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Sample records for sonar design tool

  1. Digital sonar design in underwater acoustics principles and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Li, Qihu

    2012-01-01

    "Digital Sonar Design in Underwater Acoustics Principles and Applications" provides comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of research on sonar design, including the basic theory and techniques of digital signal processing, basic concept of information theory, ocean acoustics, underwater acoustic signal propagation theory, and underwater signal processing theory. This book discusses the general design procedure and approaches to implementation, the design method, system simulation theory and techniques, sonar tests in the laboratory, lake and sea, and practical validation criteria and methods for digital sonar design. It is intended for researchers in the fields of underwater signal processing and sonar design, and also for navy officers and ocean explorers. Qihu Li is a professor at the Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

  2. Recreational-Grade Sidescan Sonar: Transforming a Low-Cost Leisure Gadget into a High Resolution Riverbed Remote Sensing Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamill, D. D.; Buscombe, D.; Wheaton, J. M.; Wilcock, P. R.

    2016-12-01

    The size and spatial organization of bed material, bed texture, is a fundamental physical attribute of lotic ecosystems. Traditional methods to map bed texture (such as physical samples and underwater video) are limited by low spatial coverage, and poor precision in positioning. Recreational grade sidescan sonar systems now offer the possibility of imaging submerged riverbed sediments at coverages and resolutions sufficient to identify subtle changes in bed texture, in any navigable body of water, with minimal cost, expertise in sonar, or logistical effort, thereby facilitating the democratization of acoustic imaging of benthic environments, to support ecohydrological studies in shallow water, not subject to the rigors of hydrographic standards, nor the preserve of hydroacoustic expertise and proprietary hydrographic industry software. We investigate the possibility of using recreational grade sidescan sonar for sedimentary change detection using a case study of repeat sidescan imaging of mixed sand-gravel-rock riverbeds in a debris-fan dominated canyon river, at a coverage and resolution that meets the objectives of studies of the effects of changing bed substrates on salmonid spawning. A repeat substrate mapping analysis on data collected between 2012 and 2015 on the Colorado River in Glen, Marble, and Grand Canyons will be presented. A detailed method has been developed to interpret and analyze non-survey-grade sidescan sonar data, encoded within an open source software tool developed by the authors. An automated technique to quantify bed texture directly from sidescan sonar imagery is tested against bed sediment observations from underwater video and multibeam sonar. Predictive relationships between known bed sediment observations and bed texture metrics could provide an objective means to quantify bed textures and to relate changes in bed texture to biological components of an aquatic ecosystem, at high temporal frequency, and with minimal logistical effort

  3. MSPOT a performance optimisation tool for ASW sonar

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Beerens, S.P.; Benders, F.P.A.

    2012-01-01

    Several navies are operating or procuring low-frequency active sonar systems (LFAS) as the primary part of their ASW capability. Since LFAS is a relatively new sensor with a performance strongly depending on environmental conditions, the proper operational sensor settings, such as depth and pulse

  4. A Study for Optimum Survey Method of Underwater Structure Using the Dual Sonar Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Youngseok Kim

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available We have developed dual sonar equipment and an improved operating method for improving resolution in order to solve the problems of limitations of the optical equipment and the application method of SSS (side scan sonar in the investigation of damage of underwater structures. We analyzed the influence factors of the resolution of sonar data through the comparison of resolution and data quality in indoor test. Also we confirmed the problems about the overlapping area of the dual sonar. Depth and distance were analyzed as major influencing factors for survey angle. Specimens were scanned while adjusting distance and towfish angle according to depth change in order to verify applicability of the developed dual sonar in the field experiment. Optimal resolution was found to be 3 cm in specimen spacing, and 20 sample data items were extracted. We developed the regression model based on the multiple regression analysis and developed the RealDualSONAR-DAQ tool, the dual sonar optimum operating method program based on proposed correlation equations. We can use the developed tools to get the value of the major influencing factors for dual sonar operation and obtain high quality sonar data to analyze damage of underwater structures.

  5. Real-Time 3D Sonar Modeling And Visualization

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-06-01

    looking back towards Manta sonar beam, Manta plus sonar from 1000m off track. 185 NUWC sponsor Erik Chaum Principal investigator Don Brutzman...USN Sonar Officer LT Kevin Byrne USN Intelligence Officer CPT Russell Storms USA Erik Chaum works in NUWC Code 22. He supervised the design and...McGhee, Bob, "The Phoenix Autonomous Underwater Vehicle," chapter 13, AI-BasedMobile Robots, editors David Kortenkamp, Pete Bonasso and Robin Murphy

  6. An integrated environment for fast development and performance assessment of sonar image processing algorithms - SSIE

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Lars

    1996-01-01

    The sonar simulator integrated environment (SSIE) is a tool for developing high performance processing algorithms for single or sequences of sonar images. The tool is based on MATLAB providing a very short lead time from concept to executable code and thereby assessment of the algorithms tested...... of the algorithms is the availability of sonar images. To accommodate this problem the SSIE has been equipped with a simulator capable of generating high fidelity sonar images for a given scene of objects, sea-bed AUV path, etc. In the paper the main components of the SSIE is described and examples of different...... processing steps are given...

  7. Principles of Sonar Performance Modeling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ainslie, M.A.

    2010-01-01

    Sonar performance modelling (SPM) is concerned with the prediction of quantitative measures of sonar performance, such as probability of detection. It is a multidisciplinary subject, requiring knowledge and expertise in the disparate fields of underwater acoustics, acoustical oceanography, sonar

  8. FPGA-Based Sonar Processing

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Graham, Paul; Nelson, Brent

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents the application of time-delay sonar beamforming and discusses a multi-board FPGA system for performing several variations of this beamforming method in real-time for realistic sonar arrays...

  9. Monitoring upstream sinkhole development by detailed sonar profiling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rigbey, S. [Acres International Ltd., Niagara Falls, ON (Canada)

    2004-09-01

    the toe of the structure. Sonar profiling has achieved accuracy and repeatability in the range of 100 mm. Overhangs and pipes in sinkholes can be surveyed in detail by lowering the sonar head to immediately above the reservoir bottom, thereby correcting data for any underwater pitch, roll and yaw of the head. The development of this simple and inexpensive method for detailed sonar surveys of reservoirs and earth dams has proven to be a useful tool in dam safety assessments. Sonar currently represents the only way to fully inspect upstream slopes and reservoir bottoms. Detailed sonar profiling has also been used to determine the effectiveness of the infilling program. 8 figs.

  10. Review: Marine Seismic And Side-Scan Sonar Investigations For Seabed Identification With Sonar System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Zainuddin Lubis

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Marine seismic reflection data have been collected for decades and since the mid-to late- 1980s much of this data is positioned relatively accurately. Marine geophysical acquisition of data is a very expensive process with the rates regularly ship through dozens of thousands of euros per day. Acquisition of seismic profiles has the position is determined by a DGPS system and navigation is performed by Hypack and Maxview software that also gives all the offsets for the equipment employed in the survey. Examples of some projects will be described in terms of the project goals and the geophysical equipment selected for each survey and specific geophysical systems according to with the scope of work. For amplitude side scan sonar image, and in the multi-frequency system, color, becoming a significant properties of the sea floor, the effect of which is a bully needs to be fixed. The main confounding effect is due to absorption of water; geometric spread; shape beam sonar function (combined transmit-receive sonar beam intensity as a function of tilt angle obtained in this sonar reference frame; sonar vehicle roll; form and function of the seabed backscatter (proportion incident on the seabed backscattered signal to sonar as a function of the angle of incidence relative to the sea floor; and the slope of the seabed. The different angles of view are generated by the translation of the sonar, because of the discrete steps involved by the sequential pings, the angular sampling of the bottom.

  11. Digital Signal Processing Applied to the Modernization Of Polish Navy Sonars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marszal Jacek

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The article presents the equipment and digital signal processing methods used for modernizing the Polish Navy’s sonars. With the rapid advancement of electronic technologies and digital signal processing methods, electronic systems, including sonars, become obsolete very quickly. In the late 1990s a team of researchers of the Department of Marine Electronics Systems, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Informatics, Gdansk University of Technology, began work on modernizing existing sonar systems for the Polish Navy. As part of the effort, a methodology of sonar modernization was implemented involving a complete replacement of existing electronic components with newly designed ones by using bespoke systems and methods of digital signal processing. Large and expensive systems of ultrasound transducers and their dipping and stabilisation systems underwent necessary repairs but were otherwise left unchanged. As a result, between 2001 and 2014 the Gdansk University of Technology helped to modernize 30 sonars of different types.

  12. SONAR: A High-Throughput Pipeline for Inferring Antibody Ontogenies from Longitudinal Sequencing of B Cell Transcripts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schramm, Chaim A; Sheng, Zizhang; Zhang, Zhenhai; Mascola, John R; Kwong, Peter D; Shapiro, Lawrence

    2016-01-01

    The rapid advance of massively parallel or next-generation sequencing technologies has made possible the characterization of B cell receptor repertoires in ever greater detail, and these developments have triggered a proliferation of software tools for processing and annotating these data. Of especial interest, however, is the capability to track the development of specific antibody lineages across time, which remains beyond the scope of most current programs. We have previously reported on the use of techniques such as inter- and intradonor analysis and CDR3 tracing to identify transcripts related to an antibody of interest. Here, we present Software for the Ontogenic aNalysis of Antibody Repertoires (SONAR), capable of automating both general repertoire analysis and specialized techniques for investigating specific lineages. SONAR annotates next-generation sequencing data, identifies transcripts in a lineage of interest, and tracks lineage development across multiple time points. SONAR also generates figures, such as identity-divergence plots and longitudinal phylogenetic "birthday" trees, and provides interfaces to other programs such as DNAML and BEAST. SONAR can be downloaded as a ready-to-run Docker image or manually installed on a local machine. In the latter case, it can also be configured to take advantage of a high-performance computing cluster for the most computationally intensive steps, if available. In summary, this software provides a useful new tool for the processing of large next-generation sequencing datasets and the ontogenic analysis of neutralizing antibody lineages. SONAR can be found at https://github.com/scharch/SONAR, and the Docker image can be obtained from https://hub.docker.com/r/scharch/sonar/.

  13. SONAR: A high-throughput pipeline for inferring antibody ontogenies from longitudinal sequencing of B cell transcripts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaim A Schramm

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The rapid advance of massively parallel or next-generation sequencing technologies has made possible the characterization of B cell receptor repertoires in ever greater detail, leading to a proliferation of software tools for processing and annotating this data. Of especial interest, however, is the capability to track the development of specific antibody lineages across time, which remains beyond the scope of most current programs. We have previously reported on the use of techniques such as inter- and intra-donor analysis and CDR3 tracing to identify transcripts related to an antibody of interest. Here, we present Software for the Ontogenic aNalysis of Antibody Repertoires (SONAR, capable of automating both general repertoire analysis and specialized techniques for investigating specific lineages. SONAR annotates next-generation sequencing data, identifies transcripts in a lineage of interest, and tracks lineage development across multiple time points. SONAR also generates figures, such as identity-divergence plots and longitudinal phylogenetic birthday trees, and provides interfaces to other programs such as DNAML and BEAST. SONAR can be downloaded as a ready-to-run Docker image or manually installed on a local machine. In the latter case, it can also be configured to take advantage of a high-performance computing cluster for the most computationally intensive steps, if available. In summary, this software provides a useful new tool for the processing of large next-generation sequencing datasets and the ontogenic analysis of neutralizing antibody lineages. SONAR can be found at https://github.com/scharch/SONAR and the Docker image can be obtained from https://hub.docker.com/r/scharch/sonar/.

  14. NMFS Water Column Sonar Database

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Water column sonar data are an important component of fishery independent surveys, habitat studies and other research. NMFS water column sonar data are archived here.

  15. Archaeological use of Synthetic Aperture Sonar on deepwater wreck sites in Skagerrak

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maarleveld, Thijs J.; Ødegård, Øyvind; Hansen, Roy E.

    2018-01-01

    Marine archaeological surveying in deep waters has so far been challenging, mainly due to operational and technological constraints. The standard tool has been Side Scan Sonar (SSS) towed behind a surface vessel. Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) technology is not subject to the traditional range....../resolution tradeoff, and produces results of considerably higher quality than traditional SSS. In 2015 and 2016 a comprehensive mapping of wrecks in Skagerrak, a large deepwater area off the south coast of Norway was undertaken, using an interferometric SAS system deployed on an autonomous underwater vehicle...

  16. Sidescan Sonar Image Matching Using Cross Correlation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thisen, Erik; Sørensen, Helge Bjarup Dissing; Stage, Bjarne

    2003-01-01

    When surveying an area for sea mines with a sidescan sonar, the ability to find the same object in two different sonar images is helpful to determine the nature of the object. The main problem with matching two sidescan sonar images is that a scene changes appearance when viewed from different vi...

  17. Sonar Headphone Selection for Optimum Performance: An Overview

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Russotti, Joseph

    1995-01-01

    .... The advantages and disadvantages of open and sealed circumaural headsets and recent developments in noise canceling headsets are discussed, along with the possibility of reducing noise levels in sonar spaces to permit use of higher fidelity headphone designs.

  18. Analysis of the Detectability of Sonar Under the Virtual Battlefield

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hou Chengyu

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Due to the high propagation speed and the low attenuation in the water, the sonar has played a crucial role in developing the ocean resources and the marine target detection. Therefore, simulation of the sonar detectability is indispensable to the virtual battlefield. This paper will combine the background noise model of the ocean, the reverberation model, the target strength model and the transmission loss to build the sonar performance model, and realize the calculation of the sonar detectability. Ultimately, the parameters’ effect in the sonar equation on the performance of the sonar detection is analyzed, and the validity of this model is verified by two serving sonars parameters.

  19. Radar, sonar, and holography an introduction

    CERN Document Server

    Kock, Winston E

    1974-01-01

    Radar, Sonar, and Holography: An Introduction provides an introduction to the technology of radar and sonar. Because the new science of holography is affecting both these fields quite strongly, the book includes an explanation of the fundamental principles underlying this new art (including the subjects of wave coherence, interference, and diffraction) and of the hologram process itself. Finally, numerous examples are discussed which show how holography is providing new horizons to radar and sonar systems. The book thus also provides a simple approach to the new technology of holography. The

  20. Colour Sonar: Multi-Frequency Sidescan Sonar Images of the Seabed in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth, Scotland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duncan Tamsett

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The backscatter response of a seabed to an incident sonar signal is dependent on the carrier wave frequency: i.e., the seabed is acoustically colourful. Colour is implemented in a prototype three-frequency sidescan sonar system deployed in the Pentland Firth, north Scotland. Sonar amplitude data as a function of frequency are processed to render them an unconfounded effect of the seabed normalized to the response at a reference inclination angle, for colour to be a meaningful property of the seabed. Methods for mapping data at sonar frequencies to optical primary colours for human visualisation are explored. We recommend methods that in our opinion generate colour characteristics harmonious with human vision in which: shadow is white; saturation black; colour shade darkness is proportional to backscatter strength; and shades of red, green and blue are seen in proportion to the backscatter amplitudes of the low-, mid- and high-frequency sonar data. Frequency equalisation is applied to achieve a balance in colour responses in images. The seabed in the survey area is acoustically colourful. Using the “negative BGR” colour mapping method: a weakly backscattering sand dune in the north of the survey area appears as shades of light blue and purple; a strongly backscattering halo of cobbles around the dune appears as shades of hazel brown; a strongly backscattering gravel ridge across the south of the survey area appears as shades of royal blue; and exposed rock as textures ranging in colour from light brown to light blue/green. There is evidence for colour anisotropy (a dependence of colour on the direction of ensonification. Similarities between anthropic colour sonar and the natural sonar of Microchiropteran bats are noted. Bats’ sonar satisfies the information criteria for acoustic colour, and it is hypothesized that it informs a colourfully-perceived world view.

  1. Multibeam sonar backscatter data processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schimel, Alexandre C. G.; Beaudoin, Jonathan; Parnum, Iain M.; Le Bas, Tim; Schmidt, Val; Keith, Gordon; Ierodiaconou, Daniel

    2018-06-01

    Multibeam sonar systems now routinely record seafloor backscatter data, which are processed into backscatter mosaics and angular responses, both of which can assist in identifying seafloor types and morphology. Those data products are obtained from the multibeam sonar raw data files through a sequence of data processing stages that follows a basic plan, but the implementation of which varies greatly between sonar systems and software. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of this backscatter data processing chain, with a focus on the variability in the possible implementation of each processing stage. Our objective for undertaking this task is twofold: (1) to provide an overview of backscatter data processing for the consideration of the general user and (2) to provide suggestions to multibeam sonar manufacturers, software providers and the operators of these systems and software for eventually reducing the lack of control, uncertainty and variability associated with current data processing implementations and the resulting backscatter data products. One such suggestion is the adoption of a nomenclature for increasingly refined levels of processing, akin to the nomenclature adopted for satellite remote-sensing data deliverables.

  2. Sonar Tank Area

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Sonar Tank Facility permits low cost initial 'wet' testing and check out prior to full scale deployment at sea. It can manage controlled conditions calibration...

  3. A novel approach to surveying sturgeon using side-scan sonar and occupancy modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flowers, H. Jared; Hightower, Joseph E.

    2013-01-01

    Technological advances represent opportunities to enhance and supplement traditional fisheries sampling approaches. One example with growing importance for fisheries research is hydroacoustic technologies such as side-scan sonar. Advantages of side-scan sonar over traditional techniques include the ability to sample large areas efficiently and the potential to survey fish without physical handling-important for species of conservation concern, such as endangered sturgeons. Our objectives were to design an efficient survey methodology for sampling Atlantic Sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus by using side-scan sonar and to developmethods for analyzing these data. In North Carolina and South Carolina, we surveyed six rivers thought to contain varying abundances of sturgeon by using a combination of side-scan sonar, telemetry, and video cameras (i.e., to sample jumping sturgeon). Lower reaches of each river near the saltwater-freshwater interface were surveyed on three occasions (generally successive days), and we used occupancy modeling to analyze these data.We were able to detect sturgeon in five of six rivers by using these methods. Side-scan sonar was effective in detecting sturgeon, with estimated gear-specific detection probabilities ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 and river-specific occupancy estimates (per 2-km river segment) ranging from 0.0 to 0.8. Future extensions of this occupancy modeling framework will involve the use of side-scan sonar data to assess sturgeon habitat and abundance in different river systems.

  4. High-Resolution Sonars: What Resolution Do We Need for Target Recognition?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pailhas Yan

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Target recognition in sonar imagery has long been an active research area in the maritime domain, especially in the mine-counter measure context. Recently it has received even more attention as new sensors with increased resolution have been developed; new threats to critical maritime assets and a new paradigm for target recognition based on autonomous platforms have emerged. With the recent introduction of Synthetic Aperture Sonar systems and high-frequency sonars, sonar resolution has dramatically increased and noise levels decreased. Sonar images are distance images but at high resolution they tend to appear visually as optical images. Traditionally algorithms have been developed specifically for imaging sonars because of their limited resolution and high noise levels. With high-resolution sonars, algorithms developed in the image processing field for natural images become applicable. However, the lack of large datasets has hampered the development of such algorithms. Here we present a fast and realistic sonar simulator enabling development and evaluation of such algorithms.We develop a classifier and then analyse its performances using our simulated synthetic sonar images. Finally, we discuss sensor resolution requirements to achieve effective classification of various targets and demonstrate that with high resolution sonars target highlight analysis is the key for target recognition.

  5. Slope angle studies from multibeam sonar data on three seamounts in Central Indian Basin

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Kodagali, V.N.

    Slope angles are powerful morphometric tools. Slope angle studies in manganese nodule areas using the Multi Beam Sonar (MBS) data is useful to the mining geologist. A technique to convert depth grid generated from MBS data to slope angle values data...

  6. A micro-Doppler sonar for acoustic surveillance in sensor networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhaonian

    Wireless sensor networks have been employed in a wide variety of applications, despite the limited energy and communication resources at each sensor node. Low power custom VLSI chips implementing passive acoustic sensing algorithms have been successfully integrated into an acoustic surveillance unit and demonstrated for detection and location of sound sources. In this dissertation, I explore active and passive acoustic sensing techniques, signal processing and classification algorithms for detection and classification in a multinodal sensor network environment. I will present the design and characterization of a continuous-wave micro-Doppler sonar to image objects with articulated moving components. As an example application for this system, we use it to image gaits of humans and four-legged animals. I will present the micro-Doppler gait signatures of a walking person, a dog and a horse. I will discuss the resolution and range of this micro-Doppler sonar and use experimental results to support the theoretical analyses. In order to reduce the data rate and make the system amenable to wireless sensor networks, I will present a second micro-Doppler sonar that uses bandpass sampling for data acquisition. Speech recognition algorithms are explored for biometric identifications from one's gait, and I will present and compare the classification performance of the two systems. The acoustic micro-Doppler sonar design and biometric identification results are the first in the field as the previous work used either video camera or microwave technology. I will also review bearing estimation algorithms and present results of applying these algorithms for bearing estimation and tracking of moving vehicles. Another major source of the power consumption at each sensor node is the wireless interface. To address the need of low power communications in a wireless sensor network, I will also discuss the design and implementation of ultra wideband transmitters in a three dimensional

  7. Adaptive motion compensation in sonar array processing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groen, J.

    2006-01-01

    In recent years, sonar performance has mainly improved via a significant increase in array ap-erture, signal bandwidth and computational power. This thesis aims at improving sonar array processing techniques based on these three steps forward. In applications such as anti-submarine warfare and mine

  8. Sonar path correction in synthetic aperture processing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groen, J.; Hansen, R.E.; Sabel, J.C.

    2003-01-01

    In the next generation of mine hunting sonars, in particular on Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS) will play an important role. The benefit of SAS is to increase resolution and signal-tonoise ratio by coherent processing of successive pings. A challenge in SAS is

  9. Side-Scan-Sonar Points for Hudson River, NY

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Side Scan Point Files. These points correspond to individual pings which produced hte side-scan-sonar backscatter imagery. Sonar data were collected November 6 to...

  10. Development of Discrete Power Supply with Charge Pump Method for High Powered Sonar System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristian Ismail

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Power supply is one of the electronic devices that can provide electric energy for electronic systems or other systems. There are several types of power supplies that can be applied depend on the requirement and functions. One example is the use of power supply for sonar systems. Sonar system is a device which can be used to detect a target under water. The sonar system is an electronic circuit that requires a power supply with specific characteristics when the sonar functions as a transmitter and a receiver in the specific span time (when on and the specific lag time (when off. This paper discusses the design of power supply for high-powered sonar systems with discrete methods in which high power supply is only applied when the acoustic waves radiated under water. Charge pump was used to get the appropriate output voltage from lower input voltage. Charge pump utilized a combination of series and parallel connections of capacitors. The working mode of this power supply used the lag time as the calculation of time to charge charge pump capacitors in parallel while the span time was used for the calculation of discharging the charge pump capacitors in series.

  11. Long range echo classification for minehunting sonars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Theije, P.A.M. de; Groen, J.; Sabel, J.C.

    2006-01-01

    This paper focesus on single-ping classification of sea mines, at a range of about 400 m, and combining a hull mounted sonar (HMS) and a propelled variable-depth sonar (PDVS). The deleoped classifier is trained and tested on a set of simulated realistic echoes of mines and non-mines. As the mines

  12. New sonar waveforms for active torpedo warning using an LFAS system

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    IJsselmuide, S.P. van; Beerens, S.P.; Doisy, Y.; Deruaz, L.

    2003-01-01

    Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS) systems are originally designed for ASW purposes. Although their main purpose is detection of submarines, they can, if adjusted waveforms are transmitted, also be used for detection of small fast moving targets (torpedoes). In this study the Detection,

  13. Review of research on sonar imaging technology in China

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Haitao; Li, Renping; Xu, Feng; Liu, Liyuan

    2013-11-01

    Over the past 20 years, sonar imaging technology particularly for the high-technology sector has been a focus of research, in which many developed countries, especially those with coast lines, have been competing with each other. It has seen a rapid development with increasing widespread applications that has played an important and irreplaceable role in underwater exploration with great prospects for social, economic, scientific, and military benefits. The fundamental techniques underlying sonar imaging, including multi-beamforming, synthetic-aperture and inverse synthetic-aperture sonar, acoustic lensing, and acoustical holography, are described in this paper. This is followed by a comprehensive and systematic review on the advantages and disadvantages of these imaging techniques, applicability conditions, development trends, new ideas, new methods, and improvements in old methods over recent years with an emphasis on the situation in China, along with a bold and constructive prediction to some development characteristics of sonar imaging technology in the near future in China. The perspectives presented in this paper are offered with the idea of providing some degree of guidance and promotion of research on sonar imaging technology.

  14. Automated detection of submerged navigational obstructions in freshwater impoundments with hull mounted sidescan sonar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morris, Phillip A.

    The prevalence of low-cost side scanning sonar systems mounted on small recreational vessels has created improved opportunities to identify and map submerged navigational hazards in freshwater impoundments. However, these economical sensors also present unique challenges for automated techniques. This research explores related literature in automated sonar imagery processing and mapping technology, proposes and implements a framework derived from these sources, and evaluates the approach with video collected from a recreational grade sonar system. Image analysis techniques including optical character recognition and an unsupervised computer automated detection (CAD) algorithm are employed to extract the transducer GPS coordinates and slant range distance of objects protruding from the lake bottom. The retrieved information is formatted for inclusion into a spatial mapping model. Specific attributes of the sonar sensors are modeled such that probability profiles may be projected onto a three dimensional gridded map. These profiles are computed from multiple points of view as sonar traces crisscross or come near each other. As lake levels fluctuate over time so do the elevation points of view. With each sonar record, the probability of a hazard existing at certain elevations at the respective grid points is updated with Bayesian mechanics. As reinforcing data is collected, the confidence of the map improves. Given a lake's current elevation and a vessel draft, a final generated map can identify areas of the lake that have a high probability of containing hazards that threaten navigation. The approach is implemented in C/C++ utilizing OpenCV, Tesseract OCR, and QGIS open source software and evaluated in a designated test area at Lake Lavon, Collin County, Texas.

