Modeling and prototyping of composite products

Nowadays, the technology of life cycle assessment of industrial products passes through the stage of changing the stage of existence in the market - from innovations to industrial application. In a couple of years ago there were practically no examples of projects using information models on the broad market, today the situation is changing, including because information modeling was noticed at the state level. The need to produce non-existent products inside the country stimulates investments in new production and re-equipment of existing facilities, and such projects must be implemented as quickly and efficiently as possible. The main task is to accelerate the implementation of the investment and construction project, reduce costs and increase the profitability of construction. The theme of the thesis corresponds to the branch program of the Republic of Belarus on the development and implementation of information technologies for integrated automation of design and life cycle assessment of buildings and structures. Master's work is an integral part of the state budget issue No. 2916 of the department of construction production "Development and research of innovative energy- and resource-saving materials, technologies using raw materials of the Polotsk region". The results of the work represent the possibility of modeling and introducing new types of periodic profiles, creation of 3D-printing technology for structures reinforced with composite reinforcement of periodic profile, creation of reusable end clamps of reusable use for testing composite reinforcement of various periodic profiles

Formal verification of bond graph modelled analogue circuits

Analogue circuits are an increasingly critical component in embedded system designs. Traditionally, simulation is used for verification, but owing to the infinite state space of analogue components, the 100% correctness of a design cannot be guaranteed. Formal methods, based around applying mathematical expressions and reasoning to prove correctness, have been developed to increase the verification confidence level. This study introduces and demonstrates a methodology for formally verifying safety properties of analogue circuits. In the proposed approach, system equations are automatically extracted from a SPICE netlist by means of energy-conservative bond graph models. Verification based on abstract model checking and constraint solving is then applied on the extracted equation models. The authors methodology avoids an exhaustive and time demanding simulation that is normally encountered during analogue circuit verification. To this end, the authors have used a set of tools to implement the proposed verification flow and applied it on tunnel diode, Chua and Colpitts oscillators as case studies

Towards the automated modelling and formal verification of analog designs

The verification of analog circuits remains a very time consuming and expensive part of the design process. Complete simulation of the state space is not possible; a line is drawn by the designer when it is deemed that enough sets of inputs and outputs have been covered and therefore the circuit is "verified". Unfortunately, bugs could still exist and for safety critical applications this is not acceptable. As well, a bug in the design could lead to costly recalls and a loss of revenue. Formal methods, which use mathematical logic to prove correctness of a design have been developed. However, available techniques for the formal verification of analog circuits are plagued by inaccuracies and a high level of user effort and interaction. We propose in this thesis a complete methodology for the modelling and formal verification of analog circuits. Bond graphs, which are based on the flow of power, are used to automatically extract the circuit's system of Ordinary Differential Equations. Subsequently, two formal verification methods, one based on automated theorem proving with MetiTarski, the other on predicate abstraction based model checking with HybridSal, are then used to verify functional properties on the extracted models. The methodology proposed is mechanical in nature and can be made completely automated. We apply this modelling and verification methodology on a set of analog designs that exhibit complex non-linear behaviour

Computational Methods in Biomolecules:Study of Hydrophilic Interactions in Protein Folding & Constant-pH Molecular Simulation of pH Sensitive Lipid MORC16

Water molecules play a significant role in biological process and are directly involved with bio-molecules and organic compounds and ions. Recent research has focused on the thermal dynamics and kinetics of water molecules in solution, including experimental (infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy) and computational (Quantum Mechanics and Molecular Dynamics) approaches. The reason that water molecules are so unique, why they have such a profound influence on bio-activity, why water molecules show some anomalies compared to other small molecules, and where and how water molecules exert their influence on solutes are some of the areas under study. We studied some properties of hydrogen bond networks, and the relationship of these properties with solutes in water. Molecular dynamics simulation, followed by an analysis of “water bridges”, which represent protein-water interaction have been carried out on folded and unfolded proteins. Results suggest that the formation of transient water bridges within a certain distance helps to consolidate the protein, possibly in transition states, and may help further guide the correct folding of proteins from these transition states. This is supporting evidence that a hydrophilic interaction is the driving force of protein folding. Biological membranes are complex structures formed mostly by lipids and proteins. For this reason the lipid bilayer has received much attention, through computation and experimental studies in recent years. In this dissertation, we report results of a newly designed pH sensitive lipid MORC16, through all-atom and coarse-grained models. The results did not yield a MORC16 amphiphile which flips its conformation in response to protonation. This may be due to imperfect force field parameters for this lipid, an imperfect protonation definition, or formation of hydrogen bond does not responsible for conformation flip in our models. Despite this, some insights for future work were obtained

