Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Structures interaction'

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In this research, dynamic characteristics of polymer composite beam and plate structures were studied when the structures were in contact with water. The effect of fluid-structure interaction (FSI) on natural frequencies, mode shapes, and dynamic responses was examined for polymer composite structures using multiphysics-based computational techniques. Composite structures were modeled using the finite element method. The fluid was modeled as an acoustic medium using the cellular automata technique. Both techniques were coupled so that both fluid and structure could interact bi-directionally. In order to make the coupling easier, the beam and plate finite elements have only displacement degrees of freedom but no rotational degrees of freedom. The fast Fourier transform (FFT) technique was applied to the transient responses of the composite structures with and without FSI, respectively, so that the effect of FSI can be examined by comparing the two results. The study showed that the effect of FSI is significant on dynamic properties of polymer composite structures. Some previous experimental observations were confirmed using the results from the computer simulations, which also enhanced understanding the effect of FSI on dynamic responses of composite structures.

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The objective of this research is to examine the fluid structure interaction (FSI) effect on composite sandwich structures under a low velocity impact. The primary sandwich composite used in this study was a 6.35-mm balsa core and a multi-ply symmetrical plain weave 6 oz E-glass skin. The specific geometry of the composite was a 305 by 305 mm square with clamped boundary conditions. Using a uniquely designed vertical drop-weight testing machine, there were three fluid conditions in which these experiments focused. The first of these conditions was completely dry (or air) surrounded testing. The second condition was completely water submerged. The final condition was a wet top/air-backed surrounded test. The tests were conducted progressively from a low to high drop height to best conclude the onset and spread of damage to the sandwich composite when impacted with the test machine. The measured output of these tests was force levels and multi-axis strain performance. The collection and analysis of this data will help to increase the understanding of the study of sandwich composites, particularly in a marine environment.

Stance and stance-taking are fundamental to the achievement of social interaction. Through stance and stance-taking, speakers position themselves relative to objects, and to other speakers. Stance is conceptualized as a social action whereby both positioning of the self and evaluation of an object are achieved through language in social interaction. The central contention is that stances are complex and interrelated social relationships established by speakers in conversation; stance(s) are established not only relative to stance, subject and object, but also to other stances, other objects, other subjects, and context. This relativity of stance acts to the multiplex vectors of other stance(s) is the basis for the proposal of the stance matrix as a framework for conceptualizing stance in conversation. Through micro-qualitative analysis of conversational data, speakers are shown to orient to the stance matrix in the everyday achievement of complex structures and sequences of stance acts. In addition, the communicative means by which stance is achieved in conversation is examined, and the heterodox nature of stance-taking expressions is shown to be critically dependent on an expanded and flexible model of indexicality, relating linguistically enabled stancetaking acts to the stance acts that are thereby achieved. The role of subjects in the stance matrix is considered in terms of achieving stance acts towards people. Subjects are shown to be deployed as objects through the intervention of membership categorization to foreground the social roles and/or categories in which people can be categorized. In conclusion, the stance matrix is proposed as a critical framework for conceptualizing and examining how speakers can be seen to orient to, in conversation, the multiple vectors of stance connecting subjects, objects and other stances.

This report presents the work done within the framework of my master thesis in the program Infrastructure Engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. This project has been proposed and sponsored by the French company Setec TPI, part of the Setec group, located in Paris. The overall goal of this study is to investigate fluid-structure interaction and particularly sloshing in liquid-containing structures subjected to seismic or other dynamic action. After a brief introduction, the report is composed of three main chapters. The first one presents and explains fluid-structure interaction equations. Fluid-structure interaction problems obey a general flow equation and several boundary conditions, given some basic assumptions. The purpose of the two following chapters is to solve the corresponding system of equations. The first approach proposes an analytical solution: the problem is solved for 2D rectangular tanks. Different models are considered and compared in order to analyze and describe sloshing phenomenon. Liquid can be decomposed in two parts: the lower part that moves in unison with the structure is modeled as an impulsive added mass; the upper part that sloshes is modeled as a convective added mass. Each of these two added mass creates hydrodynamic pressures and simple formulas are given in order to compute them. The second approach proposes a numerical solution: the goal is to be able to solve the problem for any kind of geometry. The differential problem is resolved using a singularity method and Gauss functions. It is stated as a boundary integral equation and solved by means of the Boundary Element Method. The linear system obtained is then implemented on Matlab. Scripts and results are presented. Matlab programs are run to solve fluid-structure interaction problems in the case of rectangular tanks: the results concur with the analytical solution which justifies the numerical solution. This report gives a good introduction to sloshing phenomenon and gathers several analytical solutions found in the literature. Besides, it provides a Matlab program able to model effects of sloshing in any liquid-containing structures.

Long, thin, flexible cylindrical elements of large scale structures are heavily influenced by the fluid flow around them. Equally, their movement has an appreciable effect on the fluid flow. This two-way interaction leads to complex dynamic behaviour that can cause fatigue and thus reduce operational lifetime. As demand for longer span bridges and drilling in deeper marine environments increases, research into the best modelling practice of this scenario gains importance. The work described in this thesis establishes a suitable method to model in CFD aero/hydro-elastic behaviour of slender cylindrical elements in large scale structures. In order to achieve this outcome, the author has: modelled the drag crisis on a static cylindrical element; developed a suitable FSI coupling program; combined the drag crisis model with the FSI coupling program and validate against published experimental data. The turbulence formulation used was carefully chosen taking into account the flow features that are important to the onset of the drag crisis. An LES formulation capable of adapting the model constant of the SGS model according to local shear conditions was identied as the best candidate to achieve this aim. The fluid and structural solvers used were loosely coupled by an explicit method that achieved a balance of kinetic energy as well as matching displacement at the moving fluid/solid interface. The integration method and implementation of this coupling strategy was verified by running a test case at low Reynolds number that produced a regular sinusoidal lift function on the cylinder that was kept stationary. The displacement, velocity, and acceleration response produced by the structural solver was compared against a closed solution and found to match with an acceptable level of error. A number of FSI simulations with the cylinder free to move in the cross-flow direction only was carried out. The displacement response was compared against published numerical and experimental data and the importance of having a sufficient spanwise dimension of flow domain was highlighted. Simulations with the cylinder free to move in the along-flow direction aswell as cross-flow direction were carried out. In some simulations where lock-in was observed, the effect of the drag crisis was clearly seen. Energy entered into the system as a result of low drag on the upstream motion of the cylinder caused by the drag crisis. More simulations at different velocities are recommended to define a displacement response curve and make further new observations.

Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) is an important physical phenomenon in many applications and across various disciplines including aerospace, civil and bio-engineering. In civil engineering, applications include the design of wind turbines, pipelines, suspension bridges and offshore platforms. Ocean structures such as drilling risers, mooring lines, cables, undersea piping and tension-leg platforms can be subject to strong ocean currents, and such structures may suffer from Vortex-Induced Vibrations (VIV's), where vortex shedding of the flow interacts with the structural properties, leading to large amplitude vibrations in both in-line and cross-flow directions. Over the past years, many experimental and numerical studies have been conducted to comprehend the underlying physical mechanisms. However, to date there is still limited understanding of the effect of oscillatory interactions between fluid flow and structural behavior though such interactions can cause large deformations. This research proposes a mathematical framework to accurately predict FSI for elastically supported rigid structures. The numerical method developed solves the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations for the fluid and the Equation of Motion (EOM) for the structure. The proposed method employs Finite Differences (FD) on Cartesian grids together with an improved, efficient and oscillation-free Immersed Boundary Method (IBM), the accuracy of which is verified for several test cases of increasing complexity. A variety of two and three dimensional FSI simulations are performed to demonstrate the accuracy and applicability of the method. In particular, forced and a free vibration of a rigid cylinder including Vortex-Induced Vibration (VIV) of an elastically supported cylinder are presented and compared with reference simulations and experiments. Then, the interference between two cylinders in tandem arrangement at two different spacing is investigated. In terms of VIV, three different scenarios were studied for each cylinder arrangement to compare resonance regime to a single cylinder. Finally, the IBM is implemented into a three-dimensional Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) method and two high Reynolds number (Re) flows are studied for a stationary and transversely oscillating cylinder. The robustness, accuracy and applicability of the method for high Re number flow is demonstrated by comparing the turbulence statistics of the two cases and discussing differences in the mean and instantaneous flows.