  15. Inversion of Side Scan Sonar Motion and Posture in Seabed Geomorphology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Weiliang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Side scan sonar measurement platform, affected by underwater environment and its own motion precision, inevitably has posture and motion disturbance, which greatly affects accuracy of geomorphic image formation. It is difficult to sensitively and accurately capture these underwater disturbances by relying on auxiliary navigation devices. In this paper, we propose a method to invert motion and posture information of the measurement platform by using the matching relation between the strip images. The inversion algorithm is the key link in the image mosaic frame of side scan sonar, and the acquired motion posture information can effectively improve seabed topography and plotting accuracy and stability. In this paper, we first analyze influence of platform motion and posture on side scan sonar mapping, and establish the correlation model between motion, posture information and strip image matching information. Then, based on the model, a reverse neural network is established. Based on input, output of neural network, design of and test data set, a motion posture inversion mechanism based on strip image matching information is established. Accuracy and validity of the algorithm are verified by the experimental results.

  16. Tongue-driven sonar beam steering by a lingual-echolocating fruit bat.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wu-Jung Lee

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Animals enhance sensory acquisition from a specific direction by movements of head, ears, or eyes. As active sensing animals, echolocating bats also aim their directional sonar beam to selectively "illuminate" a confined volume of space, facilitating efficient information processing by reducing echo interference and clutter. Such sonar beam control is generally achieved by head movements or shape changes of the sound-emitting mouth or nose. However, lingual-echolocating Egyptian fruit bats, Rousettus aegyptiacus, which produce sound by clicking their tongue, can dramatically change beam direction at very short temporal intervals without visible morphological changes. The mechanism supporting this capability has remained a mystery. Here, we measured signals from free-flying Egyptian fruit bats and discovered a systematic angular sweep of beam focus across increasing frequency. This unusual signal structure has not been observed in other animals and cannot be explained by the conventional and widely-used "piston model" that describes the emission pattern of other bat species. Through modeling, we show that the observed beam features can be captured by an array of tongue-driven sound sources located along the side of the mouth, and that the sonar beam direction can be steered parsimoniously by inducing changes to the pattern of phase differences through moving tongue location. The effects are broadly similar to those found in a phased array-an engineering design widely found in human-made sonar systems that enables beam direction changes without changes in the physical transducer assembly. Our study reveals an intriguing parallel between biology and human engineering in solving problems in fundamentally similar ways.

  17. Passive Sonar Target Detection Using Statistical Classifier and Adaptive Threshold

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hamed Komari Alaie

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation about target detecting with passive sonar in Persian Gulf. Detecting propagated sounds in the water is one of the basic challenges of the researchers in sonar field. This challenge will be complex in shallow water (like Persian Gulf and noise less vessels. Generally, in passive sonar, the targets are detected by sonar equation (with constant threshold that increases the detection error in shallow water. The purpose of this study is proposed a new method for detecting targets in passive sonars using adaptive threshold. In this method, target signal (sound is processed in time and frequency domain. For classifying, Bayesian classification is used and posterior distribution is estimated by Maximum Likelihood Estimation algorithm. Finally, target was detected by combining the detection points in both domains using Least Mean Square (LMS adaptive filter. Results of this paper has showed that the proposed method has improved true detection rate by about 24% when compared other the best detection method.

  18. The Method of a Standalone Functional Verifying Operability of Sonar Control Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Sotnikov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This article describes a method of standalone verifying sonar control system, which is based on functional checking of control system operability.The main features of realized method are a development of the valid mathematic model for simulation of sonar signals at the point of hydroacoustic antenna, a valid representation of the sonar control system modes as a discrete Markov model, providing functional object verification in real time mode.Some ways are proposed to control computational complexity in case of insufficient computing resources of the simulation equipment, namely the way of model functionality reduction and the way of adequacy reduction.Experiments were made using testing equipment, which was developed by department of Research Institute of Information Control System at Bauman Moscow State Technical University to verify technical validity of industrial sonar complexes.On-board software was artificially changed to create malfunctions in functionality of sonar control systems during the verifying process in order to estimate verifying system performances.The method efficiency was proved by the theory and experiment results in comparison with the basic methodology of verifying technical systems.This method could be also used in debugging of on-board software of sonar complexes and in development of new promising algorithms of sonar signal processing.

  19. Water Column Sonar Data Collection

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The collection and analysis of water column sonar data is a relatively new avenue of research into the marine environment. Primary uses include assessing biological...

  20. Multiresolution 3-D reconstruction from side-scan sonar images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coiras, Enrique; Petillot, Yvan; Lane, David M

    2007-02-01

    In this paper, a new method for the estimation of seabed elevation maps from side-scan sonar images is presented. The side-scan image formation process is represented by a Lambertian diffuse model, which is then inverted by a multiresolution optimization procedure inspired by expectation-maximization to account for the characteristics of the imaged seafloor region. On convergence of the model, approximations for seabed reflectivity, side-scan beam pattern, and seabed altitude are obtained. The performance of the system is evaluated against a real structure of known dimensions. Reconstruction results for images acquired by different sonar sensors are presented. Applications to augmented reality for the simulation of targets in sonar imagery are also discussed.

  1. NPS ARIES Forward Look Sonar Integration

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Healey, A. J; Horner, D. P

    2004-01-01

    This work integrated an experimental Blazed Array Forward Looking Sonar (FLS) developed by the University of Washington, Applied Physics Laboratories into the ARIES autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV...

  2. A Mobile Robot Sonar System with Obstacle Avoidance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-03-01

    WITH OBSTACLE - AVOIDANCE __ by __ Patrick Gerard Byrne March 1994 Thesis Advisor : Yutaka Kanayama Approved for public release; distribution is...point p is on a line L whose normal has an orientation a and whose distance from the origin is r (Figure 5). This method has an advantage in expressing...sonar(FRONTR); Wine(&pl); while(hitl I >’- 100.0 11 hitl 1 - 0.0 ){ hitl I = sonar(FRONTR); I skipO; line(&p3); gat- robO (&posit 1); while(positl.x

  3. Airborne Low-Frequency Sonar (ALFS) Lab

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — The ALFS lab is dedicated to support acoustic data analysis and processing software support to the AN/AQS-22 dipping sonar system. It includes stand-alone Software...

  4. Useful design tools?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Jesper Ole

    2005-01-01

    vague and contested concept of sustainability into concrete concepts and building projects. It describes a typology of tools: process tools, impact assessment tools, multi-criteria tools and tools for monitoring. It includes a Danish paradigmatic case study of stakeholder participation in the planning...... of a new sustainable settlement. The use of design tools is discussed in relation to innovation and stakeholder participation, and it is stressed that the usefulness of design tools is context dependent....

  5. Cleaning Massive Sonar Point Clouds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Arge, Lars Allan; Larsen, Kasper Green; Mølhave, Thomas

    2010-01-01

    We consider the problem of automatically cleaning massive sonar data point clouds, that is, the problem of automatically removing noisy points that for example appear as a result of scans of (shoals of) fish, multiple reflections, scanner self-reflections, refraction in gas bubbles, and so on. We...

  6. Swath sonar mapping of Earth's submarine plate boundaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbotte, S. M.; Ferrini, V. L.; Celnick, M.; Nitsche, F. O.; Ryan, W. B. F.

    2014-12-01

    The recent loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in an area of the Indian Ocean where less than 5% of the seafloor is mapped with depth sounding data (Smith and Marks, EOS 2014) highlights the striking lack of detailed knowledge of the topography of the seabed for much of the worlds' oceans. Advances in swath sonar mapping technology over the past 30 years have led to dramatic improvements in our capability to map the seabed. However, the oceans are vast and only an estimated 10% of the seafloor has been mapped with these systems. Furthermore, the available coverage is highly heterogeneous and focused within areas of national strategic priority and community scientific interest. The major plate boundaries that encircle the globe, most of which are located in the submarine environment, have been a significant focus of marine geoscience research since the advent of swath sonar mapping. While the location of these plate boundaries are well defined from satellite-derived bathymetry, significant regions remain unmapped at the high-resolutions provided by swath sonars and that are needed to study active volcanic and tectonic plate boundary processes. Within the plate interiors, some fossil plate boundary zones, major hotspot volcanoes, and other volcanic provinces have been the focus of dedicated research programs. Away from these major tectonic structures, swath mapping coverage is limited to sparse ocean transit lines which often reveal previously unknown deep-sea channels and other little studied sedimentary structures not resolvable in existing low-resolution global compilations, highlighting the value of these data even in the tectonically quiet plate interiors. Here, we give an overview of multibeam swath sonar mapping of the major plate boundaries of the globe as extracted from public archives. Significant quantities of swath sonar data acquired from deep-sea regions are in restricted-access international archives. Open access to more of these data sets would

  7. Reliability of fish size estimates obtained from multibeam imaging sonar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hightower, Joseph E.; Magowan, Kevin J.; Brown, Lori M.; Fox, Dewayne A.

    2013-01-01

    Multibeam imaging sonars have considerable potential for use in fisheries surveys because the video-like images are easy to interpret, and they contain information about fish size, shape, and swimming behavior, as well as characteristics of occupied habitats. We examined images obtained using a dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) multibeam sonar for Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, striped bass Morone saxatilis, white perch M. americana, and channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus of known size (20–141 cm) to determine the reliability of length estimates. For ranges up to 11 m, percent measurement error (sonar estimate – total length)/total length × 100 varied by species but was not related to the fish's range or aspect angle (orientation relative to the sonar beam). Least-square mean percent error was significantly different from 0.0 for Atlantic sturgeon (x̄  =  −8.34, SE  =  2.39) and white perch (x̄  = 14.48, SE  =  3.99) but not striped bass (x̄  =  3.71, SE  =  2.58) or channel catfish (x̄  = 3.97, SE  =  5.16). Underestimating lengths of Atlantic sturgeon may be due to difficulty in detecting the snout or the longer dorsal lobe of the heterocercal tail. White perch was the smallest species tested, and it had the largest percent measurement errors (both positive and negative) and the lowest percentage of images classified as good or acceptable. Automated length estimates for the four species using Echoview software varied with position in the view-field. Estimates tended to be low at more extreme azimuthal angles (fish's angle off-axis within the view-field), but mean and maximum estimates were highly correlated with total length. Software estimates also were biased by fish images partially outside the view-field and when acoustic crosstalk occurred (when a fish perpendicular to the sonar and at relatively close range is detected in the side lobes of adjacent beams). These sources of

  8. Selection of a Suitable Wall Pressure Spectrum Model for Estimating Flow-Induced Noise in Sonar Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. Bhujanga Rao

    1995-01-01

    Full Text Available Flow-induced structural noise of a sonar dome in which the sonar transducer is housed, constitutes a major source of self-noise above a certain speed of the vessel. Excitation of the sonar dome structure by random pressure fluctuations in turbulent boundary layer flow leads to acoustic radiation into the interior of the dome. This acoustic radiation is termed flow-induced structural noise. Such noise contributes significantly to sonar self-noise of submerged vessels cruising at high speed and plays an important role in surface ships, torpedos, and towed sonars as well. Various turbulent boundary layer wall pressure models published were analyzed and the most suitable analytical model for the sonar dome application selected while taking into account high frequency, fluid loading, low wave number contribution, and pressure gradient effects. These investigations included type of coupling that exists between turbulent boundary layer pressure fluctuations and dome wall structure of a typical sonar dome. Comparison of theoretical data with measured data onboard a ship are also reported.

  9. Mid-Frequency Sonar Interactions with Beaked Whales

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Foote, Kenneth G; Feijoo, Gonzalo R; Rye, Kent; Reidenberg, Joy; Hastings, Mardi

    2007-01-01

    The top-level goal of this project is to build an interactive online modeling and visualization system, called the Virtual Beaked Whale, to enable users to predict mid-frequency sonar-induced acoustic...

  10. A novel underwater dam crack detection and classification approach based on sonar images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Pengfei; Fan, Xinnan; Ni, Jianjun; Khan, Zubair; Li, Min

    2017-01-01

    Underwater dam crack detection and classification based on sonar images is a challenging task because underwater environments are complex and because cracks are quite random and diverse in nature. Furthermore, obtainable sonar images are of low resolution. To address these problems, a novel underwater dam crack detection and classification approach based on sonar imagery is proposed. First, the sonar images are divided into image blocks. Second, a clustering analysis of a 3-D feature space is used to obtain the crack fragments. Third, the crack fragments are connected using an improved tensor voting method. Fourth, a minimum spanning tree is used to obtain the crack curve. Finally, an improved evidence theory combined with fuzzy rule reasoning is proposed to classify the cracks. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is able to detect underwater dam cracks and classify them accurately and effectively under complex underwater environments.

  11. A novel underwater dam crack detection and classification approach based on sonar images.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pengfei Shi

    Full Text Available Underwater dam crack detection and classification based on sonar images is a challenging task because underwater environments are complex and because cracks are quite random and diverse in nature. Furthermore, obtainable sonar images are of low resolution. To address these problems, a novel underwater dam crack detection and classification approach based on sonar imagery is proposed. First, the sonar images are divided into image blocks. Second, a clustering analysis of a 3-D feature space is used to obtain the crack fragments. Third, the crack fragments are connected using an improved tensor voting method. Fourth, a minimum spanning tree is used to obtain the crack curve. Finally, an improved evidence theory combined with fuzzy rule reasoning is proposed to classify the cracks. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is able to detect underwater dam cracks and classify them accurately and effectively under complex underwater environments.

  12. On the design and construction of drifting-mine test targets for sonar, radar and electro-optical detection experiments

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dol, H.S.

    2014-01-01

    The timely detection of small hazardous objects at the sea surface, such as drifting mines, is challenging for ship-mounted sensor systems, both for underwater sensor systems like sonar and above-water sensor systems like radar and electro-optics (lidar, infrared/visual cameras). This is due to the

  13. Design mentoring tool.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    In 2004 a design engineer on-line mentoring tool was developed and implemented The purpose of the tool was to assist senior engineers : mentoring new engineers to the INDOT design process and improve their technical competency. This approach saves se...

  14. Sonar backscatter differentiation of dominant macrohabitat types in a hydrothermal vent field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durand, Sébastien; Legendre, Pierre; Juniper, S Kim

    2006-08-01

    Over the past 20 years, sonar remote sensing has opened ways of acquiring new spatial information on seafloor habitat and ecosystem properties. While some researchers are presently working to improve sonar methods so that broad-scale high-definition surveys can be effectively conducted for management purposes, others are trying to use these surveying techniques in more local areas. Because ecosystem management is scale-dependent, there is a need to acquire spatiotemporal knowledge over various scales to bridge the gap between already-acquired point-source data and information available at broader scales. Using a 675-kHz single-pencil-beam sonar mounted on the remotely operated vehicle ROPOS, 2200 m deep on the Juan de Fuca Ridge, East Pacific Rise, five dominant habitat types located in a hydrothermal vent field were identified and characterized by their sonar signatures. The data, collected at different altitudes from 1 to 10 m above the seafloor, were depth-normalized. We compared three ways of handling the echoes embedded in the backscatters to detect and differentiate the five habitat types; we examined the influence of footprint size on the discrimination capacity of the three methods; and we identified key variables, derived from echoes that characterize each habitat type. The first method used a set of variables describing echo shapes, and the second method used as variables the power intensity values found within the echoes, whereas the last method combined all these variables. Canonical discriminant analysis was used to discriminate among the five habitat types using the three methods. The discriminant models were constructed using 70% of the data while the remaining 30% were used for validation. The results showed that footprints 20-30 cm in diameter included a sufficient amount of spatial variation to make the sonar signatures sensitive to the habitat types, producing on average 82% correct classification. Smaller footprints produced lower percentages of

  15. Probability-Based Recognition Framework for Underwater Landmarks Using Sonar Images †.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yeongjun; Choi, Jinwoo; Ko, Nak Yong; Choi, Hyun-Taek

    2017-08-24

    This paper proposes a probability-based framework for recognizing underwater landmarks using sonar images. Current recognition methods use a single image, which does not provide reliable results because of weaknesses of the sonar image such as unstable acoustic source, many speckle noises, low resolution images, single channel image, and so on. However, using consecutive sonar images, if the status-i.e., the existence and identity (or name)-of an object is continuously evaluated by a stochastic method, the result of the recognition method is available for calculating the uncertainty, and it is more suitable for various applications. Our proposed framework consists of three steps: (1) candidate selection, (2) continuity evaluation, and (3) Bayesian feature estimation. Two probability methods-particle filtering and Bayesian feature estimation-are used to repeatedly estimate the continuity and feature of objects in consecutive images. Thus, the status of the object is repeatedly predicted and updated by a stochastic method. Furthermore, we develop an artificial landmark to increase detectability by an imaging sonar, which we apply to the characteristics of acoustic waves, such as instability and reflection depending on the roughness of the reflector surface. The proposed method is verified by conducting basin experiments, and the results are presented.

  16. Assembly tool design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanamori, Naokazu; Nakahira, Masataka; Ohkawa, Yoshinao; Tada, Eisuke; Seki, Masahiro

    1996-06-01

    The reactor core of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is assembled with a number of large and asymmetric components within a tight tolerance in order to assure the structural integrity for various loads and to provide the tritium confinement. In addition, the assembly procedure should be compatible with remote operation since the core structures will be activated by 14-MeV neutrons once it starts operation and thus personal access will be prohibited. Accordingly, the assembly procedure and tool design are quite essential and should be designed from the beginning to facilitate remote operation. According to the ITER Design Task Agreement, the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) has performed design study to develop the assembly procedures and associated tool design for the ITER tokamak assembly. This report describes outlines of the assembly tools and the remaining issues obtained in this design study. (author)

  17. Real-time underwater object detection based on an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henriksen, Lars

    1994-01-01

    The paper describes an approach to real time detection and tracking of underwater objects, using image sequences from an electrically scanned high-resolution sonar. The use of a high resolution sonar provides a good estimate of the location of the objects, but strains the computers on board, beca...

  18. HULU SUNGAI PERAK BED SEDIMENT MAPPING USING UNDERWATER ACOUSTIC SONAR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. Arriafdi

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Development in acoustic survey techniques in particular side scan sonar have revolutionized the way we are able to image, map and understand the riverbed environment. It is now cost effective to image large areas of the riverbed using these techniques and the backscatter image created from surveys provides base line data from which thematic maps of the riverbed environment including maps of morphological geology, can be derived when interpreted in conjunction with in situ sampling data. This article focuses on investigation characteristics of sediments and correlation of side scan backscatter image with signal strength. The interpretation of acoustic backscatter rely on experienced interpretation by eye of grey scale images produced from the data. A 990F Starfish Side Scan Sonar was used to collect and develop a series of sonar images along 6 km of Hulu Sungai Perak. Background sediments could be delineated accurately and the image textures could be linked to the actual river floor appearance through grab sampling. A major difference was found in the acoustic returns from the two research area studies: the upstream area shows much rougher textures. This is due to an actual differences in riverbed roughness, caused by a difference in bottom currents and sediment dynamics in the two areas. The highest backscatter correlates with coarsest and roughness sediment. Result suggest that image based backscatter classification shows considerable promise for interpretation of side scan sonar data for the production of geological maps.

  19. 3D Imaging with a Sonar Sensor and an Automated 3-Axes Frame for Selective Spraying in Controlled Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Reiser

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Autonomous selective spraying could be a way for agriculture to reduce production costs, save resources, protect the environment and help to fulfill specific pesticide regulations. The objective of this paper was to investigate the use of a low-cost sonar sensor for autonomous selective spraying of single plants. For this, a belt driven autonomous robot was used with an attached 3-axes frame with three degrees of freedom. In the tool center point (TCP of the 3-axes frame, a sonar sensor and a spray valve were attached to create a point cloud representation of the surface, detect plants in the area and perform selective spraying. The autonomous robot was tested on replicates of artificial crop plants. The location of each plant was identified out of the acquired point cloud with the help of Euclidian clustering. The gained plant positions were spatially transformed from the coordinates of the sonar sensor to the valve location to determine the exact irrigation points. The results showed that the robot was able to automatically detect the position of each plant with an accuracy of 2.7 cm and could spray on these selected points. This selective spraying reduced the used liquid by 72%, when comparing it to a conventional spraying method in the same conditions.

  20. Analysis of a new unidimensional model and lateral vibrations of 1-3 piezocomposite side scan sonar array

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Shatalov, MY

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available . Lamb modes of the 1-3 piezocomposites are investigated in term of the Certon-Patat membrane model by means of direct variational method application. A new design of a 1-3 piezocomposite side scan SONAR array is considered. An implementation of the array...

  1. Textural Segmentation of High-Resolution Sidescan Sonar Images

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Kalcic, Maria; Bibee, Dale

    1995-01-01

    .... The high resolution of the 455 kHz sonar imagery also provides much information about the surficial bottom sediments, however their acoustic scattering properties are not well understood at high frequencies...

  2. Hybrid design tools for conceptual design and design engineering processes: bridging the design gap: towards an intuitive design tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendrich, Robert E.

    2016-01-01

    Hybrid Design Tools; Representation; Computational Synthesis. Non-linear, non-explicit, non-standard thinking and ambiguity in design tools has a great impact on enhancement of creativity during ideation and conceptualization. Tacit-tangible representation based on a mere idiosyncratic and

  3. Recent Developments in SOBEK Passive Sonar Technology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hunter, A.J.; Fillinger, L.; Zampolli, M.; Clarijs, M.C.

    2012-01-01

    Surveillance of waterside locations for protection against threats from small fast surface vessels and underwater intruders is a very relevant but challenging problem. For this reason, the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) is developing SOBEK – a family of passive sonar

  4. Sensor Fusion - Sonar and Stereo Vision, Using Occupancy Grids and SIFT

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plascencia, Alfredo; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon

    2006-01-01

    to the occupied and empty regions. SIFT (Scale Invariant Feature Transform) feature descriptors are  interpreted using gaussian probabilistic error models. The use of occupancy grids is proposed for representing the sonar  as well as the features descriptors readings. The Bayesian estimation approach is applied...... to update the sonar and the SIFT descriptors' uncertainty grids. The sensor fusion yields a significant reduction in the uncertainty of the occupancy grid compared to the individual sensor readings....

  5. High-Resolution Multibeam Sonar Survey and Interactive 3-D Exploration of the D-Day Wrecks off Normandy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayer, L. A.; Calder, B.; Schmidt, J. S.

    2003-12-01

    Historically, archaeological investigations use sidescan sonar and marine magnetometers as initial search tools. Targets are then examined through direct observation by divers, video, or photographs. Magnetometers can demonstrate the presence, absence, and relative susceptibility of ferrous objects but provide little indication of the nature of the target. Sidescan sonar can present a clear image of the overall nature of a target and its surrounding environment, but the sidescan image is often distorted and contains little information about the true 3-D shape of the object. Optical techniques allow precise identification of objects but suffer from very limited range, even in the best of situations. Modern high-resolution multibeam sonar offers an opportunity to cover a relatively large area from a safe distance above the target, while resolving the true three-dimensional (3-D) shape of the object with centimeter-level resolution. The combination of 3-D mapping and interactive 3-D visualization techniques provides a powerful new means to explore underwater artifacts. A clear demonstration of the applicability of high-resolution multibeam sonar to wreck and artifact investigations occurred when the Naval Historical Center (NHC), the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM) at the University of New Hampshire, and Reson Inc., collaborated to explore the state of preservation and impact on the surrounding environment of a series of wrecks located off the coast of Normandy, France, adjacent to the American landing sectors The survey augmented previously collected magnetometer and high-resolution sidescan sonar data using a Reson 8125 high-resolution focused multibeam sonar with 240, 0.5° (at nadir) beams distributed over a 120° swath. The team investigated 21 areas in water depths ranging from about three -to 30 meters (m); some areas contained individual targets such as landing craft, barges, a destroyer, troop carrier, etc., while others contained multiple smaller

  6. Computational Design Tools for Integrated Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holst, Malene Kirstine; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2010-01-01

    In an architectural conceptual sketching process, where an architect is working with the initial ideas for a design, the process is characterized by three phases: sketching, evaluation and modification. Basically the architect needs to address three areas in the conceptual sketching phase......: aesthetical, functional and technical requirements. The aim of the present paper is to address the problem of a vague or not existing link between digital conceptual design tools used by architects and designers and engineering analysis and simulation tools. Based on an analysis of the architectural design...... process different digital design methods are related to tasks in an integrated design process....

  7. OOTW Force Design Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bell, R.E.; Hartley, D.S.III; Packard, S.L.

    1999-05-01

    This report documents refined requirements for tools to aid the process of force design in Operations Other Than War (OOTWs). It recommends actions for the creation of one tool and work on other tools relating to mission planning. It also identifies the governmental agencies and commands with interests in each tool, from whom should come the user advisory groups overseeing the respective tool development activities. The understanding of OOTWs and their analytical support requirements has matured to the point where action can be taken in three areas: force design, collaborative analysis, and impact analysis. While the nature of the action and the length of time before complete results can be expected depends on the area, in each case the action should begin immediately. Force design for OOTWs is not a technically difficult process. Like force design for combat operations, it is a process of matching the capabilities of forces against the specified and implied tasks of the operation, considering the constraints of logistics, transport and force availabilities. However, there is a critical difference that restricts the usefulness of combat force design tools for OOTWs: the combat tools are built to infer non-combat capability requirements from combat capability requirements and cannot reverse the direction of the inference, as is required for OOTWs. Recently, OOTWs have played a larger role in force assessment, system effectiveness and tradeoff analysis, and concept and doctrine development and analysis. In the first Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), each of the Services created its own OOTW force design tool. Unfortunately, the tools address different parts of the problem and do not coordinate the use of competing capabilities. These tools satisfied the immediate requirements of the QDR, but do not provide a long-term cost-effective solution.

  8. Biologically-inspired radar and sonar lessons from nature

    CERN Document Server

    Balleri, Alessio; Baker, Chris

    2017-01-01

    This book presents some of the recent work that has been carried out to investigate how sophisticated sensing techniques used in nature can be applied to radar and sonar systems to improve their performance.

  9. Side-Scan-Sonar Lines for Hudson River, NY

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Side Scan Sonar and Subbottom Profiler Tracklines. Data was collected November 5 to December 15, 2009, in the estuary north from Saugerties to Troy. Fugro utilized...