Unveiling the third dimension of glass:

Glass as a material has always fascinated architects. Its inherent transparency has given us the ability to create diaphanous barriers between the interior and the exterior that allow for space and light continuity. Yet, we are just starting to understand the full potential, properties and characteristics of glass as a material. Only in the last decades did we discover the structural potential of glass and started to use it, besides as a cladding material, also for load-bearing applications thanks to its high compressive strength. Indeed, at present the structural applications of glass in architecture are continuously increasing, yet they are dominated by a considerable geometrical limitation: the essentially 2-dimensionality imposed by the prevailing float glass industry. Although glass panels can stretch more than 20 m in length, the maximum monolithic thickness by this manufacturing method remains a mere 25 mm. As a result glass structures are currently dominated by virtually 2-dimensional, planar elements and confined to the limited shapes that can be achieved by those. This research focuses on the exploration of cast glass as a promising, 3-dimensional construction material in architecture. The main aim of this research is therefore to investigate the potential, as well as the constraints, of cast glass components for the engineering of transparent, 3-dimensional glass structures in architecture. By pouring molten glass into moulds, solid 3-dimensional glass components of virtually any shape and cross-section can be made. Owing to their monolithic nature, such components can form repetitive units for the construction of freeform, full-glass structures that are not sensitive to buckling. Such structures can take full advantage of the high compressive strength of glass, sparing the necessity of additional supporting elements. To achieve cast glass structures, it is essential to use an intermediate material between the individual glass components that contributes to the structure’s stiffness, ensures a homogeneous load distribution and prevents early failure due to concentrated stresses triggered by glass-to-glass contact. To maximize transparency, this intermedium should be colourless and any additional substructure should be minimized. Accordingly, the main scientific contribution of this research work is the design, development and experimental investigation of two distinct systems for selfsupporting envelopes of maximized transparency: An adhesively bonded glass block system, using a colourless adhesive as an intermedium and a dry-assembly, interlocking cast glass block system, employing a colourless dry interlayer. Although, in this work, both systems have been developed for self-supporting envelopes, the results can be used as a guideline for further structural applications of cast glass components in compressive elements, such as columns, arches and bending elements, such as beams and fins. At present, the load-bearing function of cast glass in architecture remains an uncharted field. Discouraging factors such as the lengthy annealing process required, the to-date non-standardized production and the corresponding high manufacturing costs, have limited cast glass to only a few realized architectural applications. As a result, there is a lack of engineering data and a general unawareness of the potential and risks of employing cast glass structurally. Hence, in order to accomplish the research goal, all pertinent aspects of a cast glass structure should be tackled, ranging from cast glass’s production method to practical implications when building with cast glass. These distinct aspects are addressed through the formulation of the research sub-questions, which in turn define the different chapters of this dissertation. Accordingly, the presented work is divided in four parts. Part I provides the Introduction to the Research, and aims at giving a brief summary of the involved challenges, identify the research gap and introduce the research questions and the research methodology.  Part II focuses on the Theoretical Framework of the Research. It lays the foundations for this dissertation and contributes to the scientific field of structural glass by providing the first comprehensive literature review and state-of-the art overview of cast glass structural applications. Initially, the material compositions and production methods for solid cast glass components are explored. Then, to address both possibilities and limitations in the size and form of cast glass components, an overview and critical assessment of the largest produced monolithic pieces of cast glass is made. Given the limited published scientific output on this specific field, an extensive field research was conducted in order to derive the relevant data. The discussed examples, although coming from different fields of science and art, provide great insight into the practical implications involved in casting as a manufacturing method. Subsequently, a separate chapter gives an overview of the state-ofthe- art in cast glass structural applications in architecture. Aiming on providing the reader with an holistic overview of the structural potential of cast glass in architectural applications, this chapter includes the synopsis, feasibility assessment