with central frequency at 50kHz is used as a source; the 50kHz frequency is appropriate for the concrete plate tested (thickness 80mm), because the fundamental Lamb modes have converged to the Rayleigh wave mode. The new method has also been used in-situ at Hanson Pipe and Precast Inc., Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and it shows potential for practical applications. In general, the evaluation of material damping is more difficult than the measurement of wave velocity; the dynamic response and attenuation of structural vibrations are predominantly controlled by damping, and the damping is typically evaluated using the modal analysis technique, which requires considerable efforts. The existing methods based on surface waves, use the Fourier transform to measure material damping; however, an explicit time window is required for the spectral ratio method to extract the arrival of surface wave; in addition, a slope of the spectral ratio varies for different frequency ranges, and thus a reliable frequency range needs to be determined. This research uses the wavelet transform to measure material damping in plates, where neither an explicit time window nor the pre-selection of a frequency bandwidth are required. The measured material damping represents an average damping for a frequency range determined by source. Both numerical and experimental results show good agreement and the potential for practical applications.

This master’s thesis deals with determination of NVH parameters of the gearbox housing for electric vehicle. The introduction part is focused on the theoretical knowledge of this issue. Subsequently, the deviations of geometry on the gearbox were measure by 3D scan method. The next part of thesis is focused on the modal analysis, which is solved by numerical approach and followed by experimental verification. During the numerical calculation solving, the influence of the screw preloading on the modal properties of the structure, was also taken into account. Numerical harmonic analysis was then performed and the results were compared with the experimental approach. The conclusion is devoted to material damping and comparison of the individual results.

The results from an experimental study on the dynamic properties of sand with nonplastic silt are presented. Combined resonant column and torsional shear equipment is used to evaluate the effects of confining pressure, shearing strain, frequency, and number of cycles of loading on the dynamic properties of silty sand. The goal of this study is to determine if relationships in the literature for sands and gravels are accurate for predicting the shear modulus and material damping characteristics of soil with nonplastic fines or if the incorporation of a fines content parameter improves predictions. This goal was primarily accomplished by reconstituting and testing samples of an alluvial deposit from Dillon Dam, Dillon, Colorado according to predetermined gradation curves with variable amounts of non-plastic fines. Among the findings of this investigation are: (1) soil parameters such as Cu and D50 can be related to dynamic properties of soils with up to 25% fines, (2) the effects of non-plastic fines on the small-strain dynamic properties of soils are not very pronounced for soils with less than 25% fines, and (3) an increase in the amount of non-plastic fines in uniform soils or soils with more than 25% fines generally results in lower values of small-strain shear modulus, higher values of small-strain material damping, and more linear G/Gmax - log([gamma]) and D - log([gamma]) curves. The effect of non-contacting, larger granular particles in a finer soil matrix is also investigated along with the impact of removing larger particles from laboratory samples. / text