Problemas de interacciónn fluido-estructura representan hoy en día un gran desafío en diferentes áreas de ingeniería y ciencias aplicadas. Dentro de las aplicaciones en ingeniería civil, el flujo del viento y los movimientos estructurales pueden ocasionar inestabilidades aeroelásticas en construcciones tales como puentes de gran luz, rascacielos y cubiertas estructurales ligeras. Por otro lado, aplicaciones en biomecánica están interesadas en el estudio de hemodinámica, por ejemplo: flujo sanguíneo en arterias, donde grandes deformaciones de las venas interactúan con fluidos.En la parte estructural de este trabajo, una nueva metodología para el análisis geométricamente no-lineal ortótropo de membranas y láminas sin grados de libertad de rotación es desarrollada basándose en la orientación de la fibra principal del material. Una consecuencia directa de la estrategia de orientación de fibras es la posibilidad de analizar membranas y láminas pretensadas cuya configuración inicial está fuera del plano. Por otra parte, ya que la teoría convencional de membranas permite que existan tensiones de compresión, un modelo de arrugado basado en la modificación de la ecuación constitutiva se presenta. El desarrollo estructural es modelado con elementos finitos provenientes de las ecuaciones de la elastodinámica.
La parte de fluidos de este trabajo está gobernada por las ecuaciones de Navier-
Stokes para flujos incompresibles, las cuales son modeladas por interpolaciones estabilizadas de elementos finitos. Ya que la solución monolítica de dichas ecuaciones tiene la desventaja que consumen mucho tiempo en la solución de grandes sistemas de ecuaciones, el método de pasos fraccionados se usa para aprovechar las ventajas computacionales que brinda gracias al desacoplamiento de la presión del campo de las velocidades. Además, el esquema α-generalizado para integración en el tiempo para fluidos es adaptado para que se use con la t´ecnica de los pasos fraccionados.
El problema de interacción fluido-estructura es formulado como un sistema de tres campos: la estructura, el fluido y el movimiento de la malla. El movimiento del dominio del fluido es tomado en cuenta mediante la formulación arbitraria Lagrangiana-Euleriana, para la cual se usan dos estrategias de movimiento de malla.
Para el acoplamiento entre el fluido y la estructura se usa un acoplamiento fuerte por bloques usando la técnica de Gauss-Seidel. Debido a que la interacción entre el fluido y la estructura es altamente no-lineal, se implementa el método de relajación basado en la técnica de Aitken, la cual acelera la convergencia del problema.
Finalmente varios problemas se presentan en los diferentes campos, los cuales verifican la eficiencia de los algoritmos implementados.
Nowadays, fluid-structure interaction problems are a great challenge of different fields in engineering and applied sciences. In civil engineering applications, wind flow and structural motion may lead to aeroelastic instabilities on constructions such as long-span bridges, high-rise buildings and light-weight roof structures. On the other hand, biomechanical applications are interested in the study of hemodynamics, i.e. blood flow through large arteries, where large structural membrane deformations interact with incompressible fluids.
In the structural part of this work, a new methodology for the analysis of geometrically nonlinear orthotropic membrane and rotation-free shell elements is developed based on the principal fiber orientation of the material. A direct consequence of the fiber orientation strategy is the possibility to analyze initially out-ofplane prestressed membrane and shell structures. Additionally, since conventional membrane theory allows compression stresses, a wrinkling algorithm based on modifying the constitutive equation is presented. The structure is modeled with finite elements emerging from the governing equations of elastodynamics.
The fluid portion of this work is governed by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, which are modeled by stabilized equal-order interpolation finite elements.
Since the monolithic solution for these equations has the disadvantage that take great computer effort to solve large algebraic system of equations, the fractional step methodology is used to take advantage of the computational efficiency given by the uncoupling of the pressure from the velocity field. In addition, the generalized-α time integration scheme for fluids is adapted to be used with the fractional step technique.
The fluid-structure interaction problem is formulated as a three-field system: the structure, the fluid and the moving fluid mesh solver. Motion of the fluid domain is accounted for with the arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation with two different mesh update strategies. The coupling between the fluid and the structure is performed with the strong coupling block Gauss-Seidel partitioned technique.
Since the fluid-structure interaction problem is highly nonlinear, a relaxation technique based on Aitken's method is implemented in the strong coupling formulation to accelerate the convergence.
Finally several example problems are presented in each field to verify the robustness and efficiency of the overall algorithm, many of them validated with reference solutions.

Le dimensionnement des ouvrages en Génie Civil nécessite souvent la prise en compte des conditions de contact et d'interface sols-structures. Les recherches en cours visent à améliorer les méthodes de calcul des ouvrages par une meilleure connaissance du comportement des matériaux et des interfaces. Le présent travail constitue une contribution dans ce sens. Il comporte deux parties. Dans la première partie, un module de calcul «PECJOIN» a été mis au point et intégré dans le code «PECPLAS». Le module développé permet la prise en compte des conditions de contact et d'interface entre solides. Plusieurs modèles d'interface (Goodman, Ghaboussi, Katona, Ressorts, Mohr-Coulomb non associé et les nouveaux modèles) ont été implantés. Les tests effectués avec le code montrent, d'une part, l'importance qu'il faut accorder au comportement de l'interface et, d'autre part, l'importance du choix du modèle en fonction du type d'interface (lisse ou rugueuse). Ces résultats mettent en évidence la nécessité de développer des modèles capables de reproduire des phénomènes importantes (dilatance par exemple) dans le comportement des interfaces. Dans la deuxième partie, un modèle de comportement est mis au point et validé. Ce modèle comporte les principaux concepts utilisés dans la modélisation des sols (écrouissage isotrope, état caractéristique, état critique, radoucissement). L'introduction du concept de l'écrouissage cinématique à mémoire discrète, a permis de généraliser le modèle aux chargements cycliques. Les versions monotone et cyclique du modèle sont validées sur des essais de cisaillement sols-structures. Ensuite, une étude de la sensibilité du modèle par rapport à ses paramètres a été effectuée. Enfin, le modèle a été intégré dans le code PECPLAS. Un test du modèle sur le problème de la boîte de cisaillement a permis de vérifier son bon fonctionnement. Par ailleurs, le modèle a été validé sur des essais de pieu réalisés en cuve

