Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Service life of components'

This thesis presents a survey of different tools, used byenvironmental consultants in Sweden, for their recommendationsof building products and components in different constructionprojects. The goal was to identify possible improvements of thetools so that life cycle methodology could be used to a largerextent than today. This thesis also presents a general methodfor multi-criteria assessment. The purpose of this generalmethod was to show how assessment of environmental impacts,cost and prediction of service life have to be combined for acomprehensive view over all the criteria that influencedecision-making in different construction projects.

The evaluation of the present role of environmentalconsultants in the building process in Sweden and their toolsis based on a literature study together with interviews.Advantages and disadvantages of the different tools fordecision-making have been identified. It was found that thereare many improvements to be made, for example, concerningbuilding product declarations. The declarations have to containmore quantitative data and the guidelines have to be furtherdeveloped to secure equivalence in product comparisons. Thestudy showed that an environmental consultant seldom makes anelaborate assessment of aspects other than environmentalimpacts. Others, for example, the client or contractor,consider aspects of economy and technical functionality.However, there is a need of a more comprehensive view wherecosts and technical functionality are included in theassessment together with environmental concerns. If differentaspects are treated separately there is a risk ofsuboptimisations. This need has been identified by for exampleconsultants and the commission of the Swedish government and isoften emphasised by the building material industry.

In Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) the functionality, as well asthe time of use should be reflected in the definition thefunctional unit of the study. Calculations of Life Cycle Cost(LCC) also include the time aspect and compared systems shouldfulfil the same requirements of functionality. Therefore, it isof obvious interest to find a method that brings together LCA,LCC and service life planning (with estimations of servicelives). The presented method of multi-criteria assessment is toa large extent considered to be of practical use for practisingconsultants in their recommendations of the preferable choice,as soon as a pedagogical interface has been developed. Inaddition, a simplified LCA technique has to be used, where somesystemlimits and assumptions are pre-defined. A multi-criteriaassessment approach is one step ahead to fulfil therequirements of the authorities and the society. Themulti-criteria approach also helps the building sector to worktowards the goal of increased environmental concern in thesector and the overarching goal of an environmental sustainablesociety.

Key words:life cycle assessment, LCA, environmentaldeclarations, building product declarations, environmentalconsultants, tool for decision-making, service life planning,estimation of service life, the factor method, multi-criteriaassessment

The transportation engineering community of the United States faces a tremendous problem: the gradual deterioration of the nation's bridges. A major component of the overall bridge deterioration problem is the corrosion-induced deterioration of reinforced concrete bridge components that are exposed to de-icing salts. The progression of events resulting from corrosion of the reinforcing steel includes cracking, delamination, spalling, and patching of the surface concrete.

Bridge components reach the end of their functional service life when the level of damage warrants rehabilitation. The objective of this study was to determine the end of functional service life for concrete bridge decks, piers, and abutments by quantifying terminal levels of physical damage. The approach for quantifying terminal damage levels involved obtaining recommendations from state Department of Transportation (DOT) bridge engineers via an opinion survey.

A field study of 18 existing concrete bridges that had been designated for rehabilitation was conducted to develop concrete bridge component maps showing areas of physical damage. Deck damage maps were produced using a ground-based photogrammetry system developed in this study, while pier and abutment damage maps were drawn by hand in the field. Survey Kits based on the component damage maps were distributed to bridge engineers in 25 states that use de-icing salts. The engineers evaluated the maps and recommended when each component should be, or should have been, rehabilitated~ Based on the engineers' responses, linear regression prediction models were developed to relate the recommended bridge component rehabilitation time point to the physical damage level. Based on the prediction models, two viable terminal damage levels for concrete bridge decks, and a partial terminal damage level for concrete bridge piers, were quantified.

Master of Science

Ce travail de recherche propose le développement et la validation d’une méthode de prédiction in-situ et temps réel de la durée de vie utile restante des engrenages de boîtes de vitesses automobiles de série. Cette méthode est destinée à être implantée dans des unités de commande électronique standards. En s’attachant tout particulièrement à proposer une solution simple, fiable, rentable et facilement transposable pour tout type de configuration, le système se base sur la combinaison d’une méthode d’acquisition des couples agissants sur la boîte de vitesses et d’une estimation continue des niveaux d’endommagement des engrenages. Un état de l’art et les fondamentaux théoriques d’une estimation de l’endommagement par une approche de contrainte nominale et une accumulation linéaire des endommagements partiels sont abordés dans un premier temps. La structure globale de l’algorithme de calcul de l’endommagement est ensuite étudiée et l’approche méthodologique adoptée pour sa mise au point expliquée. Cette dernière repose en grande partie sur un modèle complet de véhicule valide par des essais sur route et des mesures, où une attention toute particulière est portée à la représentation des changements de rapport et de la dynamique de la boîte de vitesses. Deux types de boite de vitesses sont alors considérées, une boite manuelle standard et une boite à double embrayage, et une spécification technique pour la configuration de l’algorithme ainsi qu’une analyse des besoins pour la méthode d’acquisition des couples sont formulées. En se basant sur ces études, un observateur d’état capable de reconstruire le couple agissant sur les disques d’embrayage ainsi que le couple en sortie de boite est développé et valide. Finalement, une synthèse de la méthode complète et de l’algorithme final est adressée, et les avantages économiques et écologiques liés à l’introduction de cette méthode pour des mesures de conception légère des boîtes de vitesses automobiles sont abordés et évalués
This research work proposes the development and the validation of an online and real-time method to predict the remaining service life of the gearwheels of automotive transmissions, with the aim of implementing it on standard control units of series-production vehicles. By focusing on the proposition of a simple, reliable and easy-to-implement solution, the system relies on the combination of an acquisition method of the torques acting in the transmission and a continuous estimation of the damage levels of the gearwheels. Firstly, a state of the art and the theoretical basics are presented concerning a damage estimation based on a nominal stress concept and a linear damage accumulation. The global structure of the damage estimation algorithm is then analyzed and the methodological approach adopted for its development is explained. This is based in principal on a drivetrain model, validated with tests and measurements, where a particular attention is paid to the representation of the gear shifts and the transmission dynamics. Two types of transmissions are considered, namely a standard manual transmission and a dual clutch transmission mounted in series-production cars. Respectively a requirement analysis for the configuration of the algorithm as well as a requirement specification for the torque acquisition method are performed. On this basis, a state observer is developed and validated, which is able to reconstruct the clutch torque and the transmission output torque. Finally, a synthesis of the complete method and the final version of the algorithm are addressed, and the economic and ecological advantages of the introduction of the method in the context of lightweight design measures are discussed and evaluated
Kurzfassung Diese Dissertation beschreibt die Entwicklung einer Online- und Echtzeit-Methode zur Vorhersage der restlichen Lebensdauer von den Zahnradern eines Kraftfahrzeuggetriebes. Diese Methode ist fur eine Implementierung auf Standard-Steuergeraten vorgesehen. Durch die Fokussierung auf eine einfache, zuverlassige und leicht zu implementierende Losung beruht die Methode auf der Kombination aus einer Drehmomenterfassungsmethode und einer kontinuierlichen Vorhersage des Schadigungsniveaus der Zahnrader. Zuerst werden der Stand der Technik und die theoretischen Grundlagen von Schadigungsberechnungen basierend auf dem Nennspannungskonzept und einer linearen Schadensakkumulation dargestellt. Danach wird die globale Struktur des Schadigungsberechnungsalgorithmus gezeigt und die fur die Entwicklung ausgewahlte methodische Vorgehensweise erlautert. Diese bezieht sich grundsatzlich auf ein durch Testfahrten und Messungen verifiziertes Antriebsstrangmodell, welches besonders die Schaltungen und die Dynamik des Getriebes berucksichtigt. Ein Serien-Handschaltgetriebe und ein Serien-Doppelkupplungsgetriebe werden betrachtet. Fur diese zwei Getriebetypen werden eine Anforderungsanalyse zur Konfiguration des Algorithmus sowie eine Anforderungsspezifikation fur die Drehmomenterfassungsmethode durchgefuhrt. Auf Basis dieser Untersuchungen wird dann ein Zustandsbeobachter zur Rekonstruktion des Kupplungs- und Getriebeausgangsdrehmoments entwickelt und validiert. Infolgedessen werden eine Synthese der kompletten Methode und die Endversion des Algorithmus vorgestellt. Abschliesend werden die Wirtschaftlichkeit sowie die okologischen Vorteile in Bezug auf die Einfuhrung der Lebensdauermonitoringmethode im Rahmen von Leichtbaumasnahmen diskutiert und bewertet

The diploma thesis is focused on waterjet technology, dimensional and shape accuracy of manufactured parts. In the theoretical section, the principle of technlogy and its use in engineering industry at the present time, are described. Moreover, the theoretical section includes discription of every single parts of the machine of waterjet cutting, that are nowadays used. The biggest part of diploma thesis focuses on 3D cutting technology and on attachments for elimination of undercutting. Practical section focuses on dimensional and shape accuracy of manufactured parts manufactured by waterjet technology that makes use of 3D head and different cutting speed. The practical section also includes operating and maintenance cost of the machine. In terms of maintenance, real service life of components is compared there with a lifespan declarated by machine producer.

