Digital Commons Network^™

Moisture Re-Distribution In Concrete Under Impermeable Coverings, Niall Holmes

Conference papers

It is normally considered safe to apply an impermeable floor covering to concrete surfaces when the surface relative humidity reaches 75% as determined by a surface hygrometer. However, over time, defects can appear on the covering such as blistering of vinyl and rising of tiles from the surface. One cause is the on-going diffusion of the residual moisture deep within the slab to the surface. The covering traps this residual moisture, thus preventing evaporation to the ambient air and gradually generates a vapour pressure underneath the covering, which can result in damage.

Here, experimental results on the long-term influence of …

Identification And Pid Control Of Time-Delayed Processes, Tony Kealy

Masters

This research was conducted primarily to investigate a selection of known methods for the identification of a mathematical model for processes with an inherent time delay, and subsequently, use the parameters of the identified model to regulate the processes via the PI/PID control strategy. The research examines the level of difficulty in performing or sanctioning different system identification methods in order to re-tune the controller. The process model identification methods are carried out on both simulated and real processes in the first part of the research. The selected parametric identification methods are chosen because they encompass open- and closed- loop …

An Examination Of Eu Directive 98/76/Ec In Regards To The Irish Road Haulage Industry, Eoin Plant, Declan Allen, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

The Irish economy experienced a tremendous increase in economic growth during the 1990s and early 21st Century (Celtic Tiger). This economic boom was export driven and the Irish Road Haulage Industry transported the majority of products produced at some stage, if not a number of stages in the logistics tunnel. In recent times there has been somewhat of a growing unease in the road haulage industry in relation to increasing costs, squeezing already tight profit margins. A report commissioned by the Department of Public Enterprise illustrated that 48% of hauliers identified themselves as needing training in the area of cost …

Engineering Is Fun - Let's Celebrate, Jim Mcgovern

Articles

In this news article the author outlines why the Faculty of Engineering at DIT and all its professional engineering graduates have cause to celebrate 50 years of engineering at DIT from September 2003.

Comparison Of Process Identification Techniqies In The Time- And Frequency-Domains, Tony Kealy, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

This paper describes ten methods to identify a mathematical model for a real process with a time delay. The process is the Process Trainer, PT326 from Feedback Instruments Limited. Six of the methods use step response data and one of the methods uses impulse response data for identification. Two of the methods use frequency response data and the final method uses information from relay-based experiments. The best results are obtained using a combined analytical and gradient method [6] in the frequency-domain and, in the time-domain, using the two-point algorithm [1] and a method proposed by Suganda et al. [5].

The Estimation And Control Of A Laboratory Heating And Ventilation System, Robin P. Mooney

Masters in Advanced Engineering

This dissertation is concerned with the estimation and control of a laboratory heating and ventilation system (Instrutek VVS-400). The system is a 2x2 multi-input multi-output process (MIMO). It has been shown that simple techniques such as the ultimate cycle method do not provide adequate control of the process. The system was interfaced with a PC using Matlab/Simulink via a data acquisition package (Humusoft). Continuous time process identification techniques were applied to the flow and temperature processes. The alternative tangent and point method was used to model the processes, and their interaction, using a first order lag plus delay model. Models …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analytical Ise Calculation And Optimum Control System Design, Tony Kealy, Aidan O'Dwyer

Conference papers

Abstract – In control system theory, a performance index is a quantitative measure of the performance of a system and is chosen so that emphasis is given to the important system parameters. In this paper, the authors demonstrate two methods to determine analytically the Integral of the Square of the Error (ISE) performance index value for a first-order-plus-dead-time (FOPDT) process model under PI control. The ability of proportional/integral (PI) and proportional/integral/derivative (PID) controllers to compensate most practical industrial processes has led to their wide acceptance in industrial applications. The most direct way to set up PI/PID controller parameters is the …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Application Of A Photopolymer Material In Speckle Pattern Shearing Interferometry, Emilia Mihaylova, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

A new application of a photopolymer diffractive optical element in electronic speckle pattern shearing interferometer (ESPSI) is presented. In the first stage a holographic grating is recorded using an acrylamide based photopolymer material. Since the polymerisation process occurs during recording, the holograms are produced without any development or processing. In the second stage the holographic grating is used to produce the two sheared images in an ESPSI configuration. A ground glass screen following the grating serves the purpose of eliminating unwanted diffraction orders. The distance between the grating and the ground glass can be used to control the amount of …

An Investigation Into Non-Verbal Sound-Based Modes Of Human-To-Computer Communication With Rehabilitation Applications, Ted Burke

Conference Papers

During the course of our work in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Ireland we have encountered patients who, while unable to speak, are capable of making reproducible utterances. We present techniques used to harness such utterances, in addition to whistling, as a means of communication and control. A simple technique for identifying the phonemes /o/ and /s/ (in single-symbol ARPAbet notation) is presented with applications. The use of pitch variation as a means of controlling a continuously variable parameter is described with two applications - a microcontroller based light dimmer switch and a computer program which facilitates mouse pointer control. …

Application Of Time-Scale And Frequency-Scale Modification Alogrithms To Voice-Gender Conversion, Elmar Jung