Since its isolation in 2004, that resulted in the Nobel Prize award in 2010, graphene has been the object of an intense interest, due to its novel physics and possible applications in electronic devices. Graphene has many properties that differ it from usual semiconductors, for example its low-energy electrons behave like massless particles. To exploit the full potential of this material, one first needs to investigate its fundamental properties that depend on shape, number of layers, defects and interaction. The goal of this thesis is to perform such an investigation. In paper I, we study electronic transport in monolayer and bilayer graphene nanoribbons with single and many short-range defects, focusing on the role of the edge termination (zigzag vs armchair). Within the discrete tight-binding model, we perform an-alytical analysis of the scattering on a single defect and combine it with the numerical calculations based on the Recursive Green's Function technique for many defects. We find that conductivity of zigzag nanoribbons is practically insensitive to defects situated close to the edges. In contrast, armchair nanoribbons are strongly affected by such defects, even in small concentration. When the concentration of the defects increases, the difference between different edge terminations disappears. This behaviour is related to the effective boundary condition at the edges, which respectively does not and does couple valleys for zigzag and armchair ribbons. We also study the Fano resonances. In the second paper we consider electron-electron interaction in graphene quantum dots defined by external electrostatic potential and a high magnetic field. The interaction is introduced on the semi-classical level within the Thomas Fermi approximation and results in compressible strips, visible in the potential profile. We numerically solve the Dirac equation for our quantum dot and demonstrate that compressible strips lead to the appearance of plateaus in the electron energies as a function of the magnetic field. This analysis is complemented by the last paper (VI) covering a general error estimation of eigenvalues for unbounded linear operators, which can be used for the energy spectrum of the quantum dot considered in paper II. We show that an error estimate for the approximate eigenvalues can be obtained by evaluating the residual for an approximate eigenpair. The interpolation scheme is selected in such a way that the residual can be evaluated analytically. In the papers III, IV and V, we focus on the scattering on ultra-low long-range potentials in graphene nanoribbons. Within the continuous Dirac model, we perform analytical analysis and show that, considering scattering of not only the propagating modes but also a few extended modes, we can predict the appearance of the trapped mode with an energy eigenvalue close to one of the thresholds in the continuous spectrum. We prove that trapped modes do not appear outside the threshold, provided the potential is sufficiently small. The approach to the problem is different for zigzag vs armchair nanoribbons as the related systems are non-elliptic and elliptic respectively; however the resulting condition for the existence of the trapped mode is analogous in both cases.
Sedan isoleringen av grafen 2004, vilket belönades med Nobelpriset 2010, har intresset för grafen varit väldigt stort på grund av dess nya fysikaliska egenskaper med möjliga tillämpningar i elektronisk apparatur. Grafen har många egenskaper som skiljer sig från vanliga halvledare, exempelvis dess lågenergi-elektroner som beter sig som masslösa partiklar. För att kunna utnyttja dess fulla potential måste vi först undersöka vissa grundläggande egenskaper vilka beror på dess form, antal lager, defekter och interaktion. Målet med denna avhandling är att genomföra sådana undersökningar. I den första artikeln studerar vi elektrontransporter i monolager- och multilagergrafennanoband med en eller flera kortdistansdefekter, och fokuserar på inverkan av randstrukturen (zigzag vs armchair), härefter kallade zigzag-nanomband respektive armchair-nanoband. Vi upptäcker att ledningsförmågan hos zigzag-nanoband är praktiskt taget okänslig för defekter som ligger nära kanten, i skarp kontrast till armchairnanoband som påverkas starkt av sådana defekter även i små koncentrationer. När defektkoncentrationen ökar så försvinner skillnaden mellan de två randstrukturerna. Vi studerar också Fanoresonanser. I den andra artikeln betraktar vi elektron-elektron interaktion i grafen-kvantprickar som definieras genom en extern elektrostatisk potential med ett starkt magnetfält. Interaktionen visar sig i kompressibla band (compressible strips) i potentialfunktionens profil. Vi visar att kompressibla band manifesteras i uppkomsten av platåer i elektronenergierna som en funktion av det magnetiska fältet. Denna analys kompletteras i den sista artikeln (VI), vilken presenterar en allmän feluppskattning för egenvärden till linjära operatorer, och kan användas för energispektrumav kvantprickar betraktade i artikel II. I artiklarna III, IV och V fokuserar vi på spridning på ultra-låg långdistanspotential i grafennanoband. Vi utför en teoretisk analys av spridningsproblemet och betraktar de framåtskridande vågor, och dessutom några utökade vågor. Vi visar att analysen låter oss förutsäga förekomsten av fångade tillstånd inom ett specifikt energiintervall förutsatt att potentialen är tillräckligt liten.

In this thesis light matter interactions in the weak coupling regime are investigated in Si-based photonic devices. At first, spectroscopic investigation of energy transfer among Er ions and Si-nanoparticles for optical amplification has been reported. Successively, light propagation in dielectric resonator and waveguides has been addressed, in particular considering photon Local Density of States modifications and the possible Purcell enhancement effect.

The fluid-structure interactions of wall-mounted slender structures, such as cilia, filaments, flaps, and flags, play an important role in a broad range of physical processes: from the coherent waving motion of vegetation, to the passive flow control capability of hair-like surface coatings. While these systems are ubiquitous, their coupled nonlinear response exhibits a wide variety of behaviours that is yet to be fully understood, especially when multiple structures are considered. The purpose of this work is to investigate, via numerical simulation, the fluid-structure interactions of arrays of slender structures over a range of input conditions. A direct modelling approach, whereby the individual structures and their dynamics are fully resolved, is realised via a lattice Boltzmann-immersed boundary model, which is coupled to two different structural solvers: an Euler-Bernoulli beam model, and a finite element model. Results are presented for three selected test cases - which build in scale from a single flap in a periodic array, to a small finite array of flaps, and finally to a large finite array - and the key behaviour modes are characterised and quantified. Results show a broad range of behaviours, which depend on the flow conditions and structural properties. In particular, the emergence of coherent waving motions are shown to be closely related to the natural frequency of the array. Furthermore, this behaviour is associated with a lock-in between the natural frequency of the array and the predicted frequency of the fluid instabilities. The original contributions of this work are: the development and application of a numerical tool for direct modelling of large arrays of slender structures; the characterisation of the behaviour of slender structures over a range of input conditions; and the exposition of key behaviour modes of slender structures and their relation to input conditions.

Seismic response of a structure is influenced by the inertial interaction between structure and deformable medium, on which the structure rests, due to flexibility and energy dissipation capability of the surrounding soil. The inertial interaction analyses can be performed by utilizing simplified soil-structure interaction (SSI) analyses methods. In literature, it is noted that varying soil conditions and foundation types can be modeled by using these SSI approaches with springdashpot couples having certain stiffness and damping. In this study, the seismic response of superstructure obtained by using simplified SSI methods is compared with those of the fixed base systems. For this purpose, single and multi degree of freedom structural systems are modeled with both spring&ndash
dashpot couple and fixed base models. Each system is analyzed for varying structural and soil stiffness conditions under the excitation of three different seismic records. Next, the total base shear acting on the structural system and internal forces of load bearing members are investigated to observe the inertial interaction and foundation uplift effects on the superstructure. It is also aimed to examine the compatibility of the simplified SSI approaches utilized in the analyses. It is concluded that the structural and soil stiffness parameters are the most influential parameters that affect seismic structural response. Structures becomemore sensitive to varying soil properties as the structural stiffness increases. On the other hand, decreasing soil stiffness also increases the sensitivity of the structure to the seismic excitation. Calculated values of total base shear and internal member forces revealed that the inertial interaction might be detrimental for the superstructure. Contrary to general belief, the fixed base approach does not always yield to the results, which are on the safe side. Considering the analysis results, it is concluded that SSI analysis is very useful for more precise and economical design for the seismic behavior.