Este trabalho foi elaborado, na tentativa de se aplicar as técnicas e os conceitos que são empregadas na Análise de Sobrevivência, na medicina e aplicá-los na Engenharia Civil, na área de construção. Essas técnicas recebe o nome de Confiabilidade, onde permite estimar a vida útil de componentes construtivos, através de modelos probabilísticos mais usados nessa área. Esses modelos foram desenvolvidos e aplicados nos dados colhidos, com uma confiabilidade de 95%. Esse assunto, nessa área, já vem sendo estudado na comunidade científica, mas especificamente na área da construção civil pouco se conhece, encontrando-se ainda a fase embrionária, merecendo um estudo mais aprofundado. Logo nossa proposição foi a de a partir de análise feita em uma amostra para estudo, tirar algum proveito ou alguma informação que possa ajudar para trabalhos futuros. Foram coletados 60 amostras para estudo, sendo que 10 delas foram censuradas, onde o estudo terminou com um numero pré-determinado de amostras estudadas. Os resultados foram obtidos através do software R, sendo comparados os modelos Exponencial, Weibull e Log-normal, com o estimador de Kaplan-Meier, mostrando tanto graficamente como através de testes, qual melhor modelo se ajusta aos dados coletados. O modelo que melhor se ajustou foi o Log-normal
This Work was developed as an effort to utilize the techniques and concepts that are employed in Survival Analysis in medicine, in order to apply them in Civil Engineering in the construction area. These techniques is called Reliability, which allows estimating the life time of building components through probabilistic models commonly used in that area. These models were developed and applied to the collected data, with a reliability of 95%. This subject, in this area have been studied in the scientific community, but specifically in the construction area is poorly known and is still in its beginning and, deserves further study. Thus, our proposition was to take some benefit or some information that might help for future work from analysis of a sample to study. 60 samples were collected for study, and 10 of them were censored, so that the study ended with a predetermined number of samples. The results were obtained using the software R and compared the models Exponential, Weibull and Log-normal, with the Kaplan-Meier estimator showing both graphically and through tests, which model best fits the data collected. The model that best fitted was the lognormal

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to simplify the exchange (in both directions) of multimedia content between mobile phones and network attached web servers. The solution proposed in this report specifically concerns displaying Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages via a web browser connected to a network-attached web server and graphically authoring MMS messages via a web interface. This thesis project is important because it brings multimedia content, in the form of MMS messages, from isolation in the telecommunication world closer to wide availability via the Internet. This transition is very important as the Internet is where media is shared with the world today. This approach brings added value to end users who want to share content generated using their phone on a web site. It also provides added value to operators who want to increase the amount of MMS traffic in their networks. The solution is non-trivial because there are a number of complexities at both ends. This is because the MMS messages that are authored at mobile phones differ between both handset models and manufacturers. Moreover, the format used for MMS (MMS SMIL) is not widely used on the Internet, thus a transformation to an Internet browser supported format must be performed. The thesis examines to what extent this transformation can be completely automatic and how MMS messages can be authored through a web interface. The results show that MMS messages can be successfully transformed to HTML and embedded directly in web pages, thus providing a seamless experience for viewing MMS messages. Depending on the content of the MMS message in question, the current browser and which media player plug-ins are available, the generated HTML will be displayed differently. The results also show that MMS messages can be composed in real time* through a web interface with good results.
Syftet med detta examensarbete är att förenkla utbyte (i båda riktningarna) av multimedia mellan mobiltelefoner och nätverksuppkopplade webbservrar. Lösningen som föreslås i denna rapport behandlar specifikt hur Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS)-meddelanden kan visas i en webbläsare via nätverksuppkopplade webbservrar och hur MMS-meddelanden kan komponeras grafiskt via ett webbinterface. Detta examensarbete är viktigt eftersom det för multimedia, i form av MMS-meddelanden, från isolering i telekommunikationsvärlden närmare en bred tillgänglighet via Internet. Denna övergång är viktig eftersom det är på Internet som multimedia görs tillgängligt för världen i dagens läge. Denna approach förbättrar upplevelsen för användare som vill dela med sig av innehåll genom sin telefon genom en hemsida. Den ökar också möjligheterna för mobiloperatörer att öka MMS-trafiken i sina nätverk. Lösningen är inte trivial eftersom det existerar ett antal komplexiteter i båda ändarna. Detta beror på att MMS-meddelanden som skapas i mobiltelefoner skiljer sig åt mellan såväl tillverkare som modeller. Dessutom används inte MMS-formatet (MMS SMIL) på Internet. Således måste en transformering till ett format som stöds av webbläsare genomföras. Detta examensarbete undersöker i vilken utsträckning denna transformering kan automatiseras helt och även hur MMS-meddelanden kan skapas via ett webbinterface. Resultaten visar att MMS-meddelanden framgångsrikt kan transformeras till HTML och bäddas in på en hemsida på ett sådant sätt att de upplevs som en del av hemsidan. Beroende på vilken typ av media som MMS-meddelandet innehåller, den aktuella webbläsarkonfigurationen och på vilka mediaspelar-plug-ins som finns tillgängliga, måste olika HTML genereras för att innehållet ska visas på ett bra sätt. Resultaten visar också att MMS-meddelanden kan skapas grafiskt, i realtid, direkt genom ett webbinterface med goda resultat.

En programmation orientée à composants, mais particulièrement dans des environnements distribués, les composants ont besoin d’être adaptatifs. Une majeure partie de cette adaptation repose sur la reconfiguration dynamique. Dans cette thèse, nous introduisons une nouvelle approche pour la reconfiguration des modèles de composants distribués, avec l’objectif de faciliter le processus de reconfiguration et d’assurer la consistance et la cohérence du système. Avant d’exécuter une reconfiguration, il est nécessaire que les composants soient dans un état cohérent et stable, afin d’éviter des incohérences dans le processus de reconfiguration. Pour ceci, nous concevons un algorithme pour l’arrêt d’un composant d’une manière sécurisée et atteignant un état stable. Cela a été réalisé en mettant en œuvre un mécanisme de marquage et d’interception qui permet d’ajouter des informations aux requêtes et de manipuler leurs flux, afin de décider lesquelles doivent être servies avant d’arrêter le composant. Nous avons conçu un ensemble de primitives de reconfiguration de haut niveau qui permettent de réaliser des opérations de reconfiguration plus complexes. Nous fournissons un contrôleur supplémentaire à notre modèle de composant qui implémente ces primitives. Pour le déclenchement des tâches de reconfiguration, nous avons étendu le langage FScript pour lui permettre d’exécuter des reconfigurations distribuées, en déléguant certaines actions à des composants. Pour ceci, nous avons défini un contrôleur additionnel à l’intérieur de la membrane des composants. Nous avons testé notre approche sur deux applications basées sur GCM/ProActive : CoCoME et TurnTable
For component programming, but even more specifically in distributed and Grid environments, components need to be highly adaptive. A great part of adaptativeness relies on dynamic reconfiguration of component systems. We introduce a new approach for reconfiguring distributed components with the main objective to facilitate the reconfiguration process and ensure the consistency and coherence of the system. First, before executing a reconfiguration it’s necessary that the components are a coherent and quiescent state. This is done to avoid inconsistency in the reconfiguration process. To achieve this, we design an algorithm for stopping a component in a safe manner and reach this quiescent state. This was realized by implementing a tagging and interception mechanisms that adds information to the requests and manipulates their flow in order to decide which of them must be served before stopping the component. Next, we designed a set of high-level reconfiguration primitives to achieve more complex reconfiguration operations. These primitives include : add, remove, duplicate, replace, bind, and unbind. We provide an additional controller to our component model which implements these primitives. Additionally, for triggering the reconfiguration tasks, we extended the FScript language to give it the capability of executing distributed reconfiguration actions, by delegating some actions to specific components. To achieve this objective, we defined an additional controller inside the membrane of the components. We tested our implementation over two GCM/Pro Active based applications : the CoCoME example and the TurnTable example

