L’habitat sain est le thème central des réflexions contemporaines du domaine du bâtiment élargies à l’environnement. Il comporte des préoccupations notables en matière de santé, de consommation énergétique (la ventilation, le chauffage, la climatisation et l’eau chaude), d’impacts environnementaux et de durabilité des matériaux de construction. Le choix préliminaire des matériaux utilisés pour la construction joue un rôle important dans la réussite d’un projet HQE (Haute Qualité Environnementale). Dans ce contexte, la problématique de prévision des champs de température et d’humidité demeure essentielle à l’intérieur des matériaux poreux de construction, où les matériaux biosourcés font l'objet d'un fort intérêt vu leurs qualités environnementales. Les matériaux biosourcés, étant hygroscopiques, ont tendance à absorber ou à restituer l’humidité, ce qui génère respectivement un gonflement ou un retrait. A l’échelle microscopique, l’humidité prend place soit par l’absorption de l’eau liée par les fibres, soit par l’existence d’eau libre dans les pores. Cette complexité des phénomènes microscopiques dans les matériaux biosourcés mène à une forte interaction entre l’aspect mécanique et les aspects de transferts de masse et de chaleur. L’existence de ce couplage est susceptible de modifier sensiblement les performances thermiques du bâtiment, et même sa durabilité. L’objectif visé par ce travail de thèse est l’étude et l’analyse microscopique du comportement hygrique des matériaux poreux de construction. L’aspect mécanique couplé à l’aspect hygrique est abordé en prenant en considération les déformations locales de gonflement - retrait, et leur impact sur l’hystérésis de teneur en eau. La maîtrise de ce couplage est primordiale tant sur le plan de la prédiction de la qualité des ambiances habitables que sur l’évaluation de la durabilité de ces structures. Le projet de thèse consiste à travailler à la fois sur les aspects modélisation, caractérisation et mesure des transferts hygriques. La quantification de ces phénomènes est réalisée à travers des campagnes de mesures expérimentales basées sur des techniques d’imagerie 3D (micro-tomographie aux rayons X). Le recours à la diffraction aux rayons X (DRX), à la corrélation d’images volumique, ainsi qu’à la résonance magnétique nucléaire (RMN) permet d’avoir une meilleure compréhension des échanges entre la matrice solide et l’eau liée et/ou libre. Tous ces travaux ont mené à une meilleure caractérisation de la morphologie du bois d’épicéa à l’échelle microscopique, ainsi qu’à une meilleure estimation des diverses variations dimensionnelles (gonflement) à l’échelle des parois cellulaires et de leurs constituants chimiques. Les résultats numériques obtenus sur la structure réelle 3D du matériau ont été couplés aux mesures expérimentales à travers la corrélation d’images volumiques (micro-tomographie aux rayons X) afin d’identifier les propriétés intrinsèques des phénomènes et du matériau. Ces travaux de thèse constitueront une base scientifique permettant une meilleure modélisation du couplage mécanique avec les transferts de chaleur et de masse dans les matériaux biosourcés. / Healthy living is a main contemporary concern of the construction field, extended to the environment. It has significant concerns about health, energy consumption, environmental impact and sustainability of building materials. The preliminary selection of materials used for construction plays an important role in the success of high environmental quality projects. In this context, it remains essential to predict the temperature and humidity fields inside porous building materials, where bio-based materials are subject to a strong interest due to their environmental qualities.As bio-based materials are hygroscopic, they tend to absorb or restore moisture, which respectively generates swelling or shrinkage. At the microscopic scale, moisture takes place either by absorption of bound water by the fibers, or by the existence of free water in the pores. The complexity of microscopic phenomena in bio-based materials will lead to strong interactions between the mechanical aspect on one side and heat and mass transfers’ aspects on the other side. The existence of this coupling may significantly alter the building's thermal performance, as well as its durability.The objective of this thesis work is to study the microscopic hygric behavior of porous building materials. The mechanical aspect coupled to the hygric one is studied, taking into consideration the local swelling and shrinkage strains, and their impact on the hysteresis phenomenon. Understanding this coupling is very important in order to improve the quality of habitat and evaluate the durability of these structures.The PhD project consists on working on all aspects, modeling, characterization and measurement of hygric transfers. Quantification of these phenomena is achieved through experimental campaigns based on 3D imaging techniques (X-ray micro-tomography). The use of X-ray diffraction (XRD), digital volume correlation, as well as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) allows a better understanding of the interactions between the solid matrix and bound and/or free water. The corresponding results have led to a microscopic morphological characterization of spruce wood, as well as to a better estimation of the various dimensional variations of the cell walls, and their chemical components.The numerical results achieved on the real 3D structure of the material have been coupled to the experimental ones, using digital volume correlation technique (X-ray tomography), in order to identify the intrinsic properties of the material.These thesis works provide a scientific basis allowing the improvement of modeling of the mechanical coupling with heat and mass transfers in bio-based materials.