PONTIFÍCIA UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DO RIO DE JANEIRO
Compressores de gás de grande porte são componentes fundamentais em plantas industriais de refino de petróleo, atuando principalmente como agentes fornecedores de energia mecânica aos processos químicos. Dentre os tipos de compressores, destacam-se os alternativos. Devido a exigências de processo químico e arranjo industrial, é comum a instalação desses equipamentos em estruturas aporticadas, fato que, associado às características do movimento de suas partes mecânicas, não raramente as cargas dinâmicas geradas provocam vibrações inadmissíveis. Neste trabalho é avaliado o comportamento dinâmico de um sistema formado por uma estrutura aporticada, por compressor alternativo, pela fundação em estacas e finalmente pelo próprio solo. O estudo paramétrico realizado se desenvolve a partir de uma análise de modelos simplificados massa-mola, de um modelo em elementos finitos e de medições de campo visando a estabelecer intervalos de valores dos parâmetros do solo local dentro dos quais se identifique as características da resposta dinâmica do sistema. São avaliados os parâmetros coeficiente de mola (km) e a constante do coeficiente de reação horizontal (nh) do solo natural típico da área abrangida pela refinaria REPAR, localizada no município de Araucária, no estado do Paraná, solo esse pertencente à formação geológica denominada Guabirotuba. A avaliação do comportamento dinâmico do sistema através dos modelos desenvolvidos é balizada por valores de medição na estrutura real de velocidades de vibração efetivas, obtidas por instrumentação. Os parâmetros do solo são obtidos por retroanálise de resultados de ensaio de campo, utilizando-se dois modelos amplamente utilizados nos escritórios de projeto: modelo proposto por Miche (1932) e modelo proposto por Hetenyi (1946). O primeiro considera que os parâmetros do solo variam com a profundidade, e o segundo os considera constante com a profundidade. Busca-se avaliar também a influência de parâmetros do solo obtidos através de ensaios de carregamento estático (ABNT NBR 12131, 2006) e obtidos através de ensaios de carregamento estático cíclico, este último se propondo a simular o efeito dinâmico sobre o solo. Finalmente, compara-se os resultados fornecidos pelos modelos simplificados e pelo modelo em elementos finitos em termos das freqüências naturais de vibração.
Gas compressors are key components of industrial plants in oil refining, mainly acting as mechanical energy suppliers to chemical processes. Among the types of compressors, the reciprocating ones is highlighted. Due to mandatory demands of chemical process and industrial arrangement, it is common to install such equipment in framed structures. This condition and the typical movement of mechanical parts of the compressors generate dynamic loads which frequently causes unacceptable vibrations. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the dynamic behavior of a system consisting of a framed structure, a reciprocating compressor, foundation in piles and the soil itself. For this purpose, parametric study is developed from simplified spring-mass models, a finite element model and field measurements. The parametric study is aimed at establish ranges of local soil parameters within which the dynamic behavior of a system can be understood and measured. The parameters so-called spring stiffness (km) and the constant coefficient of horizontal reaction (nh) of natural soil which typically occurs in the area covered by the REPAR refinery, located in Araucaria, Paraná, are then evaluated. This type of natural soils belongs to the geological formation called Guabirotuba. The evaluation of the dynamic behavior of the system through the developed models is benchmarked by field measurements of effective velocity of vibration in the actual structure, obtained by instrumentation. The soil parameters are obtained by back analysis of tests results by using two models widely used in design offices: model proposed by Miche (1932) and model proposed by Hetenyi (1946). The first one takes in account the variation of the soil parameters with depth, and the second one considers soil parameters constant with depth. The aim is also to evaluate the influence of the soil parameters obtained by static and cyclic horizontal loading tests, the latter being proposed to simulate the dynamic effect on the soil. Finally, it is done comparisons of the results provided by simplified models and the finite element model in terms of natural frequencies of vibration.

Various problems on the optimal design of elastic structures subject to nonconservative fluid-dynamic forces are considered. The optimal design problem istypically posed as minimizing structural weight subject to constraints on structural stability. Traditionally, structural dimensions and orientations of fibercomposite materials are common design variables. It is demonstrated that the structural weight can be reduced further by including the design of a stabilizingcontrol system in the structural design optimization, giving an integrated optimization problem where both structural and control system parameters are used as design variables. The integrated approach may result in a design with significantly improved performance compared to traditional methods, both in terms of reduced structural weight and control system performance. Using optimization for design of mechanical systems with nonconservative external load tends to increase the likelihood of obtaining a design which is very sensitive to imperfections. As a result, the predicted performance of the optimal design may not be achieved in practice. The importance of this fundamental difficulty is emphasized throughout the thesis by comparing numerically obtained results to experiments. The first part of the thesis is concerned with the stability and optimal design of a beam subject to forces induced by fluid flow through attached pipes. A nozzle control system deflecting the fluid jet at the beam tip is used to improve the stability of the system. The simultaneous design of the control system and the beam shape minimizing structural mass is performed using numerical optimization. The inclusion of the control system in the optimization gives a considerable reduction of the beam weight but results in an optimal design which is very sensitive to imperfections. An optimal design with improved robustness is obtained by solving a modified optimization problem. The stability of a flexible wing structure with a controllable trailing edge flap is investigated. Due to uncertainties in the numerical stability analysis, the wing is predicted to become unstable at a significantly higher speed than what is observed in wind tunnel tests. Two different approaches to stabilize the wing in flutter is demonstrated. First, numerical optimization is used to design a controller which at each flow speed maximizes the damping of the flutter mode observed in the wind tunnel experiment. Second, an integrated approach is adopted, where a simultaneous mass balancing and control law design is performed. It is argued that a two-step procedure may be required to obtain a design with minimum weight and a control law that is well-defined for all operating conditions.
QC 20100421

With most of the world's untouched oil and gas resources offshore and the possibility that hurricanes are becoming more frequent and more intense, the risks associated with offshore oil and gas production are increasing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve current understanding of extreme ocean waves and their interaction with structures. This thesis is concerned with the modelling of extreme ocean waves and their diffraction by offshore structures, with the ultimate aim of proposing improved tools for guiding airgap design. The feasibility of using linear and second order diffraction solutions with a suitable incident wave field to predict extreme green water levels beneath multi-column structures is investigated. Such tools, when fully validated, could replace the need to carry out model tests during preliminary design. When contemplating airgap design it is crucially important that consideration is given to the largest waves in a sea state, the so-called freak or rogue waves. This thesis studies the nature of one specific freak wave for which field data is available, namely the Draupner New Year wave. Unique features of this wave are identified, distinguishing it from a typical large wave, and an estimate of the probability of occurrence of the wave is given. Furthermore, a design wave, called NewWave, is proposed as a good model for large ocean waves and is validated against field and experimental data. The diffraction of regular waves and NewWaves by a number of structural configurations is studied. In order to assess the validity of using diffraction solutions for the purposes of airgap design, comparisons are made with measured wave data from a programme of wave tank experiments. Wave data for a real platform configuration are examined to highlight the key issues complicating the validation of diffraction based design tools for real structures. The ability of diffraction theory to reproduce real wave measurements is discussed. The phenomenon of near-trapping is also investigated, allowing guidelines for airgap design to be established.

A selection of problems are presented which study the interaction of hydroelastic waves with fixed structures. A thin floating elastic plate model is considered which primarily represents a continuous floating ice sheet, but may also be applied to very large floating platforms. The incident hydroelastic waves are assumed to either propagate from long–distance towards the structures or be generated by a moving load. All aspects of the subsequent interaction are studied in detail. The elastic plate is clamped to the fixed vertical structures to model an ice sheet frozen to the structure boundary. Both linear and nonlinear formulations are admitted for a selection of two– and three–dimensional problems. For the linear problems, selection of appropriate integral transforms leads to explicit analytical solutions in terms of integral quadratures. For the nonlinear case, the numerical solution is found by application of Green’s second identity combined with a boundary element method. The resulting deflection fields are analysed as well as the strain in the ice sheet due to curvature from the hydroelastic waves. Particular attention is paid to the strain at the ice–structure boundary. The integral transforms also lead to concise expressions for the horizontal and vertical wave forces impacting on the structure. It is shown that these forces may reach a substantial magnitude and must be taken into account for the design of structures in ice–covered water. Several assumptions are utilised which allow the problems to be mathematically treatable while retaining accuracy. Realistic effects such as viscoelasticity and fluid stratification are studied. The solutions are investigated in detail under the variation of physical parameters of the fluid, the ice sheet and the incident/load–generated waves, based on realistic values from cold climate regions.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2005.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 87 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-78).