  10. Bathymetry mapping using a GPS-sonar equipped remote control boat: Application in waste stabilisation ponds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coggins, Liah; Ghadouani, Anas; Ghisalberti, Marco

    2014-05-01

    Traditionally, bathymetry mapping of ponds, lakes and rivers have used techniques which are low in spatial resolution, sometimes subjective in terms of precision and accuracy, labour intensive, and that require a high level of safety precautions. In waste stabilisation ponds (WSP) in particular, sludge heights, and thus sludge volume, are commonly measured using a sludge judge (a clear plastic pipe with length markings). A remote control boat fitted with a GPS-equipped sonar unit can improve the resolution of depth measurements, and reduce safety and labour requirements. Sonar devices equipped with GPS technology, also known as fish finders, are readily available and widely used by people in boating. Through the use of GPS technology in conjunction with sonar, the location and depth can be recorded electronically onto a memory card. However, despite its high applicability to the field, this technology has so far been underutilised. In the case of WSP, the sonar can measure the water depth to the top of the sludge layer, which can then be used to develop contour maps of sludge distribution and to determine sludge volume. The coupling of sonar technology with a remotely operative vehicle has several advantages of traditional measurement techniques, particularly in removing human subjectivity of readings, and the sonar being able to collect more data points in a shorter period of time, and continuously, with a much higher spatial resolution. The GPS-sonar equipped remote control boat has been tested on in excess of 50 WSP within Western Australia, and has shown a very strong correlation (R2 = 0.98) between spot readings taken with the sonar compared to a sludge judge. This has shown that the remote control boat with GPS-sonar device is capable of providing sludge bathymetry with greatly increased spatial resolution, while greatly reducing profiling time. Remotely operated vehicles, such as the one built in this study, are useful for not only determining sludge

  11. PMHT Approach for Multi-Target Multi-Sensor Sonar Tracking in Clutter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaohua; Li, Yaan; Yu, Jing; Chen, Xiao; Dai, Miao

    2015-11-06

    Multi-sensor sonar tracking has many advantages, such as the potential to reduce the overall measurement uncertainty and the possibility to hide the receiver. However, the use of multi-target multi-sensor sonar tracking is challenging because of the complexity of the underwater environment, especially the low target detection probability and extremely large number of false alarms caused by reverberation. In this work, to solve the problem of multi-target multi-sensor sonar tracking in the presence of clutter, a novel probabilistic multi-hypothesis tracker (PMHT) approach based on the extended Kalman filter (EKF) and unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is proposed. The PMHT can efficiently handle the unknown measurements-to-targets and measurements-to-transmitters data association ambiguity. The EKF and UKF are used to deal with the high degree of nonlinearity in the measurement model. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can improve the target tracking performance in a cluttered environment greatly, and its computational load is low.

  12. Improving Protection Agains Intruders Using Passive Sonar

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fillinger, L.; Hunter, A.J.; Zampolli, M.; Clarijs, M.C.; Verolme, J.L.

    2011-01-01

    Divers and small vessels are increasingly recognized as a potential threat to high value assets. Harbour and waterside surveillance systems that are used to counter the threat of divers are usually based on active sonar, whose performance can be limited by reverberation in a harbour environment.

  13. Groups of bats improve sonar efficiency through mutual suppression of pulse emissions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jenna eJarvis

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available How bats adapt their sonar behavior to accommodate the noisiness of a crowded day roost is a mystery. Some bats change their pulse acoustics to enhance the distinction between theirs and another bat’s echoes, but additional mechanisms are needed to explain the bat sonar system’s exceptional resilience to jamming by conspecifics. Variable pulse repetition rate strategies offer one potential solution to this dynamic problem, but precisely how changes in pulse rate could improve sonar performance in social settings is unclear. Here we show that bats decrease their emission rates as population density increases, following a pattern that reflects a cumulative mutual suppression of each other’s pulse emissions. Playback of artificially-generated echolocation pulses similarly slowed emission rates, demonstrating that suppression was mediated by hearing the pulses of other bats. Slower emission rates did not support an antiphonal emission strategy but did reduce the relative proportion of emitted pulses that overlapped with another bat’s emissions, reducing the relative rate of mutual interference. The prevalence of acoustic interferences occurring amongst bats was empirically determined to be a linear function of population density and mean emission rates. Consequently as group size increased, small reductions in emission rates spread across the group partially mitigated the increase in interference rate. Drawing on lessons learned from communications networking theory we show how modest decreases in pulse emission rates can significantly increase the net information throughput of the shared acoustic space, thereby improving sonar efficiency for all individuals in a group. We propose that an automated acoustic suppression of pulse emissions triggered by bats hearing each other's emissions dynamically optimizes sonar efficiency for the entire group.

  14. Modulation, resolution and signal processing in radar, sonar and related systems

    CERN Document Server

    Benjamin, R; Costrell, L

    1966-01-01

    Electronics and Instrumentation, Volume 35: Modulation, Resolution and Signal Processing in Radar, Sonar and Related Systems presents the practical limitations and potentialities of advanced modulation systems. This book discusses the concepts and techniques in the radar context, but they are equally essential to sonar and to a wide range of signaling and data-processing applications, including seismology, radio astronomy, and band-spread communications.Organized into 15 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the principal developments sought in pulse radar. This text then provides a

  15. Correlation Based Testing for Passive Sonar Picture Rationalization

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mellema, Garfield R

    2007-01-01

    .... The sample correlation coefficient, is a statistical measure of relatedness. This paper describes the application of a test based on that measure to compare tracks produced by a probabilistic data association filter from a set of towed array sonar data. Keywords.

  16. Monitoring the US ATLAS Network Infrastructure with perfSONAR-PS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McKee, Shawn; Lake, Andrew; Laurens, Philippe; Severini, Horst; Wlodek, Tomasz; Wolff, Stephen; Zurawski, Jason

    2012-01-01

    Global scientific collaborations, such as ATLAS, continue to push the network requirements envelope. Data movement in this collaboration is routinely including the regular exchange of petabytes of datasets between the collection and analysis facilities in the coming years. These requirements place a high emphasis on networks functioning at peak efficiency and availability; the lack thereof could mean critical delays in the overall scientific progress of distributed data-intensive experiments like ATLAS. Network operations staff routinely must deal with problems deep in the infrastructure; this may be as benign as replacing a failing piece of equipment, or as complex as dealing with a multi-domain path that is experiencing data loss. In either case, it is crucial that effective monitoring and performance analysis tools are available to ease the burden of management. We will report on our experiences deploying and using the perfSONAR-PS Performance Toolkit at ATLAS sites in the United States. This software creates a dedicated monitoring server, capable of collecting and performing a wide range of passive and active network measurements. Each independent instance is managed locally, but able to federate on a global scale; enabling a full view of the network infrastructure that spans domain boundaries. This information, available through web service interfaces, can easily be retrieved to create customized applications. The US ATLAS collaboration has developed a centralized “dashboard” offering network administrators, users, and decision makers the ability to see the performance of the network at a glance. The dashboard framework includes the ability to notify users (alarm) when problems are found, thus allowing rapid response to potential problems and making perfSONAR-PS crucial to the operation of our distributed computing infrastructure.

  17. Design tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anton TenWolde; Mark T. Bomberg

    2009-01-01

    Overall, despite the lack of exact input data, the use of design tools, including models, is much superior to the simple following of rules of thumbs, and a moisture analysis should be standard procedure for any building envelope design. Exceptions can only be made for buildings in the same climate, similar occupancy, and similar envelope construction. This chapter...

  18. Behavioral Response of Reef Fish and Green Sea Turtles to Midfrequency Sonar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watwood, Stephanie L; Iafrate, Joseph D; Reyier, Eric A; Redfoot, William E

    2016-01-01

    There is growing concern over the potential effects of high-intensity sonar on wild fish populations and commercial fisheries. Acoustic telemetry was employed to measure the movements of free-ranging reef fish and sea turtles in Port Canaveral, FL, in response to routine submarine sonar testing. Twenty-five sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus), 28 gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and 29 green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) were tagged, with movements monitored for a period of up to 4 months using an array of passive acoustic receivers. Baseline residency was examined for fish and sea turtles before, during, and after the test event. No mortality of tagged fish or sea turtles was evident from the sonar test event. There was a significant increase in the daily residency index for both sheepshead and gray snapper at the testing wharf subsequent to the event. No broad-scale movement from the study site was observed during or immediately after the test.

  19. Adaptive Port-Starboard Beamforming of Triplet Sonar Arrays

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Groen, J.; Beerens, S.P.; Been, R.; Doisy, Y.

    2005-01-01

    Abstract—For a low-frequency active sonar (LFAS) with a triplet receiver array, it is not clear in advance which signal processing techniques optimize its performance. Here, several advanced beamformers are analyzed theoretically, and the results are compared to experimental data obtained in sea

  20. Sonar Image Enhancements for Improved Detection of Sea Mines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jespersen, Karl; Sørensen, Helge Bjarup Dissing; Zerr, Benoit

    1999-01-01

    In this paper, five methods for enhancing sonar images prior to automatic detection of sea mines are investigated. Two of the methods have previously been published in connection with detection systems and serve as reference. The three new enhancement approaches are variance stabilizing log...... transform, nonlinear filtering, and pixel averaging for speckle reduction. The effect of the enhancement step is tested by using the full prcessing chain i.e. enhancement, detection and thresholding to determine the number of detections and false alarms. Substituting different enhancement algorithms...... in the processing chain gives a precise measure of the performance of the enhancement stage. The test is performed using a sonar image database with images ranging from very simple to very complex. The result of the comparison indicates that the new enhancement approaches improve the detection performance....

  1. Design for Motivation: Evaluation of a Design Tool

    OpenAIRE

    Chasanidou, Dimitra

    2018-01-01

    Design for motivation constitutes a design practice that focuses on the activation of human motives to perform an action. There is an increasing need to design motivational and engaging mechanisms for voluntary systems, such as innovation platforms, where user participation is a key target. When designing for motivation, a challenge of the early design phases is the selection of appropriate design tool and strategy. The current work presents a design tool, namely DEMO (DEsign for MOtivation),...

  2. SASD-tools for program design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gather, K.S.

    1989-01-01

    An overview of Structured Analysis Structured Design (SASD) methodology is given. Some emphasis is put on the time needed to start in a HEP environment with software design methodologies, and on the motivation for SASD. The need for tools is indicated, and examples of their usefulness in analysis and design steps are discussed. Limitations of certain design methods are indicated and additional tools are briefly discussed. Criteria for the selection of tools to be used in large systems design are discussed, and some attention is given to implications for management structures. (orig.)

  3. A risk function for behavioral disruption of Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris from mid-frequency active sonar.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Moretti

    Full Text Available There is increasing concern about the potential effects of noise pollution on marine life in the world's oceans. For marine mammals, anthropogenic sounds may cause behavioral disruption, and this can be quantified using a risk function that relates sound exposure to a measured behavioral response. Beaked whales are a taxon of deep diving whales that may be particularly susceptible to naval sonar as the species has been associated with sonar-related mass stranding events. Here we derive the first empirical risk function for Blainville's beaked whales (Mesoplodon densirostris by combining in situ data from passive acoustic monitoring of animal vocalizations and navy sonar operations with precise ship tracks and sound field modeling. The hydrophone array at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center, Bahamas, was used to locate vocalizing groups of Blainville's beaked whales and identify sonar transmissions before, during, and after Mid-Frequency Active (MFA sonar operations. Sonar transmission times and source levels were combined with ship tracks using a sound propagation model to estimate the received level (RL at each hydrophone. A generalized additive model was fitted to data to model the presence or absence of the start of foraging dives in 30-minute periods as a function of the corresponding sonar RL at the hydrophone closest to the center of each group. This model was then used to construct a risk function that can be used to estimate the probability of a behavioral change (cessation of foraging the individual members of a Blainville's beaked whale population might experience as a function of sonar RL. The function predicts a 0.5 probability of disturbance at a RL of 150 dBrms re µPa (CI: 144 to 155 This is 15dB lower than the level used historically by the US Navy in their risk assessments but 10 dB higher than the current 140 dB step-function.

  4. Applying multibeam sonar and mathematical modeling for mapping seabed substrate and biota of offshore shallows

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herkül, Kristjan; Peterson, Anneliis; Paekivi, Sander

    2017-06-01

    Both basic science and marine spatial planning are in a need of high resolution spatially continuous data on seabed habitats and biota. As conventional point-wise sampling is unable to cover large spatial extents in high detail, it must be supplemented with remote sensing and modeling in order to fulfill the scientific and management needs. The combined use of in situ sampling, sonar scanning, and mathematical modeling is becoming the main method for mapping both abiotic and biotic seabed features. Further development and testing of the methods in varying locations and environmental settings is essential for moving towards unified and generally accepted methodology. To fill the relevant research gap in the Baltic Sea, we used multibeam sonar and mathematical modeling methods - generalized additive models (GAM) and random forest (RF) - together with underwater video to map seabed substrate and epibenthos of offshore shallows. In addition to testing the general applicability of the proposed complex of techniques, the predictive power of different sonar-based variables and modeling algorithms were tested. Mean depth, followed by mean backscatter, were the most influential variables in most of the models. Generally, mean values of sonar-based variables had higher predictive power than their standard deviations. The predictive accuracy of RF was higher than that of GAM. To conclude, we found the method to be feasible and with predictive accuracy similar to previous studies of sonar-based mapping.

  5. On Estimation Of The Orientation Of Mobile Robots Using Turning Functions And SONAR Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dorel AIORDACHIOAIE

    2003-12-01

    Full Text Available SONAR systems are widely used by some artificial objects, e.g. robots, and by animals, e.g. bats, for navigation and pattern recognition. The objective of this paper is to present a solution on the estimation of the orientation in the environment of mobile robots, in the context of navigation, using the turning function approach. The results are shown to be accurate and can be used further in the design of navigation strategies of mobile robots.

  6. On the environmental impact of continuous active sonar

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vossen, R. van; Spek, E. van der; Dekeling, R.P.A.; Beerens, S.P.; Lam, F.P.A.; Benda Beckmann, A.M. von

    2013-01-01

    Continuous Active Sonar (CAS) is an emerging technology in anti-submarine warfare operations. The feasibility of the technology has been demonstrated and it has been shown that CAS has a potential to reduce false alarm rates in reverberation-limited conditions. Now that the feasibility has been

  7. New Conceptual Design Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pugnale, Alberto; Holst, Malene Kirstine; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2010-01-01

    hand, the main software houses are trying to introduce powerful and effective user-friendly applications in the world of building designers, that are more and more able to fit their specific requirements; on the other hand, some groups of expert users with a basic programming knowledge seem to deal......This paper aims to discuss recent approaches in using more and more frequently computer tools as supports for the conceptual design phase of the architectural project. The present state-of-the-art about software as conceptual design tool could be summarized in two parallel tendencies. On the one...... with the problem of software as conceptual design tool by means of 'scripting', in other words by self-developing codes able to solve specific and well defined design problems. Starting with a brief historical recall and the discussion of relevant researches and practical experiences, this paper investigates...

  8. A Framework for IT-based Design Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartvig, Susanne C

    The thesis presents a new apprach to develop design tools that can be integrated, bypresenting a framework consisting of a set of guidelines for design tools, an integration andcommunication scheme, and a set of design tool schemes.This framework has been based onanalysis of requirements to integ...... to integrated design enviornments, and analysis of engineeringdesign and design problem solving methods. And the developed framework has been testedby applying it to development of prototype design tools for realistic design scenarios.......The thesis presents a new apprach to develop design tools that can be integrated, bypresenting a framework consisting of a set of guidelines for design tools, an integration andcommunication scheme, and a set of design tool schemes.This framework has been based onanalysis of requirements...

  9. Contact-Level Multistatic Sonar Data Simulator for Tracker Performance Assessment

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Grimmett, Doug; Coraluppi, Stefano

    2006-01-01

    ...). A brief description of the simulation approach is given, which includes simple sonar equation modeling, resulting in sensor-to-sensor target fading effects, as well as contact localization modeling...

  10. 77 FR 52317 - Record of Decision for Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Record of Decision for Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active Sonar AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. ACTION: Notice of decision... to employ up to four Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active (SURTASS LFA) sonar...

  11. Enhanced echolocation via robust statistics and super-resolution of sonar images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kio

    Echolocation is a process in which an animal uses acoustic signals to exchange information with environments. In a recent study, Neretti et al. have shown that the use of robust statistics can significantly improve the resiliency of echolocation against noise and enhance its accuracy by suppressing the development of sidelobes in the processing of an echo signal. In this research, the use of robust statistics is extended to problems in underwater explorations. The dissertation consists of two parts. Part I describes how robust statistics can enhance the identification of target objects, which in this case are cylindrical containers filled with four different liquids. Particularly, this work employs a variation of an existing robust estimator called an L-estimator, which was first suggested by Koenker and Bassett. As pointed out by Au et al.; a 'highlight interval' is an important feature, and it is closely related with many other important features that are known to be crucial for dolphin echolocation. A varied L-estimator described in this text is used to enhance the detection of highlight intervals, which eventually leads to a successful classification of echo signals. Part II extends the problem into 2 dimensions. Thanks to the advances in material and computer technology, various sonar imaging modalities are available on the market. By registering acoustic images from such video sequences, one can extract more information on the region of interest. Computer vision and image processing allowed application of robust statistics to the acoustic images produced by forward looking sonar systems, such as Dual-frequency Identification Sonar and ProViewer. The first use of robust statistics for sonar image enhancement in this text is in image registration. Random Sampling Consensus (RANSAC) is widely used for image registration. The registration algorithm using RANSAC is optimized for sonar image registration, and the performance is studied. The second use of robust

  12. Bats coordinate sonar and flight behavior as they forage in open and cluttered environments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Falk, Benjamin; Jakobsen, Lasse; Surlykke, Annemarie

    2014-01-01

    Echolocating bats use active sensing as they emit sounds and listen to the returning echoes to probe their environment for navigation, obstacle avoidance and pursuit of prey. The sensing behavior of bats includes the planning of 3D spatial trajectory paths, which are guided by echo information....... The temporal patterning of sonar sound groups was related to path planning around obstacles in the forest. Together, these results contribute to our understanding of how bats coordinate echolocation and flight behavior to represent and navigate their environment........ In this study, we examined the relationship between active sonar sampling and flight motor output as bats changed environments from open space to an artificial forest in a laboratory flight room. Using high-speed video and audio recordings, we reconstructed and analyzed 3D flight trajectories, sonar beam aim...

  13. Studies on a Spatialized Audio Interface for Sonar

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-03

    addition of spatialized audio to visual displays for sonar is much akin to the development of talking movies in the early days of cinema and can be...than using the brute-force approach. PCA is one among several techniques that share similarities with the computational architecture of a

  14. Learning Design Tools

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Griffiths, David; Blat, Josep; Garcia, Rocío; Vogten, Hubert; Kwong, KL

    2005-01-01

    Griffiths, D., Blat, J., Garcia, R., Vogten, H. & Kwong, KL. (2005). Learning Design Tools. In: Koper, R. & Tattersall, C., Learning Design: A Handbook on Modelling and Delivering Networked Education and Training (pp. 109-136). Berlin-Heidelberg: Springer Verlag.

  15. Boundary layer structure observed by Shipborne Doppler Sonar in the Suez Canal zone

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fiocco, G. (Rome Univ. (Italy). Ist. di Fisica); Mastrantonio, G.; Ricotta, A. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Frascati (Italy). Lab. per il Plasma nello Spazio)

    Observations of the boundary layer with a monostatic Sonar and other instrumentation were carried out in the Suez canal zone in January and March 1979, from the Italian m.v. Salernum on its way to and from a GARP assignment. The Sonar was operated almost continuously throughout the passages. In addition to the intensity records, an off-line Doppler analysis involving the use of the fast Fourier transform of the digitized Sonar echoes has provided the vertical component w of the velocity. In general, because of efficient filtering and of the good quality of the data, a vertical profile of w has been determined for each transmitted pulse. During a prolonged stay in the Bitter lakes vertical profiles of temperature and humidity were also obtained by deploying a tethered balloon. Large temporal and spatial temperature contrasts exist in the canal zone due to the presence of the desert and of large and small bodies of water. The ensuring phenomenology during the time of observation was quite varied.

  16. EPR design tools. Integrated data processing tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kern, R.

    1997-01-01

    In all technical areas, planning and design have been supported by electronic data processing for many years. New data processing tools had to be developed for the European Pressurized Water Reactor (EPR). The work to be performed was split between KWU and Framatome and laid down in the Basic Design contract. The entire plant was reduced to a logical data structure; the circuit diagrams and flowsheets of the systems were drafted, the central data pool was established, the outlines of building structures were defined, the layout of plant components was planned, and the electrical systems were documented. Also building construction engineering was supported by data processing. The tasks laid down in the Basic Design were completed as so-called milestones. Additional data processing tools also based on the central data pool are required for the phases following after the Basic Design phase, i.e Basic Design Optimization; Detailed Design; Management; Construction, and Commissioning. (orig.) [de

  17. Developing a Parametric Urban Design Tool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Steinø, Nicolai; Obeling, Esben

    2014-01-01

    Parametric urban design is a potentially powerful tool for collaborative urban design processes. Rather than making one- off designs which need to be redesigned from the ground up in case of changes, parametric design tools make it possible keep the design open while at the same time allowing...... for a level of detailing which is high enough to facilitate an understan- ding of the generic qualities of proposed designs. Starting from a brief overview of parametric design, this paper presents initial findings from the development of a parametric urban design tool with regard to developing a structural...... logic which is flexible and expandable. It then moves on to outline and discuss further development work. Finally, it offers a brief reflection on the potentials and shortcomings of the software – CityEngine – which is used for developing the parametric urban design tool....

  18. AWARE Sonar and Sperm Whale Tagging (DE9906, EK500)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The AWARE sonar and sperm whale tagging cruise primarily focuses on whales in the continental shelf areas, with the following objectives: 1) Develop a better...

  19. AWARE Sonar and Sperm Whale Tagging (DE0007, EK500)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — The AWARE sonar and sperm whale tagging cruise primarily focuses on whales in the continental shelf areas, with the following objectives: 1) Develop a better...

  20. Design mentoring tool : [technical summary].

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    In 2004 a design engineer on-line mentoring tool was developed and implemented The purpose of the tool was to assist senior engineers mentoring new engineers to the INDOT design process and improve their technical competency. This approach saves seni...

  1. Side-Scan_Sonar backscatter tiles for Hudson River, NY (.xtf)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Raw XTF files. Sonar data were collected November 6 to December 15, 2009, in the estuary north from Saugerties to Troy. Data Collection and Processing: The...

  2. Assessing Sonar Performance in Realistic Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-01

    Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (Department of National Defence), 2012 c© Sa Majesté la Reine en droit du Canada (Ministère de la Défense... Victoria Class submarine. Q316 included a number of objectives specific to the ASPIRE project. These included demonstrating the use of gliders for the... Victoria Class C3 Optimization’ for the high level architecture for synthetic environment simulations • 20EA05: ‘Support to CMS: Ruggedized Sonar Test

  3. Design for Motivation: Evaluation of a Design Tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dimitra Chasanidou

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Design for motivation constitutes a design practice that focuses on the activation of human motives to perform an action. There is an increasing need to design motivational and engaging mechanisms for voluntary systems, such as innovation platforms, where user participation is a key target. When designing for motivation, a challenge of the early design phases is the selection of appropriate design tool and strategy. The current work presents a design tool, namely DEMO (DEsign for MOtivation, and evaluates its design process. The tool provides multidisciplinary teams with a user-centred, structured method to ideate and ultimately develop a consistent design plan to engage the users of innovation platforms. The evaluation study analysed the tool’s contribution to the design of motivational innovation platforms, utilising three data collection methods: a protocol analysis, interviews and questionnaires. The results discuss the experiences of 32 users with the development of motivation concepts, the group and the user activities, as well as their creativity aspects. Structured processes and the use of artefacts were found to be productive practices in the early design phases. The results also highlight the importance of multidisciplinary and user-centred teams that can enhance collaboration and communication during the design processes.

  4. Monitoring the US ATLAS Network Infrastructure with perfSONAR-PS

    CERN Document Server

    McKee, S; The ATLAS collaboration; Laurens, P; Severini, H; Wlodek, T; Wolff, S; Zurawski, J

    2012-01-01

    Global scientific collaborations, such as ATLAS, continue to push the network requirements envelope. Data movement in this collaboration is routinely including the regular exchange of petabytes of datasets between the collection and analysis facilities in the coming years. These requirements place a high emphasis on networks functioning at peak efficiency and availability; the lack thereof could mean critical delays in the overall scientific progress of distributed data-intensive experiments like ATLAS. Network operations staff routinely must deal with problems deep in the infrastructure; this may be as benign as replacing a failing piece of equipment, or as complex as dealing with a multidomain path that is experiencing data loss. In either case, it is crucial that effective monitoring and performance analysis tools are available to ease the burden of management. We will report on our experiences deploying and using the perfSONAR-PS Performance Toolkit[8] at ATLAS sites in the United States. This software cr...

  5. Object Classification in Semi Structured Enviroment Using Forward-Looking Sonar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matheus dos Santos

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available The submarine exploration using robots has been increasing in recent years. The automation of tasks such as monitoring, inspection, and underwater maintenance requires the understanding of the robot’s environment. The object recognition in the scene is becoming a critical issue for these systems. On this work, an underwater object classification pipeline applied in acoustic images acquired by Forward-Looking Sonar (FLS are studied. The object segmentation combines thresholding, connected pixels searching and peak of intensity analyzing techniques. The object descriptor extract intensity and geometric features of the detected objects. A comparison between the Support Vector Machine, K-Nearest Neighbors, and Random Trees classifiers are presented. An open-source tool was developed to annotate and classify the objects and evaluate their classification performance. The proposed method efficiently segments and classifies the structures in the scene using a real dataset acquired by an underwater vehicle in a harbor area. Experimental results demonstrate the robustness and accuracy of the method described in this paper.