Industrial gas turbines generally operate at a bit stable power levels and the hot section critical components, especially high pressure turbine blades are prone to failure due to creep. In some cases, plants are frequently shut down, thus, in addition to creep low cycle fatigue failure equally sets in. Avoiding failure calls for proper monitoring of how the lives of these components are being consumed. Efforts are thus being made to estimate the life of the critical components of the gas turbine, but, the accuracy of the life prediction methods employed has been an issue. In view of the above observations, in this research, a platform has been developed to simultaneously examine engine life consumption due to creep, fatigue and creep-fatigue interaction exploiting relative life analysis where the engine life calculated is compared to a reference life in each failure mode. The results obtained are life analysis factors which indicate how well the engine is being operated. The Larson-Miller Parameter method is used for the creep life consumption analysis, the modified universal slopes method is applied in the low cycle fatigue life estimation while Taira's linear accumulation method is adopted for creep-fatigue interaction life calculation. Fatigue cycles counting model is developed to estimate the fatigue cycles accumulated in any period of engine operation. Blade thermal and stress models are developed together with a data acquisition and pre-processing module to make the life calculations possible. The developed models and the life analysis algorithms are implemented in PYTHIA, Cranfield University's in-house gas turbine performance and diagnostics software to ensure that reliable simulation results are obtained for life analysis. The developed life analysis techniques are applied to several months of real engine operation data, using LM2500+ engine operated by Manx Utilities at the Isle of Man to test the applicability and the feasibility of the methods. The developed algorithms provide quick evaluation and tracking of engine life. The lifing algorithms developed in this research could be applied to different engines. The relative influences of different factors affecting engine life consumption were investigated by considering each effect on engine life consumtion at different engine operation conditions and it was observed that shaft power level has significant impact on engine life consumption while compressor degradation has more impact on engine life consumption than high pressure turbine degradation. The lifing methodologies developed in this work will help engine operators in their engine conditions monitoring and condition-based maintenance.

Godkänd; 2013; 20130529 (kimber); Tillkännagivande disputation 2013-09-11 Nedanstående person kommer att disputera för avläggande av teknologie doktorsexamen. Namn: Kim Berglund Ämne: Maskinelement/Machine Elements Avhandling: Predicting Wet Clutch Service Life Performance Opponent: Professor Homer Rahnejat, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire, UK Ordförande: Bitr professor Pär Marklund, Institutionen för teknikvetenskap och matematik, Luleå tekniska universitet Tid: Fredag den 4 oktober 2013, kl 09.00 Plats: D770, Luleå tekniska universitet

In this thesis, vibration induced fatigue life analysis of axial leaded Tantalum &
Aluminum capacitors, PDIP and SM capacitors mounted on the printed circuit boards are performed. This approach requires the finite element model, material properties and dynamic characteristics of the PCB. The young modulus of the PCB material is obtained from 3 point bending tests, resonance frequencies are obtained from modal tests and transmissibility&
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s of the PCB are obtained from transmissibility tests which are used as fatigue analysis inputs. Step Stress Tests are performed to obtain failure times of the tested electronic components which are also used as the numerical fatigue analysis inputs. Consecutively, fatigue analysis of a sample PCB used in military systems is aimed since it is important to compare the calculated fatigue damage to estimated life limits in order to determine which component(s), if necessary, must be moved to positions of lower damage . For this purpose, power PCB of the power distribution unit used in Leopard 1 battle tank is examined. Numerical fatigue analysis coupled with accelerated life test whose profile is convenient to military platforms is performed. Furthermore, the effects of eccobond and silicone on the fatigue life of the components are also surveyed since these techniques are common in electronic packaging. In addition, mean-time-to-failure values are obtained for the tested components by using Weibull distribution. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed to indicate the effect of certain parameters on the fatigue life of a sample axial leaded capacitor.

Thesis (Sc. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 337-355).
An experimental study was performed to determine the flaw detection sensitivity of advanced nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques with respect to structural applications. The techniques analyzed exemplify the incorporation of digital technology into NDT and includes the following: meandering winding magnetometer array (MWM-array@) eddy current, phased-array ultrasonic (PA-UT), three dimensional computed tomography (3DCT), and digital radiography (DR). The three classes of samples inspected with these techniques consisted of alloy block specimens containing flat bottom hole (FBH) arrays, probability of detection (POD) wedding cake samples, and actual airplane engine components. Results from the sensitivity analyses were compared to current NDT techniques used industrially. An image analysis program called Cellprofiler was used to optimize the threshold correction factor for selected results. The Cellprofiler output was analyzed in conjunction with POD software, and the integration of digitally advanced NDT techniques with image analysis software resulted in approximately a threefold improvement in the minimum detectable flaw size at the 90/95 POD/CL level. An improved inspection methodology was presented which incorporated redundancy in the in-service inspection plan with the use of Bayesian updating techniques to forecast remnant life. Reliability block diagrams for structural disk and blade aircraft engine components were presented as examples of the methodology. Implementation of the proposed NDT methodology significantly increases the feasibility of a retirement-forcause (RFC) approach to be applied to aging structural components in a cost-effective manner.
by Brian P. Hohmann.
Sc.D.

La construction de modèles de pronostic nécessite la compréhension du processus de dégradation des composants critiques surveillés afin d’estimer correctement leurs durées de fonctionnement avant défaillance. Un processus de d´dégradation peut être modélisé en utilisant des modèles de Connaissance issus des lois de la physique. Cependant, cette approche n´nécessite des compétences Pluridisciplinaires et des moyens expérimentaux importants pour la validation des modèles générés, ce qui n’est pas toujours facile à mettre en place en pratique. Une des alternatives consiste à apprendre le modèle de dégradation à partir de données issues de capteurs installés sur le système. On parle alors d’approche guidée par des données. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une approche de pronostic guidée par des données. Elle vise à estimer à tout instant l’état de santé du composant physique et prédire sa durée de fonctionnement avant défaillance. Cette approche repose sur deux phases, une phase hors ligne et une phase en ligne. Dans la phase hors ligne, on cherche à sélectionner, parmi l’ensemble des signaux fournis par les capteurs, ceux qui contiennent le plus d’information sur la dégradation. Cela est réalisé en utilisant un algorithme de sélection non supervisé développé dans la thèse. Ensuite, les signaux sélectionnés sont utilisés pour construire différents indicateurs de santé représentant les différents historiques de données (un historique par composant). Dans la phase en ligne, l’approche développée permet d’estimer l’état de santé du composant test en faisant appel au filtre Bayésien discret. Elle permet également de calculer la durée de fonctionnement avant défaillance du composant en utilisant le classifieur k-plus proches voisins (k-NN) et le processus de Gauss pour la régression. La durée de fonctionnement avant défaillance est alors obtenue en comparant l’indicateur de santé courant aux indicateurs de santé appris hors ligne. L’approche développée à été vérifiée sur des données expérimentales issues de la plateforme PRO-NOSTIA sur les roulements ainsi que sur des données fournies par le Prognostic Center of Excellence de la NASA sur les batteries et les turboréacteurs
Constructing prognostics models rely upon understanding the degradation process of the monitoredcritical components to correctly estimate the remaining useful life (RUL). Traditionally, a degradationprocess is represented in the form of physical or experts models. Such models require extensiveexperimentation and verification that are not always feasible in practice. Another approach that buildsup knowledge about the system degradation over time from component sensor data is known as datadriven. Data driven models require that sufficient historical data have been collected.In this work, a two phases data driven method for RUL prediction is presented. In the offline phase, theproposed method builds on finding variables that contain information about the degradation behaviorusing unsupervised variable selection method. Different health indicators (HI) are constructed fromthe selected variables, which represent the degradation as a function of time, and saved in the offlinedatabase as reference models. In the online phase, the method estimates the degradation state usingdiscrete Bayesian filter. The method finally finds the most similar offline health indicator, to the onlineone, using k-nearest neighbors (k-NN) classifier and Gaussian process regression (GPR) to use it asa RUL estimator. The method is verified using PRONOSTIA bearing as well as battery and turbofanengine degradation data acquired from NASA data repository. The results show the effectiveness ofthe method in predicting the RUL

