14,208 research outputs found

    Meso-scale FDM material layout design strategies under manufacturability constraints and fracture conditions

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    In the manufacturability-driven design (MDD) perspective, manufacturability of the product or system is the most important of the design requirements. In addition to being able to ensure that complex designs (e.g., topology optimization) are manufacturable with a given process or process family, MDD also helps mechanical designers to take advantage of unique process-material effects generated during manufacturing. One of the most recognizable examples of this comes from the scanning-type family of additive manufacturing (AM) processes; the most notable and familiar member of this family is the fused deposition modeling (FDM) or fused filament fabrication (FFF) process. This process works by selectively depositing uniform, approximately isotropic beads or elements of molten thermoplastic material (typically structural engineering plastics) in a series of pre-specified traces to build each layer of the part. There are many interesting 2-D and 3-D mechanical design problems that can be explored by designing the layout of these elements. The resulting structured, hierarchical material (which is both manufacturable and customized layer-by-layer within the limits of the process and material) can be defined as a manufacturing process-driven structured material (MPDSM). This dissertation explores several practical methods for designing these element layouts for 2-D and 3-D meso-scale mechanical problems, focusing ultimately on design-for-fracture. Three different fracture conditions are explored: (1) cases where a crack must be prevented or stopped, (2) cases where the crack must be encouraged or accelerated, and (3) cases where cracks must grow in a simple pre-determined pattern. Several new design tools, including a mapping method for the FDM manufacturability constraints, three major literature reviews, the collection, organization, and analysis of several large (qualitative and quantitative) multi-scale datasets on the fracture behavior of FDM-processed materials, some new experimental equipment, and the refinement of a fast and simple g-code generator based on commercially-available software, were developed and refined to support the design of MPDSMs under fracture conditions. The refined design method and rules were experimentally validated using a series of case studies (involving both design and physical testing of the designs) at the end of the dissertation. Finally, a simple design guide for practicing engineers who are not experts in advanced solid mechanics nor process-tailored materials was developed from the results of this project.U of I OnlyAuthor's request

    Quantum Mechanics Lecture Notes. Selected Chapters

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    These are extended lecture notes of the quantum mechanics course which I am teaching in the Weizmann Institute of Science graduate physics program. They cover the topics listed below. The first four chapter are posted here. Their content is detailed on the next page. The other chapters are planned to be added in the coming months. 1. Motion in External Electromagnetic Field. Gauge Fields in Quantum Mechanics. 2. Quantum Mechanics of Electromagnetic Field 3. Photon-Matter Interactions 4. Quantization of the Schr\"odinger Field (The Second Quantization) 5. Open Systems. Density Matrix 6. Adiabatic Theory. The Berry Phase. The Born-Oppenheimer Approximation 7. Mean Field Approaches for Many Body Systems -- Fermions and Boson

    Isotopic piecewise affine approximation of algebraic or C1C^1 varieties

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    We propose a novel sufficient condition establishing that a piecewise affine variety has the same topology as a variety of the sphere Sn\mathbb{S}^n defined by positively homogeneous C1C^1 functions. This covers the case of C1C^1 varieties in the projective space Pn\mathbb{P}^n. We prove that this condition is sufficient in the case of codimension one and arbitrary dimension. We describe an implementation working for homogeneous polynomials in arbitrary dimension and codimension and give experimental evidences that our condition might still be sufficient in codimension greater than one

    On real and observable realizations of input-output equations

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    Given a single algebraic input-output equation, we present a method for finding different representations of the associated system in the form of rational realizations; these are dynamical systems with rational right-hand sides. It has been shown that in the case where the input-output equation is of order one, rational realizations can be computed, if they exist. In this work, we focus first on the existence and actual computation of the so-called observable rational realizations, and secondly on rational realizations with real coefficients. The study of observable realizations allows to find every rational realization of a given first order input-output equation, and the necessary field extensions in this process. We show that for first order input-output equations the existence of a rational realization is equivalent to the existence of an observable rational realization. Moreover, we give a criterion to decide the existence of real rational realizations. The computation of observable and real realizations of first order input-output equations is fully algorithmic. We also present partial results for the case of higher order input-output equations