Metal oxides are both corrosion products and useful materials with a wide range of applications. Two of the most used metals today are iron and copper. In this thesis, surface structures and molecular interaction with surfaces of iron oxides and copper oxides are studied using spectroscopy and microscopy methods.   The surface structures of iron oxides grown on the low-index iron (Fe) surfaces (100) and (110) have been studied during the initial oxidation phase. The oxidation condition for both iron surfaces was 400 °C and 1×10−6 mbar of oxygen gas. For the Fe(100)-surface, a Fe3O4(100)-film is formed beyond the oxygen adsorbate structures. For the Fe(110)-surface, a FeO(111)-film is first formed. When the FeO(111)-film grows thicker, it transforms into a Fe3O4(111)-film.   The surface structures of Cu2O(100) was studied and the main finding is that the most common surface structure that previously in literature has been described to have a periodicity of (3√2×√2)R45° actually has a periodicity described by the matrix (3,0;1,1). Furthermore, the low-binding energy component in the photoelectron spectroscopy O 1s-spectrum is determined to origin from surface oxygen atoms.   Sulfur dioxide, a corrosive molecule that in the environment to large share comes from human activities such as burning of fossil fuels, was studied using photoelectron spectroscopy when interacting with surfaces of iron oxide thin films and bulk Cu2O-surfaces. On the iron oxide thin film surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions, sulfur dioxide adsorbs partly as SO4-species and partly dissociates and forms FeS2. On the Cu2O-surfaces under ultra-high vacuum conditions, the adsorption of sulfur dioxide is non-dissociative and forms SO3-species. When interacting with near-ambient pressures of water, it is observed in the photoelectron spectroscopy S 2p-region that the sulfur from SO3-species shifts to Cu2S.

QC 20161114

Doutoramento em Química
This dissertation describes the synthesis and characterization of different phthalocyanine (Pc) derivatives, as well as some porphyrins (Pors), for supramolecular interaction with different carbon nanostructures, to evaluate their potential application in electronic nanodevices. Likewise, it is also reported the preparation and biological evaluation of interesting phthalocyanine conjugates for cancer photodynamic therapy (PDT) and microorganisms photodynamic inactivation (PDI). The phthalonitrile precursors were prepared from commercial phthalonitriles by nucleophilic substitution of -NO2, -Cl, or -F groups, present in the phthalonitrile core, by thiol or pyridyl units. After the synthesis of these phthalonitriles, the corresponding Pcs were prepared by ciclotetramerization using a metallic salt as template at high temperatures. A second strategy involved the postfunctionalization of hexadecafluorophthalocyaninato zinc(II) through the adequate substituents of mercaptopyridine or cyclodextrin units on the macrocycle periphery. The different compounds were structurally characterized by diverse spectroscopic techniques, namely 1H, 13C and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies (attending the elemental composition of each structure); absorption and emission spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry. For the specific photophysical studies were also used electrochemical characterization, femtosecond and raman spectroscopy, transmission electron and atomic force microscopy. It was highlighted the noncovalent derivatisation of carbon nanostructures, mainly single wall carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and graphene nanosheets with the prepared Pc conjugates to study the photophysical properties of these supramolecular nanoassemblies. Also, from pyridyl-Pors and ruthenium phthalocyanines (RuPcs) were performed Por-RuPcs arrays via coordination chemistry. The results obtained of the novel supramolecular assemblies showed interesting electron donor-acceptor interactions and might be considered attractive candidates for nanotechnological devices. On the other hand, the amphiphilic phthalocyanine-cyclodextrin (Pc-CD) conjugates were tested in biological trials to assess their ability to inhibit UMUC- 3 human bladder cancer cells. The results obtained demonstrated that these photoactive conjugates are highly phototoxic against human bladder cancer cells and could be applied as promising PDT drugs.
Esta dissertação descreve a síntese e caracterização de diferentes derivados de ftalocianina (Pc), assim como de algumas porfirinas (Pors), para interação supramolecular com diferentes nanoestruturas de carbono para potencial aplicação em nanodispositivos eletrónicos. Igualmente, é também reportado a preparação e avaliação biológica de interessantes conjugados de Pc para a terapia fotodinâmica (PDT) de cancro e para a fotoinativação de microrganismos (PDI). Neste trabalho científico são discutidas as propriedades gerais das Pcs e metodologias sintéticas usadas na sua preparação, bem como algumas das suas importantes aplicações. Os precursores ftalonitrilo foram preparados a partir de ftalonitrilos comerciais por substituições nucleofílicas de grupos -NO2, -Cl ou -F, presentes no núcleo ftalonitrilo, por unidades tiol ou piridilo. As correspondentes Pcs foram preparadas por ciclotetramerização dos ftalonitrilos, previamente sintetizados, na presença de um sal metálico a temperaturas elevadas. Uma segunda estratégia envolveu a pós-funcionalização na periferia do macrociclo da ftalocianina hexadecafluor de zinco(II) com unidades de mercaptopiridina ou ciclodextrina. Os diferentes compostos foram caracterizados estruturalmente por diversas técnicas espectroscópicas, nomeadamente espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear de 1H, 13C e 19F (atendendo à composição elementar de cada estrutura), espectroscopia de absorção e de emissão, e espectrometria de massa. Para estudos fotofísicos específicos foram também usadas a caracterização electroquímica, espectroscopia de femtossegundo e raman, microscopia de transmissão eletrónica e de força atómica. Foi realizado a derivatização não covalente de nanoestruturas de carbono, principalmente nanotubos de carbono de parede simples (SWNT) e nanofolhas de grafeno, com os conjugados de ftalocianina preparados, para dessa forma estudar as propriedades fotofísicas dessas nanoassembleias supramoleculares. Também, a partir de Pors-piridilo e ftalocianinas de ruténio (RuPcs) foram realizadas matrizes de Por-RuPcs via química de coordenação. Os resultados obtidos mostraram interessantes interações eletrónicas doador-aceitador e podem ser considerados candidatos atrativos para diversos dispositivos nanotecnológicos. Por outro lado, os conjugados anfifílicos de ftalocianina-ciclodextrina (Pc-CD) foram testados em ensaios biológicos para avaliar a sua capacidade de inibir células cancerígenas UM-UC-3 da bexiga humana. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que estes conjugados fotoativos são altamente fototóxicos contra este tipo de células, mostrando-se bastante promissores como agentes em PDT.

The subject of this research is interaction and language use in an institutional context, the teacher training classroom. Trainer talk is an interactional accomplishment and the research question is: what structures of talk-in-interaction characterise trainer talk in this institutional setting? While there has been research into other kinds of classroom and into other kinds of institutional talk, this study is the first on trainer discourse. The study takes a Conversation Analysis approach to studying institutional interaction and aims to identify the main structures of sequential organization that characterize teacher trainer talk as well as the tasks and identities that are accomplished in it. The research identifies three main interactional contexts in which trainer talk is done: expository, exploratory and experiential. It describes the main characteristics of each and how they relate to each other. Expository sequences are the predominant interactional contexts for trainer talk. But the research findings show that these contexts are flexible and open to the embedding of the other two contexts. All three contexts contribute to the main institutional goal of teaching teachers how to teach. Trainer identity is related to the different sequential contexts. Three main forms of identity in interaction are evidenced in the interactional contexts: the trainer as trainer, the trainer as teacher and the trainer as colleague. Each of them play an important role in teacher trainer pedagogy. The main features of trainer talk as a form of institutional talk are characterised by the following interactional properties: 1. Professional discourse is both the vehicle and object of instruction - the articulation of reflection on experience. 2. There is a reflexive relationship between pedagogy and interaction. 3. The professional discourse that is produced by trainees is not evaluated by trainers but, rather, reformulated to give it relevant precision in terms of accuracy and appropriacy.

