An evolutionary geometry parametrization is established to represent aerodynamic configurations. This geometry parametrization technique is constructed by integrating the classical B-spline formulation with the knot insertion algorithm. It is capable of inserting control points to a given parametrization without modifying its geometry. Taking advantage of this technique, a shape design problem can be solved as a sequence of optimizations from the basic parametrization to more refined parametrizations. Owing to the nature of the B-spline formulation, feasible parametrization refinements are not unique; guidelines based on sensitivity analysis and geometry constraints are developed to assist the automation of the proposed optimization sequence. Test cases involving airfoil optimization and induced drag minimization are solved adopting this method. Its effectiveness is demonstrated through comparisons with optimizations using uniform refined parametrizations.

An evolutionary geometry parametrization is established to represent aerodynamic configurations. This geometry parametrization technique is constructed by integrating the classical B-spline formulation with the knot insertion algorithm. It is capable of inserting control points to a given parametrization without modifying its geometry. Taking advantage of this technique, a shape design problem can be solved as a sequence of optimizations from the basic parametrization to more refined parametrizations. Owing to the nature of the B-spline formulation, feasible parametrization refinements are not unique; guidelines based on sensitivity analysis and geometry constraints are developed to assist the automation of the proposed optimization sequence. Test cases involving airfoil optimization and induced drag minimization are solved adopting this method. Its effectiveness is demonstrated through comparisons with optimizations using uniform refined parametrizations.

Objectives<p>The geometric configuration of skull is complex and unique to each individual. The main objectives of this study are two fold: 1) to provide a new technique to define the outline of skull profile and 2) to find the common factors defining the ultimate skull configuration in adult population. The secondary objective was to explore the effect of age and sex on skull shape formation.<p>Materials & Methods <p>Ninety-three lateral skull x-ray from the CT scan films were selected and digitized. The lateral skull surface was divided into 3 regions based on the presumed location of coronal and lambdoid sutures. A software program (Canvas 7) was used to match the outer surface of lateral skull with circular curves. Three main curvatures (frontal, parietal, occipital) were consistently identified to overlap the skull periphery. The radius, cord length and inclination of each curvature were measured.. Factor analysis technique was also used to reduce the number of variables explaining the overall shape of skull. Student t-test and regression analysis was also used to explore the effect of sex and age on skull shape. <p>Results <p>There were total of 93 patients in this study (54% male). The average values for three defined curvatures of the skull profile were recorded. Factor analysis produced 3 factors. The first factor explained 32% of total variance and was related to the overall size of the head as represented by total length and the radius of the curvature in vertex and back of the head. The second factor covered 26% of the variance representing the inverse correlation between the angle of the frontal and parietal curves. The third factor revealed the direct correlation of occipital and parietal angle. In all of these factors, the frontal zone variation was independent or opposite of the parieto-occipital zone. A strong direct association between the total length of skull, occipital curve radius and length with the sex was shown. No age related variable was identified.<p>Conclusions <p>There is a large variation in the values of different part of the skull. The skull profile topography can be defined mathematically by two distinct territories: frontal and parieto-occipital zones. These territories hinge on the coronal suture. Therefore, coronal suture may play a dominant role in final skull configuration.