    A Decision Support System for Economic Viability and Environmental Impact Assessment of Vertical Farms

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    Vertical farming (VF) is the practice of growing crops or animals using the vertical dimension via multi-tier racks or vertically inclined surfaces. In this thesis, I focus on the emerging industry of plant-specific VF. Vertical plant farming (VPF) is a promising and relatively novel practice that can be conducted in buildings with environmental control and artificial lighting. However, the nascent sector has experienced challenges in economic viability, standardisation, and environmental sustainability. Practitioners and academics call for a comprehensive financial analysis of VPF, but efforts are stifled by a lack of valid and available data. A review of economic estimation and horticultural software identifies a need for a decision support system (DSS) that facilitates risk-empowered business planning for vertical farmers. This thesis proposes an open-source DSS framework to evaluate business sustainability through financial risk and environmental impact assessments. Data from the literature, alongside lessons learned from industry practitioners, would be centralised in the proposed DSS using imprecise data techniques. These techniques have been applied in engineering but are seldom used in financial forecasting. This could benefit complex sectors which only have scarce data to predict business viability. To begin the execution of the DSS framework, VPF practitioners were interviewed using a mixed-methods approach. Learnings from over 19 shuttered and operational VPF projects provide insights into the barriers inhibiting scalability and identifying risks to form a risk taxonomy. Labour was the most commonly reported top challenge. Therefore, research was conducted to explore lean principles to improve productivity. A probabilistic model representing a spectrum of variables and their associated uncertainty was built according to the DSS framework to evaluate the financial risk for VF projects. This enabled flexible computation without precise production or financial data to improve economic estimation accuracy. The model assessed two VPF cases (one in the UK and another in Japan), demonstrating the first risk and uncertainty quantification of VPF business models in the literature. The results highlighted measures to improve economic viability and the viability of the UK and Japan case. The environmental impact assessment model was developed, allowing VPF operators to evaluate their carbon footprint compared to traditional agriculture using life-cycle assessment. I explore strategies for net-zero carbon production through sensitivity analysis. Renewable energies, especially solar, geothermal, and tidal power, show promise for reducing the carbon emissions of indoor VPF. Results show that renewably-powered VPF can reduce carbon emissions compared to field-based agriculture when considering the land-use change. The drivers for DSS adoption have been researched, showing a pathway of compliance and design thinking to overcome the ‘problem of implementation’ and enable commercialisation. Further work is suggested to standardise VF equipment, collect benchmarking data, and characterise risks. This work will reduce risk and uncertainty and accelerate the sector’s emergence