  6. Design of tool monitor simulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yao Yonggang; Deng Changming; Zhang Jia; Meng Dan; Zhang Lu; Wang Zhi'ai; Shen Yang

    2011-01-01

    It is based on tool monitor in Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant for the object of study, and manufacture a tool monitor simulator. The device is designed to automatically emulate-monitor the contamination level of objects for training students. Once if the tool monitor reports the contamination, the students can handle properly. The brief introduction of main function and system design of the simulator are presented in the paper. (authors)

  7. Cetacean Social Behavioral Response to Sonar Exposure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-30

    likely a social response which anticipates against potential loss of social cohesion, which may be induced by masking of their communication signals...Discrimination of fast click series produced by Risso’s dolphins for echolocation or communication . Wensveen P. et al (in review). The effectiveness of ramp...up of naval sonar to reduce sound levels received by marine mammals : experimental tests with humpback whales. Kvadsheim et al. (2015). The 3S2

  8. Design of the ITER Tokamak Assembly Tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hyunki; Her, Namil; Kim, Byungchul; Im, Kihak; Jung, Kijung; Lee, Jaehyuk; Im, Kisuk

    2006-01-01

    ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Procurement allocation among the seven Parties, EU, JA, CN, IN , KO, RF and US had been decided in Dec. 2005. ITER Tokamak assembly tools is one of the nine components allocated to Korea for the construction of the ITER. Assembly tools except measurement and common tools are supplied to assemble the ITER Tokamak and classified into 9 groups according to components to be assembled. Among the 9 groups of assembly tools, large-sized Sector Sub-assembly Tools and Sector Assembly Tools are used at the first stage of ITER Tokamak construction and need to be designed faster than seven other assembly tools. ITER IT (International Team) proposed Korea to accomplish ITA (ITER Transitional Arrangements) Task on detailed design, manufacturing feasibility and contract specification of specific, large sized tools such as Upending Tool, Lifting Tool, Sector Sub-assembly Tool and Sector Assembly Tool in Oct. 2004. Based on the concept design by ITER IT, Korea carried out ITA Task on detailed design of large-sized and specific Sector Sub-assembly and Sector Assembly Tools until Mar. 2006. The Sector Sub-assembly Tools mainly consist of the Upending, Lifting, Vacuum Vessel Support and Bracing, and Sector Sub-assembly Tool, among which the design of three tools are herein. The Sector Assembly Tools mainly consist of the Toroidal Field (TF) Gravity Support Assembly, Sector In-pit Assembly, TF Coil Assembly, Vacuum Vessel (VV) Welding and Vacuum Vessel Thermal Shield (TS) Assembly Tool, among which the design of Sector In-pit Assembly Tool is described herein

  9. Submarine Upward Looking Sonar Ice Draft Profile Data and Statistics

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set consists of upward looking sonar draft data collected by submarines in the Arctic Ocean. It includes data from both U.S. Navy and Royal Navy...

  10. Seafloor Characterisation of the Gakkel Ridge using Multibeam Sonar, Backscatter and Sidescan Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatzky, J.; Schenke, H. W.

    2003-04-01

    The Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean was the object of the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge Expedition (AMORE) which was carried out by the research icebreakers R/V "Polarstern" (Germany) and USCGC "Healy" (USA) in the boreal summer 2001. This largely unexplored mid-ocean ridge (MOR) is of particular scientific interest due to its volcanic activity and tectonic structure. With spreading rates of 13mm/a in the western and 6 mm/a in the eastern part Gakkel Ridge is the slowest spreading MOR on earth (Michael et al., 2001). The surveyed area which is situated between 82°N / 8°W and 87°N / 75°E has a length of 8890 km and a varying width from 18 to 46 km. The range of measured depths reaches from 566 m on the top of a huge seamount to 5673 m in the central rift valley. Prominent underwater features of remarkable morphologic diversity (e.g. small volcanoes embedded in massive ridge flanks) were discovered in this region. One of the most important goals of the expedition was the compilation of a high resolution grid which serves as basis for a three dimensional digital terrain model (DTM), the derivation of contour lines and the production of bathymetric maps. Accordingly, two hull-mounted multibeam sonars were used for the depth data acquisition: the "Hydrosweep DS-2" system onboard "Polarstern" and the "Seabeam 2112" system onboard "Healy". In order to calculate a combined grid out of two independent data sets different technical specifications of both sonar systems (e.g. frequency, opening angle, number of beams, accuracy) had to be taken into account. Dense sea ice cover made the sonar measurements difficult. Thick floes caused hydroacoustic disturbances that heavily debased the data quality. Outliers and blunders of depths and navigation data had to be corrected in a drawn-out post-processing by appropriate software tools. Both echo sounding systems recorded backscatter information and sidescan data during the entire cruise. Onboard "Polarstern" the sub-bottom profiling

  11. Production engineering jig and tool design

    CERN Document Server

    Jones, E J H

    1972-01-01

    Production Engineering: Jig and Tool Design focuses on jig and tool design as part of production engineering and covers topics ranging from inspection and gauging to multiple and consecutive tooling, tool calculation and development of form tools, deep-hole boring, and grinding-wheel form-crushing. Air and oil operated fixtures, negative rake machining, and the economics of jig and fixture practice are also discussed. This text is comprised of 22 chapters; the first of which provides an overview of the function and organization of the jig and tool department. Attention then turns to the subjec

  12. The fusion of large scale classified side-scan sonar image mosaics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Scott; Tena, Ruiz Ioseba; Capus, Chris; Petillot, Yvan

    2006-07-01

    This paper presents a unified framework for the creation of classified maps of the seafloor from sonar imagery. Significant challenges in photometric correction, classification, navigation and registration, and image fusion are addressed. The techniques described are directly applicable to a range of remote sensing problems. Recent advances in side-scan data correction are incorporated to compensate for the sonar beam pattern and motion of the acquisition platform. The corrected images are segmented using pixel-based textural features and standard classifiers. In parallel, the navigation of the sonar device is processed using Kalman filtering techniques. A simultaneous localization and mapping framework is adopted to improve the navigation accuracy and produce georeferenced mosaics of the segmented side-scan data. These are fused within a Markovian framework and two fusion models are presented. The first uses a voting scheme regularized by an isotropic Markov random field and is applicable when the reliability of each information source is unknown. The Markov model is also used to inpaint regions where no final classification decision can be reached using pixel level fusion. The second model formally introduces the reliability of each information source into a probabilistic model. Evaluation of the two models using both synthetic images and real data from a large scale survey shows significant quantitative and qualitative improvement using the fusion approach.

  13. Acoustical characteristic predictions of a multi-layer system of a submerged vehicle hull mounted sonar simplified to an infinite planar model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sung-Hee Kim

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Hull Mounted Sonar (HMS is a long range submerged vehicle's hull-mounted passive sonar system which detects low-frequency noise caused by machineries of enemy ships or submerged vehicles. The HMS needs a sound absorption /insulation multi-layer structure to shut out the self-noise from own machineries and to amplify signals from outside. Therefore, acoustic analysis of the multi-layer system should be performed when the HMS is designed. This paper simplified the HMS multi-layer system to be an infinite planar multi-layer model. Also, main excitations that influence the HMS were classified into mechanical, plane wave and turbulent flow excitation, and the investigations for each excitation were performed for various models. Stiffened multi-layer analysis for mechanical excitation and general multi-layer analysis for turbulent flow excitation were developed. The infinite planar multi-layer analysis was expected to be more useful for preliminary design stage of HMS system than the infinite cylindrical model because of short analysis time and easiness of parameter study.

  14. Design of parametric software tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sabra, Jakob Borrits; Mullins, Michael

    2011-01-01

    The studies investigate the field of evidence-based design used in architectural design practice and propose a method using 2D/3D CAD applications to: 1) enhance integration of evidence-based design knowledge in architectural design phases with a focus on lighting and interior design and 2) assess...... fulfilment of evidence-based design criterion regarding light distribution and location in relation to patient safety in architectural health care design proposals. The study uses 2D/3D CAD modelling software Rhinoceros 3D with plug-in Grasshopper to create parametric tool prototypes to exemplify...... the operations and functions of the design method. To evaluate the prototype potentials, surveys with architectural and healthcare design companies are conducted. Evaluation is done by the administration of questionnaires being part of the development of the tools. The results show that architects, designers...

  15. Robot path Planning Using  SIFT and Sonar Sensor Fusion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Plascencia, Alfredo; Raposo, Hector

    2007-01-01

    and evidential grid maps, respectively. The approach is illustrated using actual measurements from a laboratory robot. The sensory information is obtained from a sonar array and the Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) algorithm. Finally, the resulting two evidential maps based on Bayes and Dempster theories...

  16. Sonar: a multibase and parametric interface software for SDI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fonseca Passos, M.C.J. da

    1986-01-01

    Sonar - an automated service for selective dissemination of information (SDI) - developed by the Centro de Informacoes Nucleares (CIN) of the Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN) is described. Emphasis is given to the multibase feature of the system based on the parametric interface between the system and an external data base reading subroutine. (Author) [pt

  17. Bayesian reconstruction of seafloor shape from side-scan sonar measurements using a Markov Random Field

    OpenAIRE

    Woock, P.; Pak, Alexey

    2014-01-01

    To explore the seafloor, a side-scan sonar emits a directed acoustic signal and then records the returning (reflected) signal intensity as a function of time. The inversion of that process is not unique: multiple shapes may lead to identical measured responses. In this work, we suggest a Bayesian approach to reconstructing the 3D shape of the seafloor from multiple sonar measurements, inspired by the state-of-the-art methods of inverse raytracing that originated in computer vision. The space ...

  18. Prospects for using sonar for underwater archeology on the Yenisei: surveying a 19th century shipwreck

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goncharov, A. E.; Mednikov, D. M.; Karelin, N. M.; Nasyrov, I. R.

    2016-11-01

    Current progress in underwater archeology is based on a rich arsenal of high-tech appliances, among which sonar technology plays a key role; it enables scientists not only to detect submerged archeological objects, but to examine them in high definition without having to conduct diving operations or use expensive underwater unmanned vehicles. While the majority of sensational scientific discoveries using sonar have been made in saltwater environments, freshwater ones, rivers in particular, have seen limited activity. The river Yenisei in central Siberia contains an unrecorded number of shipwrecks that await being discovered and studied. In this article we focus on the peculiarities of using sonar for detecting archeological sites on the Yenisei. This article is based on the results of the 2016 expedition, which has determined the location of Thames, a 19th century British steam schooner which was wrecked on the Yenisei.

  19. Monitoring the US ATLAS Network Infrastructure with perfSONAR-PS

    CERN Document Server

    McKee, S; The ATLAS collaboration; Laurens, P; Severini, H; Wlodek, T; Wolff, S; Zurawski, J

    2012-01-01

    We will present our motivations for deploying and using the perfSONAR-PS Performance Toolkit at ATLAS sites in the United States and describe our experience in using it. This software creates a dedicated monitoring server, capable of collecting and performing a wide range of passive and active network measurements. Each independent instance is managed locally, but able to federate on a global scale; enabling a full view of the network infrastructure that spans domain boundaries. This information, available through web service interfaces, can easily be retrieved to create customized applications. USATLAS has developed a centralized “dashboard” offering network administrators, users, and decision makers the ability to see the performance of the network at a glance. The dashboard framework includes the ability to notify users (alarm) when problems are found, thus allowing rapid response to potential problems and making perfSONAR-PS crucial to the operation of our distributed computing infrastructure.

  20. ASTROS: A multidisciplinary automated structural design tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neill, D. J.

    1989-01-01

    ASTROS (Automated Structural Optimization System) is a finite-element-based multidisciplinary structural optimization procedure developed under Air Force sponsorship to perform automated preliminary structural design. The design task is the determination of the structural sizes that provide an optimal structure while satisfying numerous constraints from many disciplines. In addition to its automated design features, ASTROS provides a general transient and frequency response capability, as well as a special feature to perform a transient analysis of a vehicle subjected to a nuclear blast. The motivation for the development of a single multidisciplinary design tool is that such a tool can provide improved structural designs in less time than is currently needed. The role of such a tool is even more apparent as modern materials come into widespread use. Balancing conflicting requirements for the structure's strength and stiffness while exploiting the benefits of material anisotropy is perhaps an impossible task without assistance from an automated design tool. Finally, the use of a single tool can bring the design task into better focus among design team members, thereby improving their insight into the overall task.

  1. 'Merge' - A Filter for the Fusion of Dual-Frequency Sidescan Sonar Data

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Neill, Roger

    1997-01-01

    A filtering and data fusion technique is described which uses the correlation between the two data streams of a dual-frequency sidescan sonar in order to discriminate against noise and preferentially...

  2. Sperm whales reduce foraging effort during exposure to 1-2 kHz sonar and killer whale sounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Isojunno, Saana; Cure, Charlotte; Kvadsheim, Petter Helgevold; Lam, Frans-Peter Alexander; Tyack, Peter Lloyd; Wensveen, Paul Jacobus; Miller, Patrick James O'Malley

    2016-01-01

    The time and energetic costs of behavioral responses to incidental and experimental sonar exposures, as well as control stimuli, were quantified using hidden state analysis of time series of acoustic and movement data recorded by tags (DTAG) attached to 12 sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) using suction cups. Behavioral state transition modeling showed that tagged whales switched to a non-foraging, non-resting state during both experimental transmissions of low-frequency active sonar from an approaching vessel (LFAS; 1-2 kHz, source level 214 dB re 1 µPa m, four tag records) and playbacks of potential predator (killer whale, Orcinus orca) sounds broadcast at naturally occurring sound levels as a positive control from a drifting boat (five tag records). Time spent in foraging states and the probability of prey capture attempts were reduced during these two types of exposures with little change in overall locomotion activity, suggesting an effect on energy intake with no immediate compensation. Whales switched to the active non-foraging state over received sound pressure levels of 131-165 dB re 1 µPa during LFAS exposure. In contrast, no changes in foraging behavior were detected in response to experimental negative controls (no-sonar ship approach or noise control playback) or to experimental medium-frequency active sonar exposures (MFAS; 6-7 kHz, source level 199 re 1 µPa m, received sound pressure level [SPL] = 73-158 dB re 1 µPa). Similarly, there was no reduction in foraging effort for three whales exposed to incidental, unidentified 4.7-5.1 kHz sonar signals received at lower levels (SPL = 89-133 dB re 1 µPa). These results demonstrate that similar to predation risk, exposure to sonar can affect functional behaviors, and indicate that increased perception of risk with higher source level or lower frequency may modulate how sperm whales respond to anthropogenic sound.

  3. Automatic Detection of Sand Ripple Features in Sidescan Sonar Imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-09

    Among the features used in forensic scientific fingerprint analysis are terminations or bifurcations of print ridges. Sidescan sonar imagery of ripple...always be pathological cases. The size of the blocks of pixels used in determining the ripple wavelength is evident in the output images on the right in

  4. Daylight prediction techniques in energy design tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Milne, M.; Zurick, J. [California Univ., Los Angeles, Dept. of Architecture, CA (United States)

    1998-09-01

    Four different whole-building energy design tool systems that calculate energy savings from daylighting and that display annual performance on an-hour-by-hour basis, have been tested. The nature of design tools, the sources of hourly outdoor illuminance data, the ways of predicting indoor illumination, the assumptions of each tool, and the resulting energy savings of the design tools tested are discussed. The tests were carried out with the essential criteria for evaluating whole-building daylighting and energy design tools in mind. These have been identified as user confidence, accuracy, response time, and the amount of detail. Results of the tests, all four of them run on a single elementary school classroom for the sake of comparability, were provided. 9 refs., 2 figs.

  5. Analytical Tools for Space Suit Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aitchison, Lindsay

    2011-01-01

    As indicated by the implementation of multiple small project teams within the agency, NASA is adopting a lean approach to hardware development that emphasizes quick product realization and rapid response to shifting program and agency goals. Over the past two decades, space suit design has been evolutionary in approach with emphasis on building prototypes then testing with the largest practical range of subjects possible. The results of these efforts show continuous improvement but make scaled design and performance predictions almost impossible with limited budgets and little time. Thus, in an effort to start changing the way NASA approaches space suit design and analysis, the Advanced Space Suit group has initiated the development of an integrated design and analysis tool. It is a multi-year-if not decadal-development effort that, when fully implemented, is envisioned to generate analysis of any given space suit architecture or, conversely, predictions of ideal space suit architectures given specific mission parameters. The master tool will exchange information to and from a set of five sub-tool groups in order to generate the desired output. The basic functions of each sub-tool group, the initial relationships between the sub-tools, and a comparison to state of the art software and tools are discussed.

  6. Design principles of metal-cutting machine tools

    CERN Document Server

    Koenigsberger, F

    1964-01-01

    Design Principles of Metal-Cutting Machine Tools discusses the fundamentals aspects of machine tool design. The book covers the design consideration of metal-cutting machine, such as static and dynamic stiffness, operational speeds, gearboxes, manual, and automatic control. The text first details the data calculation and the general requirements of the machine tool. Next, the book discusses the design principles, which include stiffness and rigidity of the separate constructional elements and their combined behavior under load, as well as electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic drives for the op

  7. Report on design rules of μ-tools for hybrid tooling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Esmoris, Jose Ignacio; Azcarate, S.; Tosello, Guido

    2011-01-01

    -effectively, especially for micro injection moulding. This particular deliverable has the objective to present the design rules for high performance μ-tools and inserts manufacture based on the new standard manufacturing process chains established during the WP 2.2 work. In particular, the achievable features, surfaces......Tooling is one of the critical stages of the process chain for polymer micro products manufacture and in particular for the COTECH process chain. Therefore, within the scope of SP2 “Tooling”, the WP 2.2 “New tool-making solutions for μ-IM and HE” is designed to investigate, develop and standardize...

  8. Design of the ITER tokamak assembly tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Hyunki [National Fusion Research Institute, 52 Eoeun-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)], E-mail: hkpark@nfri.re.kr; Lee, Jaehyuk; Kim, Taehyung [SFA Engineering Corp., 42-7 Palyong-dong, Changwon-si, Gyeongsangnam-do 641-847 (Korea, Republic of); Song, Yunju [National Fusion Research Institute, 52 Eoeun-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Im, Kihak [ITER Organization, CEA Cadarasche, 13108 Saint Paul-lez-Durance (France); Kim, Byungchul; Lee, Hyeongon; Jung, Ki-Jung [National Fusion Research Institute, 52 Eoeun-Dong, Yuseong-Gu, Daejon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-12-15

    ITER tokamak assembly is mainly composed of lower cryostat activities, sector sub-assembly, sector assembly, in-vessel activities and ex-vessel activities. The main tools for sector sub-assembly procedures consists of upending tool, sector lifting tool, vacuum vessel support and bracing tool and sector sub-assembly tool. Conceptual design of assembly tools for sector sub-assembly procedures is described herein. The basic structure for upending tool has been developed under the assumption that upending is performed with crane which will be installed in Tokamak building. Sector lifting tool is designed to adjust the position of a sector to minimize the difference between the center of the tokamak building crane and the center of gravity of the sector. Sector sub-assembly tool is composed of special frame for the fine adjustment of position control with 6 degrees of freedom. The design of VV support and bracing tool for four kinds of VV 40 deg. sectors has been developed. Also, structural analysis for upending tool, sector sub-assembly tool has been studied using ANSYS for the situation of an applied load with the same dead weight multiplied by 3/4. The results of structural analyses for these tools were below the allowable values.

  9. Potential and limitations of environmental design with LCA tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Hollberg

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The built environment has a very high impact on the environment. Architects can largely define the environmental impact a building will cause throughout its lifetime through its design. Especially the choice of material and the type of construction can be influenced in early design stages. To quantify the environmental impact, tools for Life Cycle Assessment (LCA are used. This paper discusses the results of four case studies of applying four different novel LCA tools in four different academic courses at different universities. The results show that the success of applying LCA tools highly depends on the point of time during the design process and the design strategy the student pursues. If the right tool is used at the right moment and matches the design strategy, it can help to improve the architectural quality and reduce environmental impacts. In most cases however, the time of application did not fit, resulting in additional effort for applying the LCA tool. In consequence, the architectural elaboration of the design and the improvement of environmental performance compete against each other. Either the architectural quality suffers or the tool is employed late and the environmental performance cannot be improved. Even if the point in time of the tool application is right, the success depends highly on the design strategy. The number of tools is growing and there is an adequate tool available for each design stage. The design strategy has to match the tool and this requires a willingness to adapt the design approach. The issue of environmental design shifted from a lack of adequate tools to the lack of adequate design approaches. Tools can be easily taught in seminars. Environmental design strategies, however, have to be included in design studios and developed throughout the entire design phase to become part of architectural education.

  10. Design tools and materials in creative work

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Nicolai Brodersen; Dalsgaard, Peter; Halskov, Kim

    2017-01-01

    -oriented perspectives, we wish to examine the potentials and limitations in current uses of design tools and materials, and discuss and explore when and how we can introduce ones. Participation in the workshop requires participants to document and analyse central themes in a case, and the resulting material will serve......This workshop aims to examine and discuss the role and nature of design tools and materials in creative work, and to explore how novel tools can meaningfully combine existing and novel tools to support and augment creative work. By exploring and combining methodological, theoretical, and design...

  11. Software Tools for Battery Design | Transportation Research | NREL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Software Tools for Battery Design Software Tools for Battery Design Under the Computer-Aided Engineering for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries (CAEBAT) project, NREL has developed software tools to help using CAEBAT software tools. Knowledge of the interplay of multi-physics at varied scales is imperative

  12. Expressive Design Tools: Procedural Content Generation for Game Designers

    OpenAIRE

    Smith, Gillian Margaret

    2012-01-01

    Games are shaped by the tools we use to make them and our ability to model the concepts they address. Vast improvements in computer graphics technology, processing power, storage capacity, and physics simulations have driven game design for the past forty years, leading to beautiful, spacious, detailed, and highly immersive worlds supporting games that are, for the most part, fundamentally about movement, collision, and other physics-based concepts. Designers use increasingly complex tools th...

  13. Short Paper: Design Tools, Hybridization Exploring Intuitive Interaction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendrich, Robert E.; Kuhlen, Torsten; Coquillart, Sabine; Interrante, Victoria

    2010-01-01

    Design and Design Engineering is about making abstract representations often based on fuzzy notions, ideas or prerequisite requirements with the use of various design tools. This paper introduces an interactive hybrid design tool to assist and support singular design activity or multiple

  14. Multibeam sonar (DIDSON) assessment of American shad (Alosa sapidissima) approaching a hydroelectric dam

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grote, Ann B.; Bailey, Michael M.; Zydlewski, Joseph D.; Hightower, Joseph E.

    2014-01-01

    We investigated the fish community approaching the Veazie Dam on the Penobscot River, Maine, prior to implementation of a major dam removal and river restoration project. Multibeam sonar (dual-frequency identification sonar, DIDSON) surveys were conducted continuously at the fishway entrance from May to July in 2011. A 5% subsample of DIDSON data contained 43 793 fish targets, the majority of which were of Excellent (15.7%) or Good (73.01%) observation quality. Excellent quality DIDSON targets (n = 6876) were apportioned by species using a Bayesian mixture model based on four known fork length distributions (river herring (alewife,Alosa psuedoharengus, and blueback herring, Alosa aestivalis), American shad, Alosa sapidissima) and two size classes (one sea-winter and multi-sea-winter) of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). 76.2% of targets were assigned to the American shad distribution; Atlantic salmon accounted for 15.64%, and river herring 8.16% of observed targets. Shad-sized (99.0%) and salmon-sized (99.3%) targets approached the fishway almost exclusively during the day, whereas river herring-sized targets were observed both during the day (51.1%) and at night (48.9%). This approach demonstrates how multibeam sonar imaging can be used to evaluate community composition and species-specific movement patterns in systems where there is little overlap in the length distributions of target species.

  15. Integrated Radiation Analysis and Design Tools

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Integrated Radiation Analysis and Design Tools (IRADT) Project develops and maintains an integrated tool set that collects the current best practices, databases,...

  16. Analysis of functionality free CASE-tools databases design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. V. Gavrilov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The introduction in the educational process of database design CASEtechnologies requires the institution of significant costs for the purchase of software. A possible solution could be the use of free software peers. At the same time this kind of substitution should be based on even-com representation of the functional characteristics and features of operation of these programs. The purpose of the article – a review of the free and non-profi t CASE-tools database design, as well as their classifi cation on the basis of the analysis functionality. When writing this article were used materials from the offi cial websites of the tool developers. Evaluation of the functional characteristics of CASEtools for database design made exclusively empirically with the direct work with software products. Analysis functionality of tools allow you to distinguish the two categories CASE-tools database design. The first category includes systems with a basic set of features and tools. The most important basic functions of these systems are: management connections to database servers, visual tools to create and modify database objects (tables, views, triggers, procedures, the ability to enter and edit data in table mode, user and privilege management tools, editor SQL-code, means export/import data. CASE-system related to the first category can be used to design and develop simple databases, data management, as well as a means of administration server database. A distinctive feature of the second category of CASE-tools for database design (full-featured systems is the presence of visual designer, allowing to carry out the construction of the database model and automatic creation of the database on the server based on this model. CASE-system related to this categories can be used for the design and development of databases of any structural complexity, as well as a database server administration tool. The article concluded that the

  17. Harnessing VLSI System Design with EDA Tools

    CERN Document Server

    Kamat, Rajanish K; Gaikwad, Pawan K; Guhilot, Hansraj

    2012-01-01

    This book explores various dimensions of EDA technologies for achieving different goals in VLSI system design. Although the scope of EDA is very broad and comprises diversified hardware and software tools to accomplish different phases of VLSI system design, such as design, layout, simulation, testability, prototyping and implementation, this book focuses only on demystifying the code, a.k.a. firmware development and its implementation with FPGAs. Since there are a variety of languages for system design, this book covers various issues related to VHDL, Verilog and System C synergized with EDA tools, using a variety of case studies such as testability, verification and power consumption. * Covers aspects of VHDL, Verilog and Handel C in one text; * Enables designers to judge the appropriateness of each EDA tool for relevant applications; * Omits discussion of design platforms and focuses on design case studies; * Uses design case studies from diversified application domains such as network on chip, hospital on...

  18. U.S. and Australian Mine Warfare Sonar Performance Assessment Using SWAT and Hodgson Models

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Dubsky, Barbra

    2000-01-01

    The purpose of this thesis was to investigate a shallow coastal region to compile a detailed environmental picture of its sediment composition and water characteristics and from this model MCM sonar...

  19. Design and development of progressive tool for manufacturing washer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annigeri, Ulhas K.; Raghavendra Ravi Kiran, K.; Deepthi, Y. P.

    2017-07-01

    In a progressive tool the raw material is worked at different station to finally fabricate the component. A progressive tool is a lucrative tool for mass production of components. A lot of automobile and other transport industries develop progressive tool for the production of components. The design of tool involves lot of planning and the same amount of skill of process planning is required in the fabrication of the tool. The design also involves use of thumb rules and standard elements as per experience gained in practice. Manufacturing the press tool is a laborious task as special jigs and fixtures have to be designed for the purpose. Assembly of all the press tool elements is another task where use of accurate measuring instruments for alignment of various tool elements is important. In the present study, design and fabrication of progressive press tool for production of washer has been developed and the press tool has been tried out on a mechanical type of press. The components produced are to dimensions.

  20. Neural network modeling of a dolphin's sonar discrimination capabilities

    OpenAIRE

    Andersen, Lars Nonboe; René Rasmussen, A; Au, WWL; Nachtigall, PE; Roitblat, H.

    1994-01-01

    The capability of an echo-locating dolphin to discriminate differences in the wall thickness of cylinders was previously modeled by a counterpropagation neural network using only spectral information of the echoes [W. W. L. Au, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 95, 2728–2735 (1994)]. In this study, both time and frequency information were used to model the dolphin discrimination capabilities. Echoes from the same cylinders were digitized using a broadband simulated dolphin sonar signal with the transducer ...