and comparison of not only the realized structural design systems but also of the adhesively-bonded and dry-assembly interlocking systems developed in this dissertation. Special attention is given to the advantages and disadvantages of the connection method of each -existing and developed in this dissertation- structural design system with solid glass blocks. Following the findings of the literature review and field research, Part III, consisting of four chapters, presents the design and experimental investigation of two distinct, novel structural systems out of cast glass components, developed for selfsupporting envelopes. Part III can be considered the main scientific outcome of this dissertation. Firstly, the research, development and experimental validation of an adhesively bonded system utilizing solid cast glass blocks is presented. Numerous full-scale prototypes are made and tested in order to comprehend the structural behaviour of the adhesively bonded glass assembly. A separate chapter explores the main challenges and innovations and defines the construction requirements necessary for the realization of the investigated system at the Crystal Houses Façade in Amsterdam. An important conclusion is that such an adhesively bonded system requires an extremely high dimensional accuracy both in the fabrication of the glass blocks and in the entire construction, and has an irreversible nature, which in turn results in a meticulous and unsustainable construction. Based on the aforementioned challenges, a new concept for glass structures out of dry-assembled interlocking cast glass components is developed that tackles the integral limitations of the adhesively-bonded system. An entire chapter is dedicated to the principles, the establishment of design criteria and to the preliminary exploration and assessment of different interlocking cast glass shapes that can yield an interlocking cast glass system of satisfactory structural performance. Following, the last chapter of this part concerns the experimental and numerical investigation of this second system. The effect of various parameters in the structural behaviour of the system is explored through the production of scaled prototypes and their experimental validation. A numerical model further explores the correlation of the various geometrical parameters of the interlocking geometry to the structural behaviour of the system. Finally, Part IV presents an integrated discussion of the research results, summarizing and discussing the main outcomes of the dissertation. Initially, responses to the research questions are given in order to assess the particular findings. Based on the conclusions, further recommendations are made, firstly for overcoming the limitations of the presented research, following by general suggestions on a wider range of the aspects of cast glass that can be explored and contribute to its structural applicability. The findings of this dissertation prove the feasibility of the discussed systems and can serve as solid guidelines for further applications. The research presented in this work has been positively received by the international architectural and engineering community. In specific, the presented adhesivelybonded cast block system, which was realized at the Crystal Houses façade, received numerous awards by the structural engineering community, including the Outstanding Innovation Award 2016 by the Society of Façade Engineers and the Glass Innovation Award 2016 from the Bouwend Nederland association. Still, the Crystal Houses façade is but the first real-scale prototype of the developed adhesively bonded system. The actual construction of the façade provided invaluable feedback on the engineering challenges and construction requirements involved in such a system, giving room for new suggestions. This triggered the development of the second presented system with interlocking glass blocks as a reversible, easily assembled solution. The interlocking cast glass block system, initiated within TU Delft and funded partially by a 4TU.bouw grant is yet to be applied in practice. Prototypes of this research, using recycled cast glass components, have been exhibited in international fairs such as the Venice Design 2018, the Dutch Design Week 2018 and Salone del Mobile 2019 and are currently displayed at the material collection of the Vitra Design Museum at the Vitra Schaudepot. The project was also nominated for the New Material Award 2018 under the title Re3 Glass. Even though cast glass has, so far, been rarely applied in structural applications, the development of new building systems and their experimental validation presented in this work provide a strong basis for further developments and applications in a range of compressive structures. At present, the most considerable drawbacks hindering the marketability of cast glass components are (a) the cost barriers imposed by their customized production and application and (b) the lack of standardized strength data and building guidelines. Thus, even if cast glass elements have proved to be suitable structural components, several economic aspects and logistics need to be tackled, and performance issues need to be further explored, in order to make cast glass a competitive manufacturing method to float production for structural components