    Gasificação direta de biomassa para produção de gás combustível

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    The excessive consumption of fossil fuels to satisfy the world necessities of energy and commodities led to the emission of large amounts of greenhouse gases in the last decades, contributing significantly to the greatest environmental threat of the 21st century: Climate Change. The answer to this man-made disaster is not simple and can only be made if distinct stakeholders and governments are brought to cooperate and work together. This is mandatory if we want to change our economy to one more sustainable and based in renewable materials, and whose energy is provided by the eternal nature energies (e.g., wind, solar). In this regard, biomass can have a main role as an adjustable and renewable feedstock that allows the replacement of fossil fuels in various applications, and the conversion by gasification allows the necessary flexibility for that purpose. In fact, fossil fuels are just biomass that underwent extreme pressures and heat for millions of years. Furthermore, biomass is a resource that, if not used or managed, increases wildfire risks. Consequently, we also have the obligation of valorizing and using this resource. In this work, it was obtained new scientific knowledge to support the development of direct (air) gasification of biomass in bubbling fluidized bed reactors to obtain a fuel gas with suitable properties to replace natural gas in industrial gas burners. This is the first step for the integration and development of gasification-based biorefineries, which will produce a diverse number of value-added products from biomass and compete with current petrochemical refineries in the future. In this regard, solutions for the improvement of the raw producer gas quality and process efficiency parameters were defined and analyzed. First, addition of superheated steam as primary measure allowed the increase of H2 concentration and H2/CO molar ratio in the producer gas without compromising the stability of the process. However, the measure mainly showed potential for the direct (air) gasification of high-density biomass (e.g., pellets), due to the necessity of having char accumulation in the reactor bottom bed for char-steam reforming reactions. Secondly, addition of refused derived fuel to the biomass feedstock led to enhanced gasification products, revealing itself as a highly promising strategy in terms of economic viability and environmental benefits of future gasification-based biorefineries, due to the high availability and low costs of wastes. Nevertheless, integrated techno economic and life cycle analyses must be performed to fully characterize the process. Thirdly, application of low-cost catalyst as primary measure revealed potential by allowing the improvement of the producer gas quality (e.g., H2 and CO concentration, lower heating value) and process efficiency parameters with distinct solid materials; particularly, the application of concrete, synthetic fayalite and wood pellets chars, showed promising results. Finally, the economic viability of the integration of direct (air) biomass gasification processes in the pulp and paper industry was also shown, despite still lacking interest to potential investors. In this context, the role of government policies and appropriate economic instruments are of major relevance to increase the implementation of these projects.O consumo excessivo de combustíveis fósseis para garantir as necessidades e interesses da sociedade conduziu à emissão de elevadas quantidades de gases com efeito de estufa nas últimas décadas, contribuindo significativamente para a maior ameaça ambiental do século XXI: Alterações Climáticas. A solução para este desastre de origem humana é de caráter complexo e só pode ser atingida através da cooperação de todos os governos e partes interessadas. Para isto, é obrigatória a criação de uma bioeconomia como base de um futuro mais sustentável, cujas necessidades energéticas e materiais sejam garantidas pelas eternas energias da natureza (e.g., vento, sol). Neste sentido, a biomassa pode ter um papel principal como uma matéria prima ajustável e renovável que permite a substituição de combustíveis fósseis num variado número de aplicações, e a sua conversão através da gasificação pode ser a chave para este propósito. Afinal, na prática, os combustíveis fósseis são apenas biomassa sujeita a elevada temperatura e pressão durante milhões de anos. Além do mais, a gestão eficaz da biomassa é fundamental para a redução dos riscos de incêndio florestal e, como tal, temos o dever de utilizar e valorizar este recurso. Neste trabalho, foi obtido novo conhecimento científico para suporte do desenvolvimento das tecnologias de gasificação direta (ar) de biomassa em leitos fluidizados borbulhantes para produção de gás combustível, com o objetivo da substituição de gás natural em queimadores industriais. Este é o primeiro passo para o desenvolvimento de biorrefinarias de gasificação, uma potencial futura indústria que irá providenciar um variado número de produtos de valor acrescentado através da biomassa e competir com a atual indústria petroquímica. Neste sentido, foram analisadas várias medidas para a melhoria da qualidade do gás produto bruto e dos parâmetros de eficiência do processo. Em primeiro, a adição de vapor sobreaquecido como medida primária permitiu o aumento da concentração de H2 e da razão molar H2/CO no gás produto sem comprometer a estabilidade do processo. No entanto, esta medida somente revelou potencial para a gasificação direta (ar) de biomassa de alta densidade (e.g., pellets) devido à necessidade da acumulação de carbonizados no leito do reator para a ocorrência de reações de reforma com vapor. Em segundo, a mistura de combustíveis derivados de resíduos e biomassa residual florestal permitiu a melhoria dos produtos de gasificação, constituindo desta forma uma estratégia bastante promissora a nível económico e ambiental, devido à elevada abundância e baixo custo dos resíduos urbanos. Contudo, devem ser efetuadas análises técnico-económicas e de ciclo de vida para a completa caraterização do processo. Em terceiro, a aplicação de catalisadores de baixo custo como medida primária demonstrou elevado potencial para a melhoria do gás produto (e.g., concentração de H2 e CO, poder calorífico inferior) e para o incremento dos parâmetros de eficiência do processo; em particular, a aplicação de betão, faialite sintética e carbonizados de pellets de madeira, demonstrou resultados promissores. Finalmente, foi demonstrada a viabilidade económica da integração do processo de gasificação direta (ar) de biomassa na indústria da pasta e papel, apesar dos parâmetros determinados não serem atrativos para potenciais investidores. Neste contexto, a intervenção dos governos e o desenvolvimento de instrumentos de apoio económico é de grande relevância para a implementação destes projetos.Este trabalho foi financiado pela The Navigator Company e por Fundos Nacionais através da Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).Programa Doutoral em Engenharia da Refinação, Petroquímica e Químic