La congestión vehicular se ha convertido día tras día en una constante en las grandes ciudades del mundo y Lima es una de ellas. Sin embargo, existen formas de mitigar el tiempo que se pierde al momento de circular por estas vías de alto tránsito vehicular, en especial durante las horas pico de la noche como es el caso de la Av. José Carlos Mariátegui entre la Av. Las Magnolias y la Av. 1ero de Mayo. Por tal motivo, el presente trabajo consiste en proponer una alternativa de solución al problema para reducir un 30 % la congestión del tráfico vehicular, empleando para ello el carril reversible. Para la determinación de la factibilidad del empleo de esta solución se realizó previamente la modelación mediante el software VISSIM 9.0 de acuerdo a parámetros de nivel microscópico, los cuales fueron utilizados en la calibración y validación del modelo haciéndolo más cercano a la realidad considerando las características de la zona de estudio. Por otro lado, se realizó el cálculo del nivel de servicio mediante el manual de HCM 2010, que proporciona a una serie de pasos sucesivos para finalmente poder obtener el nivel de servicio de la Avenida en estudio. A partir de lo cual se concluye que la aplicación del carril reversible cumple la función de reducción del nivel de servicio pasando de un nivel “F” a un nivel “E” en la primera intersección, y de un nivel “E” a un nivel “D” en la segunda. Lo que representa una reducción de las demoras en 30%, tiempo de viaje en 29% y longitud de cola en 53 %. Por último, para complementar la mejora del nivel de servicio del carril reversible se propuso dos escenarios de semaforización la cual, el escenario 2 resulto ser la más óptima con los intervalos propuestos en las fases 1 y 2 sin alterar los ciclos actuales. / Day after day Traffic Congestion has become a constant in the great cities of the world and Lima is one of them. However, there are ways to mitigate the time that it’s lost in the moment to drive these high traffic roads, especially during peak hours at night, such as Av. José Carlos Mariátegui between Av. Las Magnolias and Av. 1ero de Mayo. For this reason, the present work consists of proposing an alternative solution to the problem to reduce vehicular traffic congestion by 30%, using the reversible lane. To determine the feasibility of using this solution, modeling was previously carried out using the VISSIM 9.0 software according to microscopic level parameters, which were used in the calibration and validation of the model, making it closer to reality considering the characteristics of the study zone. On the other hand, the calculation of the level of service was performed using the HCM 2010 manual, which provides a series of successive steps to finally be able to obtain the level of service for the avenue under study. From which it is concluded that the application of the reversible lane fulfills the function of reducing the level of service, going from a level “F” to a level “E” at the first intersection, and from a level “E” to a level "D" in the second. This represents a reduction of delays by 30%, travel time by 29% and queue length by 53%. Finally, to complement the improvement of the service level of the reversible lane, two traffic light scenarios were proposed, which, scenario 2 turned out to be the most optimal with the intervals proposed in phases 1 and 2 without altering the current cycles. / Tesis

One of the most significant urban transport problems is traffic congestion. All major cities both in developed and developing countries are facing the problem due to increasing travel demand caused by increasing urbanization and the attendant economic and population growth. Recognizing the growing burden of traffic congestion, community leaders and transportation planners in Addis Ababa are still actively promoting large-scale road constructions to alleviate traffic congestion. Although Intelligent Transportation Systems(ITS) applications seem to have the potential to improve signalization performance, highly congested intersections in Addis Ababa are still controlled by a timed signal and manual operation. Moreover, these pre-timed signal controls are functioning sub-optimally as they are not being regularly monitored and updated to cope with varying traffic demands. Even though the benefits are well known theoretically, at the time of writing of this thesis, Adaptive Traffic Signal Controllers (ATSC) haven’t been deployed in Ethiopia and no research has been conducted to demonstrate and quantify their effectiveness. This master’s research thesis, therefore, intends to fill the identified gap, by undertaking a microscopic traffic simulation investigation, to evaluate the benefits of adopting a Traffic-responsive Urban Control (TUC) strategy and optimizing traffic signal timings. For the purpose of this study, an oversaturated three-intersection test corridor located in the heart of Addis Ababa city is modeled in VISSIM