Utility Computing is one of the most discussed business models in the context of Cloud Computing. Service providers are more and more pushed into the role of utilities by their customer's expectations. Subsequently, the demand for predictable service availability and pay-per-use pricing models increases. Furthermore, for providers, a new opportunity to optimise resource usage offers arises, resulting from new virtualisation techniques. In this context, the control of service quality and profit depends on a deep understanding of the representation of the relationship between business and technique. This research analyses the relationship between the business model of Utility Computing and Service-oriented Computing architectures hosted in Cloud environments. The relations are clarified in detail for the entire service life cycle and throughout all architectural layers. Based on the elaborated relations, an approach to a delivery framework is evolved, in order to enable the optimisation of the relation attributes, while the service implementation passes through business planning, development, and operations. Related work from academic literature does not cover the collected requirements on service offers in this context. This finding is revealed by a critical review of approaches in the fields of Cloud Computing, Grid Computing, and Application Clusters. The related work is analysed regarding appropriate provision architectures and quality assurance approaches. The main concepts of the delivery framework are evaluated based on a simulation model. To demonstrate the ability of the framework to model complex pay-per-use service cascades in Cloud environments, several experiments have been conducted. First outcomes proof that the contributions of this research undoubtedly enable the optimisation of service quality and profit in Cloud-based Service-oriented Computing architectures.

Cloud Computing is a new computing model, and its security aspects require special considerations. New characteristics of the cloud model have introduced new security challenges, and made some of the existing security techniques incompatible. Moreover, existing cloud environments are closed, operated by commercial providers, and their security mechanisms are proprietary as well as confidential. In other words, there is not much chance of observing how a real cloud environment is working, and how their providers adapt security measures to the new model.Therefore, we have chosen an open source cloud platform to build our own cloud environment. The OpenStack cloud software met our requirements, but it was not mature enough. We have done a deep analysis of this platform, identified potential attack targets in it, and discuss impacts of a successful attack.In order to secure our environment, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) incident handling guideline has been applied to the cloud model, and corresponding actions for each phase has been performed. To complete our study, we have proposed a set of cloud specific approaches that fulfill the incident handling requirements. These approaches address challenges identified in the guideline adaptation process. Additionally, we have studied the feasibility and compatibility of each approach against our deployed environment.Additionally, we also have submitted a paper to IEEE CloudCom 2011 conference, based on my thesis. A draft version of the paper is included in Appendix A.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
As aviation weapon systems progress through their acquisition life cycles, there is a natural fluctuation in the number of weapon systems in custody by the service components and the number of subsystems available to sustain operational availability. This thesis reviews current retention methodologies utilized in the Department of Defense, evaluates previous retention studies mandated by Congress, and proposes adjustments in the U.S. Navy retention algorithm of aeronautical components to reduce the stockpile of inactive inventory and generate cost savings. The proposed adjustments developed in this research complements the current life cycle indicator (LCI) utilized to discriminate aeronautical components in its inactive inventory. The main findings show that LCI retention policy can be refined by independently assigning LCIs to aeronautical components and coupling the LCIs with the newly developed condition based logical retention described in this thesis. The proposed adjustments can generate an optimized inactive inventory pool of aeronautical components for the U.S. Navy, that has the greatest value for an aircraft weapon system.

A distributed system is a complex system. Developing complex systems is a demanding task when attempting to achieve functional and non-functional properties such as synchronization, communication, fault tolerance. These properties impose immense complexities on the design, development, and implementation of a distributed system that incur massive effort and cost a large amount of money. Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the system must satisfy the functional and non-functional properties once the system development process is finished. Once a distributed system is developed, it is very difficult, time consuming, and expensive to conduct any modification in its architecture. As a result, the quantitative analysis of a complex distributed system at the early stage of the development process is always an essential and intricate endeavor. To meet the challenge of conducting quantitative analysis at the early stage of the system development process, this thesis introduces an extensive framework for performance and performability evaluation of a distributed system. The goal of the performance modeling framework is the assessment of the non-functional properties of the distributed system at an early stage based on the system’s functional description and deployment mapping of service components over an execution environment. The performability framework is the extension of the performance modeling framework. The extended part of the performability modeling framework considers the behavioral change of the system components due to failures. This later reveals how such behavioral changes affect the system performance. The reusable specification of service components is the main specification unit of our framework. The specification of the reusable service component is realized through UML collaboration and activity. Activity diagrams are used to aid the illustration of the complete behavior of a system, which includes both local behavior of the service components and the necessary interactions among them. Reusable building blocks are collaborative in nature, which allows them to span across several participating components. The local behavior and interaction among the participating components are realized in an encapsulated way, which can be further reused to develop new applications. The assignment of service components that capture the system functional behavior of the physical components is recognized as deployment mapping. Deployment mapping has a significant impact on ensuring the non-functional properties provided by the system in a resource limited environment. This thesis also specifies the deployment mapping of service components using UML deployment diagrams. The focus of the deployment mapping is on considering the non-functional requirements such that the performance of a service or a system on a particular physical infrastructure can be assessed in a fully distributed manner and for large scale. In addition, a UML state machine diagram is utilized in our performability modeling framework to capture the dependability behavior of the system components. To conduct the performance and performability evaluation of a distributed system, the UML model is transformed into analytic models that provide performance and performability evaluation results. The significance of using an analytical model is because of its well-established mathematical formula and the availability of model evaluation tools. We have specified an automated transformation process that is performed in an efficient and scalable way through the use of model transformation rules to achieve model transformation. To analyze the correctness of the model transformation process, we have used temporal logic, specifically cTLA, to formalize the UML specification style. This, in turn, provides the opportunity for model validation. The motivation of applying cTLA is to take advantage of its well-established method to illustrate various forms of structures and actions by exploiting a variety of operators and techniques, which is wonderfully compatible with UML collaborations, activities, deployment, and state machine diagram. The framework is applied to artificial and real case studies to generate performance and performability results at the early stage of the system development process. The modeling process is supported by a set of tools, including Arctis and SHARPE with the incremental model checking facility. Arctis is used for specifying the system functional behavior. The evaluation of the performance and performability models generated by the framework is achieved using SHARPE.

Untreated wooden cladding has a long tradition and has in recent years become a both economically and environmentally beneficial solution in miscellaneous modern building applications. Untreated wood in cladding and similar applications represents a building part that changes its appearance rather dramatically without compromising its technical functionality. The aesthetic service life is often the decisive criterion for these applications. This thesis comprises a study on the weathering of untreated, i.e. unpainted wood. Following the service life prediction methodology suggested in the ISO 15686 standard, wood was weathered both outdoors and in two laboratory weathering apparatuses. Climate data for the test site were assessed including temperature, wind-driven rain and solar radiation. The performance of non-structural wood components in exterior above-ground applications is often closely related to the aesthetics of the wooden component in question. Hence, a method for color determination of large samples was developed, and the topic of human color perception is discussed briefly. It was found that the colonization by mold growth fungi contributes significantly to its surface appearance. Differences between materials and exposure directions were investigated. The topic of limit-state for aesthetic service life is discussed and a possible assessment method for such applications is presented. No simple dose-response relationship between solar radiation and wind-driven rain, and color response of the material could be established. Acceleration factors for the conducted laboratory weathering tests are discussed. Furthermore, color changes by outdoor versus laboratory weathering were evaluated. It was found that the conducted laboratory weathering cycles could not recreate the visual appearance of an outdoor weathered surface. In summary, the suggested bottom-up approach of the service life prediction methodology is not easily adaptive for wood in this application

Dissertation (Ph.D.)--University of Toledo, 2005.
Typescript. "A dissertation [submitted] as partial fulfillment of the requirements of the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Engineering." Bibliography: leaves 69-74.