    Stratosphere-Troposphere Coupling and Oceanic Feedbacks in an Aquaplanet Model

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    Since the 90’s, there have been many studies looking at the impact of stratospheric temperature perturbations (STP’s) on the troposphere below, and the mechanisms involved. However, it is not well-understood how these interactions might be modified by atmosphere-ocean coupling. This holds particular relevance to the study of e.g. ozone depletion/recovery in the Southern Ocean region. To investigate this, abrupt uniform, polar, and equatorial STP’s – corresponding to different types of forcings - were applied to the atmosphere of MITgcm in an aquaplanet, double-drake configuration. Each was conducted in three different versions of the model: atmosphere-only, atmosphere + slab-ocean, and fully-coupled atmosphere + ocean. In the atmosphere-only model, atmospheric responses similar to those of previous studies were recorded, underscoring their generic nature. In the coupled models, an initial weakening (~decades), and – in the fully coupled model - subsequent strengthening and poleward-shift (~centuries) of the underlying atmospheric response was produced, in polar/equatorial heating experiments. Uniform heating saw the latter process occur initially too. Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies were found to drive these changes, with extratropical/tropical anomalies controlling the former/latter process. These were in turn attributable to changes in the zonal winds, causing anomalies in the turbulent and ocean heat fluxes, although uniform STP’s saw SST changes that were more controlled by large, near-uniform anomalous downwelling longwave fluxes. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating atmosphere-ocean coupling when studying the effects of STP’s, especially over longer timescales (&100 years). With respect to ozone depletion in the Southern Ocean, they suggest an amplified poleward jet shift which - as greenhouse gases continue to rise – may continue and amplify further into the 21st/22nd century.Open Acces

    Use of Statistical Methods for the Analysis of Educational Data: the Role of ICTs in the Educational Context