The idea that a complex object can be decomposed into simpler parts is fundamental to 3D design, so it is clearly desirable that digital representations of 3D shapes incorporate this part information. While solid modeling techniques based on set-theoretic volumetric composition intrinsically support hierarchical part-based shape descriptions, organic objects such as a human vertebra are more efficiently represented by surface modeling techniques. And although a human observer will easily identify part decompositions in surface models, the homogenous graphs of connected points and edges used in surface representations do not readily support explicit part decompositions. In this thesis, I will develop a part-based representation for 3D surface models. In abstract mathematics, a surface part can be represented as a deformation of a Riemannian manifold. To create a practical implementation, it is necessary to define representations of the 3D part shape and the region on the target surface where the part is to be placed. To represent the part region I will develop the Discrete Exponential Map (DEM), an algorithm which approximates the intrinsic normal coordinates on manifolds. To support arbitrary part shapes I will develop the COILS surface deformation, a robust geometric differential representation of point-sampled surfaces. Based on this part definition, I will then propose the Surface Tree, which makes possible the representation of complex shapes via a procedural, hierarchical composition of surface parts, analogous to the trees used in solid modeling. A major theme throughout the thesis is that part-based approaches have the potential to make surface design interfaces significantly more efficient and expressive. To explore this question and demonstrate the utility of my technical contributions, I present three novel modeling tools: an interactive texture design interface, a drag-and-drop mesh composition tool, and a sketch-based Surface Tree modeling environment. In addition to comparative algorithmic evaluations, and a consideration of representational capabilities, I have evaluated this body of work by publicly distributing my modeling tools. I will close the thesis with a discussion of the extensive feedback provided by users of my drag-and-drop mesh composition tool, called meshmixer. This feedback suggests that part-based approaches have significant benefits for surface modeling.

This paper describes my participation in a MITRE Corporation sponsored computer science clinic project at Harvey Mudd College as my senior project. The goal of the project was to implement a landmark-based pose correction system as a component in a larger, existing face recognition system. The main contribution I made to the project was the implementation of the Active Shape Models (ASM) algorithm; the inner workings of ASM are explained as well as how the pose correction system makes use of it. Included is the most recent draft (as of this writing) of the final report that my teammates and I produced highlighting the year's accomplishments. Even though there are few quantitative results to show because the clinic program is ongoing, our qualitative results are quite promising.

The idea that a complex object can be decomposed into simpler parts is fundamental to 3D design, so it is clearly desirable that digital representations of 3D shapes incorporate this part information. While solid modeling techniques based on set-theoretic volumetric composition intrinsically support hierarchical part-based shape descriptions, organic objects such as a human vertebra are more efficiently represented by surface modeling techniques. And although a human observer will easily identify part decompositions in surface models, the homogenous graphs of connected points and edges used in surface representations do not readily support explicit part decompositions. In this thesis, I will develop a part-based representation for 3D surface models. In abstract mathematics, a surface part can be represented as a deformation of a Riemannian manifold. To create a practical implementation, it is necessary to define representations of the 3D part shape and the region on the target surface where the part is to be placed. To represent the part region I will develop the Discrete Exponential Map (DEM), an algorithm which approximates the intrinsic normal coordinates on manifolds. To support arbitrary part shapes I will develop the COILS surface deformation, a robust geometric differential representation of point-sampled surfaces. Based on this part definition, I will then propose the Surface Tree, which makes possible the representation of complex shapes via a procedural, hierarchical composition of surface parts, analogous to the trees used in solid modeling. A major theme throughout the thesis is that part-based approaches have the potential to make surface design interfaces significantly more efficient and expressive. To explore this question and demonstrate the utility of my technical contributions, I present three novel modeling tools: an interactive texture design interface, a drag-and-drop mesh composition tool, and a sketch-based Surface Tree modeling environment. In addition to comparative algorithmic evaluations, and a consideration of representational capabilities, I have evaluated this body of work by publicly distributing my modeling tools. I will close the thesis with a discussion of the extensive feedback provided by users of my drag-and-drop mesh composition tool, called meshmixer. This feedback suggests that part-based approaches have significant benefits for surface modeling.