using real-world traffic data. After validating the calibrated model, the corridor was evaluated with the existing pre-timed, TRANSYT optimized pre-timed plan and TUC strategy. Multiple simulation runs were then made for each scenario alternatives and various measures of effectiveness were considered in the evaluation process. Simulation evaluation has demonstrated an average delay reduction of 24.17% when the existing pre-timed alternative is compared to TRANSYT optimized plan and 35% when compared to the TUC strategy. Overall evaluation results indicate that deploying the TUC strategy and optimizing the aging pre-timed signal plans exhibits a significant flow improvement. It is expected that the result of the thesis work will be an input for future comprehensive policy development processes.

Microscopic traffic simulation has become an important tool to investigate traffic efficiency and road safety. In order to produce meaningful results, incorporated driver behaviour models need to be carefully calibrated to represent real world conditions. In addition to macroscopic relationships such as the speed-density diagram, they should also adequately represent the average risk of accidents occurring on the road. In this thesis, I present a two stage computationally feasible multi-objective calibration process. The first stage performs a parameter sensitivity analysis to select only parameters with considerable effect on the respective objective functions to keep the computational complexity of the calibration at a manageable level. The second stage employs a multi-objective genetic algorithm that produces a front of Pareto optimal solutions with respect to the objective functions. Compared to traditional methods which focus on only one objective while sacrificing accuracy of the other, my method achieves a high degree of realism for both traffic flow and average risk. / Mikroskopisk trafiksimulering har blivit ett viktigt verktyg för att undersöka trafik effektivitet och trafiksäkerhet. För att producera meningsfulla resultat måste inbyggda drivrutinsbeteendemodeller noggrant kalibreras för att representera verkliga förhållanden i världen. Förutom makroskopiska relationer, såsom hastighetsdensitetsdiagrammet, bör de också på ett adekvat sätt representera den genomsnittliga risken för olyckor som uppträder på vägen. I denna avhandling presenterar jag en tvåstegs beräkningsberättigbar mångsidig kalibreringsprocess. Det första steget utför en parameterkänslighetsanalysför att bara välja parametrar med stor effekt på respektive objektiv funktioner för att hålla kalibrerings komplexiteten på en hanterbar nivå. Det andra steget använder en mångriktig genetisk algoritm som ger framsidan av Pareto optimala lösningar med hänsyn till objektivfunktionerna. Jämfört med traditionella metoder som fokuserar på endast ett mål, samtidigt som man offrar den andra, ger min metod en hög grad av realism för både trafikflöde och genomsnittlig risk.

This work presents the development and analysis of a system that combines the concepts of light field microscopy and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to measure three-dimensional velocities within a microvolume. Rectanglar microchannels were fabricated with dimensions on the order of 350-950 micrometers using a photolithographic process and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The flow was seeded with fluorescent particles and pumped through microchannels at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.016 to 0.028. Flow at Reynolds numbers in the range of 0.02 to 0.03 was seeded with fluorescent particles and pumped through microchannels. A light field microscope with a lateral resolution of 6.25 micrometers and an axial resolution of 15.5 micrometers was designed and built based on the concepts described by Levoy et al. Light field images were captured continuously at a frame rate of 3.9 frames per second using a Canon 5D Mark II DSLR camera. Each image was post processed to render a stack of two-dimensional images. The focal stacks were further post processed using various methods including bandpass filtering, 3D deconvolution, and intensity-based thresholding, to remove effects of diffraction and blurring. Subsequently, a multi-pass, three-dimensional PIV algorithm was used to measure channel velocities. Results from PIV analysis were compared with an analytical solution for fully-developed cases, and with CFD simulations for developing flows. Relative errors for fully-developed flow measurements, within the light field microscope refocusing range, were approximately 5% or less. Overall, the main limitations are the reduction in lateral resolution, and the somewhat low axial resolution. Advantages include the relatively low cost, ease of incorporation into existing micro-PIV systems, simple self-calibration process, and potential for resolving instantaneous three-dimensional velocities in a microvolume.

