This thesis reports on research conducted to determine
the information which should be included in a mechanical
design history. This is part of a larger research effort
aimed at developing a computer tool for storing and
replaying mechanical design history information. Three
question-asking protocols were conducted to determine what
information...
This thesis presents a method for determining the
kinematic geometry of arthropod legs. A kinematic
description makes possible the analysis of arthropod leg
motion, as a prelude to investigating how various arthropod
species are able to negotiate diverse terrains. Such
knowledge will aid in design of legged vehicles.
The focus...
Liquid cooled, laminar microchannel heat sinks were
earlier proposed by Tuckerman for cooling high heat
generating integrated circuits and high power microwave
generation systems using photoconductive switches. A
method of computationally analyzing the heat sinks is
presented which produces the desired temperature and
velocity distributions within the heat sinks. The...
A representation for the process of mechanical design,
along with its computer implementation is presented and
discussed. The representation consists of three
fundamental concepts: design objects, constraints, and
decisions. The design objects are the structures with
which the physical artifacts of the design are described.
A design object consists of...
This experiment is concerned with sampling submicrometer
particles in near sonic and supersonic flows.
The study employed a high volume condensation aerosol
generator to produce stearic acid particles having a
geometric mean diameter of 0.8 μm and a geometric
standard deviation of 1.28. The aerosol was diluted
with dry air...
A system which allows the computer to capture sketches
made by a mechanical designer is described. The system not
only recognizes basic features as they are sketched, but it
also reasons the spatial relationships between features and
builds a high level abstract representation (feature model)
of the artifact. The temporal...
Cogeneration is the simultaneous generation and use of
both electricity (or mechanical power) and thermal energy
from a single fuel source. It is a technology that has been
used for years by industries, commercial institutions, and
municipalities that need both heat and electrical power. An
analytical approach has been developed...
This thesis presents a model of legged locomotion in
which position and velocity of body are directly controlled
by positions and velocities of feet. One central
relationship between foot acceleration, leg stroke and body
velocity is developed. Procedures for determining all
parameters of a step sequence including periods of constant...
This thesis presents the results of an experimental
and analytical study of single-port buoyant turbulent jets
discharged into shallow water. The experimental results
include the measured downstream dilution, centerline
concentration and trajectory. Independent parameters
considered were Froude number, submerged depth, discharge
angle and velocity ratio.
Results indicate that decreasing the...
Freezing is one of the important technologies for preservation of foods.
In this project, using surimi as a food model, thermophysical properties of frozen
foods were evaluated and the freezing process was simulated using a finite
element package.
To measure temperature-dependent thermal conductivity, a line-source
probe system was used. Effects...
Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) is a new
method of producing advanced ceramic materials and offers an
attractive alternative to conventional methods of materials
processing.
An experimental investigation was carried out to determine
the SHS reaction wave propagation speed in a vertical cylindrical
compact made from a mixture of titanium and...
This thesis presents a method for determining range
of body motion for a walking machine with feet fixed on
the ground. The darkling beetle was selected as the
sample subject in this study.
A closed form inverse kinematic solution is used to
determine if a point in space is within...
Mechanical properties of Nb-Ti composite superconducting wires were tested at
room temperature. The results were analysed using simple composite theory, the rule
of mixtures. The objective is to predict the mechanical properties of Nb-Ti
superconducting composite wires as a function of volume ratio and geometry of the
components, the composite...
Development of variable speed horizontal axis wind turbines has resulted in a need for an analysis code with a rotor speed degree-of-freedom. This study develops a five degree-of-freedom time domain computer code that evaluates blade and rotor, mean and cyclic loads with nonlinear aerodynamics together with atmospheric turbulence as a...
Investment casting has been an important form of metal casting
for many years, but little is understood about the fluid flows that
occur during mold filling. A key to quality castings is the
understanding and control of the fluid flows that are present when the
mold is filled with molten...
This study presents the results of an experimental investigation
of wood combustion. Variables chosen for investigation
were fuel feed rate, fuel moisture content,
fuel particle size, excess air, fraction and temperature of
under-fire air. Data recorded during the experiments included
the composition and temperature of the combustion
products in the...
The objective of this investigation is the development
of improved techniques for the estimation of robustness for
dynamic systems with structured uncertainties, a problem
which was approached by application of the Lyapunov direct
method. This thesis considers the sign properties of the
Lyapunov function derivative integrated along finite intervals
of...