Uncertainty involved in the safe and comfort design of the structures is a major concern of civil engineers. Traditionally, the uncertainty has been overcome by utilizing various and relatively large safety factors for loads and structural properties. As a result in conventional design of for example tall buildings, the designed structural elements have unnecessary dimensions that sometimes are more than double of the ones needed to resist normal loads. On the other hand the requirements for strength and safety and comfort can be conflicting. Consequently, an alternative approach for design of the structures may be of great interest in design of safe and comfort structures that also offers economical advantages. Recently, there has been growing interest among the researchers in the concept of structural control as an alternative or complementary approach to the existing approaches of structural design. A few buildings have been designed and built based on this concept. The concept is to utilize a device for applying a force (known as control force) to encounter the effects of disturbing forces like earthquake force. However, the concept still has not found its rightful place among the practical engineers and more research is needed on the subject. One of the main problems in structural control is to find a proper algorithm for determining the optimum control force that should be applied to the structure. The investigation reported in this thesis is concerned with the application of active control to civil engineering structures. From the literature on control theory. (Particularly literature on the control of civil engineering structures) problems faced in application of control theory were identified and classified into two categories: 1) problems common to control of all dynamical systems, and 2) problems which are specially important in control of civil engineering structures. It was concluded that while many control algorithms are suitable for control of dynamical systems, considering the special problems in controlling civil structures and considering the unique future of structural control, many otherwise useful control algorithms face practical problems in application to civil structures. Consequently a set of criteria were set for judging the suitability of the control algorithms for use in control of civil engineering structures. Various types of existing control algorithms were investigated and finally it was concluded that predictive optimal control algorithms possess good characteristics for purpose of control of civil engineering structures. Among predictive control algorithms, those that use ARMA stochastic models for predicting the ground acceleration are better fitted to the structural control environment because all the past measured excitation is used to estimate the trends of the excitation for making qualified guesses about its coming values. However, existing ARMA based predictive algorithms are devised specially for earthquake and require on-line measurement of the external disturbing load which is not possible for dynamic loads like wind or blast. So, the algorithms are not suitable for tall buildings that experience both earthquake and wind loads during their life. Consequently, it was decided to establish a new closed loop predictive optimal control based on ARMA models as the first phase of the study. In this phase it was initially established that ARMA models are capable of predicting response of a linear SDOF system to the earthquake excitation a few steps ahead. The results of the predictions encouraged a search for finding a new closed loop optimal predictive control algorithm for linear SDOF structures based on prediction of the response by ARMA models. The second part of phase I, was devoted to developing and testing the proposed algorithm The new developed algorithm is different from other ARMA based optimal controls since it uses ARMA models for prediction of the structure response while existing algorithms predict the input excitation. Modeling the structure response as an AR or ARMA stochastic process is an effective mean for prediction of the structure response while avoiding measurement of the input excitation. ARMA models used in the algorithm enables it to avoid or reduce the time delay effect by predicting the structure response a few steps ahead. Being a closed loop control, the algorithm is suitable for all structural control conditions and can be used in a single control mechanism for vibration control of tall buildings against wind, earthquake or other random dynamic loads. Consequently the standby time is less than that for existing ARMA based algorithms devised only for earthquakes. This makes the control mechanism more reliable. The proposed algorithm utilizes and combines two different mathematical models. First model is an ARMA model representing the environment and the structure as a single system subjected to the unknown random excitation and the second model is a linear SDOF system which represents the structure subjected to a known past history of the applied control force only. The principle of superposition is then used to combine the results of these two models to predict the total response of the structure as a function of the control force. By using the predicted responses, the minimization of the performance index with respect to the control force is carried out for finding the optimal control force. As phase II, the proposed predictive control algorithm was extended to structures that are more complicated than linear SDOF structures. Initially, the algorithm was extended to linear MDOF structures. Although, the development of the algorithm for MDOF structures was relatively straightforward, during testing of the algorithm, it was found that prediction of the response by ARMA models can not be done as was done for SDOF case. In the SDOF case each of the two components of the state vector (i.e. displacement and velocity) was treated separately as an ARMA stochastic process. However, applying the same approach to each component of the state vector of a MDOF structure did not yield satisfactory results in prediction of the response. Considering the whole state vector as a multi-variable ARMA stochastic vector process yielded the desired results in predicting the response a few steps ahead. In the second part of this phase, the algorithm was extended to non-linear MDOF structures. Since the algorithm had been developed based on the principle of superposition, it was not possible to directly extend the algorithm to non-linear systems. Instead, some generalized response was defined. Then credibility of the ARMA models in predicting the generalized response was verified. Based on this credibility, the algorithm was extended for non-linear MDOF structures. Also in phase II, the stability of a controlled MDOF structure was proved. Both internal and external stability of the system were described and verified. In phase III, some problems of special interest, i.e. soil-structure interaction and control time delay, were investigated and compensated for in the framework of the developed predictive optimal control. In first part of phase III soil-structure interaction was studied. The half-space solution of the SSI effect leads to a frequency dependent representation of the structure-footing system, which is not fit for control purpose. Consequently an equivalent frequency independent system was proposed and defined as a system whose frequency response is equal to the original structure -footing system in the mean squares sense. This equivalent frequency independent system then was used in the control algorithm. In the second part of this phase, an analytical approach was used to tackle the time delay phenomenon in the context of the predictive algorithm described in previous chapters. A generalized performance index was defined considering time delay. Minimization of the generalized performance index resulted into a modified version of the algorithm in which time delay is compensated explicitly. Unlike the time delay compensation technique used in the previous phases of this investigation, which restricts time delay to be an integer multiplier of the sampling period, the modified algorithm allows time delay to be any non-negative number. However, the two approaches produce the same results if time delay is an integer multiplier of the sampling period. For evaluating the proposed algorithm and comparing it with other algorithms, several numerical simulations were carried during the research by using MATLAB and its toolboxes. A few interesting results of these simulations are enumerated below: ARM A models are able to predict the response of both linear and non-linear structures to random inputs such as earthquakes. The proposed predictive optimal control based on ARMA models has produced better results in the context of reducing velocity, displacement, total energy and operational cost compared to classic optimal control. Proposed active control algorithm is very effective in increasing safety and comfort. Its performance is not affected much by errors in the estimation of system parameters (e.g. damping). The effect of soil-structure interaction on the response to control force is considerable. Ignoring SSI will cause a significant change in the magnitude of the frequency response and a shift in the frequencies of the maximum response (resonant frequencies). Compensating the time delay effect by the modified version of the proposed algorithm will improve the performance of the control system in achieving the control goal and reduction of the structural response.

Les quadruplexes de guanines (G4) sont des structures non canonique d’acides nucléiques à quatre brins formées à partir de séquences ADN ou ARN riches en guanines. Ces structures reposant sur la formation et l’empilement de quartets de guanines sont très polymorphes, leur formation pourrait être envisagé dans de nombreux domaines d’application, aussi bien pour les biotechnologies que les nanotechnologies. L’étude de G4 tétramoléculaires modifiés présentée dans ce manuscrit a participé à la compréhension du mécanisme d’association de ces complexes. En particulier, nous avons montré que l’insertion de 8-méthyle-2’-déoxyguanosine à l’extrémité 5’ de la séquence favorise l’association et la stabilité du G4. Par ailleurs, l’étude de l’ADN en série L (image de l’ADN naturel dans un miroir) a montré la formation d’un G4 tétramoléculaire avec les mêmes propriétés que son énantiomère, à l’exception de sa chiralité, qui est inversée. L’étude a révélé également une auto-exclusion de deux énantiomères (forme D et forme L) démontrant un assemblage contrôlé des brins parallèles. Ce travail de thèse a aussi permis d’introduire un système simple et stable de visualisation de G4 tétramoléculaire antiparallèle, appelé “ADN synaptique”, sur une nanostructure d’ADN origami. In vivo, ces structures pourraient être impliquées de façon transitoire dans de nombreux processus biologiques, en particulier au niveau des télomères. Nous avons réalisé, au cours de cette thèse, une étude comparative de la structure et de la stabilité des séquences télomériques connues de différents organismes. Cette étude a permis d’enrichir les données nécessaires au développement d’un algorithme prédisant la stabilité de G4. Enfin, nous avons développé une méthode facile et peu coûteuse de criblage (G4-FID) sur plaques 96 puits permettant d’identifier l’interaction de ligands avec différentes séquences biologiques pertinentes. La stabilisation du G4 dans certaines régions du génome via des ligands spécifiques pourrait limiter la prolifération de cellules tumorales et est donc intéressante pour les thérapies anticancéreuses
Guanine quadruplexes (G4) are non-canonical four-stranded nucleic acid structures formed by guanine-rich DNA and RNA sequences. Theses polymorphic structures are built from the stacking of several G-quartets and could be involved in many fields, in biotechnology as well as in nanotechnology. The study of modified tetramolecular G4 presented in this manuscript participated to the understanding of tetramolecular G4 formation. Especially, we showed that the insertion of 8-methyl-2’-deoxyguanosine at the 5’-end of the sequence accelerate G4 formation and increase its stability. Besides, we demonstrate here that short guanine rich L-DNA strands (mirror image of natural DNA) form a tetramolecular G4 with the same properties than their enantiomer, but with opposite chirality. The study revealed also self-exclusion between two enantiomers (D- and L- form), showing the controlled parallel self-assembly of different G-rich strands. This work introduced also a simple and stable system to observe tetramolecular antiparallel G4 formation, called “synaptic DNA”, into a DNA origami nanostructure. In vivo, such structures appear to be implicated in genome dynamics, and especially at telomeres. During this thesis, we dedicated a study to the comparison of G4 folding and stability of known telomeric sequences from different organisms. The present study allowed enriching the dataset necessary to build and refine algorithms predicting G4 stability. Last but not least, we developed a G4 ligand screening method onto 96-well plates allowing the comparison of different biological relevant sequences. The G4 stabilisation by specific ligands in some genome regions may prevent cancer cell proliferation, making it an attractive target for anticancer therapy