Unveiling the third dimension of glass

Glass as a material has always fascinated architects. Its inherent transparency has given us the ability to create diaphanous barriers between the interior and the exterior that allow for space and light continuity. Yet, we are just starting to understand the full potential, properties and characteristics of glass as a material. Only in the last decades did we discover the structural potential of glass and started to use it, besides as a cladding material, also for load-bearing applications thanks to its high compressive strength. Indeed, at present the structural applications of glass in architecture are continuously increasing, yet they are dominated by a considerable geometrical limitation: the essentially 2-dimensionality imposed by the prevailing float glass industry. Although glass panels can stretch more than 20 m in length, the maximum monolithic thickness by this manufacturing method remains a mere 25 mm. As a result glass structures are currently dominated by virtually 2-dimensional, planar elements and confined to the limited shapes that can be achieved by those. This research focuses on the exploration of cast glass as a promising, 3-dimensional construction material in architecture. The main aim of this research is therefore to investigate the potential, as well as the constraints, of cast glass components for the engineering of transparent, 3-dimensional glass structures in architecture. By pouring molten glass into moulds, solid 3-dimensional glass components of virtually any shape and cross-section can be made. Owing to their monolithic nature, such components can form repetitive units for the construction of freeform, full-glass structures that are not sensitive to buckling. Such structures can take full advantage of the high compressive strength of glass, sparing the necessity of additional supporting elements. To achieve cast glass structures, it is essential to use an intermediate material between the individual glass components that contributes to the structure’s stiffness, ensures a homogeneous load distribution and prevents early failure due to concentrated stresses triggered by glass-to-glass contact. To maximize transparency, this intermedium should be colourless and any additional substructure should be minimized. Accordingly, the main scientific contribution of this research work is the design, development and experimental investigation of two distinct systems for selfsupporting envelopes of maximized transparency: An adhesively bonded glass block system, using a colourless adhesive as an intermedium and a dry-assembly, interlocking cast glass block system, employing a colourless dry interlayer. Although, in this work, both systems have been developed for self-supporting envelopes, the results can be used as a guideline for further structural applications of cast glass components in compressive elements, such as columns, arches and bending elements, such as beams and fins. At present, the load-bearing function of cast glass in architecture remains an uncharted field. Discouraging factors such as the lengthy annealing process required, the to-date non-standardized production and the corresponding high manufacturing costs, have limited cast glass to only a few realized architectural applications. As a result, there is a lack of engineering data and a general unawareness of the potential and risks of employing cast glass structurally. Hence, in order to accomplish the research goal, all pertinent aspects of a cast glass structure should be tackled, ranging from cast glass’s production method to practical implications when building with cast glass. These distinct aspects are addressed through the formulation of the research sub-questions, which in turn define the different chapters of this dissertation. Accordingly, the presented work is divided in four parts. Part I provides the Introduction to the Research, and aims at giving a brief summary of the involved challenges, identify the research gap and introduce the research questions and the research methodology.  Part II focuses on the Theoretical Framework of the Research. It lays the foundations for this dissertation and contributes to the scientific field of structural glass by providing the first comprehensive literature review and state-of-the art overview of cast glass structural applications. Initially, the material compositions and production methods for solid cast glass components are explored. Then, to address both possibilities and limitations in the size and form of cast glass components, an overview and critical assessment of the largest produced monolithic pieces of cast glass is made. Given the limited published scientific output on this specific field, an extensive field research was conducted in order to derive the relevant data. The discussed examples, although coming from different fields of science and art, provide great insight into the practical implications involved in casting as a manufacturing method. Subsequently, a separate chapter gives an overview of the state-ofthe- art in cast glass structural applications in architecture. Aiming on providing the reader with an holistic overview of the structural potential of cast glass in architectural applications, this chapter includes the synopsis, feasibility assessment and comparison of not only the realized structural design systems but also of the adhesively-bonded and dry-assembly interlocking systems developed in this dissertation. Special attention is given to the advantages and disadvantages of the connection method of each -existing and developed in this dissertation- structural design system with solid glass blocks. Following the findings of the literature review and field research, Part III, consisting of four chapters, presents the design and experimental investigation of two distinct, novel structural systems out of cast glass components, developed for selfsupporting envelopes. Part III can be considered the main scientific outcome of this dissertation. Firstly, the research, development and experimental validation of an adhesively bonded system utilizing solid cast glass blocks is presented. Numerous full-scale prototypes are made and tested in order to comprehend the structural behaviour of the adhesively bonded glass assembly. A separate chapter explores the main challenges and innovations and defines the construction requirements necessary for the realization of the investigated system at the Crystal Houses Façade in Amsterdam. An important conclusion is that such an adhesively bonded system requires an extremely high dimensional accuracy both in the fabrication of the glass blocks and in the entire construction, and has an irreversible nature, which in turn results in a meticulous and unsustainable construction. Based on the aforementioned challenges, a new concept for glass structures out of dry-assembled interlocking cast glass components is developed that tackles the integral limitations of the adhesively-bonded system. An entire chapter is dedicated to the principles, the establishment of design criteria and to the preliminary exploration and assessment of different interlocking cast glass shapes that can yield an interlocking cast glass system of satisfactory structural performance. Following, the last chapter of this part concerns the experimental and numerical investigation of this second system. The effect of various parameters in the structural behaviour of the system is explored through the production of scaled prototypes and their experimental validation. A numerical model further explores the correlation of the various geometrical parameters of the interlocking geometry to the structural behaviour of the system. Finally, Part IV presents an integrated discussion of the research results, summarizing and discussing the main outcomes of the dissertation. Initially, responses to the research questions are given in order to assess the particular findings. Based on the conclusions, further recommendations are made, firstly for overcoming the limitations of the presented research, following by general suggestions on a wider range of the aspects of cast glass that can be explored and contribute to its structural applicability. The findings of this dissertation prove the feasibility of the discussed systems and can serve as solid guidelines for further applications. The research presented in this work has been positively received by the international architectural and engineering community. In specific, the presented adhesivelybonded cast block system, which was realized at the Crystal Houses façade, received numerous awards by the structural engineering community, including the Outstanding Innovation Award 2016 by the Society of Façade Engineers and the Glass Innovation Award 2016 from the Bouwend Nederland association. Still, the Crystal Houses façade is but the first real-scale prototype of the developed adhesively bonded system. The actual construction of the façade provided invaluable feedback on the engineering challenges and construction requirements involved in such a system, giving room for new suggestions. This triggered the development of the second presented system with interlocking glass blocks as a reversible, easily assembled solution. The interlocking cast glass block system, initiated within TU Delft and funded partially by a 4TU.bouw grant is yet to be applied in practice. Prototypes of this research, using recycled cast glass components, have been exhibited in international fairs such as the Venice Design 2018, the Dutch Design Week 2018 and Salone del Mobile 2019 and are currently displayed at the material collection of the Vitra Design Museum at the Vitra Schaudepot. The project was also nominated for the New Material Award 2018 under the title Re3 Glass. Even though cast glass has, so far, been rarely applied in structural applications, the development of new building systems and their experimental validation presented in this work provide a strong basis for further developments and applications in a range of compressive structures. At present, the most considerable drawbacks hindering the marketability of cast glass components are (a) the cost barriers imposed by their customized production and application and (b) the lack of standardized strength data and building guidelines. Thus, even if cast glass elements have proved to be suitable structural components, several economic aspects and logistics need to be tackled, and performance issues need to be further explored, in order to make cast glass a competitive manufacturing method to float production for structural components

