Engineering Commons^™

Smart Heating Systems For Green Homes, Cheryl Carmody

Theses

The focus of this research is to design an improved heating control system for a class of older energy inefficient dwelling to produce an improved living environment. Prerequisites for such control are sensors and models. Commercial sensor nodes enabled a multi-zone heating system to be considered. While the accompanying sensor node software was functional, it was not suitable for real-time control and was modified to achieve same. Once a prototype was developed and tested in the laboratory, it was deployed to a two-story residential dwelling in Cork city.

The requisite mathematical models describe the heat transfer characteristics for a particular …

The Future Of The Irish Manufacturing Industry In Relation To Global Competitiveness, Joceley Martins Wilson

Theses

This study is an examination of the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector in Ireland. As the speed of globalization intensifies, new demands are constantly being levied on the manufacturing sector. In order to maintain this very important sector in Ireland, the manufacturing industry must promote constant innovation, automation and specialization, specifically in niche areas where there is a requirement for specific specialized skills, and where the labor cost is not a prohibitive or fundamental issue.

Innovation has been a key success factor for the manufactures to date, and will continue to be an ai'ea of focus as competitive forces …

A Virtual Training Environment For Temporal Bone Surgery, Denis Stack

Theses

A virtual training environment for temporal bone surgery incorporating haptic, visual and audio feedback is presented in this work. Data are derived from Computed Tomography (CT) scans, thus patient-specific cases may be examined in the simulator.

Two main classes of volume haptic algorithm exist for virtual surgery, namely proxy-based and non proxy-based. A review of the evolution of relevant haptic algorithms is presented. Proxy-based and non proxy-based algorithms are implemented and their performance measured against each other by comparison with real-world force data. An improved proxy-based feedback algorithm is also presented. This algorithm uses a spherical proxy which prevents the …

Trust Based Agent Geographic Coalition Formation For Intelligent Transportation Systems, Gary O'Connor

Theses

In recent years there has been an increase in the area of applied research for the intelligent transport domain. This surge in research has many contributing factors such as: advancements in information technologies, substantial escalations of traffic congestion and the advent of wireless networking. The possibility of collaboration among vehicles and roadside infrastructure enriches transportation systems, where the goals of improved safety, traffic efficiency and environmental benefits can be addressed. The primary objective of these Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is the creation of advanced road traffic safety systems for improved traffic safety, efficiency and travelling comfort. These systems provide a …

Automated Network Planning For Industrial Ethernet Networks, Holger Machens

Theses

Engineers usually use computer aided methods to ease the increasingly complex planning task of automation plants. One such computer aided method for automated planning of Industrial Ethernet networks under given network QoS requirements is presented in this thesis. The method is based on partitioning the given set of network nodes according to specified communication relationships between the nodes, thereby creating subsets of nodes which are joined using given networking algorithms. Several networking algorithms may be applicable for each subset of nodes and any complete solution is a combination of several partial solutions, one for each subset of nodes. Enumeration through …

The Development Of A Prototype Robotic Platform On Which Awareness Strategies Can Be Implemented, Sean Kinsella

Theses

This thesis describes the design and development of the hardware and software for a prototype robotic platform on which awareness strategies can be developed. The mobile prototype platform designed over the course of work is capable of operating as a distributed or centralised system.

There is no singular definition of awareness for a robotic system and the development of awareness strategies is complex and requires expertise in many scientific disciplines. This paper describes the different types of awareness associated with robotic systems and the technology required to implement this awareness. A review of sensors critical to the development of awareness …

Renovating A Control Engineering Laboratory For Enhanced Learning, David Hamilton

Theses

In an attempt to both place the student at the centre of the learning process and thus improve student engagement with the discipline, and to incorporate professional skills into the engineering curriculum at the module level, an enquiry based learning (EBL) component to enhance teamwork, problem solving skills and the student’s ability to learn independently was developed using current best practice in teaching and learning. As EBL is not widely used in engineering curricula in CIT, a pilot scale three week trial was performed during the academic year 2007-08 to evaluate the appropriateness of the pedagogy and student reactions to …

