Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Hand-Held Flyback Driven Coaxial Dielectric Barrier Discharge: Development And Characterization, Victor J. Law, Vladimir Milosavljevic, Neil O’Connor, James F. Lalor, Steven Daniels

Articles

The development of a handheld single and triple chamber atmospheric pressure coaxial dielectric barrier discharge driven by Flyback circuitry for helium and argon discharges is described. The Flyback uses external metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor power switching technology and the transformer operates in the continuous current mode to convert a continuous dc power of 10–33 W to generate a 1.2–1.6 kV 3.5 μs pulse. An argon discharge breakdown voltage of ∼768 V is measured. With a 50 kHz, pulse repetition rate and an argon flow rate of 0.5–10 argon slm (slm denotes standard liters per minute), the electrical power density deposited in …

Study Of Multibody Dynamics Using Matlab, Kalyani Soman

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Research in computational dynamics has gained importance in the past few years because of the demand for analysis and simulation of various multi-body systems in the growing mechanical and aerospace industry. These multi-body systems are made of individual bodies that are interconnected via mechanical joints. Mathematically, these joints that connect the bodies can be described as constraint equations imposed upon the motions of the involved free bodies. This process will result in an equation of motion expressed in the form of a differential-algebraic equation. It is the main objective of this thesis to develop a solution algorithm that can take …

Comparison Of Vacuum Glazing Thermal Performance Predicted Using Two- And Three-Dimensional Models And Their Experimental Validation, Brian Norton, Philip Eames, Yueping Fang, Trevor Hyde, Neil Hewitt

Conference Papers

The thermal performance of vacuum glazing was predicted using two dimensional (2-D) finite element and three dimensional (3-D) finite volume models. In the 2-D model, the vacuum space, including the pillar arrays, was represented by a material whose effective thermal conductivity was determined from the specified vacuum space width, the heat conduction through the pillar array and the calculated radiation heat transfer between the two interior glass surfaces within the vacuum gap. In the 3-D model, the support pillar array was incorporated and modeled within the glazing unit directly. The difference in predicted overall heat transfer coefficients between the two …

Socio-Economic Impacts Of Computer Viruses In Tanzania, M Victor

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper reports on a research project conducted with an objective of identifying and assessing various approaches used by different computer users (Management, System Administrators and end users) in Tanzania to combat computer viruses (CVs), and to assess users' awareness level on CVs. Specifically, the study aimed at assessing the awareness level on CVs to the Tanzanian business community; analyze the socio -economic impact caused by CVs in Tanzania and; assess existing methods, capacity and limitations on controlling CVs in Tanzania. Data was collected using both questionnaires and interview from financial institutions such as NBC and BOT, and telecommunications sector …

Experimental And Finite Element Analysis Of Preloaded Bolted Joints Under Impact Loading, Brendan O'Toole, Kumarswamy Karpanan, Masoud Feghhi

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

One of the primary parameters in analyzing bolted joints is preload in the bolt. We have considered several possible preload modeling techniques to analyze the effect of preload on the dynamic response of the bolted joints. Five different methods of applying preload in the nonlinear finite element analysis are evaluated. These methods are “force on bolt and nut”, “force on bolt shank”, “interference fit”, “thermal gradient” and “initial stress method”. Explicit and implicit analyses are used for transient response and preload generation in bolt respectively. Time history and shock response spectrum are used to compare experimental and simulation results. Simulation …

The Case For Thoroughly Testing Complex System Dynamic Models, Wayne Wakeland, Megan Hoarfrost

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

In order to determine whether model testing is as useful as suggested by modeling experts, the full battery of model tests recommended by Forrester, Senge, Sterman, and others was applied retrospectively to a complex previously-published system dynamics model. The time required to carry out each type of test was captured, and the benefits that resulted from applying each test was determined subjectively. The resulting benefit to cost ratios are reported. These ratios suggest that rather than focusing primarily on sensitivity testing, modelers should consider other types of model tests such as extreme condition tests and family member tests. The study …

Swing-Up And Balancing Nonlinear Control For A Rotational Inverted Pendulum, Jiang Wang

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, nonlinear controllers are designed for the swing-up and balance modes of a rotational inverted pendulum, which is a pendulum hinged on a horizontally rotating link. The proposed control algorithms are designed by partial feedback linearization and sliding mode control techniques, for swing-up and balancing respectively. First a mathematical model of the pendulum dynamics is derived, followed by experimental verification. Then the system model is partially linearized, which makes it possible for the system to track a simple desired trajectory with "pump energy" function. Then a swing-up controller is designed. For an under-actuated mechanical system, like the inverted …