Pre-mature deterioration of reinforced concrete causesproblems world-wide and the search for reliable cost effectiveand environmental friendly repairs is intense. The service lifeof the repaired structure is important in order to establishthe annual cost and environmental impact for differentalternatives. This doctoral thesis focuses on the service lifeof concrete bridge decks repaired with bonded concreteoverlays. The approach was broad and based on the performanceof a number of bridge decks after approximately ten years inservice. The main aims were to establish the overall servicelife and to improve the design where improvements were needed.Efforts have been made to make the repairs as robust aspossible and the crucial production stage is always considered.The following parameters were investigated:

    Wear and rutting

    Bond strength and extent and cause of cracks

    Relative humidity and temperature in the deck

    Freeze-thaw resistance and number of freeze-thawcycles

    Concrete cover and service life criterion with respect tochloride initiated corrosion

    Service life predictions using moving boundarytheory

    Chloride concentrations in de-icing water and in thesurfaces of concrete overlays

    Absorption of water and chloride ions due to capillarysuction of de-icing water

    Chloride ingress in solid and cracked parts of bondedconcrete overlays

The wear and rutting were found to be limited. The bondbetween new and old concrete was unaltered or increased afterten years in service. The cracking on the overlays wasgenerally limited. The main cracking causes were insufficientcuring and reflective cracking due to construction joints (coldcasting joints) in the old bridge deck. The cracks can beavoided or made non-hazardous with respect to corrosion andfreeze-thaw damages with simple measures.

The chloride ingress was low in solid and limited in crackedparts of the overlay. Samples of concrete, snow, slush andwater were taken from the overlay during two years to quantifythe chloride concentrations and their variations. The chlorideconcentration interacted with the weather, the local climateand the salt-spreading procedures. The chloride content in theoverlays was affected to at least 10 mm from the surface.

The relative humidity in the overlay was stable and low atapproximately 20 mm from the wear surface. The number of(salt)-freeze-thaw cycles was high. The thickness of theoverlays was found to be fairly normal distributed and this wasused in the service life predictions.

The moving boundary method is suitable to predict theingress of a chloride threshold value. The method is easy touse with a probabilistic approach and simple and cheap toupdate and no parameters have to be guessed. Numerical methodswere also used and the influence of various surfaceconcentrations was investigated. The transport of chloride ionsinto cracked concrete was treated with a two dimensional modeland the influence of crack depth was found to be limited.

Both conventional capillary absorption tests and cyclicwetting and drying test out-doors were conducted on matureconcrete cast and aged in-situ. The conclusion was thatcapillary suction of de-icing water could be the dominatingfactor in the chloride absorption process.

Key words: Repairs, bridge decks, bonded concreteoverlays, service life, chloride ingress.

A model to determine the time to the End of Functional Service Life (EFSL) for concrete bridge decks in Virginia was developed. The service life of Virginia bridge decks is controlled by chloride-induced corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Monte Carlo resampling techniques were used to integrate the statistical nature of the input variables into the model. This is an improvement on previous deterministic models in that the effect of highly variable input parameters is reflected in the service life estimations. The model predicts the time required for corrosion to initiate on 2% of the reinforcing steel in a bridge deck and then a corrosion propagation time period, determined from empirical data, is added to estimate the EFSL for a given bridge deck or set of bridge decks. Data from 36 Virginia bridge decks was collected in order to validate the service life model as well as to investigate the effect of bridge deck construction specification changes. The bridge decks were separated into three distinct groups: 10 bare steel reinforcement decks â 0.47 water/cement (w/c), 16 Epoxy-Coated Reinforcement (ECR) decks â 0.45 w/c, and 10 ECR decks â 0.45 w/(c+pozzolan). Using chloride titration data and cover depth measurements from the sampled bridge decks and chloride corrosion initiation values determined from the literature for bare steel, service life estimates were made for the three sets of bridge decks. The influence of the epoxy coating on corrosion initiation was disregarded in order to allow direct comparisons between the three sets as well as to provide conservative service life estimates. The model was validated by comparing measured deterioration values for the bare steel decks to the estimated values from the model. A comparison was then made between the three bridge deck sets and it was determined that bridge decks constructed with a 0.45 w/(c+p) will provide the longest service life followed by the 0.47 w/c decks and the 0.45 w/c decks, respectively. From this it can be inferred that the addition of pozzolan to the concrete mix will improve the long-term durability of a bridge deck while a reduction in w/c appears to be of no benefit.
Ph. D.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xiv, 279 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-183).

This dissertation involves the experimental investigation of commercially pure titanium (CP Ti) which was subjected to laser forming and mechanical forming processes. Commercially pure titanium grade 2 was formed to a radius of curvature of approximately 120 mm using three forming procedures, i.e. i) laser forming; ii) mechanical forming (stretched forming) and iii) a combined forming process (laser-mechanical forming). Fatigue testing revealed, for all the forming processes, that samples produced by laser forming performed the best at high load settings. However, mechanically formed specimens performed the best at low load settings, whereas the laser-mechanical process resulted in midway performance between laser and mechanical processing. Considering microstructure vs fatigue; impact vs fatigue; and residual stress vs fatigue; at high load settings it is evident that the microstructure is the dominant contributor to crack initiation and growth. Crack morphology of fatigue samples revealed that secondary cracks (parallel to main crack front) followed the grain boundaries of the Widmanstätten microstructure, whereas irregular secondary cracks grew parallel and through the twinning planes and along the grain boundaries of the equiaxed microstructure. Laser forming resulted in microstructural changes from equiaxed grains to a Widmanstätten structure due to fast cooling rates. Excessive twinning is developed within the equiaxed microstructure after the mechanical forming procedure. This is due to cold working / strain hardening. The combined process shows a combination of equiaxed grains and Widmanstätten microstructure. Residual stress relieved for all forming processes revealed an increase in the magnitude of the residual stress compared to the parent plate and that the maximum values were obtained at the inner radius of curvature (i.e. 118.4 mm). Laser forming revealed the highest values in residual stress whereas the other two processes i.e. mechanical and laser-mechanical forming exhibited an increase midway between the parent plate and laser forming. The second most influential factor with regards to fatigue was the magnitude of the residual stress, especially at medium to low load settings. When considering theoretical models to predict fatigue life it was found that the Goodman model showed the closest relation to the actual fatigue data when considering the entire theoretical curve. Vickers microhardness profiling was applied to the thickness of the samples for the parent plate and all forming processes. No significant hardening occurred due to the forming processes and differences in hardness were considered negligible. Charpy impact testing revealed that the laser formed specimens exhibited the most brittle behaviour when compared to the parent plate results. Mechanical formed specimens showed a slight increase in brittleness compared to parent plate whereas the combined process yielded results midway between the laser and mechanically formed specimens. Mathematical equations are formulated and presented for predicting the fatigue life of CP Ti grade 2 for the parent plate and the three forming processes. This study proved that the laser forming process can be successfully used as a production stage in the forming of CP Ti grade 2.

Pipelines are extensively used engineering structures for conveying of fluid from one place to another. Most of the time, pipelines are placed underground, surcharged by soil weight and traffic loads. Corrosion of pipe material is the most common form of pipeline deterioration and should be considered in both the strength and serviceability analysis of pipes. The study in this research focuses on two different types of buried pipes including concrete pipes in sewage systems (concrete sewers) and cast iron water pipes used in water distribution systems. This research firstly investigates how to involve the effect of corrosion as a time dependent process of deterioration in the structural and failure analysis of these two types of pipes. Then two probabilistic time dependent reliability analysis methods including first passage probability theory and the gamma distributed degradation model are developed and applied for service life prediction of the pipes. The obtained results are verified by using Monte Carlo simulation technique. Sensitivity analysis is also performed to identify the most important parameters that affect pipe failure. For each type of the pipelines both individual failure mode and multi failure mode assessment are considered. The factors that affect and control the process of deterioration and their effects on the remaining service life are studied in a quantitative manner. The reliability analysis methods which have been developed in this research, contribute as rational tools for decision makers with regard to strengthening and rehabilitation of existing pipelines. The results can be used to obtain a cost-effective strategy for the management of the pipeline system. The output of this research is a methodology that will help infrastructure managers and design professionals to predict service life of pipeline systems and to optimize materials selection and design parameters for designing pipelines with longer service life.

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.