Cross-Verified, Combined Methodologies For High Frequency Electrical Characterisation Of Electronic Packaging, Eoin Mcgibney

Theses

Methodologies for cross-verified, wide bandwidth (50MHz-20GHz) electrical model extraction for as-manufactured electronic packaging and interconnection are presented. They are presented in the context that packaging and interconnection is now following a rapidly-evolving Moore’s-type Law in terms of new generations of packaging and interconnection materials, technologies and manufacturing processes. Significant frequency content is also increasing while, at the same time, final product cost constraints mean that packages and circuit boards must typically be manufactured using low cost materials and mass-manufacturing processes, often geographically remote, with their inherently higher levels of variability. Wide bandwidth signal integrity analysis cannot be performed during electronic …

Structural Behaviour And Analysis Of A Steel-Concrete Balcony Bracket, Sean Carroll

Theses

For commonly used moment connections, such as the various types of beam to column endplates, a large amount of information in relation to testing data and suggested design methods exist. Engineers can use this information to safely design such connections. When developing new and unique types of connections however, usually no prior testing information is available to engineers due to the unique design. At the present time, the most effective method of designing and developing any structural element or connection is through testing. Testing and detailed analysis of the results gives factual information on the behaviour of the structure, which …

True Binary Random Number Generator Based On A Double Scroll Attractor For Encryption, Marta Blaszczyk

Theses

Random binary sequences play an important role in modem digital communication systems. Their usage for providing secure communication between parties became indelible in cryptosystems. In increased access to the Internet network, random sequences are employed for ensuring that personal information remains confidential. To provide completely unpredictable keys in encipherment the usage of a true random number generator is necessary. True random bit streams are required to assure the security provided by the one-time pad encryption algorithm which is provably unbreakable.

The central objective of this research is the production of such random sequences for short key generation in data encryption …

Optimisation Of Heat Sink Design, Kevin Moore

Theses

In the field of electronics cooling and more specifically processor cooling, the ability to cool a micro-chip is becoming a major issue. Power dissipation in home and office computers has risen from 30W to over 120W in the past 10 years, forcing heat sink designers to search for new ideas in the design of their heat spreaders.

This thesis studies in detail the fundamental technical designs used for modern day processor cooling. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), various different pin/fin shapes were analysed to determine which yielded maximum heat transfer and contact area with forced air flow. Elliptical and teardrop …

Rf Mems Capacitors For Sdr, Yamuna Kuberappa

Theses

Micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) applications in radio frequency (RF) and microwave electronics are revolutionizing the progress in wireless communications. In particular, MEMS switchable/tunable capacitors can facilitate the realization of multistandard software defined transceivers, offering better performance than existing solutions.

In this thesis, characterisation and RF modelling of MEMS switchable/tunable capacitors and the technical requirements for their application in multiband wireless transceiver circuits in a software defined radio (SDR) are described. The first device considered is a curled cantilever capacitive switch, configured in both shunt and series configuration where the capacitance is limited to two stable states. The second device, …

A Middleware For True Mobile Agents In Wireless Sensor Networks, Ciarán Lynch

Theses

The application space of wireless sensor networks has evolved considerably from their initial role as an efficient data gathering system. Modern wireless sensor networks are expected to be dynamic, powerful. reliable and flexible, while continuing to operate efficiently and autonomously. The supporting software' systems have not kept pace with this development, and currently limits the deployment of complex and robust applications. Mobile software agents present a powerful approach to application design, however no existing middleware for wireless sensor networks supports native mobile software agents.

The main contribution of the work presented in this thesis is the development and evaluation of …

An Investigation On The Dynamic Behavior Of An Overhead Valve Actuating Mechanism, Michael Noonan

Theses

This project involves the measurement and simulation of the dynamic performance of a pushrod valvetrain, in particular that of the outer valve spring. The engine was donated by S&S Cycle Wisconsin. A motoring test rig was constructed to obtain high speed camera footage of the spring coils motion. Individual static spring coil displacement measurements were taken, and their stiffness studied. Spring and pushrod natural resonant frequencies were measured. All data acquisition and analysis was carried out with Labview programs written during the project. Programs were written to model individual static coil stiffness using the close coil, open coil, and theories …