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    [ES] En las últimas décadas, la intensificación del uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) ha supuesto grandes cambios en nuestra forma de vida. En este contexto de intensa y creciente digitalización, esta tesis doctoral estudia el papel que juegan las TIC como un factor determinante del rendimiento académico de los estudiantes de educación secundaria, así como los factores que propician el uso de las TIC en el aula por parte de los docentes. La tesis se compone de tres capítulos: (1) en el primero de ellos, se analiza la relación entre distintos tipos de uso de las TIC en el contexto social y educativo y el rendimiento académico; (2) en el capítulo dos, se centra la atención en el impacto que tiene sobre el rendimiento académico el uso de las TIC en el aula para realizar tareas y ejercicios; (3) y en el capítulo tres se analizan los factores que determinan la frecuencia de uso de las TIC en el aula por parte de los docentes. Para realizar estos análisis, se estudian datos procedentes de evaluaciones educativas internacionales y nacionales mediante la aplicación de distintos métodos estadísticos: modelos multinivel, método de variables instrumentales, método de emparejamiento por puntaje de propensión, regresiones cuantílicas y técnica de imputación multivariante por ecuaciones encadenadas. Los resultados alcanzados en las distintas investigaciones proporcionan evidencia empírica novedosa que permite elaborar recomendaciones en materia de política educativa, así como abrir futuras líneas de investigación que permitirán complementar los resultados de esta tesis doctoral.[CA] En les últimes dècades, la intensificació de l'ús de les tecnologies de la informació i la comunicació (TIC) ha suposat grans canvis en la nostra forma de vida. En aquest context d'intensa i creixent digitalització, aquesta tesi doctoral estudia el paper que juguen les TIC com un factor determinant del rendiment acadèmic dels estudiants d'educació secundària, així com els factors que propicien l'ús de les TIC a l'aula per part dels docents. La tesi es compon de tres capítols: (1) en el primer d'ells, s'analitza la relació entre diferents tipus d'ús de les TIC en el context social i educatiu i el rendiment acadèmic; (2) en el capítol dos, se centra l'atenció en l'impacte que té sobre el rendiment acadèmic l'ús de les TIC a l'aula per a fer tasques i exercicis; (3) i en el capítol tres s'analitzen els factors que determinen la freqüència d'ús de les TIC a l'aula per part dels docents. Per a realitzar aquestes anàlisis, s'estudien dades procedents d'avaluacions educatives internacionals i nacionals mitjançant l'aplicació de diferents mètodes estadístics: models multinivell, mètode de variables instrumentals, mètode d'aparellament per puntuació de propensió, regressió quantílica i tècnica d'imputació multivariant per equacions encadenades. Els resultats aconseguits en les diferents investigacions proporcionen evidència empírica nova que permet elaborar recomanacions en matèria de política educativa, així com obrir futures línies d'investigació que permetran complementar els resultats d'aquesta tesi doctoral.[EN] In recent decades, the intensification of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) has brought about major changes in our way of life. In this context of intense and increasing digitalization, this doctoral thesis studies the role of ICT as a determinant of the academic performance of secondary school students, as well as the factors that favour the use of ICT in the classroom by teachers. The thesis consists of three chapters: (1) in the first one, the relationship between different types of ICT use in the social and educational context and academic performance is analysed; (2) in chapter two, attention is focused on the impact on academic performance of the use of ICT in the classroom to carry out tasks and exercises; (3) and in chapter three, the factors that determine the frequency of ICT use in the classroom by teachers are analysed. In order to carry out these analyses, data from international and national educational assessments are studied by applying different statistical methods: multilevel models, instrumental variables method, propensity score matching method, quantile regressions and multivariate imputation technique by chained equations. The results achieved in the different investigations provide novel empirical evidence that allows us to elaborate recommendations for educational policy, as well as to open future lines of research that will allow us to complement the results of this doctoral thesis.Mi agradecimiento al Ministerio de Universidades por su apuesta en la financiación de mi proyecto de investigación mediante el contrato FPU16/04571 y por permitirme dedicarme durante estos cuatro años exclusivamente a la investigación y a la docencia universitaria. Agradezco también al Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad y al doctor Jorge Calero, investigador principal del proyecto “Evaluación de intervenciones educativas para la mejora de la calidad educativa”, por permitirme participar como miembro del equipo de trabajo en el proyecto EDU2016-76414-R y financiar la presentación de mis investigaciones en congresos nacionales e internacionales. Igualmente, agradezco a la Fundación Sabadell por otorgarme una ayuda a la investigación científica en la convocatoria 2020-2021.Gómez Fernández, NM. (2022). Use of Statistical Methods for the Analysis of Educational Data: the Role of ICTs in the Educational Context [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/181000TESI