  1. Visualization tool for human-machine interface designers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prevost, Michael P.; Banda, Carolyn P.

    1991-06-01

    As modern human-machine systems continue to grow in capabilities and complexity, system operators are faced with integrating and managing increased quantities of information. Since many information components are highly related to each other, optimizing the spatial and temporal aspects of presenting information to the operator has become a formidable task for the human-machine interface (HMI) designer. The authors describe a tool in an early stage of development, the Information Source Layout Editor (ISLE). This tool is to be used for information presentation design and analysis; it uses human factors guidelines to assist the HMI designer in the spatial layout of the information required by machine operators to perform their tasks effectively. These human factors guidelines address such areas as the functional and physical relatedness of information sources. By representing these relationships with metaphors such as spring tension, attractors, and repellers, the tool can help designers visualize the complex constraint space and interacting effects of moving displays to various alternate locations. The tool contains techniques for visualizing the relative 'goodness' of a configuration, as well as mechanisms such as optimization vectors to provide guidance toward a more optimal design. Also available is a rule-based design checker to determine compliance with selected human factors guidelines.

  2. Tools and techniques for product design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lutters, Diederick; Houten, Fred J.A.M.; Bernard, Alain; Mermoz, Emmanuel; Schutte, Corné S.L.

    2014-01-01

    For product designers, tools and techniques are essential in driving the design cycle. Nevertheless, their employment usually is implicit, while passing over e.g. the design and project environments empowering their adequate use. This publication presents an overview of approaches in structuring and

  3. A Spatial Reference Grid for Real-Time Autonomous Underwater Modeling using 3-D Sonar

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Auran, P.G.

    1996-12-31

    The offshore industry has recognized the need for intelligent underwater robotic vehicles. This doctoral thesis deals with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and concentrates on a data representation for real-time image formation and analysis. Its main objective is to develop a 3-D image representation suitable for autonomous perception objectives underwater, assuming active sonar as the main sensor for perception. The main contributions are: (1) A dynamical image representation for 3-D range data, (2) A basic electronic circuit and software system for 3-D sonar sampling and amplitude thresholding, (3) A model for target reliability, (4) An efficient connected components algorithm for 3-D segmentation, (5) A method for extracting general 3-D geometrical representations from segmented echo clusters, (6) Experimental results of planar and curved target modeling. 142 refs., 120 figs., 10 tabs.

  4. Design Tools for Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit (RHinO)

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Mathew; Graham, Paul; Wirthlin, Michael; Larchev, Gregory; Bellows, Peter; Schott, Brian

    2004-01-01

    The Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit (RHinO) project is focused on creating a set of design tools that facilitate and automate design techniques for reconfigurable computing in space, using SRAM-based field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) technology. These tools leverage an established FPGA design environment and focus primarily on space effects mitigation and power optimization. The project is creating software to automatically test and evaluate the single-event-upsets (SEUs) sensitivities of an FPGA design and insert mitigation techniques. Extensions into the tool suite will also allow evolvable algorithm techniques to reconfigure around single-event-latchup (SEL) events. In the power domain, tools are being created for dynamic power visualiization and optimization. Thus, this technology seeks to enable the use of Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit, via an integrated design tool-suite aiming to reduce risk, cost, and design time of multimission reconfigurable space processors using SRAM-based FPGAs.

  5. Application of passive sonar technology to mineral processing and oil sands applications : if you can measure it, you can manage it

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Keefe, C.; Viega, J.; Fernald, M. [CiDRA Corp., Wallingford, CT (United States)

    2007-07-01

    SONAR-based flow and entrained air measurement instruments were described. This new class of industrial flow and compositional analyzers was developed by CiDRA to provide new measurement insight and quantifiable value to industrial process operators. Passive sonar array-based processing units have been installed worldwide in several industrial applications and are particularly suited for a wide range of mineral processing applications, including slurry flow rate measurement and fluid characterization. This paper also described the SONAR-based, clamp-on SONARtrac technology, a scalable platform that provides several other value added measurements and information such as speed of sound, entrained air/gas, gas hold-up, and velocity profile. Oil sands, tailings and bitumen slurries present considerable measurement challenges for in-line flow measurement devices in terms of measurement accuracy, reliability and maintenance. The sonar-based technology platform has been used in a variety of oil sands processes, hydrotransport, and minerals beneficiation applications. This paper described these applications with particular reference to difficult slurry flow measurement and control in the areas of comminution and flotation such as mill discharge, hydrocyclone feed/overflow, final concentrate, thickener discharge, and tailings. 5 refs., 4 tabs., 23 figs.

  6. The Blackboard Model of Computer Programming Applied to the Interpretation of Passive Sonar Data

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Liebing, David

    1997-01-01

    ... (location, course, speed, classification, etc.). At present the potential volume of data produced by modern sonar systems is so large that unless some form of computer assistance is provided with the interpretation of this data, information...

  7. Design Tool for 5-20 MW Direct Drive Generators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leban, Krisztina Monika; Ritchie, Ewen; Argeseanu, Alin

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on a machine design tool for large (5-10MW) direct drive electrical generator. The aim of the work is to construct a flexible calculation tool that enables the analysis of different ideas and concepts for generator design. The tool is intended for engineers that are involved...... in the design of wind turbine systems. The design tool comprises calculation modules that are kept as independent as possible from each other so that new machine geometries and types can be modelled by reusing, recombining and modifying the different modules. Choice of the most suitable candidates...

  8. Design of jigs, fixtures and press tools

    CERN Document Server

    Venkataraman, K

    2015-01-01

    Textbook presenting the fundamentals of tool design with special focus on jigs, fixtures and die design Covers sections on sheet metal forming processes; turning, grinding, broaching, welding and modular fixtures; principles of clamping; and an Introduction to Presses and Auxiliary Equipment Author has many years' experience in both academic and industrial environments, and presents this work in an easily-accessible style End of chapter questions and answers assist the learning process for both practicing tooling designers and engineers, and manufacturing en

  9. High frequency sonar variability in littoral environments: Irregular particles and bubbles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Richards, Simon D.; Leighton, Timothy G.; White, Paul R.

    2002-11-01

    Littoral environments may be characterized by high concentrations of suspended particles. Such suspensions contribute to attenuation through visco-inertial absorption and scattering and may therefore be partially responsible for the observed variability in high frequency sonar performance in littoral environments. Microbubbles which are prevalent in littoral waters also contribute to volume attenuation through radiation, viscous and thermal damping and cause dispersion. The attenuation due to a polydisperse suspension of particles with depth-dependent concentration has been included in a sonar model. The effects of a depth-dependent, polydisperse population of microbubbles on attenuation, sound speed and volume reverberation are also included. Marine suspensions are characterized by nonspherical particles, often plate-like clay particles. Measurements of absorption in dilute suspensions of nonspherical particles have shown disagreement with predictions of spherical particle models. These measurements have been reanalyzed using three techniques for particle sizing: laser diffraction, gravitational sedimentation, and centrifugal sedimentation, highlighting the difficulty of characterizing polydisperse suspensions of irregular particles. The measurements have been compared with predictions of a model for suspensions of oblate spheroids. Excellent agreement is obtained between this model and the measurements for kaolin particles, without requiring any a priori knowledge of the measurements.

  10. Experiences from using Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Synthetic Aperture Sonar for Sediment and Habitat Mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorsnes, T.; Bjarnadóttir, L. R.

    2017-12-01

    Emerging platforms and tools like autonomous underwater vehicles and synthetic aperture sonars provide interesting opportunities for making seabed mapping more efficient and precise. Sediment grain-size maps are an important product in their own right and a key input for habitat and biotope maps. National and regional mapping programmes are tasked with mapping large areas, and survey efficiency, data quality, and resulting map confidence are important considerations when selecting the mapping strategy. Since 2005, c. 175,000 square kilometres of the Norwegian continental shelf and continental slope has been mapped with respect to sediments, habitats and biodiversity, and pollution under the MAREANO programme (www.mareano.no). At present the sediment mapping is based on a combination of ship-borne multibeam bathymetry and backscatter, visual documentation using a towed video platform, and grab sampling. We have now tested a new approach, using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) as the survey platform for the collection of acoustic data (Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS), EM2040 bathymetry and backscatter) and visual data (still images using a TFish colour photo system). This pilot project was conducted together the Norwegian Hydrographic Service, the Institute of Marine Research (biology observations) and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (operation of ship and AUV). The test site reported here is the Vesterdjupet area, offshore Lofoten, northern Norway. The water depth is between 170 and 300 metres, with sediments ranging from gravel, cobbles and boulders to sandy mud. A cold-water coral reef, associated with bioclastic sediments was also present in the study area. The presentation will give an overview of the main findings and experiences gained from this pilot project with a focus on geological mapping and will also discuss the relevance of AUV-based mapping to large-area mapping programmes like MAREANO.

  11. Use of side-scan sonar for estimations of Crassostrea brasiliana (Lamarck, 1819 stocks in subtidal banks on the south coast of Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gisela Geraldine Castilho Westphal

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Uncontrolled extractivism has led to a worldwide reduction in oyster stocks. The use of new and more efficient management tools for impacted environments must increase. The application of such tools requires previous biological and environmental knowledge of the resident populations of these bivalve mollusks. Technical difficulties are usually associated with studies of submerged oyster banks, and these difficulties result in a considerable lack of biological data on the oysters that inhabit subtidal zones. This study aimed to survey Crassostrea brasiliana (also known as C. gasar stocks in submerged banks and to evaluate a method with which to measure the extent of the banks and identify and quantify the oysters in the banks with the use of side-scan sonar. This study was conducted on 10 oysters banks located in the subtidal zone of Guaratuba Bay, on the south coast of Brazil. The prospection of all these banks was later validated by diving, and oyster samples (n = 20/bank were collected for species identification with a molecular method. Only one bank contained oysters that were generically classified as Crassostrea sp.; those in the remaining banks being identified as C. brasiliana. The prospected banks contained oysters of various sizes (average 1.5 m, n = 1,107 that were heterogeneously scattered in the riverbeds. The total number of oysters in the 10 sampled banks was estimated to be 21,159.13 oysters or 1 oyster/4.5 m², which represents a low oyster density in the study site. The results validate the use of side-scan sonar as an efficient means with which to prospect for oysters in banks located within subtidal zones.

  12. Recommendations for improved and coherent acquisition and processing of backscatter data from seafloor-mapping sonars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamarche, Geoffroy; Lurton, Xavier

    2018-06-01

    Multibeam echosounders are becoming widespread for the purposes of seafloor bathymetry mapping, but the acquisition and the use of seafloor backscatter measurements, acquired simultaneously with the bathymetric data, are still insufficiently understood, controlled and standardized. This presents an obstacle to well-accepted, standardized analysis and application by end users. The Marine Geological and Biological Habitat Mapping group (Geohab.org) has long recognized the need for better coherence and common agreement on acquisition, processing and interpretation of seafloor backscatter data, and established the Backscatter Working Group (BSWG) in May 2013. This paper presents an overview of this initiative, the mandate, structure and program of the working group, and a synopsis of the BSWG Guidelines and Recommendations to date. The paper includes (1) an overview of the current status in sensors and techniques available in seafloor backscatter data from multibeam sonars; (2) the presentation of the BSWG structure and results; (3) recommendations to operators, end-users, sonar manufacturers, and software developers using sonar backscatter for seafloor-mapping applications, for best practice methods and approaches for data acquisition and processing; and (4) a discussion on the development needs for future systems and data processing. We propose for the first time a nomenclature of backscatter processing levels that affords a means to accurately and efficiently describe the data processing status, and to facilitate comparisons of final products from various origins.

  13. New tools for evaluating LQAS survey designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hund, Lauren

    2014-02-15

    Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys have become increasingly popular in global health care applications. Incorporating Bayesian ideas into LQAS survey design, such as using reasonable prior beliefs about the distribution of an indicator, can improve the selection of design parameters and decision rules. In this paper, a joint frequentist and Bayesian framework is proposed for evaluating LQAS classification accuracy and informing survey design parameters. Simple software tools are provided for calculating the positive and negative predictive value of a design with respect to an underlying coverage distribution and the selected design parameters. These tools are illustrated using a data example from two consecutive LQAS surveys measuring Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) preparation. Using the survey tools, the dependence of classification accuracy on benchmark selection and the width of the 'grey region' are clarified in the context of ORS preparation across seven supervision areas. Following the completion of an LQAS survey, estimation of the distribution of coverage across areas facilitates quantifying classification accuracy and can help guide intervention decisions.

  14. Analysis of design tool attributes with regards to sustainability benefits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zain, S.; Ismail, A. F.; Ahmad, Z.; Adesta, E. Y. T.

    2018-01-01

    The trend of global manufacturing competitiveness has shown a significant shift from profit and customer driven business to a more harmonious sustainability paradigm. This new direction, which emphasises the interests of three pillars of sustainability, i.e., social, economic and environment dimensions, has changed the ways products are designed. As a result, the roles of design tools in the product development stage of manufacturing in adapting to the new strategy are vital and increasingly challenging. The aim of this paper is to review the literature on the attributes of design tools with regards to the sustainability perspective. Four well-established design tools are selected, namely Quality Function Deployment (QFD), Failure Mode and Element Analysis (FMEA), Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and Design for Environment (DfE). By analysing previous studies, the main attributes of each design tool and its benefits with respect to each sustainability dimension throughout four stages of product lifecycle are discussed. From this study, it is learnt that each of the design tools contributes to the three pillars of sustainability either directly or indirectly, but they are unbalanced and not holistic. Therefore, the prospective of improving and optimising the design tools is projected, and the possibility of collaboration between the different tools is discussed.

  15. Gear cutting tools fundamentals of design and computation

    CERN Document Server

    Radzevich, Stephen P

    2010-01-01

    Presents the DG/K-based method of surface generation, a novel and practical mathematical method for designing gear cutting tools with optimal parameters. This book proposes a scientific classification for the various kinds of the gear machining meshes, discussing optimal designs of gear cutting tools.

  16. Cost-Effective Mapping of Benthic Habitats in Inland Reservoirs through Split-Beam Sonar, Indicator Kriging, and Historical Geologic Data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venteris, Erik R.; May, Cassandra

    2014-04-23

    Because bottom substrate composition is an important control on the temporal and spatial location of the aquatic community, accurate maps of benthic habitats of inland lakes and reservoirs provide valuable information to managers, recreational users, and scientists. Therefore, we collected vertical, split-beam sonar data (roughness [E1], hardness [E2], and bathymetry) and sediment samples to make such maps. Statistical calibration between sonar parameters and sediment classes was problematic because the E1:E2 ratios for soft (muck and clay) sediments overlapped a lower and narrower range for hard (gravel) substrates. Thus, we used indicator kriging (IK) to map the probability that unsampled locations did not contain coarse sediments. To overcome the calibration issue we tested proxies for the natural processes and anthropogenic history of the reservoir as potential predictive variables. Of these, a geologic map proved to be the most useful. The central alluvial valley and mudflats contained mainly muck and organic-rich clays. The surrounding glacial till and shale bedrock uplands contained mainly poorly sorted gravels. Anomalies in the sonar data suggested that the organic-rich sediments also contained trapped gases, presenting additional interpretive issues for the mapping. We extended the capability of inexpensive split-beam sonar units through the incorporation of historic geologic maps and other records as well as validation with dredge samples. Through the integration of information from multiple data sets, were able to objectively identify bottom substrate and provide reservoir users with an accurate map of available benthic habitat.

  17. Design of a Cognitive Tool to Enhance Problemsolving Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Youngmin; Nelson, David

    2005-01-01

    The design of a cognitive tool to support problem-solving performance for external representation of knowledge is described. The limitations of conventional knowledge maps are analyzed in proposing the tool. The design principles and specifications are described. This tool is expected to enhance learners problem-solving performance by allowing…

  18. Combining split-beam and dual-frequency identification sonars to estimate abundance of anadromous fishes in the Roanoke River, North Carolina

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Jacob B.; Hightower, Joseph E.

    2015-01-01

    Riverine hydroacoustic techniques are an effective method for evaluating abundance of upstream migrating anadromous fishes. To use these methods in the Roanoke River, North Carolina, at a wide site with uneven bottom topography, we used a combination of split-beam sonar and dual-frequency identification sonar (DIDSON) deployments. We aimed a split-beam sonar horizontally to monitor midchannel and near-bottom zones continuously over the 3-month spring monitoring periods in 2010 and 2011. The DIDSON was rotated between seven cross-channel locations (using a vertical aim) and nearshore regions (using horizontal aims). Vertical deployment addressed blind spots in split-beam coverage along the bottom and provided reliable information about the cross-channel and vertical distributions of upstream migrants. Using a Bayesian framework, we modeled sonar counts within four cross-channel strata and apportioned counts by species using species proportions from boat electrofishing and gill netting. Modeled estimates (95% credible intervals [CIs]) of total upstream migrants in 2010 and 2011 were 2.5 million (95% CI, 2.4–2.6 million) and 3.6 million (95% CI, 3.4–3.9 million), respectively. Results indicated that upstream migrants are extremely shore- and bottom-oriented, suggesting nearshore DIDSON monitoring improved the accuracy and precision of our estimates. This monitoring protocol and model may be widely applicable to river systems regardless of their cross-sectional width or profile.

  19. REQUIREMENTS PROCESSING TOOLS AND THE BUILDING DESIGNERS MOTIVATION ON USE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Pegoraro

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available The successful development of projects requires, among other conditions, the ability to process requirements. In the construction literature, researchers have figured out that human difficulties was often at the root of Requirements Processing (RP problems throughout the design phases, and that the employment of tools could be a key factor for RP implementation. To check these outcomes and to look at how current practitioners behave in relation to the RP tools, an exploratory case study was conducted with a building design team from a public university. The aim of this paper was to investigate the perception of benefits and the motivation of designers regarding the RP tools. The results indicated that 42% of the participants are highly motivated to use new tools and that they have more interest in tools that deal directly with design activities than in those focused on data. Validation tools aroused interest as the most useful tools for designers. 66,7% of the participants mentioned that the tools can make the design process clearer, and that training and adaptation are crucial to promote acceptance and commitment to RP. The main contribution is the indication of gaps for further research and for tools improvement from the designers’ perspective.

  20. IDENTIFIKASI PROFIL DASAR LAUT MENGGUNAKAN INSTRUMEN SIDE SCAN SONAR DENGAN METODE BEAM PATTERN DISCRETE-EQUI-SPACED UNSHADED LINE ARRAY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Zainuddin Lubis

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Laut Punggur merupakan laut yang terletak di Batam, Kepulauan Riau yang mempunyai beragam habitat objek,dan bentuk struktur bawah laut yang memiliki dinamika laut yang sangat tinggi. Side scan sonar (SSS merupakan instrumen pengembangan sistem sonar yang mampu menunjukkan dalam gambar dua dimensional permukaan dasar laut dengan kondisi kontur, topografi, dan target secara bersamaan. Metode Beam Pattern Discrete-Equi-Spaced Unshaded Line Array digunakan untuk menghitung beam pattern dua dimensi yang tergantung pada sudut dari gelombang suara yang masuk dari sumbu array yang diterima tergantung pada sudut di mana sinar suara pada array. Penelitian ini dilakukan pada Desember 2016 di laut Punggur,Batam, Kepulauan Riau-Indonesia, dengan koordinat 104 ° 08,7102 E dan 1° 03,2448 N sampai 1 ° 03.3977 N dan 104 ° 08,8133 E, menggunakan instrumen Side Scan Sonar C-Max CM2 Tow fish dengan frekuensi 325 kHz. Hasil yang diperoleh dari perekaman terdapat 7 target, dan Beam pattern dari metode Beam Discrete-Equi-Spaced Unshaded Line Array target 4 memiliki nilai tertinggi pada directivity Pattern yaitu 21.08 dB. Hasil model beam pattern ini memiliki nilai pusat pada incidence angle (o terhadap Directivity pattern (dB tidak berada di nilai 0 ataupun pada pusat beam pattern yang dihasilkan pada target 6 dengan nilai incident angle -1.5 o dan 1.5o mengalami penurunan hingga -40 dB. Karakteristik sedimen dasar perairan di laut punggur ditemukan lebih banyak pasir. Hasil metode Beam Discrete-Equi-Spaced Unshaded Line Array ditemukan bangkai kapal tenggelam.Kata Kunci: Side Scan Sonar, Beam Pattern Discrete-Equi-Spaced Unshaded Line Array, Incidence angle, Directivity pattern IDENTIFICATION OF SEABED PROFILE USING SIDE SCAN SONAR INSTRUMENT WITH PATTERN DISCRETE-EQUI-SPACED UNSHADED LINE ARRAY METHODRiau Islands is an island that has a variety of habitat objects, and forms of submarine structures that have a very high ocean dynamics, Punggur Sea is the sea

  1. Developing a Conceptual Design Engineering Toolbox and its Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. W. Vroom

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available In order to develop a successful product, a design engineer needs to pay attention to all relevant aspects of that product. Many tools are available, software, books, websites, and commercial services. To unlock these potentially useful sources of knowledge, we are developing C-DET, a toolbox for conceptual design engineering. The idea of C-DET is that designers are supported by a system that provides them with a knowledge portal on one hand, and a system to store their current work on the other. The knowledge portal is to help the designer to find the most appropriate sites, experts, tools etc. at a short notice. Such a toolbox offers opportunities to incorporate extra functionalities to support the design engineering work. One of these functionalities could be to help the designer to reach a balanced comprehension in his work. Furthermore C-DET enables researchers in the area of design engineering and design engineers themselves to find each other or their work earlier and more easily. Newly developed design tools that can be used by design engineers but have not yet been developed up to a commercial level could be linked to by C-DET. In this way these tools can be evaluated in an early stage by design engineers who would like to use them. This paper describes the first prototypes of C-DET, an example of the development of a design tool that enables designers to forecast the use process and an example of the future functionalities of C-DET such as balanced comprehension.

  2. Representation stigma: Perceptions of tools and processes for design graphics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Barbarash

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Practicing designers and design students across multiple fields were surveyed to measure preference and perception of traditional hand and digital tools to determine if common biases for an individual toolset are realized in practice. Significant results were found, primarily with age being a determinant in preference of graphic tools and processes; this finding demonstrates a hard line between generations of designers. Results show that while there are strong opinions in tools and processes, the realities of modern business practice and production gravitate towards digital methods despite a traditional tool preference in more experienced designers. While negative stigmas regarding computers remain, younger generations are more accepting of digital tools and images, which should eventually lead to a paradigm shift in design professions.

  3. Altitude Compensating Nozzle Design Tool, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Launch vehicle subsystem preliminary design tools that are fast, accurate, and seamlessly integrated into an electronic design and optimization environment have...

  4. 3D Design Tools for Vacuum Electron Devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Levush, Baruch

    2003-01-01

    A reduction of development costs will have a significant impact on the total cost of the vacuum electron devices. Experimental testing cycles can be reduced or eliminated through the use of simulation-based design methodology, thereby reducing the time and cost of development. Moreover, by use of modern optimization tools for automating the process of seeking specific solution parameters and for studying dependencies of performance on parameters, new performance capabilities can be achieved, without resorting to expensive cycles of hardware fabrication and testing. Simulation-based-design will also provide the basis for sensitivity studies for determining the manufacturing tolerances associated with a particular design. Since material properties can have a critical effect on the performance of the vacuum electron devices, the design tools require precise knowledge of material characteristics, such as dielectric properties of the support rods, loss profile etc. Sensitivity studies must therefore include the effects of materials properties variation on device performance. This will provide insight for choosing the proper technological processes in order to achieve these tolerances, which is of great importance for achieving cost reduction. A successful design methodology depends on the development of accurate and efficient design tools with predictive capabilities. These design tools must be based on realistic models capable of high fidelity representation of geometry and materials, they must have optimization capabilities, and they must be easy to use

  5. Data fusion from multiple passive sonar nodes for target localisation and false alarm reduction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hunter, A.J.; Fillinger, L.; Zampolli, M.; Clarijs, M.C.

    2012-01-01

    A PHD particle filter implementation has been detailed for the fusion of measurements from multiple passive sonar nodes. It has been demonstrated on simulated metadata and on experimental passive acoustic data of divers and small boats collected in an operational port environment. Fusion at the

  6. Sonar sound groups and increased terminal buzz duration reflect task complexity in hunting bats

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hulgard, K.; Ratcliffe, J. M.

    2016-01-01

    to prey under presumably more difficult conditions. Specifically, we found Daubenton's bats, Myotis daubentonii, produced longer buzzes when aerial-hawking versus water-trawling prey, but that bats taking revolving air- and water-borne prey produced more sonar sound groups than did the bats when taking...

  7. Design Tools for Integrated Asynchronous Electronic Circuits

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Martin, Alain

    2003-01-01

    ..., simulation, verification, at the logical and physical levels. Situs has developed a business model for the commercialization of the CAD tools, and has designed the prototype of the tool suite based on this business model and the Caltech approach...

  8. Designing decision support tools for targeted N-regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Andreas Aagaard; Piil, Kristoffer; Andersen, Peter Stubkjær

    2017-01-01

    data model for land use data – the dNmark landscape model. Based on input data which is corrected and edited by workshop participants, the tool estimates the effect of potential land use scenarios on nutrient emissions. The tool was tested in 5 scenario workshops in case areas in Denmark in 2016...... in Denmark to develop and improve a functioning decision support tool for landscape scale N-management. The aim of the study is to evaluate how a decision support tool can best be designed in order to enable landscape scale strategic N-management practices. Methods: A prototype GIS-tool for capturing......, storing, editing, displaying and modelling landscape scale farming practices and associated emission consequences was developed. The tool was designed to integrate locally held knowledge with national scale datasets in live scenario situations through the implementation of a flexible, uniform and editable...

  9. Internet MEMS design tools based on component technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brueck, Rainer; Schumer, Christian

    1999-03-01

    The micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) industry in Europe is characterized by small and medium sized enterprises specialized on products to solve problems in specific domains like medicine, automotive sensor technology, etc. In this field of business the technology driven design approach known from micro electronics is not appropriate. Instead each design problem aims at its own, specific technology to be used for the solution. The variety of technologies at hand, like Si-surface, Si-bulk, LIGA, laser, precision engineering requires a huge set of different design tools to be available. No single SME can afford to hold licenses for all these tools. This calls for a new and flexible way of designing, implementing and distributing design software. The Internet provides a flexible manner of offering software access along with methodologies of flexible licensing e.g. on a pay-per-use basis. New communication technologies like ADSL, TV cable of satellites as carriers promise to offer a bandwidth sufficient even for interactive tools with graphical interfaces in the near future. INTERLIDO is an experimental tool suite for process specification and layout verification for lithography based MEMS technologies to be accessed via the Internet. The first version provides a Java implementation even including a graphical editor for process specification. Currently, a new version is brought into operation that is based on JavaBeans component technology. JavaBeans offers the possibility to realize independent interactive design assistants, like a design rule checking assistants, a process consistency checking assistants, a technology definition assistants, a graphical editor assistants, etc. that may reside distributed over the Internet, communicating via Internet protocols. Each potential user thus is able to configure his own dedicated version of a design tool set dedicated to the requirements of the current problem to be solved.

