Lapped joints of cold-formed steel (CFS) Z-shaped purlins are extensively used in metal building roof systems. The research that has been carried out so far for these lapped connections is primarily focused on connections with round holes. However, the lapped connections with vertical slotted holes are extensively used in current construction practice to simplify the erection of continuous Z-shaped roof purlins. There is no design guideline or recommendation available for CFS Z-purlin lapped connections with vertical slotted holes. Presented in this paper are the results of an experimental study and analysis of the structural behaviour of lapped CFS Z-shaped purlin connections with vertical slotted holes. 42 flexural tests were performed on lapped CFS Z-shaped purlins with vertical slotted connections with different lap lengths, purlin depths, thicknesses and spans. The flexural strength and deflection of each specimen were measured. The characteristics of moment resistance and flexure stiffness of the lapped purlins were computed. The test results show that the lapped purlins with vertical slotted holes may be more flexible than the lapped purlins with round holes or continuous purlins without lapped joint. Thus, the slotted connections may need greater lap lengths to achieve full stiffness of continuous purlins. The results also indicate that the characteristics of moment resistance and flexural stiffness in the slotted connections are dependent on the ratio of lap length to purlin depth, the ratio of lap length to purlin thickness, the ratio of purlin depth to purlin thickness, and the ratio of lap length to span. Based on the results, design recommendations for evaluating the moment resistance and flexural stiffness of lapped slotted connections were proposed.

Slotted waveguide array (SWGA) antennas find application in systems which require planarity, low profile, high power handling capabilities such as radars. In this thesis, a planar, low sidelobe, phased array antenna, capable of electronically beam scanning in E-plane is designed, manufactured and measured. In the design, slot characterization is done with HFSS and by measurements, and mutual coupling between slots are calculated analytically. A MATLAB code is developed for the synthesis of the SWGA antenna. Grating lobe problem in the scanning array, which is caused by the slot positions, is solved using baffles on the array. A high power feeding section for the planar array, having an amplitude tapering to get low sidelobes is also designed using a corrugated E-plane sectoral horn. The power divider is designed analytically, and simulated and optimized with HFSS.

Thesis (MScEng (Electrical and Electronic Engineering))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An investigation into the cause of undesired sidelobes in the 3D radiation pattern of slotted waveguide arrays is conducted. It is hypothesized that the cross-polarization of the antenna is at fault, along with the possibility that an error is made when designing a linear array. In investigating and finding a solution to the problem, the “Z-slot ” is introduced in conjunction with polarizer plates. The base components are used by a custom optimization algorithm to design reference and solution antennas. Results of the antennas are then compared to ascertain the cause and possible solutions for the unwanted sidelobes. The generic nature of the process may be used to characterize other arbitrary aperture configurations and to design larger antennas. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ‘n Ondersoek om die oorsaak van ongewensde sylobbe in die 3D uitstraalpatroon van golfleier-antennas vas te stel. Die hipotese is dat die probleem ontstaan uit die kruis-polarisasie van die antenna, tesame met ‘n verkeerdelikke aanname dat die opstelling liniêr is. Die “Z-Gleuf” tesame met polariseringsplate word voorgestel as hulpmiddel om die moontlikke oorsake te ondersoek. ‘n Gespesialiseerde optime erings-algoritme benut hierdie basiskomponente om beide verwysings- en oplossing-antennas te ontwerp. Resultate van die ontwerpde antennas word dan vergelyk om die oorsaak van die ongewensde sylobbe te vas te stel. Die generiese aard van die proses kan toegepas word op enige gleuf-konfigurasie en om groter antennas mee te ontwerp.

Ductile plastic hinge zones in beams of reinforced concrete frames are known to incur extensive damage and elongate. This ‘beam elongation’ can inflict serious damage to adjacent floor diaphragms, raising concerns of life safety. In light of this, the slotted reinforced concrete beam was investigated as a promising non-tearing floor substitute for conventional design. It consists of a conventional reinforced concrete beam, modified with a narrow vertical slot adjacent to the column face, running approximately three-quarters of the beam depth. Seismic rotations occur about the remaining concrete “top-hinge”, such that deformations are concentrated in the bottom bars of the beam, away from the floor slab, and beam elongation is minimised. The inclusion of the slot raised several design issues which needed to be addressed. These were the shear transfer across the top-hinge, buckling of bottom longitudinal reinforcement, low cycle fatigue, bond anchorage of reinforcement in interior joints, interior joint design, detailing with floor units and beam torsion resulting from eccentric floor gravity loads. These issues were conceptually investigated in this project. It was found that most issues could be resolved by providing additional reinforcement and/or specifying alternative detailing. As part of the experimental investigation, quasi-static cyclic tests were performed on in-plane beam-column joint subassemblies. Specimens tested included exterior and interior joint subassemblies with slotted-beams and a conventional exterior joint as a benchmark. This was followed by a test on a slotted-beam interior joint subassembly with precast floor units and imposed gravity load. Experimental tests revealed significant reductions in damage to both the beam and floor when compared to conventional beams. Issues of bar buckling, bond-slip and altered joint behaviour were also highlighted, but were resolved in the final test. A simple analytical procedure to predict the moment-rotation response of slotted-beams was developed and verified with experimental results. This was used to perform sensitivity studies to determine appropriate limits for the concrete top-hinge depth, top-to-bottom reinforcement ratio and depth of diagonal shear reinforcement. For the numerical investigation, a multi-spring model was developed to represent the flexural response of slotted-beams. This was verified with experimental tests and implemented into a five-storey, three-bay frame for earthquake time history analyses. To provide a benchmark, a conventional frame was also setup using the plastic hinge element developed by Peng (2009). Time history analyses showed that the slotted-beam frame response was very similar to the response of a conventional frame. Due to greater hysteretic damping, there was a slight reduction in the average interstorey drift and lateral displacement envelopes. The slotted-beam frame also exhibited 40% smaller residual drifts than the conventional frame. The research carried out in this thesis showed slotted reinforced concrete beams to be an effective non-tearing floor solution, which could provide a simple and practical substitute for conventional reinforced concrete design.