Masters

Voice conversion is an active new branch of speech processing and deals with the transformation of natural speech, focusing on changing the characteristics of the speaker’s voice. As a result of voice conversion, the speaker’s identity can be changed to make the converted speech sound as if it were uttered by a different speaker, or certain characteristics of the voice can be modified while maintaining the speaker’s identity. Voice-gender conversion (VGC) is a subset of voice conversion and focuses on the transformation of gender-specific voice characteristics. As a result of a voice-gender conversation, male speech is converted into female-sounding speech …

Rainwater Harvesting And Grey Water Recycling Systems, Liam Mccarton, Sean O'Hogain

Articles

The benefits of water efficiency measures, rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse are principally water savings and reduced volume of consumption. Cost savings can accrue to the water supplier and water user. These benefits can be felt at a local level. Only with widespread use of such technology will reduced pressure on water resources and the supply infrastructure be realised. These technologies should be considered in the context of an overall water conservation strategy and each situation evaluated separately. A water audit should be undertaken to establish existing water usage and possible demands that can be met by using these technologies. …

The Influence Of Surface Treatments And Surface Finish On The Fatigue Properties Of Elastomers, Amir Tabakovic

Masters

Recent research has shown that fatigue life in non strain-crystallising rubber increases if the material is subjected to pre-loading. The central research question posed in this project is ‘whether preloading and surface treatments improve the surface finish of rubber components, reduce stress concentration and can this reduction partially account for greater fatigue resistance’. The specific objectives of the research are:- i) To assess surface finish measurements and to investigate the changes in stress concentration in preloaded rubber samples using White Light Interferometry. ii) To consider other non-contact methods of observing changes in stress concentration in preloaded samples through use of: …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

E-Business In Ireland: Technological Potential Versus Logistical Reality, Edward Sweeney

Conference papers

No abstract provided.

Water Conservation Technologies, Liam Mccarton

Articles

Given the increasing incidence of serious flooding in Europe in recent years it might seem odd to be addressing the problem of water conservation. However, recent economic prosperity has led to an increased per capita use of water for domestic and industrial use. The traditional approach to meeting increased demand is to augment supply. However, mobilising new resources involves ever higher costs. Allied to this is the concept of sustainability, which can be defined as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. An important consideration of …

From Baltimore Technologies To The Fai: A Metaphor For The Digital Isle, Ellen Hazelkorn

Other resources

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

On-Line Spatial Processing Systems, James Carswell, Michela Bertolotto

Articles

On-line Spatial Processing (OLSP) delivers high performance spatial systems for the modelling and monitoring of dynamic environments. It provides an ideal solution for the management of networks, land and assets, and the real-time tracking of changing spatial systems. OLSP is server-centric, as opposed to the primarily desktop-centric world of GIS. It places spatial data at the heart of the organisation's IT systems and integrates it with business and attribute data. The result is more effective use of spatial data and improved decision support and spatial intelligence throughout the organisation.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Dit Independent, 1st.-31st. Of March, 2003, Dit:Students Union

DIT Student Union

No abstract provided.

A Fire Risk Assessment Technique For Educational Establishments, Victor Hrymak, Noel O'Reilly

Articles

It is now widely considered as good practice to include fire risk assessment techniques when developing a fire risk management system. However there is little guidance as to how to evaluate the influence of organisational culture and human behaviour on the resultant level of fire safety. Since most accidents are caused by the failure of management systems, quantified risk assessment must take into account local safety management practices, or else it will not provide reliable information”.

This study tries to address this issue by developing a new fire risk assessment technique for assessing the fire safety management system of …

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Bs News

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Academic Leadership And Curriculum Change: The Development Of A Programme In Applied Social Studies, Perry Share

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

No abstract provided.

Innovation, Vol. 2, Issue 1, Summer 2003., Unknown

Issues

No abstract provided.

Managing Content-Initiated Application Delivery With A Client-Side Agent, Niall Roche, Gary Clynch

Conference Papers

Mobile devices have evolved with improvements in processing power and support for various application environments such as MExE [1]. Currently a large number of devices and platforms exist, each with various attributes. Such diversity results in problems providing appropriate applications to these devices. This paper outlines need for an integrated approach to application delivery for mobile devices. The solution allows suitable applications to be delivered to devices. Application management is removed from non-technical mobile device users through the presence of a client-side agent to manage the complexity of application provisioning, device resource management and application management.

High Auality Time-Scale Modification Of Speech Using A Peak Alignment Overlap-Add Alogroithm (Paola), David Dorran, Robert Lawlor, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

The duration of a speech passage can be altered using audio time-scale modification techniques. Time-scale modification can be achieved in the time domain by segmenting the input signal into overlapping frames and recombining the frames with an overlap differing from the analysis overlap. We present a time-scale modification algorithm that uses a simple peak alignment technique to synchronise overlapping synthesis frames. The peak alignment overlap-add (Paola) algorithm also takes advantage of waveform properties to ensure a high quality output for the minimum number of iterations. The new algorithm produces a time-scaled output of approximately equal quality to that of an …

Agent Chameleons: Virtual Agents Real Intelligence, Gregory O'Hare, Brian Duffy, Bianca Schoen-Phelan, Alan Martin, John Bradley`

Books/Book Chapters

Agent Chameleons provides virtual agents powered by real intelligence, delivering next generation autonomic entities that can seamlessly migrate, mutate and evolve on their journey between and within physical and digital information spaces.