Research on topologically protected chiral magnetic structures such as magnetic domain walls (DWs) and skyrmions, have gained extensive interest because of their possible applications in magnetic data storage industries. The recently observed chiral DW structures in ultrathin ferromagnetic lms with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy has been attributed to the presence of a strong Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI). In this thesis, the DMI mediated by the conduction electrons in two dimensional magnetic systems such as magnetic thin lms or at the interfaces between two magnetic materials has been studied. I calculate the Ruderman-Kittel- Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) type indirect exchange coupling between two magnetic moments at nite temperature using the free electron band. At high temperature, the coupling strength decays with distance faster than the coupling at zero temperature but the period of oscillation remains same. However, the free electron band alone could not produce DMI. In the next step, I show addition of Rashba spin-orbit coupling (RSOC) with the spin-polarized conduction electron band produces the DMI between two magnetic ions. The essential feature of this DMI is: the coupling strength increases with the strength of RSOC, but decreases signi cantly with the Heisenberg exchange coupling. The DMI calculated with this model well explains the possibility of preferred Neel or Bloch DW structures with specifc chirality. In addition: I study switching of magnetization with ultrafast laser pulse by inverse Faraday e ect (IFE) where an optically induced non-equilibrium orbital momentum generates an e ective magnetic eld via spin-orbit coupling for magnetization switching. I calculate the magnitude of induced orbital moment for the generic itinerant band and show that magnitude is not large enough to make the switching by a single pulse, however, switching could be possible if multiple pulses are applied to the material.

Nano-structures, such as photonic crystal cavities and metallic antennas, allow one to focus and store optical energy into very small volumes, greatly increasing light-matter interactions. These structures produce resonances which are typically characterized by how well they confine energy both temporally (quality factor–Q) and spatially (mode volume–V). In order to observe non-linear effects, modified spontaneous emission (e.g. Purcell enhancement), or quantum effects (e.g. vacuum Rabi splitting), one needs to maximize the ratio of Q/V while also maximizing the coupling between the resonance and the active medium. In this dissertation I will discuss several projects related by the goal of controlling light-matter interactions using such nano-structures. In the first portion of this dissertation I will discuss the deterministic placement of self-assembled InAs quantum dots, which would allow one to precisely position an optically-active material, for maximum interaction, inside of a photonic crystal cavity. Additionally, I will discuss the use of atomic layer deposition to tune and improve both the resonance wavelength and quality factor of silicon based photonic crystal cavities. Moving from dielectric materials to metals allows one to achieve mode-volumes well below the diffraction limit. The quality factor of these resonators is severely limited by Ohmic loss in the metal; however, the small mode-volume still allows for greatly enhanced light-matter interaction. In the second portion of this dissertation I will investigate the coupling between an array of metallic resonators (antennas) and a nearby semiconductor quantum well. Using time-resolved pump-probe measurements I study the properties of the coupled system and compare the results to a model which allows one to quantitatively compare various antenna geometries.

A three-dimensional layer integrated morphodynamic model has been developed to predict the hydrodynamic, sediment transport and morphological processes in a regulated reservoir. The model was based on an existing sediment transport model, with improvements being made. A bed evolution module based on the mass balance equation has been developed to determine the bed level change due to sediment transport. The horizontal eddy viscosity coefficient was equated to the depth averaged eddy viscosity, based on the horizontal velocity distribution while the vertical eddy viscosity coefficient was evaluated using the layer integrated form of the - equations. This scheme enhances the accuracy of the computed velocity and suspended sediment concentration distributions. The highly accurate ULTIMATE QUICKEST scheme was used to represent the advective terms in solving the advective-diffusion equation for suspended sediment transport. An explicit finite difference scheme has been developed for the bed sediment mass balance equation to calculate bed level changes. The numerical model was verified against laboratory data obtained from experiments in a trench and a partially closed channel. A physical model was constructed to represent the flow, sediment transport and morphodynamic processes in Hamidieh regulated reservoir. The physical model was designed based on the Froude similarity law and was undistorted. The model sediment size was determined in such a manner that the same ratio of particle fall velocity to shear velocity is maintained for both the model and prototype reservoir. Stokes law was used in calculating the particle fall velocity. The physical model results confirmed that the normal water surface elevation in the reservoir should increase by up to 25 cm in order to reach the nominal flow discharge diverted to the intakes. The numerical model was then applied to the scaled physical model of the reservoir and the associated water intakes and sluice gates. Various scenarios were tested to investigate the effects of different situations of diverting flow and sediment transport regimes, as well as to establish how these operations affect the morphodynamic processes in the reservoir and the vicinity of hydraulic structures. The model predictions agreed with measured data generally well. The numerical model results revealed the possibility of forming sedimentary islands in the regulated reservoir and it is uneconomical to set up a dredging zone near the one of the intakes. In summary, the integrated numerical and physical modelling approach showed many benefits and could help to optimize time and budget for design hydraulic structures. Key words: morphodynamic numerical model, turbulent flow, regulated reservoir, three- dimensional flow, laboratory tests.

Responding to great concerns about the interaction between steep waves and structures in naval architecture and offshore engineering, a methodology and corresponding numerical algorithm for computing three-dimensional inviscid flow with a free surface are developed based on a fully nonlinear theory in this thesis. The associated boundary value problem is solved using a finite element method. In order to chose an efficient solver for algebraic equations, a direct method and an iterative method with two different preconditioners are compared to each other, which leads to the suggestion that the conjugate gradient method with an SSOR preconditioner is the most suitable for the problem of concern. Furthermore, the radiation condition at a truncated boundary is imposed with an associated damping coefficient optimised to reduce the reflection of waves. In addition, an analytical solution for transient standing waves in a circular tank is derived using second order theory, which provides a tool to validate the numerical method. The developed numerical method is first utilised in simulating the sloshing wave in a tank generated by initial disturbance on the free surface and by the translational motion of the tank. Numerical results are compared with analytical solutions in several cases, which show that the numerical method can be very accurate. The features of the steep sloshing waves are then examined. In the second application, the interaction between vertical cylinders and waves generated by a wave maker is investigated. The motion of the wavemaker can be specified accordingly, in order to generate monochromatic, bichromatic or irregular progressive waves. The forces on one and two cylinders are obtained and compared with published data. The steep waves and their effects on hydrodynamic loads are analysed. It is concluded that the developed methodology based on the finite element method is a good alternative to the existing techniques for the simulation of steep waves. Its accuracy, flexibility and efficiency demonstrated by various numerical examples appear to be quite favourable.

