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The research presented in this thesis examines the use of an estimated "actuator work" value as a performance parameter for the comparison of various aerodynamic control device configurations. This estimated "actuator work," or practical work as it will be referred to as in this thesis, is based on the aerodynamic and structural resistance to a control surface deflection. It is meant to represent the actuator energy cost required to deflect a general configuration of conventional or unconventional control surface. Thin airfoil theory is used to predict the aerodynamic load distribution required for this work calculation. The details of applying thin airfoil theory to many different types of control surface arrangements are presented. Convenient equations for the aerodynamic load distributions and aerodynamic coefficients are obtained. Using the developed practical work equations, and considering only the aerodynamic load component, the practical work required for a given change in lift is compared between different control surface arrangements. For single control surface cases, it is found that a quadratic (morphing) trailing edge flap requires less practical work than a linear flap of the same size. As the angle of attack at which the change in lift occurs increases, the benefit of the quadratic flap becomes greater. For multiple control surface cases, it is necessary to determine the set of control deflections that require the minimum practical work for a given change in lift. For small values of the initial angle of attack, it is found that a two-segment quadratic trailing edge flap (MTE) requires more work than a two-segment linear flap (TETAB). But, above a small value of angle of attack, the MTE case becomes superior to the TETAB case. Similar results are found when a 1-DOF static aeroelastic model is included in the calculation. The minimum work control deflections for the aeroelastic cases are shown to be strongly dependent on the dynamic pressure. / Master of Science

This thesis presents a study of two basic modes of deformation of a thin sheet: wrinkling and crumpling, viewed primarily in the context of an elastic sheet confined by capillary forces on a drop of liquid. First, it provides a brief conceptual background in the relevant physics of thin sheet mechanics and capillarity and introduces the general principles of wrinkling and crumpling. The problem of confining a circular sheet on an increasingly curved spherical drop is presented as a vehicle to explore these principles. At finite curvature, the sheet is seen to wrinkle around its outer edge. At large confinement, characteristic features of crumpling gradually dominate the pattern. The experimental observations in both regimes are analyzed separately. Analysis of images of the sheet in the wrinkled regime yield data for the number and length of the wrinkled zone, as a function of the experimental control parameter, the pressure. The length of the wrinkles is correctly described by a far-from-threshold theory, which describes a limiting regime in thin-sheet mechanics, distinguished by high 'bendability'. The validity of this theory is verified by the data for highly bendable, ultrathin sheets for the first time. The theory is based on the assumption that the wrinkles completely relax compressive stresses and therefore preserve the cylindrical symmetry of the stress field. The emergence of crumpling from the wrinkled shape is explored via evolution of visible features in the sheet as well as gaussian curvature measurements obtained by analyzing height maps from optical profilometry. The emergence of several length scales, increasing asymmetry in curvature distribution, the failure of wrinkle extent prediction and formation of d-cones associated with crumpling are all measured to locate the transition to a crumpled state. The value of gaussian curvature at the center of the sheet appears to follow the cylindrically symmetric prediction over the whole range of the experiment, suggesting that the onset of crumpling events does not affect the global shape of the sheet. Finally, analogous wrinkling and crumpling behavior of particle-laden interfaces is discussed. The spontaneous formation of conical defects in a curved 2D crystal is compared to the crumpling of a sheet on a drop, and insight from thin sheet mechanics is applied to the mysterious wrinkling of particle rafts. Some future directions for measuring wrinkling of sheets on negative curvature surfaces and deformations of fluid interfaces are proposed.

The development and implementation of biosensors as an integral and growing part of our modern world has prompted the push for precision health as the next step in medicine. Adapted from aircraft engine monitoring, where an array of sensors is used to build a digital twin to preemptively predict problems, precision health requires an increase in molecular monitoring. Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), as sensitive, low-cost, and adaptable devices are well suited to meet this need. Phthalocyanines (Pcs), as an organic semiconducting layer for OTFTs, are easily synthesized and highly tunable small molecules which can be deposited through both solution and physical vapor deposition techniques, enhancing their utility. This work presents Pc-based OTFTs for cannabinoid sensing and chemotyping to meet the quality control needs of a growing Canadian and International cannabis industry, and to broadly demonstrate the sensitivity and selectivity attainable with Pc-based OTFTs incorporating molecular analyte sensors. Spectroelectrochemistry is established as a screening technique for Pc-based OTFT sensors and, in combination with thin-film characterization, is used to propose a mechanism for Pc-cannabinoid interactions and OTFT cannabinoid sensitivity with and without a cannabinoid-sensitive chromophore. Thin-film morphologies and polymorphs, pre- and post-analyte exposure, are demonstrated as key drivers of Pc-based OTFT sensing responses and are further explored through controlled deposition conditions and post deposition annealing techniques. Through material screening and thin-film engineering, part-per-billion cannabinoid sensitivity is achieved with Pc-based OTFTs. This report documents several strategies for sensitizing Pc-based OTFT sensors to organic analytes, and the results herein serve as a basis for continued development of Pc-based OTFT biosensors.