Stochastic Bifurcation In A Driven Laser System: Experiment And Theory, Lora Billings, Ira Schwartz, David Morgan, Erik Bollt, Riccardo Meucci, Enrico Allaria

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We analyze the effects of stochastic perturbations in a physical example occurring as a higher-dimensional dynamical system. The physical model is that of a class-B laser, which is perturbed stochastically with finite noise. The effect of the noise perturbations on the dynamics is shown to change the qualitative nature of the dynamics experimentally from a stochastic periodic attractor to one of chaoslike behavior, or noise-induced chaos. To analyze the qualitative change, we apply the technique of the stochastic Frobenius-Perron operator [L. Billings et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 88, 234101 (2002)] to a model of the experimental system. Our main result …

Review Of The Product Development Process And Information Flow In The Manufacturing Industry: Problems And A Possible Wav Forward, E Opiyo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

No abstract provided.

Modeling, Optimization, And Flow Visualization Of Chemical Etching Process In Niobium Cavities, Sathish K. Subramanian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Niobium cavities are important component of the linear accelerators. Researchers have concluded that buffered chemical polishing on the inner surface of the cavity improves its performance. However the mechanism of chemical polishing is not well understood. A finite element computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate the fluid flow characteristics of chemical etching process inside the cavity. The CFD model is then used to optimize the baffle design. The analysis confirmed the observation of other researchers that the iris section of the cavity received more etching than the equator regions. The baffle, which directs flow towards the walls …

Structural Design And Analysis Of A Rigidizable Space Shuttle Experiment, Raymond G. Holstein Iii

Theses and Dissertations

AFIT is in the process of designing a Space Shuttle experiment designated as the Rigidized Inflatable Get-Away-Special Experiment (RIGEX) to study the effects of microgravity on the deployment of rigidizable composite structures. Once in space, the experiment will inflate and rigidize three composite structures and perform a vibration analysis on each by exciting the tubes using piezoelectric patches and collecting data via an accelerometer. This paper presents the structural and vibration analysis of the RIGEX assembly and inflatable composite tubes using ABAQUS Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software. Comparison of the analysis has been carried out with Eigenvalue/Eigenvector experimentation by means …

Vibrometric Detection Of Beam Damage Due To Inclusions, Aaron J. Reifsnyder

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force Institute of Technology, in conjunction with the Structural Health Monitoring branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory, is researching methods of determining effects of notch location and size on beam structures using modal frequency analysis. This thesis explores the ability to detect included notches of varying magnitudes and locations within the frequency domain of an isotropic cantilever beam. A series of experiments employing centerline-notched 2024 T3 and 2024 0 aluminum beams was used to determine whether natural frequency measurement in beam structures is a valid mechanism for damage detection. Each specimen was excited by a strain actuator …

Fuzzy System Identification Based Upon A Novel Approach To Nonlinear Optimization, Raymond Scott Starsman

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Fuzzy systems are often used to model the behavior of nonlinear dynamical systems in process control industries because the model is linguistic in nature, uses a natural-language rule set, and because they can be included in control laws that meet the design goals. However, because the rigorous study of fuzzy logic is relatively recent, there is a shortage of well-defined and understood mechanisms for the design of a fuzzy system. One of the greatest challenges in fuzzy modeling is to determine a suitable structure, parameters, and rules that minimize an appropriately chosen error between the fuzzy system, a mathematical model, …

Developing A Methodology To Detect Partial Failures For Dynamic Systems, Anwar A. Al-Jowder

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to develop a decision support system that can assist in detecting partial failures in dynamic systems such as Fire Control System Tracking Radar (TR) onboard Naval Ships. Partial failures do not necessarily shut down the system immediately but cause degradation of operational performance. Previous work has shown that experts in the field of failure detection, test point insertion and Built-In-Test Equipment (BITE) can provide useful input in detecting partial failures. Partial failures affect operational system performance and support costs, which can be significant. Often, however, partial failure detection consists of the estimations and opinions …

On Misorientation Distribution Evolution During Anisotropic Grain Growth, Elizabeth A. Holm, Gregory N. Hassold, Mark A. Miodownik

Physics Publications

In order to study the development of texture and boundary character during annealing, three-dimensional grain crystallography and crystallographically mediated grain boundary properties were incorporated into a finite temperature Monte Carlo model for grain growth. Randomly textured microstructures evolve normally, with growth exponent n=0.96. While texture remains random, the steady-state boundary misorientation distribution favors low-angle boundaries. To first order, low-angle boundaries increase by lengthening, not by proliferating. In contrast, microstructures with a strong single-component texture develop four-grain junctions and highly curved grain boundaries, which alter evolution. The boundary misorientation distribution narrows and shifts to low angles, and no steady state …