This study aimed to explore the integration of varying angles in small-scale measurements and assess the light transmission performance of uncoated curtains. A total of four curtains were evaluated: blackout curtain samples 1 and 2 had a weft satin structure, while daytime curtain samples 3 and 4 consisted of a twill structure. The primary challenge was the inadequacy of a standardized test method for measuring the blackout effect, which led to inefficiencies and resource consumption for Company X. To address this, the study emphasized the need to investigate and establish a reliable and efficient evaluation method for uncoated curtains. By developing a standardized test method, it is possible to reduce waste material, labor costs, and resource consumption, enabling companies to operate more efficiently, sustainably, and responsibly. In the pursuit of understanding the blackout effect and evaluating the structural parameters of uncoated curtains, this study explored various test methods and parameters. More specifically, parameters such as air permeability, porosity, and thickness together with microscopic evaluation, were investigated to shed light on their influence on light transmission. The voids in the fabric were found to be a significant factor, along with porosity and air permeability, which demonstrated a correlation with lower values for the blackout curtains. The construction of the test method in a small-scale required a controlled space in the form of a lightbox. Light proofing of the box was required and successfully achieved in Prototype 1 using plywood, sealing strips, and fixtures, resulting in a lower lux value compared with the previous internal method. Objective measurements using the Konica CL-500A lux meter provided a repeatable and reliable test method with a lower tolerance value of 0,05 lx. The developed test method, theoretical Prototype 2, incorporates different sun angles by adjusting the curtain’s position, in the angles of 0°, 15°, 30°, 45° and 60°, and the rotation of the sample within 0° to 360° in intervals of 45°. The important parameters of weft density and the subsequent increase in weight were key factors in the results of light transmission, air permeability, and porosity. Furthermore, properties of the uncoated curtains such of continuous filaments and darker color showed a higher blackout effect. After the identification of complications with the lamp used in the measurement, there has been a focus on discussing the significance of a light diffuser. Additionally, alternative approaches to measure light transmission have been presented, such as digital image analysis and air permeability.

The demand for road freight transport continues to grow with the growing economy, resulting in increased fossil fuel consumption and emissions. At the same time, the fossil fuel use needs to decrease substantially to counteract the ongoing global warming. One way to reduce fuel consumption is to utilize emerging intelligent transport system (ITS) technologies and introduce heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) platooning, i.e. HDVs driving with small inter-vehicle gaps enabled by the use of sensors and controllers. It is of importance for transport authorities and industries to investigate the effects of introducing HDV platooning. Previous studies have investigated the potential benefits, but the effects in real traffic, both for the platoons and for the surrounding vehicles, have barely been explored. To further utilize ITS and optimize the platoons, information about the traffic situation ahead can be used to optimize the vehicle trajectories for the platoons. Paper I presents a dynamic programming-based optimal speed control including information of the traffic situation ahead. The optimal control is applied to HDV platoons in a deceleration case and the potential fuel consumption reduction is evaluated by a microscopic traffic simulation study with HDV platoons driving in real traffic conditions. The effects for the surrounding traffic are also analysed. Paper II and Paper III present a simulation platform to assess the effects of HDV platooning in real traffic conditions. Through simulation studies, the potential fuel consumption reduction by adopting HDV platooning on a real highway stretch is evaluated, and the effects for the other vehicles in the network are investigated. / Efterfrågan på godstransporter på väg fortsätter att öka i takt med den växande ekonomin, vilket resulterar i ökad förbrukning av fossila bränslen och ökade utsläpp. Samtidigt behöver användandet av fossila bränslen minska för att motverka den pågående globala uppvärmningen. Ett sätt för att minska bränsleförbrukningen är att