<p> The phenomena of energy gap and transition temperature enhancement have been studied on very thin (35-80 A° ) aluminum films, using the technique of electron tunneling through a thin insulating barrier. Transition temperatures as high as 2.16°K have been measured, and the corresponding measured energy gaps are found to be unique. In addition, these thin superconducting films exhibit stable transition temperatures when held in a vacuum. However, upon breaking vacuum, oxide growth occurs, and the tunneling barrier becomes impenetrable. Existing theories proposed to explain the observed enhancements, are discussed in the light of present accumulated experimental evidence. However, it is found that none are capable of explaining adequately the observed enhancements. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

<p> This thesis deals with the analytical and experimental study of buckling strength, of thin walled channel struts, of different geometrical dimensions. The influence of the dimensions of the columns on the buckling strength has been studied.</p> <p> The experimental work consisted of testing different channels of thin sheeting to failure. Comparison has been made with the previous work done and a comparison is made between the theoretical predicted values and the experimental results. The Appendix includes detailed mathematical procedure and matrices formulations.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

<p> Tantalum thin film resistors have been reactively sputtered in oxygen and nitrogen simultaneously. The films studied had resistivities ranging from 400μΩ-cm to 3 x 10^4 μΩ-cm. The corresponding TCR values ranged from -50 ppm/°C to -2,000 ppm/°C. Conductance-temperature measurements show that electrical conduction in discontinuous films of metallic islands (typically 100 A°) largely surrounded by regions of Ta2O5 (typically 50 A°) may be due to a tunneling mechanism of negative TCR operating concurrently with a metallic mechanism of positive TCR via interconnected metallic islands.</p> <p> Irradiation of these discontinuous films by 150 keV protons produces a conductance increase which is attributed to an enhanced tunneling mechanism via electronic defect levels in the inter-island oxide regions. During irradiation of these films at 30°K, the conductance change increases and approaches apparent saturation. This nonlinearity is attributed to a combination of spontaneous recombination and close-pair thermal annealing. The number of unstable sites surrounding each defect is found to be ≥ 4. Thermal recovery of the conductance proceeds in two main stages: Stage A (34°K to 150°K) is attributed to close-pair or correlated recombination; Stage B (150°K to 300°K) is attributed to uncorrelated migration of defects to gap-island interfaces, as is indicated by the greatly reduced Stage B annealing which is observed for continuous, polycrystalline films of Ta2O5, having a typical grain size of 1,500 A°. Negative annealing stages (characterized by a conductance increase) indicate a metallic conduction process via connected metallic islands.</p> <p> For 286°K irradiation of discontinuous films, the conductance initially increases with fluence in a nonlinear fashion until a threshold fluence is reached, at which point the conductance decreases with fluence. The nonlinearity of the conductance increase is attributed to trapping of mobile radiation-produced defects at gap-island interfaces during irradiation. The subsequent conductance decrease is attributed to a shift in the Fermi level, and thus the height of the tunneling barrier, as the result of the formation of unequal concentrations of stable radiation-produced donor and aeceptor defects since unequal concentrations of these defects can be expected to annihilate at the gap-island interface. The absence of this conductance decrease in continuous polycrystalline films is consistent with this model, since the absence of gap-island interfaces is expected to result in equal concentrations of stable donor and acceptor levels being produced.</p> <p> The observed negative increase in TCR with fluence is attributed to an increase in the proportion of the tunneling mechanism of negative TCR (as the result of radiation-produced defects in the inter-island oxide regions) relative to the proportion of the metallic conduction mechanism of positive TCR. The difference between the TCR recovery after irradiation at 30°K (little recovery between 150°K and 300°K) and the conductance recovery (about 50 percent of the recovery occurs between 150°K and 300°K) is attributed to the expected greater influence of metallic recovery on the annealing of the film TCR relative to the annealing of the film conductance.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p> This thesis consists of a rigorous development of the direct kinematic, small-displacement theory of thin elastic shells. The theory is developed, so as to facilitate a derivation of the equations of compatibility of middle-surface strains. These equations are developed by the kinematic approach and it is shown that this produces a more coherent relation of such equations to the general theory of shells, as no special techniques are required. The equations of compatibility are developed again by the formal Saint-Venant method; this development serves to substantiate the validity of the kinematic approach. At the same time, it provides many useful identities which are then employed as transformation relations, in order to compare the various forms of compatibility equations, as developed by other authors. A general comparison of kinematic shell theory with other nonkinematic methods is undertaken, and appended to the main discussion.</p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)