Application Of Vibrational Techniques In Determination Of Dynamic Properties Of Agricultural Products-State Of The Arton Of Vibrational Techniques In Determination Of Dynamic Properties Of Agricultural Products-State Of The Art, Silas Kajuna

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Vibration is one of the techniques employed in the determination of dynamic properties of fruits and vegetables. It entails generation of a mechanical or acoustic vibrational signal which is propagated through the flesh of the agricultural material. A transducer is either attached or held close to the specimen to monitor the propagation of the signal through the specimen. The manner in which the signal is transmitted through the material is analyzed, and the dynamic properties of the specimen which relate to its firmness or its internal being are derived. The technique has been around for the past 30 years or …

Newton Parameter Update Algorithm For Recurrent Neural Networks Applied To Adaptive System Identification And Control, Donald Allen Gates

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This paper shows that the combination of a second-order neural network parameter update algorithm and internal network feedback can be effectively used for adaptive, nonlinear, dynamical system identification and control. Adaptive neural identification and control algorithms are typically utilized for real-time applications where the rate of adaptation is often critical. A fast, adaptive network parameter update algorithm is presented.

Simulation results show that this algorithm is capable of quickly identifying and adapting to changes in system parameters, making it feasible to use for real-time control and fault accommodation applications.

Fundamentals Of Linear State Space Systems, John Bay

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Scholarship

This book addresses two primary deficiencies in the linear systems textbook market: a lack of development of state space methods from the basic principles and a lack of pedagogical focus. The book uses the geometric intuition provided by vector space analysis to develop in a very sequential manner all the essential topics in linear state system theory that a senior or beginning graduate student should know. It does this in an ordered, readable manner, with examples drawn from several areas of engineering. Because it derives state space methods from linear algebra and vector spaces and ties all the topics together …

Correlation Of Finite Element Prediction And Experimental Measurements Of Aircraft Panel Structural Vibration, Olaf L. Storaasli

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

With the rapid development of computational capabilities and the implementation of complex tools for commercial finite element programs, predicting structural dynamics and related acoustics of complex structures is presently achievable. Structural finite element modeling is a design tool widely utilized for analysis of problems of all kinds. However, high frequency vibration of complex structures, such as the reinforced aircraft panel used for this study, currently does not correlate well with experimental measurements using conventional modeling methods. An investigation into the commonly used modeling techniques as well as the new tools of commercial finite element analysis packages for the prediction of …

Broadband Dynamic Modification Using Feedforward Control, Kendeas Antonis Karantonis

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The use of feedforward control for dynamic modification is relatively new to the area of structural vibration control. In this thesis the disturbance path dynamics of a flexible aluminum beam, pinned at both ends and under the influence of broadband excitation inputs, are modified through the use of feedforward control. The ideal algebraically determined feedforward control method for response cancellation is first presented. Theoretically, this compensator modifies the disturbance path dynamics to any desired behavior. This ideal algebraic approach can only be used for minimum phase systems. In non-minimum phase systems, right half s-plane plant zeros emerge as unstable poles …

Dynamics And Control Of A Three Dimensional Gantry Crane With Cable Flexibility, Uchendu H. Eke

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The control of payload swing in industrial gantry cranes is a topic of widespread interest. In this thesis, the control of the swing of a payload idealized by a point mass assumption is investigated utilizing s, compact robotics matrix/vector representation of the dynamical model. In this form, this particular system can be viewed as sn underactuated manipulator with equal numbers of active and passive degrees of freedom. The full three dimensional model is developed and linearized by modelling the cable as a single thread of fiexible wire and the degree of dynamic coupling between the active and passive coordinates is …

Monitoring The Dynamics Of Scaled Vehicles Using A Sonic Digitizer, Michael J. Bader, Larry G. Wells, Linus R. Walton

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Certain dynamic stability characteristics of an alternate method of mounting a front-end loader to a farm tractor were compared to those of a conventionally mounted front-end loader operating on a specified terrain. One objective of the study was to determine if the alternate method of mounting a front-end loader resulted in better stability characteristics and, in turn, safer operation than a conventional front-end loader. Another objective was to determine if a three-dimensional sonic digitizer could monitor the motion of the scale model tractor-loader systems accurately enough to perform a comparison between the systems. This article describes the second objective of …

Application Of Machine Learning Principles To Modeling Of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems, Murray R. Clark