    On the Variational Principles of Linear and Nonlinear Resolvent Analysis

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    Despite decades of research, the accurate and efficient modeling of turbulent flows remains a challenge. However, one promising avenue of research has been the resolvent analysis framework pioneered by McKeon and Sharma (2010) which interprets the nonlinearity of the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) as an intrinsic forcing to the linear dynamics. This thesis contributes to the advancement of both the linear and nonlinear aspects of resolvent analysis (RA) based modeling of wall bounded turbulent flows. On the linear front, we suggest an alternative definition of the resolvent basis based on the calculus of variations. The proposed formulation circumvents the reliance on the inversion of the linear operator and is inherently compatible with any arbitrary choice of norm. This definition, which defines resolvent modes as stationary points of an operator norm, allows for more tractable analytical manipulation and leads to a straightforward approach to approximate the resolvent (response) modes of complex flows as expansions in any arbitrary basis. The proposed method avoids matrix inversions and requires only the spectral decomposition of a matrix of significantly reduced size as compared to the original system, thus having the potential to open up RA to the investigation of larger domains and more complex flow configurations. These analytical and numerical advantages are illustrated through a series of examples in one and two dimensions. The nonlinear aspects of RA are addressed in the context of Taylor vortex flow. Highly truncated and fully nonlinear solutions are computed by treating the nonlinearity not as an inherent part of the governing equations but rather as a triadic constraint which must be satisfied by the model solution. Our results show that as the Reynolds number increases, the flow undergoes a fundamental transition from a classical weakly nonlinear regime, where the forcing cascade is strictly down scale, to a fully nonlinear regime characterized by the emergence of an inverse (up scale) forcing cascade. It is shown analytically that this is a direct consequence of the structure of the quadratic nonlinearity of the NSE formulated in Fourier space. Finally, we suggest an algorithm based on the energy conserving nature of the nonlinearity of the NSE to reconstruct the phase information, and thus higher order statistics, from knowledge of solely the velocity spectrum. We demonstrate the potential of the proposed algorithm through a series of examples and discuss the challenges and potential applications to the study and simulation of turbulent flows.</p

    Anytime algorithms for ROBDD symmetry detection and approximation

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    Reduced Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (ROBDDs) provide a dense and memory efficient representation of Boolean functions. When ROBDDs are applied in logic synthesis, the problem arises of detecting both classical and generalised symmetries. State-of-the-art in symmetry detection is represented by Mishchenko's algorithm. Mishchenko showed how to detect symmetries in ROBDDs without the need for checking equivalence of all co-factor pairs. This work resulted in a practical algorithm for detecting all classical symmetries in an ROBDD in O(|G|³) set operations where |G| is the number of nodes in the ROBDD. Mishchenko and his colleagues subsequently extended the algorithm to find generalised symmetries. The extended algorithm retains the same asymptotic complexity for each type of generalised symmetry. Both the classical and generalised symmetry detection algorithms are monolithic in the sense that they only return a meaningful answer when they are left to run to completion. In this thesis we present efficient anytime algorithms for detecting both classical and generalised symmetries, that output pairs of symmetric variables until a prescribed time bound is exceeded. These anytime algorithms are complete in that given sufficient time they are guaranteed to find all symmetric pairs. Theoretically these algorithms reside in O(n³+n|G|+|G|³) and O(n³+n²|G|+|G|³) respectively, where n is the number of variables, so that in practice the advantage of anytime generality is not gained at the expense of efficiency. In fact, the anytime approach requires only very modest data structure support and offers unique opportunities for optimisation so the resulting algorithms are very efficient. The thesis continues by considering another class of anytime algorithms for ROBDDs that is motivated by the dearth of work on approximating ROBDDs. The need for approximation arises because many ROBDD operations result in an ROBDD whose size is quadratic in the size of the inputs. Furthermore, if ROBDDs are used in abstract interpretation, the running time of the analysis is related not only to the complexity of the individual ROBDD operations but also the number of operations applied. The number of operations is, in turn, constrained by the number of times a Boolean function can be weakened before stability is achieved. This thesis proposes a widening that can be used to both constrain the size of an ROBDD and also ensure that the number of times that it is weakened is bounded by some given constant. The widening can be used to either systematically approximate an ROBDD from above (i.e. derive a weaker function) or below (i.e. infer a stronger function). The thesis also considers how randomised techniques may be deployed to improve the speed of computing an approximation by avoiding potentially expensive ROBDD manipulation
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