Foundations of Multi-Paradigm Modelling for Cyber-Physical Systems

This open access book coherently gathers well-founded information on the fundamentals of and formalisms for modelling cyber-physical systems (CPS). Highlighting the cross-disciplinary nature of CPS modelling, it also serves as a bridge for anyone entering CPS from related areas of computer science or engineering. Truly complex, engineered systems—known as cyber-physical systems—that integrate physical, software, and network aspects are now on the rise. However, there is no unifying theory nor systematic design methods, techniques or tools for these systems. Individual (mechanical, electrical, network or software) engineering disciplines only offer partial solutions. A technique known as Multi-Paradigm Modelling has recently emerged suggesting to model every part and aspect of a system explicitly, at the most appropriate level(s) of abstraction, using the most appropriate modelling formalism(s), and then weaving the results together to form a representation of the system. If properly applied, it enables, among other global aspects, performance analysis, exhaustive simulation, and verification. This book is the first systematic attempt to bring together these formalisms for anyone starting in the field of CPS who seeks solid modelling foundations and a comprehensive introduction to the distinct existing techniques that are multi-paradigmatic. Though chiefly intended for master and post-graduate level students in computer science and engineering, it can also be used as a reference text for practitioners

Optimization-Based Architecture for Managing Complex Integrated Product Development Projects