The purpose of this dissertation is to offer a greater understanding of the potential of genograms through my clinical work from a Bowen Family Systems lens. I account for how I processed and effectively blended metaphorical components, by examining six cases from my two-year journal entries, of bringing genograms to life in sessions. I also explain how I created a useful tool, the Metaphoric Generative Genogram, that can benefit other clinicians working with children and families in the foster care community.

Neben der Verringerung von Verkehrsunfällen und Staus ist ein wichtiges Ziel der Verkehrspsychologie, die Luftverschmutzung durch den Verkehr zu reduzieren. Elektrofahrzeuge (BEVs) könnten die CO2-Emissionen deutlich reduzieren. Der weltweite BEV-Bestand nimmt zwar stetig zu, aber die Marktanteile in den meisten EU-Ländern lag 2016 dennoch nur bei rund 1% (International Energy Agency, 2016). Eine weitreichende Verbreitung von Elektrofahrzeugen birgt nicht nur Vorteile in sich, sondern kann auch zur Belastung der Stromnetze führen. ‚Intelligente Ladesysteme‘, die den Ladeprozess an die Netzbelastung und Nutzeranforderungen (z.B. Ladestand bei Abfahrtszeit) anpassen, gelten als vielversprechende Lösung. Vor dem Hintergrund der bisher geringen Verbreitung von Elektrofahrzeugen und der mit einem Erfolg der Elektromobilität steigenden Relevanz intelligenter Ladesysteme entsteht die Notwendigkeit psychologische Faktoren zu identifizieren, die die Evaluation und Akzeptanz von Komponenten des Elektromobilitätssystems beeinflussen. An dieser Stelle knüpft die vorliegende Dissertation an. Der (praktische) Erfahrungshorizont vieler Menschen in Bezug auf Elektrofahrzeuge und intelligente Ladesysteme ist sehr limitiert. Unerfahrene Nutzer solch neuer Systeme begegnen bisher unbekannten Herausforderungen in der Mensch-Maschine-Interaktion. Beispielsweise geht das elektrische Fahren, im Vergleich zum Fahren herkömmlicher Fahrzeuge, mit einer wesentlich niedrigeren Reichweite, einer geringeren Geräuschkulisse, neuen „Nachtankprozessen“ und Fahrfunktionen wie der Rekuperation (d.h. regeneratives Bremsen bei dem kinetische in elektrische Energie umgewandelt wird) einher. Dieses Thema wird ebenfalls in der vorliegenden Dissertation aufgegriffen. Das erste Forschungsziel fokussierte die allgemeine Bewertung und Akzeptanz von Elektrofahrzeugen sowie den Einfluss von praktischer Erfahrung. Im Rahmen einer Feldstudie mit zwei 6-monatigen Studienphasen (Artikel II), einer Onlinestudie (Studie I von Artikel III) sowie einer 24-Stunden Testfahrt (Studie II von Artikel III) wurde dieses Ziel untersucht. Für die verschiedenen Arten von Erfahrung (langzeitig mit gleichem Fahrzeug vs. unkontrolliert vs. kurzzeitig mit gleichem Fahrzeug) zeigten sich unterschiedliche Effekte auf die Akzeptanz von Elektrofahrzeugen, die detailliert diskutiert werden. Die Berichte der Feldstudienteilnehmer (langzeitige Erfahrung) zu Vor- und Nachteilen von Elektrofahrzeugen zeigten, dass sich die Salienz bestimmter Vor- und Nachteile über die Nutzungszeit hinweg ändert. Vor allem die Vorteile, die beim Alltagstest direkt erlebt werden können (z.B. das angenehme Fahrgefühl, die geringe Geräuschkulisse), waren in ihrer Salienz gestiegen. Es gibt erlebbare Barrieren, wie die Ladedauer, die innerhalb der Feldstudie an Prägnanz verloren, aber auch andere, wie die Reichweite, die in ihrer Bedeutsamkeit konstant blieben. Die Vorher-Nachher-Studien (Artikel II & Studie II von Artikel III) zeigten, dass die Erwartungen der Tester an solch ein Fahrzeug im Alltagstest insgesamt erfüllt werden und die Einstellung gegenüber Elektrofahrzeugen positiv bleibt. Im Rahmen der 24-Stunden-Testfahrt (kurzzeitige Erfahrung) zeigte sich zudem ein Anstieg in der Zufriedenheit mit Elektrofahrzeugen. Dem gegenüber stehen die geringen Kaufabsichten der Befragten. Der Alltagstest mit einem Elektrofahrzeug, egal ob kurz- oder langzeitig, zeigte keine Effekte auf die Kaufintention. Allerdings wiesen die Ergebnisse der Onlinebefragung darauf hin, dass Personen, die bereits ein Elektrofahrzeug gefahren sind, gegenüber dem Kauf eines Elektrofahrzeugs nicht so stark abgeneigt sind wie Unerfahrene, aber dennoch keine klare Intention zeigen. Das zweite Forschungsziel bestand in der Untersuchung wie praktische Erfahrung mit dem Nutzerverhalten und der Evaluation bezüglich der Elektrofahrzeugcharakteristika zusammenspielt. Am Beispiel der Rekuperation wurde untersucht wie sich die Menschen im Rahmen einer 6-monatigen Feldstudie an solch eine Funktion gewöhnen, ihre Nutzung erlernen und ob sich dies in der Bewertung der Funktion widerspiegelt (Artikel I). Die Ergebnisse aus den Fahrzeugdaten weisen darauf hin, dass die Adaption an diese Funktion recht zügig abgeschlossen ist und dem Power Law of Practice (Newell & Rosenbloom, 1981) folgt. Die Rekuperationsfunktion wird durch die Nutzer positiv bewertet und die Zufriedenheit mit der Rekuperation steigt mit der Nutzungszeit. In zwei weiteren Studien wurde die Bewertung von Elektrofahrzeugcharakteristika zwischen Elektrofahrzeug-Erfahrenen und –Unerfahrenen verglichen. In der Onlinestudie (Studie I in Artikel III) mit dem unkontrollierten Erfahrungsfaktor zeigten sich kaum Unterschiede. Lediglich ‚Reichweite und Laden‘ bewerteten die Erfahrenen positiver. Kontrollierte, kurzfristige Erfahrung (Studie II in Artikel III) führte zu einer positiveren Bewertung von Beschleunigung und Fahrspaß, Geräuschlosigkeit, Sicherheit und Reliabilität, Umweltfreundlichkeit sowie des Rufs von Elektrofahrzeugen. Die Bewertung von Reichweite und Laden blieb unverändert. Das dritte, übergeordnete Ziel dieser Dissertation bestand darin, akzeptanzbeeinflussende Faktoren zu identifizieren, die als Ansatzpunkte für zukünftige Weiterentwicklungen und Strategien zur Erhöhung der Akzeptanz genutzt werden können. Dazu wurde das Potential der Bewertung verschiedener Elektrofahrzeugattribute, der Faktoren der Theorie des geplanten Verhaltens (Ajzen, 1991) sowie der Erfahrung mit Elektrofahrzeugen zur Vorhersage der Akzeptanz im Rahmen der beiden Studien in Artikel III untersucht. Der soziale Faktor (subjektive Norm) und die Bewertung von ‚Reichweite und Laden‘ wirkten sich am stärksten auf die Vorhersage von Einstellungs- und Verhaltensakzeptanz aus. In der Onlinestudie mit between-subjekt Design, zeigte sich zudem ein starker Erfahrungseffekt auf die Kaufabsicht. Zudem erwies sich auch der Faktor ‚Beschleunigung und Fahrspaß‘ als relevante Größe für die Akzeptanz. Vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen Entwicklungen, im Detail den sinkenden Batteriekosten und damit günstiger werdenden Reichweiteressourcen, eröffnen die Ergebnisse Ansatzpunkte, um die Akzeptanz zu steigern. Die Bewertung der Performanz und das angenehme Fahrgefühl beim elektrischen Fragen weisen einen nicht zu vernachlässigbaren Einfluss auf die Akzeptanz von Elektrofahrzeugen auf und konnten durch ein kurzzeitiges Erfahrungserlebnis positiv beeinflusst werden. Das letzte Forschungsziel dieser Dissertation fokussierte das intelligente Laden. Die Ergebnisse der 5-monatigen Feldstudie (Artikel IV) zeigten, dass ein intelligentes Ladesystem (mit aktiver Nutzerbeteiligung) nutzbar und akzeptabel ist. Allerdings zeigten die Ergebnisse auch, dass eine positive Kosten-Nutzen-Bilanz für die Nutzer von hoher Relevanz ist. Der zusätzliche Aufwand beim Laden erwies sich als signifikant höher und die finanziellen Anreize durch die Nutzung des Systems als niedriger als erwartet. Zudem fühlten sich die Nutzer durch das System zusätzlich in ihrer Mobilität eingeschränkt. Demnach sollten zukünftige, intelligente Ladesysteme sorgfältig gestaltet werden, so dass der Aufwand und die Reduzierung von Flexibilität und Mobilität nicht so hoch sind, dass die Barriere "Reichweite und Laden" für die Akzeptanz von Elektrofahrzeugen erhöht wird. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen wurden verschiedene Implikationen abgeleitet. Die Weiterentwicklung des Elektromobilitätssystems sollte sich darauf konzentrieren, die Barrieren bezüglich Reichweite und Laden zu reduzieren sowie die positiven Aspekte des elektrischen Fahrens zu vermitteln. Zudem sollten zukünftige Akzeptanzmodelle, vor allem für bisher eher unbekannte Objekte oder Technologien, einen Erfahrungsfaktor und die Bewertung verschiedener, objekt-/technologie-spezifischer Attribute enthalten, da dadurch wichtige Aspekte zur Verbesserung des Forschungsobjektes identifiziert werden können. Die Ergebnisse zeigten außerdem, dass der soziale Einfluss in zukünftigen Strategien zur Akzeptanzförderung von Elektrofahrzeugen adressiert werden sollte und eine Testfahrt mit einem Elektrofahrzeug, das dem aktuellen Entwicklungsstand entspricht, ein strategisches Werkzeug zur Akzeptanzsteigerung darstellt.