Seminar discussion is an important mode of instruction in Higher Education. However, the discourse of discussion in academic seminars has been little investigated. Until now, there has existed only a limited amount of empirically based language description which could be used to inform those working in the field of English for Academic Purposes. The present study investigates discussion in seminars on a MBA programme and offers frameworks to account for central aspects of the verbal interaction: exchange patterns; acts and moves initiating exchanges and strategies. Three subgenres of seminar discussion are examined: the discussion following the presentation by an outside speaker; the discussion following the presentation by students and non-presentation tutorial discussion. Exchanges are found to be basically two-part structures of initiation and response. Some extended patterns are brought to light and it is argued that the major impetus prolonging exchanges in discussion is a third-part move registering dissatisfaction with the initial responses given. Exchanges are observed to be driven by moves functioning as elicitations although acts at initiation both ask for information and ideas and propose them. Initiation may be complex and involves a mixture of the acts. Textual signalling and attitudinal strategies used in seminars are explicated. The latter are accounted for in terms of the face concerns of the speakers. The features are examined across the three subgenres. Some quantitative variations were observed. These variations are discussed in the light of situational variables such as levels of participant status and knowledge. Theoretical implications are drawn and applications for syllabus and methodology in English for Academic Purposes are suggested.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Maryland, College Park, 2007.
Thesis research directed by: Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

The study of wind induced loads on super-tall structures has been a widely researched topic within the field of Civil, Structural and Wind engineering communities. As these super-tall structures become more complex in terms of structural design, the need for wind tunnel tests such as aeroelastic modelling becomes a requirement. However, aeroelastic wind tunnel tests are often overlooked at the conception of a project due to the complexity associated with the test procedure. As a result, an alternate method in terms of numerical simulations is highly sought for industrial applications. To this end, this thesis presents a numerical framework to estimate structural responses of wind sensitive slender super-tall structures. The framework consists of a Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) approach where Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to predict wind induced loads on the structure and a transient Structural analysis is performed to estimate structural responses. The numerical framework which is presented in this thesis is complimented with three experimental tests performed in a Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel (BLWT) for validation purposes. The CFD numerical technique proposes the use of an Embedded-Large Eddy Simulation (ELES) and it is shown that the method can achieve similar accuracy at a fraction of the cost that is required for a Large Eddy Simulation (LES) analysis. The core of the framework proposes a novel, and highly efficient pressure mapping technique, where an uncoupled one-way FSI simulation is presented. The numerical framework is critically evaluated against existing numerical methods and an aeroelastic multi-degree of freedom (MDOF) wind tunnel test. It is shown that the proposed method is capable of predicting similar structural response in a time efficient manner. In conclusion, this thesis provides a comprehensive numerical framework which can be readily adopted by designers to determine structural responses of wind sensitive structures.

Suction caissons are a foundation system for offshore structures which offer a number of advantages over traditional piled foundations. In particular, due to the method of installation used, they are well suited for deep-water applications. The suction caisson consists of an open ended cylindrical shell, which is installed below the seabed in a sequence which consists of two loading phases. The caisson is first installed part way under self weight, with the installation being completed by lowering the pressure within the cylinder and thus allowing the ambient water pressure to force the caisson into the ground. This thesis examines a number of structural issues which result from the form of the caisson — essentially a thin walled cylinder — and the interaction of the caisson with the surrounding soil during installation. To do this, variational analysis and nonlinear finite element analysis are employed to examine the buckling and collapse behaviour of these cylinders. In particular, two issues are considered; the influence of the open end, and the interaction between the cylinder and soil on the buckling and collapse loads. First, the behaviour of open ended cylinders is considered, where the boundary condition at the open end is allowed to vary continuously from completely free to pinned, by the use of a variable lateral spring. This lateral spring restraint may be considered to represent the intermediate restraint provided by a ring stiffener which is not fully effective. The effect of various combinations of boundary conditions is accounted for by the use of a multiplier on the lower bound to the buckling load of a cylinder with classical supports. The variable spring at the open end may also be considered to be an initial, simple representation of the effect of soil restraint on the buckling load. More complex representations of the soil restraint are also considered. A nondimensional factor is proposed to account for the influence of this spring on the buckling load. One combination of boundary conditions, where the upper end of the caisson is pinned, and the lower end free (referred to as a PF boundary condition), is found to have buckling and collapse behaviour which is unusual for cylindrical shells. Buckling loads for such shells are much lower than would be found for cylinders with more typical boundary conditions, and of similar dimensions. More unusually however, PF cylinders are shown to have positive postbuckling strength. The behaviour is found to be a result of the large flexibility which results from the low restraint provided by the PF boundary conditions. This is shown by continuously decreasing the flexibility of the cylinder, by increasing the axial restraint at the pinned end. It is shown that this results in a large increase in buckling load, and a return to more usual levels of imperfection sensitivity. In particular, with an intermediate level of axial restraint, buckling loads and imperfection sensitivity are intermediate between those of PF shells with no, and with full, axial restraint. Overall however, collapse loads for PF cylinders with no additional restraint are well below those of cylinders with stiffer boundary conditions, for equal geometries. Eigenvalue buckling of cylinders fully and partially embedded in an elastic material are examined, and two analytical solutions are proposed. One of these is an extension of a method previously proposed by Seide (1962), for core filled cylinders, to pin ended cylinders which have support from both a core and a surrounding material. The second method represents the elastic support as a two parameter foundation. While more approximate than the first method, this method allows for the examination of a wider range of boundary conditions, and of partial embedment. It is found that the buckling load of the shell/soil system decreases as the embedment ratio decreases. Collapse of fully and partially embedded cylinders is also examined, using nonlinear finite element analysis. The influence of plasticity in the soil is also considered. For cylinders with small imperfections, it is found that the collapse load shows a large increase over that of the same cylinder with no soil support. However, as the size of initial geometric imperfections increases, it is found that the collapse load rapidly approaches that of the unsupported cylinder. In particular, in weak soils the gain in strength over the unsupported shell may be minimal. The exception to this is again PF cylinders. As these have relatively low collapse loads, even very weak soils are able to offer an increase in collapse load over the unsupported case. Finally, a summary of these results is provided in the form of guidance for design of such structures.

This work details the development of a computational tool that can accurately model strongly-coupled fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) problems, with a particular focus on thin-walled structures undergoing large, geometrically non-linear deformations, which has a major interest in, amongst others, the aerospace and biomedical industries. The first part of this work investigates improving the efficiency with which a stable and robust in-house code, Elemental, models thin structures undergoing dynamic fluid-induced bending deformations. Variations of the existing finite volume formulation as well as linear and higher-order finite element formulations are implemented. The governing equations for the solid domain are formulated in a total Lagrangian or undeformed conguration and large geometrically non-linear deformations are accounted for. The set of equations is solved via a single-step Jacobi iterative scheme which is implemented such as to ensure a matrix-free and robust solution. Second-order accurate temporal discretisation is achieved via dual-timestepping, with both consistent and lumped mass matrices and with a Jacobi pseudo-time iteration method employed for solution purposes. The matrix-free approach makes the scheme particularly well-suited for distributed memory parallel hardware architectures. Three key outcomes, not well documented in literature, are highlighted: the issue of shear locking or sensitivity to element aspect ratio, which is a common problem with the linear Q4 finite element formulation when subjected to bending, is evaluated on the finite volume formulations; a rigorous comparison of finite element vs. finite volume methods on geometrically non-linear structures is done; a higher-order finite volume solid mechanics procedure is developed and evaluated. The second part of this work is concerned with fluid-structure interaction (FSI) modelling. It considers the implementation and coupling of a higher order finite element structural solver with the existing finite volume fluid-flow solver in Elemental. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first instance in which a strongly-coupled hybrid finite element–finite volume FSI formulation is developed. The coupling between the fluid and structural components with non-matching nodes is rigorously assessed. A new partitioned fluid-solid interface coupling methodology is also developed, which ensures stable partitioned solution for strongly-coupled problems without any additional computational overhead. The solver is parallelised for distributed memory parallel hardware architectures. The developed technology is successfully validated through rigorous temporal and mesh independent studies of representative two-dimensional strongly-coupled large-displacement FSI test problems for which analytical or benchmark solutions exist.
Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering
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