By the mid-1990\u27s, the importance of early introduction of new products to both market share and profitability became fully understood. Thus, reducing product time-to-market became an essential requirement for continuous competition. Integrated Product Development (IPD) is a holistic approach that helps to overcome problems that arise in a complex product development project. IPD emphasis is to provide a framework for an effective planning and managing of engineering projects. Coupled with the fact that about 70% of the life cycle cost of a product is committed at early design phases, the motivation for developing and implementing more effective methodologies for managing the design process of IPD projects became very strong. The main objective of this dissertation is to develop an optimization-based architecture that helps guiding the project manager efforts for managing the design process of complex integrated product development projects. The proposed architecture consists of three major phases: system decomposition, process re-engineering, and project scheduling and time-cost trade-off analysis. The presented research contributes to five areas of research: (1) Improving system performance through efficient re-engineering of its structure. The Dependency Structure Matrix (DSM) provides an effective tool for system structure understanding. An optimization algorithm called Simulated Annealing (SA) was implemented to find an optimal activity sequence of the DSM representing a design project. (2) A simulation-based optimization framework that integrates simulated annealing with a commercial risk analysis software called Crystal Ball was developed to optimally re-sequence the DSM activities given stochastic activity data. (3) Since SA was originally developed to handle deterministic objective functions, a modified SA algorithm able to handle stochastic objective functions was presented. (4) A methodology for the conversion of the optimally sequenced DSM into an equivalent DSM, and then into a project schedule was proposed. (5) Finally, a new hybrid time-cost trade-off model based on the trade-off of resources for project networks was presented. These areas of research were further implemented through a developed excel add-in called “optDSM”. The tool was developed by the author using Visual Basic for Application (VBA) programming language

Force Sensing Surgical Grasper with Folding Capacitive Sensor

Minimally-invasive surgery (MIS) has brought many benefits to the operating room, however, MIS procedures result in an absence of force feedback, and surgeons cannot as accurately feel the tissue they are working on, or the forces that they are applying. One of the barriers to introducing MIS instruments with force feedback systems is the high cost of manufacturing and assembly. Instruments must also be sterilized before every use, a process that can destroy embedded sensing systems. An instrument that can be disposed of after a single use and produced in bulk at a low cost is desirable. Printed circuit micro-electro-mechanical systems (PCMEMS) is an emerging manufacturing technology that may represent an economically viable method of bulk manufacturing small, single-use medical devices, including surgical graspers. This thesis presents the design and realization of a PCMEMS surgical grasper that can fit within a 5 mm trocar, and can accurately measure forces in 3 axes, over a range of +/-4 N. The designed instrument is the first PCMEMS grasper to feature multi-axis sensing, and has a sensing range twice as large as current PCMEMS devices. Experimental results suggest that the performance of the sensing system is similar to conventionally-manufactured MIS instruments that use capacitive force transducers. The techniques applied in this thesis may be useful for developing a range of PCMEMS devices with capacitive sensors. Improvements to the design of the grasper and sensing system are suggested, and several points are presented to inform the direction of future work related to PCMEMS MIS instruments

Tensile Test Design to Measure Interlayer Adhesion in Investment Casting Shells for Spalling Mitigation

We designed a tensile test fixture for a 112 lbf capacity Instron load frame that imparts a normal force on the face of a button epoxied to an investment casting shell sample, delaminating the shell area attached to the button. Using a green standard shell (Group 1), a partially fired standard shell (Group 2), and a green shell with a different third coat (Group 3), we verified that the fixture can measure differences in strength between sample groups. We attached steel buttons to leveled samples with 0.05 mL of Hysol-Loctite 9340 epoxy, let it cure for 48 hours, and tested them at 0.05 in./min. Most shells failed below the face coat, instead of spalling. Groups 1 and 2 failed in a backup layer, or at the larger stucco beneath it (0.035-0.044″ deep). Group 3 failed in the face coat (0.010″), flat in a backup layer (0.033″), or in rounded craters through several layers (0.064″). We measured fracture areas in Photoshop to calculate failure stresses, which averaged 116.21 psi for Group 1, 179.42 psi for Group 2, and 141.99 psi for Group 3, with respective standard deviations of 21.78 psi, 30.84 psi, and 31.21 psi. Two-sample t-tests showed statistically valid distinctions between each group’s results, indicating that this fixture could be used to further investigate designing a stronger shell to mitigate face coat spalling