  10. Hybrid Design Tools Intuit Interaction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendrich, Robert E.; Kyvsgaard Hansen, P.; Rasmussen, J.; Jorgensen, K.A.; Tollestrup, C.

    2012-01-01

    Non-linear, non-explicit, non-standard thinking and ambiguity in design tools has a great impact on enhancement of creativity during ideation and conceptualization. Tacit-tangible representation based on a mere idiosyncratic and individual approach combined with computational assistance allows the

  11. Rotorcraft Optimization Tools: Incorporating Rotorcraft Design Codes into Multi-Disciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyn, Larry A.

    2018-01-01

    One of the goals of NASA's Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technology Project (RVLT) is to provide validated tools for multidisciplinary design, analysis and optimization (MDAO) of vertical lift vehicles. As part of this effort, the software package, RotorCraft Optimization Tools (RCOTOOLS), is being developed to facilitate incorporating key rotorcraft conceptual design codes into optimizations using the OpenMDAO multi-disciplinary optimization framework written in Python. RCOTOOLS, also written in Python, currently supports the incorporation of the NASA Design and Analysis of RotorCraft (NDARC) vehicle sizing tool and the Comprehensive Analytical Model of Rotorcraft Aerodynamics and Dynamics II (CAMRAD II) analysis tool into OpenMDAO-driven optimizations. Both of these tools use detailed, file-based inputs and outputs, so RCOTOOLS provides software wrappers to update input files with new design variable values, execute these codes and then extract specific response variable values from the file outputs. These wrappers are designed to be flexible and easy to use. RCOTOOLS also provides several utilities to aid in optimization model development, including Graphical User Interface (GUI) tools for browsing input and output files in order to identify text strings that are used to identify specific variables as optimization input and response variables. This paper provides an overview of RCOTOOLS and its use

  12. Cost-effective mapping of benthic habitats in inland reservoirs through split-beam sonar, indicator kriging, and historical geologic data.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erik R Venteris

    Full Text Available Because bottom substrate composition is an important control on the temporal and spatial location of the aquatic community, accurate maps of benthic habitats of inland lakes and reservoirs provide valuable information to managers, recreational users, and scientists. Therefore, we collected vertical, split-beam sonar data (roughness [E1], hardness [E2], and bathymetry and sediment samples to make such maps. Statistical calibration between sonar parameters and sediment classes was problematic because the E1:E2 ratios for soft (muck and clay sediments overlapped a lower and narrower range for hard (gravel substrates. Thus, we used indicator kriging (IK to map the probability that unsampled locations did not contain coarse sediments. To overcome the calibration issue we tested proxies for the natural processes and anthropogenic history of the reservoir as potential predictive variables. Of these, a geologic map proved to be the most useful. The central alluvial valley and mudflats contained mainly muck and organic-rich clays. The surrounding glacial till and shale bedrock uplands contained mainly poorly sorted gravels. Anomalies in the sonar data suggested that the organic-rich sediments also contained trapped gases, presenting additional interpretive issues for the mapping. We extended the capability of inexpensive split-beam sonar units through the incorporation of historic geologic maps and other records as well as validation with dredge samples. Through the integration of information from multiple data sets, were able to objectively identify bottom substrate and provide reservoir users with an accurate map of available benthic habitat.

  13. Design Package for Fuel Retrieval System Fuel Handling Tool Modification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    TEDESCHI, D.J.

    2000-01-01

    This design package documents design, fabrication, and testing of new stinger tool design. Future revisions will document further development of the stinger tool and incorporate various developmental stages, and final test results

  14. Remediating a design tool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Mads Møller; Rädle, Roman; Klokmose, Clemens N.

    2018-01-01

    digital sticky notes setup. The paper contributes with a nuanced understanding of what happens when remediating a physical design tool into digital space, by emphasizing focus shifts and breakdowns caused by the technology, but also benefits and promises inherent in the digital media. Despite users......' preference for creating physical notes, handling digital notes on boards was easier and the potential of proper documentation make the digital setup a possible alternative. While the analogy in our remediation supported a transfer of learned handling, the users' experiences across technological setups impact......Sticky notes are ubiquitous in design processes because of their tangibility and ease of use. Yet, they have well-known limitations in professional design processes, as documentation and distribution are cumbersome at best. This paper compares the use of sticky notes in ideation with a remediated...

  15. Designer Modeling for Personalized Game Content Creation Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liapis, Antonios; Yannakakis, Georgios N.; Togelius, Julian

    2013-01-01

    preferences, goals and processes from their interaction with a computer-aided design tool, and suggests methods and domains within game development where such a model can be applied. We describe how designer modeling could be integrated with current work on automated and mixed-initiative content creation......With the growing use of automated content creation and computer-aided design tools in game development, there is potential for enhancing the design process through personalized interactions between the software and the game developer. This paper proposes designer modeling for capturing the designer’s......, and envision future directions which focus on personalizing the processes to a designer’s particular wishes....

  16. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool(II)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jong Kiun; Youm, K. U.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, I. B.; Yoon, K. B.; Lee, C. K.; Youm, J. H.

    2007-06-01

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology

  17. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool(II)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jong Kiun; Youm, K. U.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, I. B.; Yoon, K. B.; Lee, C. K.; Youm, J. H

    2007-06-15

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology.

  18. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool(III)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jong Kiun; Youm, K. U.; Kim, K. S.; Lee, I. B.; Yoon, K. B.; Lee, C. K.; Youm, J. H.

    2008-08-01

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology

  19. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool (I)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jong Kiun; Youm, K. U.; Kim, K. S.

    2006-08-01

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology

  20. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool(IV)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youm, Ki Un; Lee, I. B.; Youm, J. H.

    2009-09-01

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology

  1. Computational Tools and Algorithms for Designing Customized Synthetic Genes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gould, Nathan [Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ (United States); Hendy, Oliver [Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ (United States); Papamichail, Dimitris, E-mail: papamicd@tcnj.edu [Department of Computer Science, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ (United States)

    2014-10-06

    Advances in DNA synthesis have enabled the construction of artificial genes, gene circuits, and genomes of bacterial scale. Freedom in de novo design of synthetic constructs provides significant power in studying the impact of mutations in sequence features, and verifying hypotheses on the functional information that is encoded in nucleic and amino acids. To aid this goal, a large number of software tools of variable sophistication have been implemented, enabling the design of synthetic genes for sequence optimization based on rationally defined properties. The first generation of tools dealt predominantly with singular objectives such as codon usage optimization and unique restriction site incorporation. Recent years have seen the emergence of sequence design tools that aim to evolve sequences toward combinations of objectives. The design of optimal protein-coding sequences adhering to multiple objectives is computationally hard, and most tools rely on heuristics to sample the vast sequence design space. In this review, we study some of the algorithmic issues behind gene optimization and the approaches that different tools have adopted to redesign genes and optimize desired coding features. We utilize test cases to demonstrate the efficiency of each approach, as well as identify their strengths and limitations.

  2. Computational Tools and Algorithms for Designing Customized Synthetic Genes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gould, Nathan; Hendy, Oliver; Papamichail, Dimitris

    2014-01-01

    Advances in DNA synthesis have enabled the construction of artificial genes, gene circuits, and genomes of bacterial scale. Freedom in de novo design of synthetic constructs provides significant power in studying the impact of mutations in sequence features, and verifying hypotheses on the functional information that is encoded in nucleic and amino acids. To aid this goal, a large number of software tools of variable sophistication have been implemented, enabling the design of synthetic genes for sequence optimization based on rationally defined properties. The first generation of tools dealt predominantly with singular objectives such as codon usage optimization and unique restriction site incorporation. Recent years have seen the emergence of sequence design tools that aim to evolve sequences toward combinations of objectives. The design of optimal protein-coding sequences adhering to multiple objectives is computationally hard, and most tools rely on heuristics to sample the vast sequence design space. In this review, we study some of the algorithmic issues behind gene optimization and the approaches that different tools have adopted to redesign genes and optimize desired coding features. We utilize test cases to demonstrate the efficiency of each approach, as well as identify their strengths and limitations.

  3. Gradually including potential users: A tool to counter design exclusions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zitkus, Emilene; Langdon, Patrick; Clarkson, P John

    2018-01-01

    The paper describes an iterative development process used to understand the suitability of different inclusive design evaluation tools applied into design practices. At the end of this process, a tool named Inclusive Design Advisor was developed, combining data related to design features of small appliances with ergonomic task demands, anthropometric data and exclusion data. When auditing a new design the tool examines the exclusion that each design feature can cause, followed by objective recommendations directly related to its features. Interactively, it allows designers or clients to balance design changes with the exclusion caused. It presents the type of information that enables designers and clients to discuss user needs and make more inclusive design decisions. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  4. Advanced signal processing theory and implementation for sonar, radar, and non-invasive medical diagnostic systems

    CERN Document Server

    Stergiopoulos, Stergios

    2009-01-01

    Integrates topics of signal processing from sonar, radar, and medical system technologies by identifying their concept similarities. This book covers non-invasive medical diagnostic system applications, including intracranial ultrasound, a technology that attempts to address non-invasive detection on brain injuries and stroke.

  5. SIMONA: A multi-purpose acoustic data simulator for development and testing of sonar signal processing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Robert, M.K.; Groen, J.; Konijnendijk, N.J.

    2005-01-01

    The development of undersea defence technologies such as sonar relies heavily on the availability of high quality acoustic data. However, data acquisition is particularly expensive as sea trials involve experienced manpower and costly high-tech equipment. Also, at sea, the environment remains

  6. Designing the user experience of game development tools

    CERN Document Server

    Lightbown, David

    2015-01-01

    The Big Green Button My Story Who Should Read this Book? Companion Website and Twitter Account Before we BeginWelcome to Designing the User Experience of Game Development ToolsWhat Will We Learn in This Chapter?What Is This Book About?Defining User ExperienceThe Value of Improving the User Experience of Our ToolsParallels Between User Experience and Game DesignHow Do People Benefit From an Improved User Experience?Finding the Right BalanceWrapping UpThe User-Centered Design ProcessWhat Will We

  7. Side-scan sonar techniques for the characterization of physical properties of artificial benthic habitats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Miin Tian

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Side-scan sonar observations conducted at Mito artificial habitat site in the southwest coast off Taiwan, documented the locations of both concrete cubic blocks (more than 10,000 units and scrapped steel boats (39 units deployed previously. Based on their geographic locations, the concrete cubic artificial reefs could be grouped into 14 reef sets. About 30% of the reefs were deployed out of the promulgated site area. For the purpose of artificial habitat site identification and fishery resources management, a database structure was designed to accommodate types and positions of reefs, information of reef sets, bathymetric contours, textures of bottom sediments and geomorphological characteristics. The effectiveness of Mito artificial habitat site was evaluated to be positive after the deployment of both concrete block reefs and steel boat reefs.Observações com sonar de varredura lateral ao largo de Mito na costa sudoeste de Taiwan, revelou a localização de mais de 10.000 blocos de concreto e 39 embarcações de ferro assentados previamente como recifes artificiais. Com base nas imagens obtidas, os cubos de concreto formam 14 grupos separados. Cerca de 30% das unidades de concreto foram assentadas fora das áreas previstas. Para a identificacão correta dos recifes artificiais e manejo adequado dos recursos pesqueiros, foi organizada uma base de dados com informações sobre forma, materiais e posição, e arranjo espacial das unidades recifais, bem como dados de batimetria, natureza do sedimento do fundo e geomorfologia. A eficiência dos recifes artificiais de Mito foi avaliada positivamente após o assentamento tanto das unidades de concreto quanto das embarcações de ferro.

  8. Computational Tools and Algorithms for Designing Customized Synthetic Genes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nathan eGould

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Advances in DNA synthesis have enabled the construction of artificial genes, gene circuits, and genomes of bacterial scale. Freedom in de-novo design of synthetic constructs provides significant power in studying the impact of mutations in sequence features, and verifying hypotheses on the functional information that is encoded in nucleic and amino acids. To aid this goal, a large number of software tools of variable sophistication have been implemented, enabling the design of synthetic genes for sequence optimization based on rationally defined properties. The first generation of tools dealt predominantly with singular objectives such as codon usage optimization and unique restriction site incorporation. Recent years have seen the emergence of sequence design tools that aim to evolve sequences toward combinations of objectives. The design of optimal protein coding sequences adhering to multiple objectives is computationally hard, and most tools rely on heuristics to sample the vast sequence design space. In this review we study some of the algorithmic issues behind gene optimization and the approaches that different tools have adopted to redesign genes and optimize desired coding features. We utilize test cases to demonstrate the efficiency of each approach, as well as identify their strengths and limitations.

  9. Topics in expert system design methodologies and tools

    CERN Document Server

    Tasso, C

    1989-01-01

    Expert Systems are so far the most promising achievement of artificial intelligence research. Decision making, planning, design, control, supervision and diagnosis are areas where they are showing great potential. However, the establishment of expert system technology and its actual industrial impact are still limited by the lack of a sound, general and reliable design and construction methodology.This book has a dual purpose: to offer concrete guidelines and tools to the designers of expert systems, and to promote basic and applied research on methodologies and tools. It is a coordinated coll

  10. Analytical Design Package (ADP2): A computer aided engineering tool for aircraft transparency design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuerer, J. E.; Gran, M.; Held, T. W.

    1994-01-01

    The Analytical Design Package (ADP2) is being developed as a part of the Air Force Frameless Transparency Program (FTP). ADP2 is an integrated design tool consisting of existing analysis codes and Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software. The objective of the ADP2 is to develop and confirm an integrated design methodology for frameless transparencies, related aircraft interfaces, and their corresponding tooling. The application of this methodology will generate high confidence for achieving a qualified part prior to mold fabrication. ADP2 is a customized integration of analysis codes, CAE software, and material databases. The primary CAE integration tool for the ADP2 is P3/PATRAN, a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software tool. The open architecture of P3/PATRAN allows customized installations with different applications modules for specific site requirements. Integration of material databases allows the engineer to select a material, and those material properties are automatically called into the relevant analysis code. The ADP2 materials database will be composed of four independent schemas: CAE Design, Processing, Testing, and Logistics Support. The design of ADP2 places major emphasis on the seamless integration of CAE and analysis modules with a single intuitive graphical interface. This tool is being designed to serve and be used by an entire project team, i.e., analysts, designers, materials experts, and managers. The final version of the software will be delivered to the Air Force in Jan. 1994. The Analytical Design Package (ADP2) will then be ready for transfer to industry. The package will be capable of a wide range of design and manufacturing applications.

  11. The future-essay as a design tool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thomsen, Bente Dahl; Kappel, Anne

    2007-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to present scenarios, photo-essays and future-essays as tools in communication, and as tools for clarifying the use of products in the future and the aesthetic qualities in the programme. In the design process, the programme is a description of the function, the condition...

  12. Conceptual design tool development for a Pb-Bi cooled reactor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, K. G.; Chang, S. H.; No, H. C.; Chunm, M. H.

    2000-01-01

    Conceptual design is generally ill-structured and mysterious problem solving. This leads the experienced experts to be still responsible for the most of synthesis and analysis task, which are not amenable to logical formulations in design problems. Especially because a novel reactor such as a Pb-Bi cooled reactor is going on a conceptual design stage, it will be very meaningful to develop the conceptual design tool. This tool consists of system design module with artificial intelligence, scaling module, and validation module. System design decides the optimal structure and the layout of a Pb-Bi cooled reactor, using design synthesis part and design analysis part. The designed system is scaled to be optimal with desired power level, and then the design basis accidents (Dbase) are analyzed in validation module. Design synthesis part contains the specific data for reactor components and the general data for a Pb-Bi cooled reactor. Design analysis part contains several design constraints for formulation and solution of a design problem. In addition, designer's intention may be externalized through emphasis on design requirements. For the purpose of demonstration, the conceptual design tool is applied to a Pb-Bi cooled reactor with 125 M Wth of power level. The Pb-Bi cooled reactor is a novel reactor concept in which the fission-generated heat is transferred from the primary coolant to the secondary coolant through a reactor vessel wall of a novel design. The Pb-Bi cooled reactor is to deliver 125 M Wth per module for 15 effective full power years without any on-site fuel handling. The conceptual design tool investigated the feasibility of a Pb-Bi cooled reactor. Application of the conceptual design tool will be, in detail, presented in the full paper. (author)

  13. Conceptual Design Tool for Concrete Shell Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Holst, Malene Kirstine; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2011-01-01

    This paper focuses on conceptual tools for concrete shell structures when working within the span of performance-based design and computational morphogenesis. The designer, referred to as the Architect-Engineer, works through several iterations parallel with aesthetic, functional and technical re...

  14. A Framework for the Application of Robust Design Methods and Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Göhler, Simon Moritz; Howard, Thomas J.

    2014-01-01

    can deliver are not always clear. Expectations to the output are sometimes misleading and imply the incorrect utilization of tools. A categorization of tools, methods and techniques typically associated with robust design methodology in the literature is provided in this paper in terms of purpose...... and deliverables of the individual tool or method. The majority of tools aims for optimizing an existing design solution or give an indication of how robust a design is, which requires a somewhat settled design. Furthermore, the categorization presented in this paper shows a lack in the methodology for tools...... of the existing tools. When to apply, what tool or method, for which purpose can be concluded. The paper also contributes with a framework for researchers to derive a generic landscape or database for RDM build upon the main premises and deliverables of each method....

  15. Design Package for Fuel Retrieval System Fuel Handling Tool Modification

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    TEDESCHI, D.J.

    2000-01-01

    This is a design package that contains the details for a modification to a tool used for moving fuel elements during loading of MCO Fuel Baskets for the Fuel Retrieval System. The tool is called the fuel handling tool (or stinger). This document contains requirements, development design information, tests, and test reports

  16. Killer whale presence in relation to naval sonar activity and prey abundance in northern Norway

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuningas, S.; Kvadsheim, P.H.; Lam, F.P.A.; Miller, P.J.O.

    2013-01-01

    In this study, retrospective data on naval sonar activity and prey abundance were correlated with killer whale sightings within a fjord basin in northern Norway. In addition, passive acoustic and visual marine mammal surveys were conducted before, during, and after a specific navy exercise in 2006.

  17. Final report of DOE project "Detection, Localization and Diagnosis of Performance Problems Using PerfSONAR"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dovrolis, Konstantinos [Georgia Tech

    2014-04-15

    We present the development of a middleware service, called Pythia, that is able to detect, localize, and diagnose performance problems in the network paths that interconnect research sites that are of interest to DOE. The proposed service can analyze perfSONAR data collected from all participating sites.

  18. Control room design and human factors using a virtual reality based tool for design, test and training

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lirvall, Peter

    1998-02-01

    This report describes a user-centred approach to control room design adopted by IFE for the nuclear industry. The novelty of this approach is the development of a Control Room Philosophy, and the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology as a tool in the design process, integrated with a specially developed Design Documentation System (DDS) and a process display prototyping tool PICASSO-3. The control room philosophy identifies all functional aspects of a control centre, to define the baseline principles and guidelines for the design. The use of VR technology enables end-users of the control room design (e.g. control room operators) to specify their preferred design of the new control room, and to replace the need for a physical mock-up to test and evaluate the proposed design. The DDS, integrated with the VR design tool, guides the control room operators, through a structured approach, to document the proposed design in a complete design specification. The VR tool, specially developed by IFE, is called the VR based Design, Test and Training tool (VR DTandT). It is not only intended to visualise the design, but also to test and evaluate the design. When the design is implemented, the same model is re-used as a VR based training simulator for operators. A special feature in the VR DTandT tool is that the verification and validation (VandV) tests, concerning human factors, are according to the regulative standards for nuclear control rooms

  19. Design of a Three-Axis Machine Tool Module

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Childers, Marshal

    2003-01-01

    This report documents the design improvement process of the components in a tool module for a three-axis machine tool, which occurred during the period of March-April 2002 in support of a critical U.S...

  20. Wall-corner classification using sonar: a new approach based on geometric features.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez, Milagros; Benet, Ginés

    2010-01-01

    Ultrasonic signals coming from rotary sonar sensors in a robot gives us several features about the environment. This enables us to locate and classify the objects in the scenario of the robot. Each object and reflector produces a series of peaks in the amplitude of the signal. The radial and angular position of the sonar sensor gives information about location and their amplitudes offer information about the nature of the surface. Early works showed that the amplitude can be modeled and used to classify objects with very good results at short distances-80% average success in classifying both walls and corners at distances less than 1.5 m. In this paper, a new set of geometric features derived from the amplitude analysis of the echo is presented. These features constitute a set of characteristics that can be used to improve the results of classification at distances from 1.5 m to 4 m. Also, a comparative study on classification algorithms widely used in pattern recognition techniques has been carried out for sensor distances ranging between 0.5 to 4 m, and with incidence angles ranging between 20° to 70°. Experimental results show an enhancement on the success in classification rates when these geometric features are considered.

  1. A Modeling Tool for Household Biogas Burner Flame Port Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Decker, Thomas J.

    Anaerobic digestion is a well-known and potentially beneficial process for rural communities in emerging markets, providing the opportunity to generate usable gaseous fuel from agricultural waste. With recent developments in low-cost digestion technology, communities across the world are gaining affordable access to the benefits of anaerobic digestion derived biogas. For example, biogas can displace conventional cooking fuels such as biomass (wood, charcoal, dung) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), effectively reducing harmful emissions and fuel cost respectively. To support the ongoing scaling effort of biogas in rural communities, this study has developed and tested a design tool aimed at optimizing flame port geometry for household biogas-fired burners. The tool consists of a multi-component simulation that incorporates three-dimensional CAD designs with simulated chemical kinetics and computational fluid dynamics. An array of circular and rectangular port designs was developed for a widely available biogas stove (called the Lotus) as part of this study. These port designs were created through guidance from previous studies found in the literature. The three highest performing designs identified by the tool were manufactured and tested experimentally to validate tool output and to compare against the original port geometry. The experimental results aligned with the tool's prediction for the three chosen designs. Each design demonstrated improved thermal efficiency relative to the original, with one configuration of circular ports exhibiting superior performance. The results of the study indicated that designing for a targeted range of port hydraulic diameter, velocity and mixture density in the tool is a relevant way to improve the thermal efficiency of a biogas burner. Conversely, the emissions predictions made by the tool were found to be unreliable and incongruent with laboratory experiments.

  2. Searching for Sentient Design Tools for Game Development

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Liapis, Antonios

    their generative algorithms) and to their human users (who must take all design decisions), respectively. This thesis argues that computers can be creative partners to human designers rather than mere slaves; game design tools can be aware of designer intentions, preferences and routines, and can accommodate them...... or even subvert them. This thesis presents Sentient Sketchbook, a tool for designing game level abstractions of different game genres, which assists the level designer as it automatically tests maps for playability constraints, evaluates and displays the map's gameplay properties and creates alternatives......Over the last twenty years, computer games have grown from a niche market targeting young adults to an important player in the global economy, engaging millions of people from different cultural backgrounds. As both the number and the size of computer games continue to rise, game companies handle...

  3. Decision support tools in conservation: a workshop to improve user-centred design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Rose

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A workshop held at the University of Cambridge in May 2017 brought developers, researchers, knowledge brokers, and users together to discuss user-centred design of decision support tools. Decision support tools are designed to take users through logical decision steps towards an evidence-informed final decision. Although they may exist in different forms, including on paper, decision support tools are generally considered to be computer- (online, software or app-based. Studies have illustrated the potential value of decision support tools for conservation, and there are several papers describing the design of individual tools. Rather less attention, however, has been placed on the desirable characteristics for use, and even less on whether tools are actually being used in practice. This is concerning because if tools are not used by their intended end user, for example a policy-maker or practitioner, then its design will have wasted resources. Based on an analysis of papers on tool use in conservation, there is a lack of social science research on improving design, and relatively few examples where users have been incorporated into the design process. Evidence from other disciplines, particularly human-computer interaction research, illustrates that involving users throughout the design of decision support tools increases the relevance, usability, and impact of systems. User-centred design of tools is, however, seldom mentioned in the conservation literature. The workshop started the necessary process of bringing together developers and users to share knowledge about how to conduct good user-centred design of decision support tools. This will help to ensure that tools are usable and make an impact in conservation policy and practice.

  4. Improving design processes through structured reflection : a prototype software tool

    OpenAIRE

    Reymen, I.M.M.J.; Melby, E.

    2001-01-01

    A prototype software tool facilitating the use of a design method supporting structured reflection on design processes is presented. The prototype, called Echo, has been developed to explore the benefits of using a software system to facilitate the use of the design method. Both the prototype software tool and the design method are developed as part of the Ph.D. project of Isabelle Reymen. The goal of the design method is supporting designers with reflection on design processes in a systemati...

  5. 3S2: Behavioral Response Studies of Cetaceans to Navy Sonar Signals in Norwegian Waters

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-30

    Sonar Signals in Norwegian Waters Peter L. Tyack University of St Andrews School of Biology Scottish Oceans Institute East Sands St Andrews...with a tagged minke whale. Data in the top 4 panels were derived from observations from the trackboat (‘ MOB ’). Note the strong change in diving

  6. Design of automation tools for management of descent traffic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erzberger, Heinz; Nedell, William

    1988-01-01

    The design of an automated air traffic control system based on a hierarchy of advisory tools for controllers is described. Compatibility of the tools with the human controller, a key objective of the design, is achieved by a judicious selection of tasks to be automated and careful attention to the design of the controller system interface. The design comprises three interconnected subsystems referred to as the Traffic Management Advisor, the Descent Advisor, and the Final Approach Spacing Tool. Each of these subsystems provides a collection of tools for specific controller positions and tasks. This paper focuses primarily on the Descent Advisor which provides automation tools for managing descent traffic. The algorithms, automation modes, and graphical interfaces incorporated in the design are described. Information generated by the Descent Advisor tools is integrated into a plan view traffic display consisting of a high-resolution color monitor. Estimated arrival times of aircraft are presented graphically on a time line, which is also used interactively in combination with a mouse input device to select and schedule arrival times. Other graphical markers indicate the location of the fuel-optimum top-of-descent point and the predicted separation distances of aircraft at a designated time-control point. Computer generated advisories provide speed and descent clearances which the controller can issue to aircraft to help them arrive at the feeder gate at the scheduled times or with specified separation distances. Two types of horizontal guidance modes, selectable by the controller, provide markers for managing the horizontal flightpaths of aircraft under various conditions. The entire system consisting of descent advisor algorithm, a library of aircraft performance models, national airspace system data bases, and interactive display software has been implemented on a workstation made by Sun Microsystems, Inc. It is planned to use this configuration in operational

  7. Designing Online Assessment Tools for Disengaged Youth

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brader, Andy; Luke, Allan; Klenowski, Val; Connolly, Stephen; Behzadpour, Adib

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on the development of online assessment tools for disengaged youth in flexible learning environments. Sociocultural theories of learning and assessment and Bourdieu's sociological concepts of capital and exchange were used to design a purpose-built content management system. This design experiment engaged participants in…

  8. Integrated Design Tools for Embedded Control Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jovanovic, D.S.; Hilderink, G.H.; Broenink, Johannes F.; Karelse, F.