Hydrogen fuel cells are devices used to generate electricity from the electrochemical reaction between air and hydrogen gas. An attractive advantage of these devices is that their byproduct is water, which is very safe to the environment. However, hydrogen fuel cells still lack some improvements in terms of increasing their life time and electricity production, decreasing power losses, and optimizing their operating conditions. In this thesis, the cathode part of the hydrogen fuel cell will be considered. This part mainly consists of an air gas channel and a gas diffusion layer. To simulate the fluid dynamics taking place in the cathode, we present two models, a general model and a simple model both based on a set of conservation laws governing the fluid dynamics and chemical reactions. A numerical method to solve these models is presented and verified in terms of accuracy. We also show that both models give similar results and validate the simple model by recovering a polarization curve obtained experimentally. Next, a shape optimization problem is introduced to find an optimal design of the air gas channel. This problem is defined from the simple model and a cost functional, $E$, that measures efficiency factors. The objective of this functional is to maximize the electricity production, uniformize the reaction rate in the catalytic layer and minimize the pressure drop in the gas channel. The impact of the gas channel shape optimization is investigated with a series of test cases in long and short fuel cell geometries. In most instances, the optimal design improves efficiency in on- and off-design operating conditions by shifting the polarization curve vertically and to the right. The second primary goal of the thesis is to analyze mathematical issues related to the introduced shape optimization problem. This involves existence and uniqueness of the solution for the presented model and differentiability of the state variables with respect to the domain of the air channel. The optimization problem is solved using the gradient method, and hence the gradient of $E$ must be found. The gradient of $E$ is obtained by introducing an adjoint system of equations, which is coupled with the state problem, namely the simple model of the fuel cell. The existence and uniqueness of the solution for the adjoint system is shown, and the shape differentiability of the cost functional $E$ is proved.

No description available.

Burrs severely inhibit the performance and aesthetics in machined parts besides posing a safety risk to the user and manufacturer. Abrasive assisted brushing presents a fast and effective method for deburring these parts but is difficult to control. The dependence of deburring rate on the workpiece material, abrasive grit size, type and rotational speed of the brush is studied. It is found that deburring rate is proportional to initial burr height indicating fracture of the burr at the root. Deburring rate increases with spindle speed and is higher for diamond than SiC. The formation of burrs in micromilling of a thin nickel-titanium alloy (nitinol or NiTi) foil used in implantable biomedical device applications is analyzed as a function of micromilling process parameters such as spindle speed, feed, tool wear, backing material and adhesive used to attach the foil to the backing material. All factors except spindle speed are found to affect burr size. If initial penetration is sufficient to cause the foil to fail in tension, the foil tears with the crack starting closer to the upmilling side and thereby resulting in larger downmilling burrs. If penetration is insufficient, the foil plastically deforms until it tears typically in the middle of the cutter tooth path. A kinematic model that captures this behavior is used to predict burr widths and is verified through experiments. The thesis also presents an investigation of the abrasive impregnated brush deburring process for thin NiTi foils. Models based on Hertzian indentation and fracture mechanics are proposed to predict the rates of indentation and deburring during brushing and are validated using experiments. The predictions of the models are within the experimental variation. Burrs can be removed with this process within 12 minutes for a 6 mm long groove with no more than a micron change in foil thickness. Knowledge of burr formation and deburring is applied to a novel micromilled thin shape memory based NiTi foil device used for the surgical correction of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the western world in those over age 50. Burrs on the surface of the structure are used successfully to mechanically constrain and translocate an autograft to replace the diseased RPE-Bruch's membrane under the macula. The shape memory device is analyzed using experiments and simulations.

The aim with this study was to further understand the art of character design, in order to get a better understanding of how visual attributes - especially shape - can be purposely used in order to communicate aspects of a character's personality. The first step was to investigate the subject of character design through relevant material and literature. From this investigation, a total of four character designs have been developed - two"good" and two "evil" - within two different game titles of different graphical styles: One that is more cartoony/stylized and one that is more realistic. Prior to the production a number of work processes - production pipelines - used by artists in the game and movie industry were investigated. From this, the pipeline for the study was compiled. To end the study a survey was conducted, in order to obtain outside feedback for the character designs regarding their style and what personality traits they were associated with. The results show that the majority of the participants perceived the characters in the way that was intended, while the perception of graphical style was a lot more varied.