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A method for the development of mathematical models for dynamic systems with arbitrary nonlinearities from measured data is described. The method involves the use of neural networks as embedded processors in dynamic system simulation models. The technique is demonstrated through generation of models for anharmonic oscillators described by the Duffing Equation and the Van der Pol Equation from measured input/output data. It is shown that high quality models of these systems can be developed using this technique which are efficient in terms of model size. Using neural networks as embedded processors, accurate models of the Duffing Oscillator and the Van …

A New Adjoint Variable Method For The Sensitivity Analysis Of Dynamic Responses, Krishnamoorthy Ramesh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A new adjoint variable method has been formulated for finding the sensitivity derivatives of dynamic system responses. Though the method can be based on any step-by-step time marching scheme, the Wilson Theta Method has been chosen as the basis of the new formulation . Wilson Theta Method is an implicit numerical integration scheme for finding the dynamic system responses. The new formulation uses the differential form of equations of motion as given by the Wilson Theta Method in its formulation of the adjoint equation. The conventional methods used for finding the sensitivity derivatives, namely, the direct differentiation technique, the central …

Robot Force Velocity Control Using Expert System For Control Mode Changes, William R. Doggett

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The most important property of an automated mechanical system is reliable execution of a specified task. Automated mechanical systems work best in precisely structured environments where all operations are repeatable. Typically, these systems are difficult to modify and expensive to install. Sensors can be used to detect disturbances, thus reducing hardware cost by offsetting the need for precise rigid construction components. Sensors, however, increase the complexity and cost of the control software. Efficient methods of reacting to sensor information during automated system operation are required to reduce software complexity and expense.

This thesis analyzes a robotic construction task and describes …

Effects Of Radiative Interactions In Molecular Gases Under Local And Nonlocal Thermodynamic Equilibrium Conditions, Manoj Kumar Jha

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Basic formulations, analyses, and numerical procedures are presented to investigate radiative heat interactions in diatomic and polyatomic gases under local and nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions. Essential governing equations are presented for both gray and nongray gases. Information is provided on absorption models, relaxation times, and transfer equations. Radiative flux equations are developed which are applicable under local and nonlocal thermodynamic equilibrium conditions.

The problem is solved for fully developed laminar incompressible flows between two parallel plates under the boundary condition of a uniform surface heat flux. For specific applications, three diatomic and three polyatomic gases are considered. The results are …

Comparison Of Digital Controllers Used In Magnetic Suspension And Balance Systems, William A. Kilgore

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Dynamic systems that were once controlled by analog circuits are now controlled by digital computers. Presented is a comparison of the digital controllers presently used with magnetic suspension and balance systems. The overall responses of the systems are compared using a computer simulation of the magnetic suspension and balance system and the digital controllers. The comparisons include responses to both simulated force and position inputs. A preferred digital controller is determined from the simulated responses.

The Influence Of Payload Dynamics On Trajectory Tracking Performance Of Robot Manipulator, Atul G. Kelkar

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Future space mission plans call for extensive use of remote manipulator systems for tasks such as assembly of lunar vehicles or space station modules, servicing of satellites, etc. These tasks demand very high precision end-effector motion control. Methods for compensating manipulator dynamics to achieve better trajectory tracking performance have been investigated by many researchers. Still, it is not always clear whether the added complexity of dynamic compensation is warranted for a given system. As an aid in evaluating when dynamic compensation is required, this thesis presents a method for the determination of maximum endpoint tracking error due to uncompensated inertial …

Comparison Of Digital Controllers Used In Magnetic Suspension And Balance Systems, William Allen Kilgore

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Dynamic systems that were once controlled by analog circuits are now controlled by digital computers. Presented is a comparison of the digital controllers presently used with magnetic suspension and balance systems. The overall response of the systems are compared using a computer simulation of the magnetic suspension and balance system and the digital controllers. The comparisons include responses to both simulated force and position inputs. A preferred digital controller is determined from the simulated responses.

Expert Systems For Automated Maintenance Of A Mars Oxygen Production System, Ming-Tsang Ho

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A prototype expert system has been developed for maintaining autonomous operation of a Mars oxygen production system. Normal operation conditions and failure modes according to certain desired criteria are tested and identified. Several schemes for failure detection and isolation using forward chaining, backward chaining, knowledge-based and rule-based are devised to perform several housekeeping functions. These functions include self-health checkout, an emergency shut down program, fault detection and conventional control activities. An effort has been made to derive the dynamic model of the system using Bond-Graph technique in order to develop the model-based failure detection and isolation scheme by estimation method. …