The main purpose of this research project was to determine the fatigue-life behaviour of AISI 1008 sheet steel which has been mechanically formed to a radius of curvature of 120mm and then to correlate the fatigue-life behaviour to that of the parent or “as manufactured” material. During the forming process it was felt important to induce plastic strain through stretch-bending by clamping the sides of a plate sample’s (width) edges in the bending fixture before being bent by a single acting mechanical press. It was determined through actual testing that there was a decrease in fatigue-life when the mechanical formed data was compared to fatigue data of the parent material. Standard fatigue mathematical models were used to relate the actual fatigue data. Due to the material being cold formed to a radius of curvature of 120mm, residual stresses induced during the forming process played an essential role during the fatigue-life prediction calculations. The maximum relieved stress in the parent material was compressive in nature having a magnitude of 11percent of the “as manufactured” yield strength (265 MPa). For the mechanical formed material compressive residual stresses were measured on the outer surface while tensile stresses were measured on the inner surface. The difference between actual number of cycles to failure to that calculated using the standard mathematical models for the parent material, ranged between 48 percent and 18 percent and for the mechanical formed samples between 35 percent and 1percent, depending on the strain amplitude used. An important aspect of this study was to determine the criteria required for mathematical modelling of the parent material as testing occurred between the limit of proportionality and yield point. Although this aspect requires further investigation the mathematical results obtained during this study were considered to be acceptable.

Les architectures dynamiques orientées services ( D-SOA) se concentrent sur les interactions client-serveur à couplage faible, où les deux peuvent apparaître et disparaître à l'exécution. Notre objectif est de concevoir des systèmes de surveillance pour ces architectures. Comme les systèmes de surveillance classiques sont statiquement injectés dans les services surveillés, ils ne peuvent pas gérer correctement le cycle de vie des services d'exécution. En outre, quand un service est remplacé par un autre service, d'autres services peuvent toujours utiliser l'ancienne référence. Cette référence vers un service absent, lorsqu'elle est gardée en mémoire, peut induire des comportements non désirés. Cette thèse contribue à la conception d'un système de surveillance de l'utilisation des services, qui soit résistant à la dynamique de la plateforme et qui soit en mesure de faire face à l'utilisation des références obsolètes. Ce but est atteint en trois étapes. Tout d'abord, en considérant le caractère dynamique des systèmes SOA dans un environnement ouvert, nous concevons une approche de monitoring résistant au la dynamique de la plateforme. Nous identifions deux propriétés clés du système de surveillance à couplage faible: résilience à la dynamicité, c'est-à-dire qu'un moniteur d'interface et son état sont maintenus en mémoire et transférés à un nouveau service lors de la disparition d'un service utilisé, et exhaustivité, c'est-à-dire qu'un service surveillé ne peut pas contourner les observations du moniteur. Ensuite, pour éviter l'usage de références vers des services qui ne sont plus actifs, nous proposons un service de sécurité côté client (SSU Layer), qui permet de traiter ce problème de manière transparente. Si un service utilisé disparaît, la couche SSU peut soit substituer le service de manière transparente, soit lever une exception pour avertir explicitement le client. Cette couche SSU est basée sur une approche transactionnelle qui vise à préserver la cohérence des services actifs. Enfin, nous proposons d'intégrer les deux approches dans un nouveau système de surveillance (NewMS). Les NewMS hérite des principes des deux systèmes précédents: la résilience à la dynamicité, l'exhaustivité et la tolérance aux fautes. Il peut dynamiquement surveiller l'utilisation de services et traiter les références obsolètes de manière transparente. Ces trois propositions sont implémentées dans la plateforme OSGi. Nous avons développé une application simple qui simule un système de réservation de place, qui est monitoré par notre systèmes. Nous avons également proposé différentes spécifications pour ce système. Nos résultats démontrent que le coût d'observation de notre moniteur est proche du coût d'un monitor classique, ne prenant pas en compte les problématiques liées à la dynamique.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF RODNEY H. WELDON, for the Masters of Science degree in WORKFORCE EDUCATION, presented on APRIL 28, 2012, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: AGING AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIANS EXTEND THEIR WORK LIFE THROUGH SERVICE TEAMS SEEKING TOTAL SERVICE EXCELLENCE MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Elizabeth Freeburg The purpose of this paper was to contribute to the body of knowledge about the automotive technician's work life. More specifically, the study addressed the identification of change in technician production, how this change affects and was affected by the issues through out their work life. The author analyzed automotive technician productivity and efficiency calculations of automotive dealership technician production and the issues that impacted change. 40 years of hands on service department management recalled from the researchers personal records applied what worked and redefined what did not.

Phospholipids are the major structural components of the lipid portion of biological membranes. The study of the thermal properties of these phospholipid provides a systematic understanding of the relationships between the chemical structures and functional properties of phospholipid molecules in artificial and biological membranes. This study examined the thermal behavior of phospholipids in the solid state using DSC and TG coupled with FITR. The phospholipids were found to have phase transitions below the melting point. Egg-yolk lecithin had four transitions below its melting point; sphingomyelin had two phase transitions below its melting point. Phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylserine had complex phase transitions. The water content of the lipids affected the phase transitions. The water content of the lipids affected the phase transition. In this study, TG provided a quicker, an easier and more accurate way to find the percentage of water in lipids. Most of the phospholipids existed in the hydrated state, and different lipids were associated with different amounts of water. One mole of egg-yolk lecithin was associated with one to two moles of water. One mole of phosphatidylethanolamine contained two moles of water. Phosphatidylserine was a monohydrate, and one mole of sphingomyelin associated with two moles of water, a dehydrate.

An apology is a standard expression often articulated by someone who has wronged another. Prior service failure and recovery literature has explored the impact uncivil acts and subsequent recovery efforts in a service environment, although this research has been focused on the involved customer’s perceptions and retaliatory intentions. In a service environment, third party customers are often able to observe the interactions (both positive and negative) of others. Prior literature has yet to examine the influence of each characteristic of an apology on an observing customer’s retaliatory intentions. To address this gap in the literature, the present research examines how apologies influence observing customers’ negative word-of-mouth and return intentions. Four apology components (timeliness, accepting responsibility, initiation, and remorse) were examined. In addition, three blocking variables (gender, moral identity, and self-construal) are included in order to empirically examine whether any of the apology components had a unique effect on specific groups of individuals compared to others.