The recent earthquakes in Christchurch have made it clear that issues exist with current RC frame design in New Zealand. In particular, beam elongation in RC frame buildings was widespread and resulted in numerous buildings being rendered irreparable. Design solutions to overcome this problem are clearly needed, and the slotted beam is one such solution. This system has a distinct advantage over other damage avoidance design systems in that it can be constructed using current industry techniques and conventional reinforcing steel. As the name suggests, the slotted beam incorporates a vertical slot along part of the beam depth at the beam-column interface. Geometric beam elongation is accommodated via opening and closing of these slots during seismically induced rotations, while the top concrete hinge is heavily reinforced to prevent material inelastic elongation. Past research on slotted beams has shown that the bond demand on the bottom longitudinal reinforcement is increased compared with equivalent monolithic systems. Satisfying this increased bond demand through conventional means may yield impractical and economically less viable column dimensions. The same research also indicated that the joint shear mechanism was different to that observed within monolithic joints and that additional horizontal reinforcement was required as a result. Through a combination of theoretical investigation, forensic analysis, and database study, this research addresses the above issues and develops design guidelines. The use of supplementary vertical joint stirrups was investigated as a means of improving bond performance without the need for non-standard reinforcing steel or other hardware. These design guidelines were then validated experimentally with the testing of two 80% scale beam-column sub-assemblies. The revised provisions for bond within the bottom longitudinal reinforcement were found to be adequate while the top longitudinal reinforcement remained nominally elastic throughout both tests. An alternate mechanism was found to govern joint shear behaviour, removing the need for additional horizontal joint reinforcement. Current NZS3101:2006 joint shear reinforcement provisions were found to be more than adequate given the typically larger column depths required rendering the strut mechanism more effective. The test results were then used to further refine design recommendations for practicing engineers. Finally, conclusions and future research requirements were outlined.

"This thesis describes the development of an optimized software-defined-radio implementation of a distributed beamforming system and presents experimental results for two-source and three- source wired-channel and acoustic-channel distributed beamforming using the time-slotted round-trip carrier synchronization protocol. The frequency and phase synthesizer used in this system is based on an optimized ``hybrid' phase locked loop (PLL) with averaging window which is shown to have high frequency estimation accuracy and consistency. For the wired-channel experiments, each source node was implemented by a TMS320C6713DSK while for the acoustic experiments, each source node in the system was built using commercial off-the-shelf parts including TMS320C6713DSK, microphone, speaker, audio amplifier, and battery. The source node functionality including phase locked loops and the logic associated with the time-slotted round-trip carrier synchronization protocol was realized through real-time software independently running on each source node's C6713 digital signal processor. Experimental results for two-source and three-source realizations of the wired-channel and acoustic-channel distributed beamforming system are presented. The results show that near-ideal beamforming performance can be consistently achieved at acoustic wavelengths equivalent to common radio frequency wavelengths."