    2001-01-01

    Currently, computer-based control systems are still being implemented using the same techniques as 10 years ago. The purpose of this project is the development of a design framework, consisting of tools and libraries, which allows the designer to build high reliable heterogeneous real-time embedded

  9. Implementation of Signal Processing in Stereo-Scopic Active Sonar Using Heterodyne System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    BOKHARI Syed Umar

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available “SONAR” is an acronym for sound ranging and navigation. It uses sound waves to detect an object in the surroundings and calculate its distance. This device has a very important applications in shipbuilding industry and military systems. Moreover it’s also being extensively used in deep sea research of new species of plants and minerals, where it is practically impossible for humans to go. The most important feature of this system is the usage of ultrasonicfrequency to detect objects that are important for data collection or detection. Transmitting an ultra sonic frequency using an electronic oscillator is not a very difficult task, the real challenge is to design a reciever that could carry out a particular modulation technique to convert an ultra-sonic frequency to an audiblefrequency. In this paper, we propose aseteroscopic active SONAR proto-type. Further, we performed a seriers of expeirments using modulation techniques. The results obtained from the experiments gives us a braod understanding of the different behaviour of asignal.

  10. 75 FR 81284 - Nationwide Use of High Frequency and Ultra High Frequency Active SONAR Technology; Draft...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-27

    ... Frequency and Ultra High Frequency Active SONAR Technology; Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment and... Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the Nationwide Use of High Frequency (HF) and Ultra High... potential impacts of each alternative on the human and natural environments. DATES: Comments and related...

  11. 78 FR 70567 - Nationwide Use of High Frequency and Ultra High Frequency Active SONAR Technology; Final...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-26

    ... Frequency and Ultra High Frequency Active SONAR Technology; Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment and... each alternative on the human and natural environments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have... Programmatic Environmental Assessment The scope of the PEA focuses on potential impacts associated with the...

  12. Computer-aided design in power engineering. Application of software tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stojkovic, Zlatan

    2012-01-01

    Demonstrates the use software tools in the practice of design in the field of power systems. Presents many applications in the design in the field of power systems. Useful for educative purposes and practical work. This textbooks demonstrates the application of software tools in solving a series of problems from the field of designing power system structures and systems. It contains four chapters: The first chapter leads the reader through all the phases necessary in the procedures of computer aided modeling and simulation. It guides through the complex problems presenting on the basis of eleven original examples. The second chapter presents application of software tools in power system calculations of power systems equipment design. Several design example calculations are carried out using engineering standards like MATLAB, EMTP/ATP, Excel and Access, AutoCAD and Simulink. The third chapters focuses on the graphical documentation using a collection of software tools (AutoCAD, EPLAN, SIMARIS SIVACON, SIMARIS DESIGN) which enable the complete automation of the development of graphical documentation of a power systems. In the fourth chapter, the application of software tools in the project management in power systems is discussed. Here, the emphasis is put on the standard software MS Excel and MS Project.

  13. Computer-aided design in power engineering. Application of software tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stojkovic, Zlatan

    2012-07-01

    Demonstrates the use software tools in the practice of design in the field of power systems. Presents many applications in the design in the field of power systems. Useful for educative purposes and practical work. This textbooks demonstrates the application of software tools in solving a series of problems from the field of designing power system structures and systems. It contains four chapters: The first chapter leads the reader through all the phases necessary in the procedures of computer aided modeling and simulation. It guides through the complex problems presenting on the basis of eleven original examples. The second chapter presents application of software tools in power system calculations of power systems equipment design. Several design example calculations are carried out using engineering standards like MATLAB, EMTP/ATP, Excel and Access, AutoCAD and Simulink. The third chapters focuses on the graphical documentation using a collection of software tools (AutoCAD, EPLAN, SIMARIS SIVACON, SIMARIS DESIGN) which enable the complete automation of the development of graphical documentation of a power systems. In the fourth chapter, the application of software tools in the project management in power systems is discussed. Here, the emphasis is put on the standard software MS Excel and MS Project.

  14. Keep IT Real : On Tools, Emotion, Cognition and Intentionality in Design

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendrich, R. E.; Kruiper, R.; Marjanović, D.; M., Štorga; Pavković, N.; Bojčetić, N.; Škec, S.

    2016-01-01

    Keep IT real, create, build, and develop design tools that support designers during the early phases of design processing. This paper investigates how, and whether, current technology can afford real-time interaction and affective computing in a HDT(E) design tool that integrates and blends

  15. Program Design Report of the CNC Machine Tool(V-1)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youm, Ki Un; Moon, J. S.; Lee, I. B.; Youn, J. H.

    2010-08-01

    The application of CNC machine tool being widely expanded according to variety of machine work method and rapid promotion of machine tool, cutting tool, for high speed efficient machine work. In order to conduct of the project of manufacture and maintenance of laboratory equipment, production design and machine work technology are continually developed, especially the application of CNC machine tool is very important for the improvement of productivity, quality and clearing up a manpower shortage. We publish technical report which it includes CNC machine tool program and drawing, it contributes to the systematic development of CNC program design and machine work technology

  16. Tool and Fixture Design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Graham, Mark W. [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-07-28

    In a manufacturing process, a need is identified and a product is created to fill this need. While design and engineering of the final product is important, the tools and fixtures that aid in the creation of the final product are just as important, if not more so. Power supplies assembled at the TA-55 PF-5 have been designed by an excellent engineering team. The task in PF-5 now is to ensure that all steps of the assembly and manufacturing process can be completed safely, reliably, and in a quality repeatable manner. One of these process steps involves soldering fine wires to an electrical connector. During the process development phase, the method of soldering included placing the power supply in a vice in order to manipulate it into a position conducive to soldering. This method is unacceptable from a reliability, repeatability, and ergonomic standpoint. To combat these issues, a fixture was designed to replace the current method. To do so, a twelve step engineering design process was used to create the fixture that would provide a solution to a multitude of problems, and increase the safety and efficiency of production.

  17. The Development of a Tool for Sustainable Building Design:

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tine Ring Hansen, Hanne; Knudstrup, Mary-Ann

    2009-01-01

    for sustainable buildings, as well as, an analysis of the relationship between the different approaches (e.g. low-energy, environmental, green building, solar architecture, bio-climatic architecture etc.) to sustainable building design and these indicators. The paper furthermore discusses how sustainable......The understanding of sustainable building has changed over time along with the architectural interpretation of sustainability. The paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of the indicators found in different internationally acclaimed and Danish certification schemes and standards...... architecture will gain more focus in the coming years, thus, establishing the need for the development of a new tool and methodology, The paper furthermore describes the background and considerations involved in the development of a design support tool for sustainable building design. A tool which considers...

  18. Automatic differentiation as a tool in engineering design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barthelemy, Jean-Francois; Hall, Laura E.

    1992-01-01

    Automatic Differentiation (AD) is a tool that systematically implements the chain rule of differentiation to obtain the derivatives of functions calculated by computer programs. AD is assessed as a tool for engineering design. The forward and reverse modes of AD, their computing requirements, as well as approaches to implementing AD are discussed. The application of two different tools to two medium-size structural analysis problems to generate sensitivity information typically necessary in an optimization or design situation is also discussed. The observation is made that AD is to be preferred to finite differencing in most cases, as long as sufficient computer storage is available; in some instances, AD may be the alternative to consider in lieu of analytical sensitivity analysis.

  19. Radiation Mitigation and Power Optimization Design Tools for Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit

    Science.gov (United States)

    French, Matthew; Graham, Paul; Wirthlin, Michael; Wang, Li; Larchev, Gregory

    2005-01-01

    The Reconfigurable Hardware in Orbit (RHinO)project is focused on creating a set of design tools that facilitate and automate design techniques for reconfigurable computing in space, using SRAM-based field-programmable-gate-array (FPGA) technology. In the second year of the project, design tools that leverage an established FPGA design environment have been created to visualize and analyze an FPGA circuit for radiation weaknesses and power inefficiencies. For radiation, a single event Upset (SEU) emulator, persistence analysis tool, and a half-latch removal tool for Xilinx/Virtex-II devices have been created. Research is underway on a persistence mitigation tool and multiple bit upsets (MBU) studies. For power, synthesis level dynamic power visualization and analysis tools have been completed. Power optimization tools are under development and preliminary test results are positive.

  20. New tools for evaluating LQAS survey designs

    OpenAIRE

    Hund, Lauren

    2014-01-01

    Lot Quality Assurance Sampling (LQAS) surveys have become increasingly popular in global health care applications. Incorporating Bayesian ideas into LQAS survey design, such as using reasonable prior beliefs about the distribution of an indicator, can improve the selection of design parameters and decision rules. In this paper, a joint frequentist and Bayesian framework is proposed for evaluating LQAS classification accuracy and informing survey design parameters. Simple software tools are pr...

  1. Dose-response relationships for the onset of avoidance of sonar by free-ranging killer whales

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Miller, P.J.O.; Antunes, R.N.; Wensveen, P.J.; Samarra, F.I.P.; Alves, A.C.; Tyack, P.L.; Kvadsheim, P.H.; Kleivane, L.; Lam, F.P.A.; Ainslie, M.A.; Thomas, L.

    2014-01-01

    Eight experimentally controlled exposures to 1−2 kHz or 6−7 kHz sonar signals were conducted with four killer whale groups. The source level and proximity of the source were increased during each exposure in order to reveal response thresholds. Detailed inspection of movements during each exposure

  2. Robust Unconventional Interaction Design and Hybrid Tool Environments for Design and Engineering Processes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wendrich, Robert E.; Kruiper, Ruben

    2017-01-01

    This paper investigates how and whether existing or current design tools, assist and support designers and engineers in the early-phases of ideation and conceptualization stages of design and engineering processes. The research explores how fluidly and/or congruously technology affords cognitive,

  3. Designing tools for oil exploration using nuclear modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mauborgne, Marie-Laure; Allioli, Françoise; Manclossi, Mauro; Nicoletti, Luisa; Stoller, Chris; Evans, Mike

    2017-09-01

    When designing nuclear tools for oil exploration, one of the first steps is typically nuclear modeling for concept evaluation and initial characterization. Having an accurate model, including the availability of accurate cross sections, is essential to reduce or avoid time consuming and costly design iterations. During tool response characterization, modeling is benchmarked with experimental data and then used to complement and to expand the database to make it more detailed and inclusive of more measurement environments which are difficult or impossible to reproduce in the laboratory. We present comparisons of our modeling results obtained using the ENDF/B-VI and ENDF/B-VII cross section data bases, focusing on the response to a few elements found in the tool, borehole and subsurface formation. For neutron-induced inelastic and capture gamma ray spectroscopy, major obstacles may be caused by missing or inaccurate cross sections for essential materials. We show examples of the benchmarking of modeling results against experimental data obtained during tool characterization and discuss observed discrepancies.

  4. Computer- Aided Design in Power Engineering Application of Software Tools

    CERN Document Server

    Stojkovic, Zlatan

    2012-01-01

    This textbooks demonstrates the application of software tools in solving a series of problems from the field of designing power system structures and systems. It contains four chapters: The first chapter leads the reader through all the phases necessary in the procedures of computer aided modeling and simulation. It guides through the complex problems presenting on the basis of eleven original examples. The second chapter presents  application of software tools in power system calculations of power systems equipment design. Several design example calculations are carried out using engineering standards like MATLAB, EMTP/ATP, Excel & Access, AutoCAD and Simulink. The third chapters focuses on the graphical documentation using a collection of software tools (AutoCAD, EPLAN, SIMARIS SIVACON, SIMARIS DESIGN) which enable the complete automation of the development of graphical documentation of a power systems. In the fourth chapter, the application of software tools in the project management in power systems ...

  5. Improving Tools and Processes in Mechanical Design Collaboration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briggs, Clark

    2009-01-01

    Cooperative product development projects in the aerospace and defense industry are held hostage to high cost and risk due to poor alignment of collaborative design tools and processes. This impasse can be broken if companies will jointly develop implementation approaches and practices in support of high value working arrangements. The current tools can be used to better advantage in many situations and there is reason for optimism that tool vendors will provide significant support.

  6. Use of Multibeam and Dual-Beam Sonar Systems to Observe Cavitating Flow Produced by Ferryboats: In a Marine Renewable Energy Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Francisco

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available With the prospect to deploy hydrokinetic energy converters in areas with heavy boat traffic, a study was conducted to observe and assess the depth range of cavitating flow produced by ferryboats in narrow channels. This study was conducted in the vicinity of Finnhamn Island in Stockholm Archipelago. The objectives of the survey were to assess whether the sonar systems were able to observe and measure the depth of what can be cavitating flow (in a form of convected cloud cavitation produced by one specific type of ferryboats frequently operating in that route, as well as investigate if the cavitating flow within the wake would propagate deep enough to disturb the water column underneath the surface. A multibeam and a dual-beam sonar systems were used as measurement instruments. The hypothesis was that strong and deep wake can disturb the optimal operation of a hydrokinetic energy converter, therefore causing damages to its rotors and hydrofoils. The results showed that both sonar system could detect cavitating flows including its strength, part of the geometrical shape and propagation depth. Moreover, the boat with a propeller thruster produced cavitating flow with an intense core reaching 4 m of depth while lasting approximately 90 s. The ferry with waterjet thruster produced a less intense cavitating flow; the core reached depths of approximately 6 m, and lasted about 90 s. From this study, it was concluded that multibeam and dual-beam sonar systems with operating frequencies higher than 200 kHz were able to detect cavitating flows in real conditions, as long as they are properly deployed and the data properly analyzed.

  7. Software tools for the particle accelerator designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugimoto, Masayoshi

    1988-01-01

    The software tools used for the designs of the particle accelerators are going to be implemented on the small computer systems, such as the personal computers or the work stations. These are called from the interactive environment like a window application program. The environment contains the small expert system to make easy to select the design parameters. (author)

  8. A new design of automatic vertical drilling tool

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanfeng Ma

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available In order to effectively improve penetration rates and enhance wellbore quality for vertical wells, a new Automatic Vertical Drilling Tool (AVDT based on Eccentric Braced Structure (EBS is designed. Applying operating principle of rotary steering drilling, AVDT adds offset gravity block automatic induction inclination mechanism. When hole straightening happens, tools take essentric moment to be produced by gravity of offset gravity lock to control the bearing of guide force, so that well straightening is achieved. The normal tool's size of the AVDT is designed as 215.9 mm,other major components' sizes are worked out by the result of theoretical analysis, including the offset angle of EBS. This paper aims to introduce the structure, operating principle, theoretical analysis and describe the key components' parameters setting of the AVDT.

  9. A Tool Supporting Collaborative Data Analytics Workflow Design and Management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, J.; Bao, Q.; Lee, T. J.

    2016-12-01

    Collaborative experiment design could significantly enhance the sharing and adoption of the data analytics algorithms and models emerged in Earth science. Existing data-oriented workflow tools, however, are not suitable to support collaborative design of such a workflow, to name a few, to support real-time co-design; to track how a workflow evolves over time based on changing designs contributed by multiple Earth scientists; and to capture and retrieve collaboration knowledge on workflow design (discussions that lead to a design). To address the aforementioned challenges, we have designed and developed a technique supporting collaborative data-oriented workflow composition and management, as a key component toward supporting big data collaboration through the Internet. Reproducibility and scalability are two major targets demanding fundamental infrastructural support. One outcome of the project os a software tool, supporting an elastic number of groups of Earth scientists to collaboratively design and compose data analytics workflows through the Internet. Instead of recreating the wheel, we have extended an existing workflow tool VisTrails into an online collaborative environment as a proof of concept.

  10. Designing Tools for Supporting User Decision-Making in e-Commerce

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutcliffe, Alistair; Al-Qaed, Faisal

    The paper describes a set of tools designed to support a variety of user decision-making strategies. The tools are complemented by an online advisor so they can be adapted to different domains and users can be guided to adopt appropriate tools for different choices in e-commerce, e.g. purchasing high-value products, exploring product fit to users’ needs, or selecting products which satisfy requirements. The tools range from simple recommenders to decision support by interactive querying and comparison matrices. They were evaluated in a scenario-based experiment which varied the users’ task and motivation, with and without an advisor agent. The results show the tools and advisor were effective in supporting users and agreed with the predictions of ADM (adaptive decision making) theory, on which the design of the tools was based.

  11. Status of Design and Manufacturing of ITER 1st batch Assembly Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bae, Jin Ho; Nam, Kyoun Go; Chung, Si Kun; Ha, Min Su [ITER Korea National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Geun Hong [ITER Organization, St Paul lez Durance (France)

    2016-05-15

    The ITER tokamak assembly tools are purpose-built and specially designed to complete the ITER tokamak machine which includes; Vacuum Vessel (VV), VV Thermal Shield (VVTS), Toroidal Field Coil (TFC) and other components contained in the cryostat. KODA has carried out the preliminary and final design of these assembly tools. This paper shows that the current status, first quarter of the 2016, including manufacturing of ITER 1st batch assembly tools and briefly summarized the design process through design work of Sector Sub-assembly Tool (SSAT) that is most important tool representing ITER 1st batch assembly tools. KODA (Korea Domestic Agency) should provide 128 kinds of the purpose-built assembly tools for ITER Tokamak machine, and the ITER 1st batch assembly tools are split into 3 groups. The FDR for Group A was performed in December 2014, and design of SSAT has been verified by FE analysis and engineering calculation using EN cords. The SSAT is now under manufacturing phase to meet the ITER milestone. After factory acceptance test of SSAT on end of 2016, the 1st SSAT will be delivered and arrived in ITER site on second quarter of the 2017.

  12. Design principles of a web interface for monitoring tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aiftimiei, C; Pra, S D; Fantinel, S; Andreozzi, S; Fattibene, E; Misurelli, G; Cuscela, G; Donvito, G; Dudhalkar, V; Maggi, G; Pierro, A

    2008-01-01

    A monitoring tool of a complex Grid system can gather a huge amount of information that have to be presented to the users in the most comprehensive way. Moreover different types of consumers could be interested in inspecting and analyzing different subsets of data. The main goal in designing a Web interface for the presentation of monitoring information is to organize the huge amount of data in a simple, user-friendly and usable structure. One more problem is to consider different approaches, skills and interests that all the possible categories of users have in looking for the desired information. Starting from the Information Architecture guidelines for the Web, it is possible to design Web interfaces towards a closer user experience and to deal with an advanced user interaction through the implementation of many Web standard technologies. In this paper, we will present a number of principles for the design of Web interface for monitoring tools that provide a wider, richer range of possibilities for what concerns the user interaction. These principles are based on an extensive review of the current literature in Web design and on the experience with the development of the GridICE monitoring tool. The described principles can drive the evolution of the Web interface of Grid monitoring tools

  13. Software tools to aid Pascal and Ada program design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jankowitz, H.T.

    1987-01-01

    This thesis describes a software tool which analyses the style and structure of Pascal and Ada programs by ensuring that some minimum design requirements are fulfilled. The tool is used in much the same way as a compiler is used to teach students the syntax of a language, only in this case issues related to the design and structure of the program are of paramount importance. The tool operates by analyzing the design and structure of a syntactically correct program, automatically generating a report detailing changes that need to be made in order to ensure that the program is structurally sound. The author discusses how the model gradually evolved from a plagiarism detection system which extracted several measurable characteristics in a program to a model that analyzed the style of Pascal programs. In order to incorporate more-sophistical concepts like data abstraction, information hiding and data protection, this model was then extended to analyze the composition of Ada programs. The Ada model takes full advantage of facilities offered in the language and by using this tool the standard and quality of written programs is raised whilst the fundamental principles of program design are grasped through a process of self-tuition.

  14. Computing tools for implementing standards for single-case designs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Li-Ting; Peng, Chao-Ying Joanne; Chen, Ming-E

    2015-11-01

    In the single-case design (SCD) literature, five sets of standards have been formulated and distinguished: design standards, assessment standards, analysis standards, reporting standards, and research synthesis standards. This article reviews computing tools that can assist researchers and practitioners in meeting the analysis standards recommended by the What Works Clearinghouse: Procedures and Standards Handbook-the WWC standards. These tools consist of specialized web-based calculators or downloadable software for SCD data, and algorithms or programs written in Excel, SAS procedures, SPSS commands/Macros, or the R programming language. We aligned these tools with the WWC standards and evaluated them for accuracy and treatment of missing data, using two published data sets. All tools were tested to be accurate. When missing data were present, most tools either gave an error message or conducted analysis based on the available data. Only one program used a single imputation method. This article concludes with suggestions for an inclusive computing tool or environment, additional research on the treatment of missing data, and reasonable and flexible interpretations of the WWC standards. © The Author(s) 2015.

  15. Intuitive Tools for the Design and Analysis of Communication Payloads for Satellites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Culver, Michael R.; Soong, Christine; Warner, Joseph D.

    2014-01-01

    In an effort to make future communications satellite payload design more efficient and accessible, two tools were created with intuitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs). The first tool allows payload designers to graphically design their payload by using simple drag and drop of payload components onto a design area within the program. Information about each picked component is pulled from a database of common space-qualified communication components sold by commerical companies. Once a design is completed, various reports can be generated, such as the Master Equipment List. The second tool is a link budget calculator designed specifically for ease of use. Other features of this tool include being able to access a database of NASA ground based apertures for near Earth and Deep Space communication, the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) base apertures, and information about the solar system relevant to link budget calculations. The link budget tool allows for over 50 different combinations of user inputs, eliminating the need for multiple spreadsheets and the user errors associated with using them. Both of the aforementioned tools increase the productivity of space communication systems designers, and have the colloquial latitude to allow non-communication experts to design preliminary communication payloads.

  16. Impact of design research on industrial practice tools, technology, and training

    CERN Document Server

    Lindemann, Udo

    2016-01-01

    Showcasing exemplars of how various aspects of design research were successfully transitioned into and influenced, design practice, this book features chapters written by eminent international researchers and practitioners from industry on the Impact of Design Research on Industrial Practice. Chapters written by internationally acclaimed researchers of design analyse the findings (guidelines, methods and tools), technologies/products and educational approaches that have been transferred as tools, technologies and people to transform industrial practice of engineering design, whilst the chapters that are written by industrial practitioners describe their experience of how various tools, technologies and training impacted design practice. The main benefit of this book, for educators, researchers and practitioners in (engineering) design, will be access to a comprehensive coverage of case studies of successful transfer of outcomes of design research into practice; as well as guidelines and platforms for successf...

  17. Measurement of fish movements at depths to 6000 m using a deep-ocean lander incorporating a short base-line sonar utilizing miniature code-activated transponder technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagley, P. M.; Bradley, S.; Priede, I. G.; Gray, P.

    1999-12-01

    Most research on animal behaviour in the deep ocean (to depths of 6000 m) is restricted to the capture of dead specimens or viewing activity over small areas of the sea floor by means of cameras or submersibles. This paper describes the use of a miniature acoustic code-activated transponder (CAT) tag and short base-line sonar to track the movements of deep-sea fish in two dimensions over an area 1 km in diameter centred on a lander platform. The CAT tags and sonar are transported to the deep-sea floor by means of a subsea mooring which is ballasted so that it lands and remains on the sea floor for the duration of the tracking experiment (the lander). A description of the CAT, lander and short base-line sonar is given. Results are presented to illustrate the operation of the system.

  18. Design tools for computer-generated display of information to operators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Brien, J.F.; Cain, D.G.; Sun, B.K.H.

    1985-01-01

    More and more computers are being used to process and display information to operators who control nuclear power plants. Implementation of computer-generated displays in power plant control rooms represents a considerable design challenge for industry designers. Over the last several years, the EPRI has conducted research aimed at providing industry designers tools to meet this new design challenge. These tools provide guidance in defining more 'intelligent' information for plant control and in developing effective displays to communicate this information to the operators. (orig./HP)

  19. Simulation tools for detector and instrument design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kanaki, Kalliopi; Kittelmann, Thomas; Cai, Xiao Xiao

    2018-01-01

    The high performance requirements at the European Spallation Source have been driving the technological advances on the neutron detector front. Now more than ever is it important to optimize the design of detectors and instruments, to fully exploit the ESS source brilliance. Most of the simulation...... a powerful set of tools to tailor the detector and instrument design to the instrument application....

  20. Modeling Effectiveness of Gradual Increases in Source Level to Mitigate Effects of Sonar on Marine Mammals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Benda-Beckmann, A.M. von; Wensveen, P.J.; Kvadsheim, P.H.; Lam, F.P.A.; Miller, P.J.O.; Tyack, P.L.; Ainslie, M.A.

    2013-01-01

    Ramp-up or soft-start procedures (i.e., gradual increase in the source level) are used to mitigate the effect of sonar sound on marine mammals, although no one to date has tested whether ramp-up procedures are effective at reducing the effect of sound on marine mammals. We investigated the

  1. Advanced Vibration Analysis Tool Developed for Robust Engine Rotor Designs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Min, James B.

    2005-01-01

    The primary objective of this research program is to develop vibration analysis tools, design tools, and design strategies to significantly improve the safety and robustness of turbine engine rotors. Bladed disks in turbine engines always feature small, random blade-to-blade differences, or mistuning. Mistuning can lead to a dramatic increase in blade forced-response amplitudes and stresses. Ultimately, this results in high-cycle fatigue, which is a major safety and cost concern. In this research program, the necessary steps will be taken to transform a state-of-the-art vibration analysis tool, the Turbo- Reduce forced-response prediction code, into an effective design tool by enhancing and extending the underlying modeling and analysis methods. Furthermore, novel techniques will be developed to assess the safety of a given design. In particular, a procedure will be established for using natural-frequency curve veerings to identify ranges of operating conditions (rotational speeds and engine orders) in which there is a great risk that the rotor blades will suffer high stresses. This work also will aid statistical studies of the forced response by reducing the necessary number of simulations. Finally, new strategies for improving the design of rotors will be pursued.

