Characterisation & optimisation of computational functional blocks for ATM switches GaAs MESFET technology

Thesis (MESc) -- University of Adelaide, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 199

Airborne Network Optimization with Dynamic Network Update

Modern networks employ congestion and routing management algorithms that can perform routing when network routes become congested. However, these algorithms may not be suitable for modern military Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs), more specifically, airborne networks, where topologies are highly dynamic and strict Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are required for mission success. These highly dynamic networks require higher level network controllers that can adapt quickly to network changes with limited interruptions and require small amounts of network bandwidth to perform routing. This thesis advocates the use of Kalman filters to predict network congestion in airborne networks. Intelligent agents can make use of Kalman filter predictions to make informed decisions to manage communication in airborne networks. The network controller designed and implement in this thesis will take in the current and predicted queue size values to make intelligent network optimization decisions. These decisions will enhance the overall network throughput by reducing the number of dropped packets when compared with current static network and MANET protocols

Pressure transients in water distribution networks: understanding their contribution to pipe repairs

Drinking water infrastructure functions to provide a service to meet customer demands and health requirements. Pipe repairs are one of the biggest challenges of ageing water infrastructure in the UK and world wide. Pressure transients resulting from sudden interruptions of the movement of the water can be caused by routine value operations. In a single pipeline one extreme event can burst a pipe. However the occurrences and impact of pressure transients in operational water distribution systems were not currently fully understood. This research developed new insights and understanding of pressure transient occurrences and their contribution to observed pipe repair rates. A large scale field monitoring program, including deploying and managing high-speed (100 Hz) instrumentation for 11 months, was designed and implemented to cover 67 district metered areas (DMA) subdivided into 79 pressure zones. In total 144 locations were monitored. The data was analysed using a novel method, termed transient fingerprint. This allowed the identification of discrete pressure transients and their three fundamental components (magnitude, duration and numbers of occurrences) leading to a quantitative interpretation of pressure transients. Evolutionary polynomial regression modelling was used to assess the impact of directly measured pressure transient data in context with static pressure, age, diameter and soil variables on 64 cast iron pipes. The analysis suggested that high magnitude, short duration repeatedly occurring pressure transients can have an adverse effect on the pipes. The extrapolation of pressure transient analysis into 7978 cast iron pipes showed inconclusive results suggesting that more accurate pressure transient data is required for each pipe in the network. Additional analysis carried out on 25 asbestos cement pipes, with actual measurements of pressure transients for each pipe, confirmed an adverse effect of pressure transient on water network observed in cast iron pipes. This research has provided an understanding of the occurrence of pressure transients that has implications on pipe management strategies. Mitigation techniques to locate pressure transient sources based on the project outcomes could be utilised to better manage distribution systems and ultimately reduce future pipe replacements and associated costs

DEPUSH HexCrawler Improvement Project

DEPUSH Technologies purchased the rights to an older six-legged walking robot design and sought help from WPI and HUST students to improve its functionality to better meet the needs of the secondary education market in mainland China. To accomplish this goal, both the mechanical walking system and control system were improved. The mechanical structure was redesigned for three degree of freedom legs and a more robust chassis, while an entirely new control system was utilized to implement full inverse body and walking kinematics. The result was a cutting-edge hexapod, the HexCrawler 2.0, a versatile platform with potential applications in a variety of robotics-related projects and solid foundation for future research on high-level control

DEPUSH HexCrawler: Mechanical and Control System Improvement

The DEPUSH HexCrawler robot has a dated control system and walking mechanism making it unstable and clumsy. DEPUSH asked our team to update the HexCrawler in conjunction with HUST students from Wuhan, China. The team redesigned the robot\u27s chassis and legs to increase mobility and stability, and implemented a powerful control system capable of precisely manipulating the robot\u27s limbs. The resulting product is a 6 Degree-of-Freedom hexapod and accompanying computer interface with applications in a variety of robotics research areas