Afin de répondre à la demande croissante de nouveaux services, les objets que nous utilisons au quotidien (les smartphones, les voitures, les avions, etc.) tendent à intégrer de plus en plus de systèmes radio tandis que l’espace disponible pour l’intégration de ces éléments est de plus en plus réduit. Ces systèmes radio nécessitent l’utilisation de plusieurs antennes devant répondre à des critères de compacité, d’isolation, de coût, etc. À titre d’illustration, un smartphone contient plusieurs antennes pour assurer des fonctions telles que la téléphonie, la navigation, la connexion à internet par WiFi, les liaisons Bluetooth, la technologie NFC (Near-Field Communications) et ce nombre tend à s’accroitre considérablement avec l’émergence de nouveaux services. Le même phénomène se retrouve également au niveau des plateformes aéroportées où des fonctions telles que la communication, la navigation, le radar, etc. sont utilisées. Cela conduit donc à la nécessité de réduire le nombre d’antennes en regroupant par exemple plusieurs fonctions au sein d’une même et unique antenne. Dans de précédents travaux de recherches, J. Euzière a démontré la possibilité de combiner une fonction radar et une seconde fonction (ici de communication) en utilisant un réseau de 16 monopoles initialement dédié au seul radar, grâce au Time Modulated Array (TMA). De cette façon, les deux fonctions utilisaient la même fréquence et étaient alimentées par une seule source. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est de proposer une solution d’antenne multifonction pour radar et communication encore plus compacte (constituée d’une seule antenne). L’idée est de partir d’une solution antennaire déjà existante et d’y apporter les modifications nécessaires à l’ajout d’une seconde fonction, sans pour autant augmenter la surface de l’antenne ni la complexité du système. / In order to respond to the increasingly demand of new services, the objects we use on a daily basis (such as mobile phones, cars, airplanes etc.), tend to integrate more and more radio systems while the space available is limited. These radio systems require the use of many antennas that must meet multiple requirements such as compactness, isolation, costs, etc. A smart-phone, for example, contains several antennas for global navigation satellite system (GNSS), WiFi, TV, FM radio, Bluetooth, near-field communications (NFC) and the number is expected to increase as new systems are added. Another example is in airborne platforms where multiple functions such as communication, navigation, radar, electronic warfare are used. This leads to the need of reducing the number of associated antennas by regrouping several radio functions into a single antenna. However, combining the functionality of several antennas into one shared radiating element while maintaining the functionality of the various radio systems presents a great challenge. During its Ph.D, J. Euzière demonstrated the possibility to combine a radar function and a secondary function from a 16-monopole array originally dedicated to radar operation by using Time Modulated Array (TMA) technique. By this way, the two functions were operating at the same frequency and the system was powered by a single source.The main objective of this thesis is to propose a more compact antenna (a single antenna) dedicated to radar and communication operations instead of using antenna array as J. Euzière did it. The idea is to start from an existing antenna solution and make the necessary modifications to add a second function without adding additional surface and complexity. As we are interested in radar applications, we will choose a directive antenna: a horn antenna. The goal is then to study the possibility to modify the radiation pattern of the horn antenna through controllable elements (slots) and to transmit a direct modulated signal at the antenna level for the communication function. Furthermore, polarization diversity is an attractive way to increase the isolation between two applications. Thus, this aspect will be taken into account in the design of the antenna solution.

Student Number : 0002066T - MSc dissertation - School of Electrical and Information Engineering - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Investigations of uni-directional, horizontally polarized waveguide antennas with longitudinal slotted arrays operating at 2.45GHz and their applications to wireless local area networks (WLAN) are presented in this paper. Requirements, considerations, and limitations associated with the design process of this particular waveguide are discussed and presented. Various antenna parameters were simulated using MATLAB® and SuperNEC® software simulation programs, and were applied to a sensitivity analysis of antenna design. End-fed and center-fed antennas were designed, built, and measured at WLAN frequencies. Measured antennas had high gain above 15dBi, broad beam around the azimuth, and high efficiency, but were limited by their impedance dependency and narrow bandwidth. The center-fed antenna had 3dBi higher gain than the 18dBi gain of the end-fed antenna. The VSWR ratio of both antennas was less than 1:1.5 at the operating frequency. The center-fed antenna had broader azimuth and elevation patterns by 40° and 10°, respectively. The end- fed antenna had more stable gain and VSWR, 50% wider VSWR bandwidth of 100MHz, and more directional elevation pattern. The design criteria generated using waveguide theory and simulated analysis was validated by the physical design and performance of the measured antennas.

In passive RFID systems, how to reduce the collision among tags is an important issue at the medium access control layer. The Framed Slotted ALOHA and its variations are well-known anti-collision algorithms for RFID systems. However, when the Framed Slotted ALOHA is used, the system efficiency and the average time delay deteriorate rapidly when the total number of tags increases. On the other hand, the total number of slots in a frame can¡¦t be infinity. In this thesis, we first compare existing anti-collision protocols and then propose a novel algorithm based on the Enhanced Dynamic Framed Slotted ALOHA (EDFSA) and the Progressing Scanning (PS) algorithm. The proposed algorithm is called Dynamic Grouping (DG). The DG algorithm partitions the RFID tags according to the distances from tags to the reader in order to avoid using too many slots in a frame. Inparticular, the DG algorithm estimates the spatial distribution of tags based on previous scanning results and then adjusts the partition accordingly. Unlike PS algorithm, the DG algorithm is applicable when the RFID tags are uniformly distributed or normally distributed.

In this thesis, We propose two power saving strategy in wireless sensor networks with multi-packet reception and slotted ALOHA is as a systematic model. We concentrate on the case in which the packet arrival process is Bernoulli and the maximum queue is 1.This thesis first simulate results and to compare with the analytical results of pervious thesis. Traditional slotted ALOHA only have transmit and idle state. In this thesis, add a sleep state to decrease the energy consumption, and according to different strategy propose two different methods. This two methods decide to the sleep time and the retransmission probability to achieve the energy-efficient. At last we will use the simulation result to show the performance of our power saving strategy.