This study examined the effect of service activities on the development of leadership life skills in youth and if having a reflection component as part of the activity makes a difference. Additionally, the study examined the impact of selected demographics including age, gender, type of service completed monthly and 4-H membership on the development of leadership life skills. Participants in the study were from two samples. One group represented the El Paso National Youth Service Day, the other represented the District 11 4-H Leadership Lab in Brenham, Texas. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (no reflection) or treatment (with reflection) group. Youth participants self rated their leadership life skills using a 33-question post-test only questionnaire. Demographics were reported in nine additional questions. The major findings of the study are as follows: 1) Overall, the participants reported their perceived leadership life skills to be high in four of the five subscales; 2) The inclusion of a reflection component did not significantly affect perceived leadership life skills; 3) Type of service, whether direct or indirect, had a significant impact on perceived leadership life skills; 4) 4-H membership had a significant impact on the Personal Leadership Development subscale.

Current software community players like academy and industry have been changing the traditional paradigms of software engineering towards context-awareness and distributed computing. Nowadays, service-oriented computing and context-aware computing are two emerging paradigms that are changing the way of designing, developing, providing and consuming software services. Whilst service-oriented computing is based on service-oriented architectures and it is focused on modelling functionality and providing flexible software services, context-aware computing is based on the context life cycle and it allows processing and changing the behaviour of such services given certain context information. The synergy between both paradigms is a core research topic in ubiquitous and pervasive computing widely applied to the Internet of Things and Smart Cities.In the present PhD thesis, we exploit this synergy by focusing on context-aware computing from the perspective of service-oriented computing, which is also known as context-aware service-oriented computing. Such research topic involves the management of context within different essential phases of the context life cycle that show how the context data moves from phase to phase in software services within the paradigm of the service-oriented computing. Hence, the work done in this thesis involves different components and processes that have the aim to accomplish the context life cycle, namely the acquisition, modelling, reasoning and dissemination of the context in service-oriented computing. Particularly, we make an effort to provide both a context ontology for context modelling, context reasoning and high-level context dissemination, and a context-aware monitoring architecture for context acquisition and low-level context dissemination.Such work of the thesis has been motivated for contributing in the solution of different issues mainly identified in the phases of context modelling and context acquisition that are a strong basis of the context life cycle. Firstly, in the context modelling we mainly identified the proliferation of several context models presenting some problems about: reusability, extensibility and adaptation. Secondly, in the context acquisition we mainly identified that existing monitoring infrastructures are not prepared to support the constant changes in their context and the context of other entities, including the services that they are supervising which provoke the provisioning of context data that is not reliable. In summary, this thesis explores three big research questions: 1) What context data to acquire and to model? This involves the study of the current state of the art of context models, specifically: which are these proposals and how are they related, what are their structural characteristics, what context information is the most addressed, and what are their most consolidated definitions. 2) How to model context data? This involves the development of a three-level context ontology with the aim of improving the reusability, extensibility and adaptation capabilities of existing context models. 3) How to acquire context data? This involves the development of a context-aware monitoring architecture that can be easily configured, adapted or evolved according to the constant changes of the context.The context model and the architecture proposed in this PhD thesis are validated through different scenarios and use cases, highlighting their integration in SUPERSEDE (www.supersede.eu), a European project in the H2020 program for fulfilling some requirements of data acquisition and management demonstrating that the context life cycle is supported.
Els actors actuals de la comunitat de software, com l'acadèmia o la indústria, han anat canviant els paradigmes tradicionals de l'enginyeria de software cap a la sensibilitat al context i la computació distribuïda. Avui dia, la computació orientada a serveis i la computació conscient del context són dos paradigmes emergents que estan canviant la forma de dissenyar, desenvolupar, proporcionar i consumir serveis de software. Mentre que la computació orientada a serveis es basa en arquitectures orientades a serveis i se centra en el modelatge de la funcionalitat i la prestació de serveis de software flexibles, la computació sensible al context es basa en el cicle de vida del context i permet el processament i canviar el comportament d'aquest tipus de serveis donada una determinada informació del context. La sinergia entre els dos paradigmes és un tema central de recerca a la computació ubiqua i omnipresent, àmpliament aplicada a la Internet de les coses i les ciutats intel·ligents. En la present tesi doctoral explotem aquesta sinèrgia, centrant-se en la computació sensible al context des de la perspectiva de la computació orientada a serveis, que també es coneix com computació orientada a serveis sensibles al context. Tal tema de recerca implica la gestió de contexts en diferents fases essencials del cicle de vida del context que mostren com les dades de context es mouen d'una fase a l’altra en serveis de software dins del paradigma de la computació orientada a serveis. Per tant, el treball realitzat en aquesta tesi consisteix en diferents components i processos que tenen l'objectiu d'aconseguir el cicle de vida del context, és a dir, l'adquisició, el modelatge, el raonament i la difusió del context en computació orientada a serveis. En particular, fem un esforç per proporcionar tant una ontologia de context per a la modelització, raonament i difusió del context d'alt nivell, i una arquitectura de monitorització sensible al context per a l'adquisició i difusió del context de baix nivell. Aquest treball de tesi ha estat motivat per contribuir a la solució dels diferents problemes identificats principalment en les fases de modelatge de context i adquisició de context que són una base sòlida del cicle de vida del context. En primer lloc, en el modelatge de context es van identificar principalment la proliferació de diversos models de context que presenten alguns problemes sobre: reutilització, l'extensibilitat i l'adaptació. En segon lloc, en l'adquisició del context identifiquem principalment que les infraestructures de monitorització existents no estan preparats per suportar els canvis constants en el seu context i el context d'altres entitats, incloent-hi els serveis que s'estan supervisant, que provoquen un aprovisionament de dades de context que no és fiable. En resum, aquesta tesi explora tres grans preguntes de recerca: 1) Quines dades de context cal adquirir i modelar? Això implica l'estudi de l'estat actual de la tècnica dels models de context, en concret: ¿quines són aquestes propostes i com es relacionen, quines són les seves característiques estructurals, quina informació de context és la més adreçada, i quines són les seves definicions més consolidades. 2) Com modelar les dades de context? Això implica el desenvolupament d'una ontologia de context de tres nivells amb l'objectiu de millorar les capacitats de reutilització, extensibilitat i adaptació dels models de context existents. 3) Com adquirir dades de context? Això implica el desenvolupament d'una arquitectura de monitorització sensible al context que pot ser fàcilment configurat o adaptat d'acord amb els canvis del context. El model de context i l'arquitectura proposada en aquesta tesi doctoral es validen a través de diferents escenaris i casos d'ús, destacant la seva integració en SUPERSEDE, un projecte europeu en el programa H2020 per al compliment d'alguns requisits d'adquisició i gestió de dades que demostra que es dóna suport al cicle de vida del context.

Vacuum insulation panels, VIPs, constitute a new insulation material, 6 to 8 times better than traditional insulation materials, which utilizes the positive influence vacuum has on the thermal properties of certain materials. A VIP is a composite with a flat core enclosed by an envelope preventing the core to fill with gas. The vacuum in the core is vital to reach thermal conductivities down to 0,0035 W/(m K), if the vacuum is lost the panel has reached the end of its service life time. Metal sheets would the preferred material to create an impermeable envelope but would creates a large thermal bridge at the edges of a panel when it folds over the edges of the panel.

A serpentine edge has been proposed in order to deal with this large thermal bridge. This serpentine edge has been evaluated first as a numeric model in software and then by measuring on a prototype edge element in a hot and cold plate instrument. Measured temperatures were used to validate the numerical model. Results show that a serpentine edge can greatly reduce the thermal bridge if designed correctly.

Another direction taken in the development of the VIP barrier is to use very thin metal layers, metallization layer or coating, incorporated into multi layered polymer composite film. This creates barrier films with very good barrier properties and only small thermal bridges. The modeling of gas flux through films with more than one coating has only just started. Existing models for flux through multi coated films all assume that flux is only taking place through defects in the coating layers, that all defects are of the same size and that all defects are positioned in square lattices. The model discussed herein use the same assumption of flux through pinholes only but it does take defect sizes and positions into account. Barrier film, from a regular vacuum insulation panel, with double coatings has been evaluated in light microscopy to characterize the defects in each of the coatings. The data found have been fed into the model and the results comply well with reported permeabilities of similar barrier films.