utnyttja den teknik kring intelligenta transportsystem som är under utveckling och introducera lastbilskonvojer, det vill säga lastbilar som använder sensorer och regulatorer för att kunna köra med korta avstånd mellan sig. För transportföretag och -myndigheter är det viktigt att undersöka effekterna av att införa lastbilskonvojkörning. Tidigare studier har undersökt de möjliga fördelarna, men effekterna vid körning i trafik, både för konvojerna och för omgivande fordon, är outforskade. För att ytterligare utnyttja intelligenta transportsystem och optimera konvojerna kan information om trafiksituationen längre fram på vägen användas för att optimera konvojernas körning. Artikel I presenterar en optimal hastighetsregulator baserad på dynamisk programmering och som inkluderar information om trafiksituationen längre fram. Den optimala regulatorn appliceras på lastbilskonvojer under ett inbromsningsscenario och den potentiella minskningen i bränsleförbrukning utvärderas genom en mikroskopisk trafiksimuleringsstudie där lastbilskonvojerna kör i verkliga trafikförhållanden. Effekterna för omgivande fordon är också analyserade.Artikel II och artikel III presenterar en simuleringsplattform för att utvärdera effekterna av lastbilskonvojkörning i verkliga trafikförhållanden. Genom simuleringsstudier analyseras den potentiella bränsleförbrukningsminskningen då lastbilskonvojer körs på en verklig motorvägssträcka och effekterna för de övriga fordonen på vägen undersöks. / <p>QC 20180516</p>

No description available.

Connected and automated vehicles (CVs and AVs, respectively) are rapidly emerging paradigms aiming to deploy and develop transportation systems that enable automated driving and data exchange among vehicles, infrastructure, and mobile devices to improve mobility, enhance safety, and reduce the adverse environmental impacts of transportation systems. Based on these premises, the focus of this research is to quantify the potential benefits of CVs and AVs to provide insight into how these technologies will impact road users and network performance. To assess the traffic operational performance of CVs, a connectivity-based modeling framework was developed based on traffic microsimulation for a real network in the city of Toronto. Then the effects of real-time routing guidance and advisory warning messages were studied for CVs. In addition, the impact of rerouting of non-connected vehicles (non-CVs) in response to various sources of information, such as mobile apps, GPS or VMS, was considered and evaluated. The results demonstrate the potential of such systems to improve mobility, enhance safety, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) at the network-wide level presented for different CVs market penetration. Additionally, the practical application of CVs in travel time estimation and its relationship with the number and location of roadside equipment (RSE) along freeways was investigated. A methodology was developed for determining the optimal number and location of roadside equipment (RSE) for reducing travel time estimation error in a connected vehicle environment. A simulation testbed that includes CVs was developed and implemented in the microsimulation model for Toronto 400-series highway network. The results reveal that the suggested methodology is capable of optimizing the number and location of RSEs in a connected vehicle environment. The optimization results indicate that the accuracy of travel time estimates is primarily dependent on the location of RSEs and less dependent on the total density of RSEs. In addition to CVs, the potential capacity increase of highways as a function of AVs market penetration was also studied and estimated. AVs are classified into Cooperative and Autonomous AVs. While Autonomous AVs rely only to their detection technology to sense their surroundings, Cooperative AVs, can also benefit from direct communication between vehicles and infrastructure. Cooperative car-following and lane-changing models were developed in a microsimulation model to enable AVs to maintain safe following and merging gaps. This study shows that cooperative AVs can adopt shorter gap than autonomous AVs and consequently, can significantly improve the lane capacity of highways. The achievable capacity increase for autonomous AVs appears highly insensitive to the market penetration, namely, the capacity remains within a narrow range of 2,046 to 2,238 vph irrespective of market penetration. The results of this research provide practitioners and decision-makers with knowledge regarding the potential capacity benefits of AVs with respect to market penetration and fleet conversion. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.