  2. Design Tool for Direct Drive Wind Turbine Generators

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leban, Krisztina Monika

    . A comparison of the selected machine types in view of up-scaling to 20 [MW] was performed. As an example fitness criterion, the use of active materials for the generators was considered. Based on this, suggestions for 20 [MW] generators were made. The results are discussed and future work, directions......The current work offers a comparison of the proposed machine geometries for 6 [MW] direct drive wind generator candidates with the prospective of up scaling to 20MW. The suggestions are based on a design tool especially built for this investigation. The in-built flexibility of the design tool gives...

  3. Systems scenarios: a tool for facilitating the socio-technical design of work systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, Helen P N; Clegg, Chris W; Bolton, Lucy E; Machon, Lauren C

    2017-10-01

    The socio-technical systems approach to design is well documented. Recognising the benefits of this approach, organisations are increasingly trying to work with systems, rather than their component parts. However, few tools attempt to analyse the complexity inherent in such systems, in ways that generate useful, practical outputs. In this paper, we outline the 'System Scenarios Tool' (SST), which is a novel, applied methodology that can be used by designers, end-users, consultants or researchers to help design or re-design work systems. The paper introduces the SST using examples of its application, and describes the potential benefits of its use, before reflecting on its limitations. Finally, we discuss potential opportunities for the tool, and describe sets of circumstances in which it might be used. Practitioner Summary: The paper presents a novel, applied methodological tool, named the 'Systems Scenarios Tool'. We believe this tool can be used as a point of reference by designers, end-users, consultants or researchers, to help design or re-design work systems. Included in the paper are two worked examples, demonstrating the tool's application.

  4. Designing tools for oil exploration using nuclear modeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauborgne Marie-Laure

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available When designing nuclear tools for oil exploration, one of the first steps is typically nuclear modeling for concept evaluation and initial characterization. Having an accurate model, including the availability of accurate cross sections, is essential to reduce or avoid time consuming and costly design iterations. During tool response characterization, modeling is benchmarked with experimental data and then used to complement and to expand the database to make it more detailed and inclusive of more measurement environments which are difficult or impossible to reproduce in the laboratory. We present comparisons of our modeling results obtained using the ENDF/B-VI and ENDF/B-VII cross section data bases, focusing on the response to a few elements found in the tool, borehole and subsurface formation. For neutron-induced inelastic and capture gamma ray spectroscopy, major obstacles may be caused by missing or inaccurate cross sections for essential materials. We show examples of the benchmarking of modeling results against experimental data obtained during tool characterization and discuss observed discrepancies.

  5. ANALYSING THE USE OF FOUR CREATIVITY TOOLS IN A CONSTRAINED DESIGN SITUATION

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Snider, C.M.; Dekoninck, E.A.; Yue, H.

    2011-01-01

    This paper investigates creativity tools and their use within highly constrained design tasks. Previously, a coding scheme was developed to classify design changes as ‘Creative Modes of Change’. The coding scheme is used to compare the outcomes from the use of four creative tools (supported design......) against unsupported design within a constrained task. The tools showed design space expansion, developing additional concepts to those from the unsupported stage. All four tools stimulated ‘Creative Modes of Change’, although the type varied depending on their operation. ‘Assumption Smashing......’ and the ‘Contradiction Matrix’ usually stimulate extra function; ‘Analogies’ and ‘Trends of Evolution’ improve design performance. The former two usually produce ‘Creative Modes of Change’ as opposed to routine. The results show some links between the designer’s driving force, mode of change and the design outcome. ‘New...

  6. DELTA.M: A tool for metropolitan designing systems

    OpenAIRE

    Tisma, A.

    2001-01-01

    This research deals with the development of a tool to enable designers, decision-makers and citizens to jointly shape the physical environments they inhabit, through interaction and communication via electronic networks. The designing of physical environment becomes the collective responsibility of all interested societal actors, who together form a "designing system". This research defines a 'designing system' as a temporary alliance of people responsible for decisions about the spatial deve...

  7. Modeling a Decision Support Tool for Buildable and Sustainable Building Envelope Designs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natee Singhaputtangkul

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Sustainability and buildability requirements in building envelope design have significantly gained more importance nowadays, yet there is a lack of an appropriate decision support system (DSS that can help a building design team to incorporate these requirements and manage their tradeoffs at once. The main objective of this study is to build such a tool to facilitate a building design team to take into account sustainability and buildability criteria for assessment of building envelopes of high-rise residential buildings in Singapore. Literature reviews were conducted to investigate a comprehensive set of the sustainability and buildability criteria. This also included development of the tool using a Quality Functional Deployment (QFD approach combined with fuzzy set theory. A building design team was engaged to test the tool with the aim to evaluate usefulness of the tool in managing the tradeoffs among the sustainability and buildability criteria. The results from a qualitative data analysis suggested that the tool allowed the design team to effectively find a balance between the tradeoffs among the criteria when assessing multiple building envelope design alternatives. Main contributions of using this tool are achievement of a more efficient assessment of the building envelopes and more sustainable and buildable building envelope design.

  8. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary - mos120_0602b - Side scan sonar mosaic from survey effort 120_0602

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (70-90 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2006 aboard the R/V Tatoosh. A Klein System 3000...

  9. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary - mos120_0602a - Side scan sonar mosaic from survey effort 120_0602

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (35-55 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2006 aboard the R/V Tatoosh. A Klein System 3000...

  10. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary - mos122_0702.tif - Side scan sonar mosaic from survey effort 122_0702.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (15-35 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2007 aboard the R/V Tatoosh. A Klein System 3000...

  11. Tools for Real-Time Control Systems Co-Design - A Survey

    OpenAIRE

    Henriksson, Dan; El-Khoury, Jad; Årzén, Karl-Erik; Törngren, Martin; Redell, Ola

    2005-01-01

    This report presents a survey of current simulation tools in the area of integrated control and real-time systems design. Each tool is presented with a quick overview followed by a more detailed section describing comparative aspects of the tool. These aspects describe the context and purpose of the tool (scenarios, development stages, activities, and qualities/constraints being addressed) and the actual tool technology (tool architecture, inputs, outputs, modeling content, extensibility and ...

  12. Possibilities for using software tools in the process of secuirty design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ladislav Mariš

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The authors deal with the use of software support the process of security design. The article proposes the theoretical basis of the implementation of software tools to design activities. Based on the selected design standards of electrical safety systems application design solutions, especially in drawing documentation. The article should serve the needs of the project team members in order to use selected software tools and a subsequent increase in the degree of automation of design activities.

  13. Mindfully implementing simulation tools for supporting pragmatic design inquiries

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hartmann, Timo; olde Scholtenhuis, Léon Luc; Zerjav, Vedran; Champlin, Carissa J

    2015-01-01

    Based upon a conceptualization of the engineering design process as pragmatic inquiry, this paper introduces a framework for supporting designers and design managers with a better understanding of the trade-offs required for a successful implementation of simulation tools. This framework contributes

  14. Nonlinear Shaping Architecture Designed with Using Evolutionary Structural Optimization Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Januszkiewicz, Krystyna; Banachowicz, Marta

    2017-10-01

    The paper explores the possibilities of using Structural Optimization Tools (ESO) digital tools in an integrated structural and architectural design in response to the current needs geared towards sustainability, combining ecological and economic efficiency. The first part of the paper defines the Evolutionary Structural Optimization tools, which were developed specifically for engineering purposes using finite element analysis as a framework. The development of ESO has led to several incarnations, which are all briefly discussed (Additive ESO, Bi-directional ESO, Extended ESO). The second part presents result of using these tools in structural and architectural design. Actual building projects which involve optimization as a part of the original design process will be presented (Crematorium in Kakamigahara Gifu, Japan, 2006 SANAA“s Learning Centre, EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland 2008 among others). The conclusion emphasizes that the structural engineering and architectural design mean directing attention to the solutions which are used by Nature, designing works optimally shaped and forming their own environments. Architectural forms never constitute the optimum shape derived through a form-finding process driven only by structural optimization, but rather embody and integrate a multitude of parameters. It might be assumed that there is a similarity between these processes in nature and the presented design methods. Contemporary digital methods make the simulation of such processes possible, and thus enable us to refer back to the empirical methods of previous generations.

  15. Tool for assessing eco-efficiency in urban planning and design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lahti, P., Email: pekka.lahti@vtt.fi

    2012-06-15

    The goal of this project was to develop a fast, comprehensive and user-friendly eco-efficiency estimation method for urban development. A preliminary study concluded that urban planners, designers and architects lack a practical and comprehensive tool for the overall assessment of community-level ecological performance. The report on the tool itself concluded findings concerning the needs of urban planners and designers in the City of Helsinki, which were transferred to the structure and contents of the assessment tool. The project continues the development efforts during the next couple of years, integrating 14 partners. (orig.)

  16. Managing design excellence tools during the development of new orthopaedic implants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Défossez, Henri J P; Serhan, Hassan

    2013-11-01

    Design excellence (DEX) tools have been widely used for years in some industries for their potential to facilitate new product development. The medical sector, targeted by cost pressures, has therefore started adopting them. Numerous tools are available; however only appropriate deployment during the new product development stages can optimize the overall process. The primary study objectives were to describe generic tools and illustrate their implementation and management during the development of new orthopaedic implants, and compile a reference package. Secondary objectives were to present the DEX tool investment costs and savings, since the method can require significant resources for which companies must carefully plan. The publicly available DEX method "Define Measure Analyze Design Verify Validate" was adopted and implemented during the development of a new spinal implant. Several tools proved most successful at developing the correct product, addressing clinical needs, and increasing market penetration potential, while reducing design iterations and manufacturing validations. Cost analysis and Pugh Matrix coupled with multi generation planning enabled developing a strong rationale to activate the project, set the vision and goals. improved risk management and product map established a robust technical verification-validation program. Design of experiments and process quantification facilitated design for manufacturing of critical features, as early as the concept phase. Biomechanical testing with analysis of variance provided a validation model with a recognized statistical performance baseline. Within those tools, only certain ones required minimum resources (i.e., business case, multi generational plan, project value proposition, Pugh Matrix, critical To quality process validation techniques), while others required significant investments (i.e., voice of customer, product usage map, improved risk management, design of experiments, biomechanical testing

  17. Comfort in using hand tools : theory, design and evaluation

    OpenAIRE

    Kuijt-Evers, L.F.M.

    2007-01-01

    Everyone uses hand tools in their daily life, like knife and fork. Moreover, many people use hand tools in their profession as well as during leisure time. It is important that they can work with hand tools that provide comfort. Until now, the avoidance of discomfort was emphasized during the design process of hand tools, like screwdrivers, hand saws and paint brushes. In the near future, the focus will shift towards providing comfort. However, some questions need to be answered to make this ...

  18. Severity of Expert-Identified Behavioural Responses of Humpback Whale, Minke Whale, and Northern Bottlenose Whale to Naval Sonar

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sivle, L.D.; Kvadsheim, P.H.; Cure, C.; Isojunno, S.; Wensveen, P.J.; Lam, F.P.A.; Visser, F.; Kleivane, L.; Tyack, P.L.; Harris, C.M.; Miller, P.J.O.

    2015-01-01

    Controlled exposure experiments using 1 to2 kHz sonar signals were conducted with 11 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), one minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), and one northern bottlenose whale (Hyperoodon ampullatus) during three field trials from 2011 to 2013. Ship approaches without

  19. Graphical Acoustic Liner Design and Analysis Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howerton, Brian M. (Inventor); Jones, Michael G. (Inventor)

    2016-01-01

    An interactive liner design and impedance modeling tool comprises software utilized to design acoustic liners for use in constrained spaces, both regularly and irregularly shaped. A graphical user interface allows the acoustic channel geometry to be drawn in a liner volume while the surface impedance calculations are updated and displayed in real-time. A one-dimensional transmission line model may be used as the basis for the impedance calculations.

  20. ARCHITECTURAL FORM CREATION IN THE DESIGN STUDIO: PHYSICAL MODELING AS AN EFFECTIVE DESIGN TOOL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wael Abdelhameed

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available This research paper attempts to shed more light on an area of the design studio, which concerns with the use of physical modeling as a design medium in architectural form creation. An experiment has been carried out during an architectural design studio in order to not only investigate physical modeling as a tool of form creation but also improve visual design thinking that students employ while using this manual tool. To achieve the research objective, a method was proposed and applied to track form creation processes, based upon three types of operation, namely: sketching transformations, divergent physical-modeling transformations, and convergent physical-modeling transformations. The method helps record the innovative transitions of form during conceptual designing in a simple way. Investigating form creation processes and activities associated with visual design thinking enables the research to conclude to general results of the role of physical modeling in the conceptual phase of designing, and to specific results of the methods used in this architectural design studio experiment.

  1. Indoor Air Quality Design Tools for Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    The information available here is presented as a tool to help school districts and facility planners design the next generation of learning environments so that the school facility will help, rather than hinder, schools in achieving their core mission

  2. Bubble Clouds and their Transport within the Surf Zone as Measured with a Distributed Array of Upward-Looking Sonars

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Dahl, Peter

    2000-01-01

    ... in the surf zone and the effects of these bubbles on acoustic propagation. This paper discusses data gathered by the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, using a set of four upward-looking sonars (frequency 240 kHz...

  3. A Gaussian decision-support tool for engineering design process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rajabali Nejad, Mohammadreza; Spitas, Christos

    2013-01-01

    Decision-making in design is of great importance, resulting in success or failure of a system (Liu et al., 2010; Roozenburg and Eekels, 1995; Spitas, 2011a). This paper describes a robust decision-support tool for engineering design process, which can be used throughout the design process in either

  4. Status of Conceptual Design Progress for ITER Sector Sub-assembly Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nam, Kyoung O; Park, Hyun Ki; Kim, Dong Jin [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Hyuk; Kim, Kyung Kyu [SFA Engineering Corp., Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Im, Ki Hak; Robert, Shaw [ITER Organization, Paul lez Durance (France)

    2010-05-15

    The ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Tokamak assembly tools are purpose-built tools to complete the ITER Tokamak machine which includes the cryostat and the components contained therein. Based on the design description document prepared by the ITER organization, Korea has carried out the conceptual design of assembly tools. The 40 .deg. sector assemblies sub-assembled at assembly hall are transferred to Tokamak hall using the lifting tool operated by Tokamak main cranes. In-pit assembly tools are the purpose-built assembly tools for the completion of final sector assembly at Tokamak hall. The 40 .deg. sector sub-assembly tools are composed of the upending tool, the sector sub-assembly tool, the sector lifting tool and the vacuum vessel support and bracing tools. The process of the ITER sector sub-assembly at assembly hall and status of research and development are described in this paper. The ITER Tokamak device is composed of 9 vacuum vessel (VV)/toroidal field coils (TFCs)/vacuum vessel thermal shields (VVTS) 40 .deg. sectors. Each VV/TFCs/VVTS 40 .deg. sector is made up of one 40 .deg. VV, two 20 .deg. TFCs and associated VVTS segments. The 40 .deg. sectors are sub-assembled at assembly hall respectively and then 9 sectors which sub-assembled at assembly hall are finally assembled at Tokamak hall. As a basic assembly component, the assembly strategy and tools for the 40 .deg. sector sub-assembly and final assembly at inpit should be developed to satisfy the basic assembly requirements of the ITER Tokamak device. Accordingly, the purpose-built assembly tools should be designed and manufactured considering assembly plan, available space, safety, easy operation, efficient maintenance, and so on. The 40 .deg. sector assembly tools are classified into 2 groups. One group is the sub-assembly tools including upending tool, lifting tool, sub-assembly tool, VV supports and bracing tools used at assembly hall and the other group is the in

  5. SCALES : A System Level Tool for Conceptual Design of Nano- and Microsatellites

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aas, C.; Zandbergen, B.T.C.; Hamann, R.J.; Gill, E.K.A.

    2009-01-01

    A satellite design tool has been developed offering systems engineers a fast way to analyze the feasibility of a particular design concept. The tool differs from available tools on the market in that it is specifically targeted at small satellites in the mass range of 1-50 kg, and with a limited

  6. Report on design rules of μ-tools for standard insert

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tosello, Guido; Esmoris, Josa Ignacio; Quadroni, A.

    2011-01-01

    -effectively, especially for micro injection moulding. This particular deliverable has the objective to present the design rules for high performance μ-tools and inserts manufacture based on the new standard manufacturing process chains established during the WP 2.2 work. In particular, the achievable features, surfaces......Tooling is one of the critical stages of the process chain for polymer micro products manufacture and in particular for the COTECH process chain. Therefore, within the scope of SP2 “Tooling”, the WP 2.2 “New tool-making solutions for μ-IM and HE” is designed to investigate, develop and standardize...

  7. Passive synthetic aperture sonar techniques in combination with tow ship noise canceling: application to a triplet towed array

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Colin, M.E.G.D.; Groen, J.

    2002-01-01

    An important issue in research on passive ASW operations is improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and bearing resolution for targets emitting low frequency signals. One of the techniques believed to improve these characteristics is Synthetic Aperture Sonar (SAS). The method is based on the

  8. Integrated Design Tools for Embedded Control Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Jovanovic, D.S.; Hilderink, G.H.; Broenink, Johannes F.; Karelse, F.

    2001-01-01

    Currently, computer-based control systems are still being implemented using the same techniques as 10 years ago. The purpose of this project is the development of a design framework, consisting of tools and libraries, which allows the designer to build high reliable heterogeneous real-time embedded systems in a very short time at a fraction of the present day costs. The ultimate focus of current research is on transformation control laws to efficient concurrent algorithms, with concerns about...

  9. Proverbs : Probabilistic design tools for vertical breakwaters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oumeraci, H.; Allsop, N.W.H.; De Groot, M.B.; Crouch, R.S.; Vrijling, J.K.

    1999-01-01

    Final report and appendices of the European project Proverbs on tools for the design of vertical breakwaters (caisson type breakwaters) and similar hydraulic structures in the coastal zone. It includes the loads (waves) as well as the strength of the structure (geotechnial aspects, structural

  10. An Open-Source Tool Set Enabling Analog-Digital-Software Co-Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle Collins

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an analog-digital hardware-software co-design environment for simulating and programming reconfigurable systems. The tool simulates, designs, as well as enables experimental measurements after compiling to configurable systems in the same integrated design tool framework. High level software in Scilab/Xcos (open-source programs similar to MATLAB/Simulink that converts the high-level block description by the user to blif format (sci2blif, which acts as an input to the modified VPR tool, including the code v p r 2 s w c s , encoding the specific platform through specific architecture files, resulting in a targetable switch list on the resulting configurable analog–digital system. The resulting tool uses an analog and mixed-signal library of components, enabling users and future researchers access to the basic analog operations/computations that are possible.

  11. Automatic Target Recognition in Synthetic Aperture Sonar Images Based on Geometrical Feature Extraction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Del Rio Vera

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a new supervised classification approach for automated target recognition (ATR in SAS images. The recognition procedure starts with a novel segmentation stage based on the Hilbert transform. A number of geometrical features are then extracted and used to classify observed objects against a previously compiled database of target and non-target features. The proposed approach has been tested on a set of 1528 simulated images created by the NURC SIGMAS sonar model, achieving up to 95% classification accuracy.

  12. PC Software graphics tool for conceptual design of space/planetary electrical power systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Truong, Long V.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes the Decision Support System (DSS), a personal computer software graphics tool for designing conceptual space and/or planetary electrical power systems. By using the DSS, users can obtain desirable system design and operating parameters, such as system weight, electrical distribution efficiency, and bus power. With this tool, a large-scale specific power system was designed in a matter of days. It is an excellent tool to help designers make tradeoffs between system components, hardware architectures, and operation parameters in the early stages of the design cycle. The DSS is a user-friendly, menu-driven tool with online help and a custom graphical user interface. An example design and results are illustrated for a typical space power system with multiple types of power sources, frequencies, energy storage systems, and loads.

  13. A software tool for design of process monitoring and analysis systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Singh, Ravendra; Gernaey, Krist; Gani, Rafiqul

    2009-01-01

    A well designed process monitoring and analysis system is necessary to consistently achieve any predefined end product quality. Systematic computer aided methods and tools provide the means to design the necessary process monitoring and analysis systems and/or to validate any existing monitoring...... and analysis system. A software to achieve this has been developed. Two developed supporting tools for the design, a knowledge base (consisting of the process knowledge as well as the knowledge on measurement methods & tools) and a model library (consisting of the process operational models) have been extended...... rigorously and integrated with the user interface, which made the software more generic and applicable to a wide range of problems. The software for the design of a process monitoring and analysis system is presented and illustrated with a tablet manufacturing process example....

  14. A tangible design tool for sketching materials in products

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Saakes, D.P.; Stappers, P.J.

    2009-01-01

    Industrial designers make sketches and physical models to start and develop ideas and concept designs. Such representations have advantages that they support fast, intuitive, rich, sensory exploration of solutions. Although existing tools and techniques provide adequate support where the shape of

  15. Algorithms and data structures for automated change detection and classification of sidescan sonar imagery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gendron, Marlin Lee

    During Mine Warfare (MIW) operations, MIW analysts perform change detection by visually comparing historical sidescan sonar imagery (SSI) collected by a sidescan sonar with recently collected SSI in an attempt to identify objects (which might be explosive mines) placed at sea since the last time the area was surveyed. This dissertation presents a data structure and three algorithms, developed by the author, that are part of an automated change detection and classification (ACDC) system. MIW analysts at the Naval Oceanographic Office, to reduce the amount of time to perform change detection, are currently using ACDC. The dissertation introductory chapter gives background information on change detection, ACDC, and describes how SSI is produced from raw sonar data. Chapter 2 presents the author's Geospatial Bitmap (GB) data structure, which is capable of storing information geographically and is utilized by the three algorithms. This chapter shows that a GB data structure used in a polygon-smoothing algorithm ran between 1.3--48.4x faster than a sparse matrix data structure. Chapter 3 describes the GB clustering algorithm, which is the author's repeatable, order-independent method for clustering. Results from tests performed in this chapter show that the time to cluster a set of points is not affected by the distribution or the order of the points. In Chapter 4, the author presents his real-time computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithm that automatically detects mine-like objects on the seafloor in SSI. The author ran his GB-based CAD algorithm on real SSI data, and results of these tests indicate that his real-time CAD algorithm performs comparably to or better than other non-real-time CAD algorithms. The author presents his computer-aided search (CAS) algorithm in Chapter 5. CAS helps MIW analysts locate mine-like features that are geospatially close to previously detected features. A comparison between the CAS and a great circle distance algorithm shows that the

  16. Discrimination of Cylinders with Different Wall Thicknesses using Neural Networks and Simulated Dolphin Sonar Signals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lars Nonboe; Au, Whitlow; Larsen, Jan

    1999-01-01

    This paper describes a method integrating neural networks into a system for recognizing underwater objects. The system is based on a combination of simulated dolphin sonar signals, simulated auditory filters and artificial neural networks. The system is tested on a cylinder wall thickness...... difference experiment and demonstrates high accuracy for small wall thickness differences. Results from the experiment are compared with results obtained by a false killer whale (pseudorca crassidens)....

  17. Virtual reality as a multidisciplinary convergence tool in the product design process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaël Guerlesquin

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays firms have to use concurrent design to meet customers’ expectations. A plural approach to the design process is essential. Unfortunately, the design activity involves experts specialized in various aspects of the product such as aesthetics, ergonomics and mechanics. Thus the collaboration between these experts is particularly difficult in the convergence steps and often results in complex adjustments. This paper details a proposition of design methodology based on a multidisciplinary approach, using virtual reality tools. Our goal is to facilitate the integration of ergonomics and aesthetics in a mechanical design process. In this context, we consider virtual reality as an intermediary design tool useful for collaborative decision support during convergence phases. We present our methodology and associated tools tested during an industrial project, by focusing on an aesthetics-mechanics convergence step.

  18. Design Tools and Workflows for Braided Structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vestartas, Petras; Heinrich, Mary Katherine; Zwierzycki, Mateusz

    2017-01-01

    the objectives and motivation for our exploration of braid within an architectural context and highlighting both the relevance of braid and current lack of suitable design modelling tools to support our approach. We briefly introduce the state-of-the-art in braid representation and present the characteristics...

  19. Underwater object classification using scattering transform of sonar signals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Naoki; Weber, David S.

    2017-08-01

    In this paper, we apply the scattering transform (ST)-a nonlinear map based off of a convolutional neural network (CNN)-to classification of underwater objects using sonar signals. The ST formalizes the observation that the filters learned by a CNN have wavelet-like structure. We achieve effective binary classification both on a real dataset of Unexploded Ordinance (UXOs), as well as synthetically generated examples. We also explore the effects on the waveforms with respect to changes in the object domain (e.g., translation, rotation, and acoustic impedance, etc.), and examine the consequences coming from theoretical results for the scattering transform. We show that the scattering transform is capable of excellent classification on both the synthetic and real problems, thanks to having more quasi-invariance properties that are well-suited to translation and rotation of the object.

  20. QFD: a methodological tool for integration of ergonomics at the design stage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marsot, Jacques

    2005-03-01

    As a marked increase in the number of musculoskeletal disorders was noted in many industrialized countries and more specifically in companies that require the use of hand tools, the French National Research and Safety Institute launched in 1999 a research program on the topic of integrating ergonomics into hand tool design. After a brief review of the problems of integrating ergonomics at the design stage, the paper shows how the "Quality Function Deployment" method has been applied to the design of a boning knife and it highlights the difficulties encountered. Then, it demonstrates how this method can be a methodological tool geared to greater ergonomics consideration in product design.

  1. On the Integration of Digital Design and Analysis Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klitgaard, Jens; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2006-01-01

    The aim of this research is to look into integrated digital design and analysis tools in order to find out if it is suited for use by architects and designers or only by specialists and technicians - and if not, then to look at what can be done to make them more available to architects and design...

  2. The effect of ergonomic laparoscopic tool handle design on performance and efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tung, Kryztopher D; Shorti, Rami M; Downey, Earl C; Bloswick, Donald S; Merryweather, Andrew S

    2015-09-01

    Many factors can affect a surgeon's performance in the operating room; these may include surgeon comfort, ergonomics of tool handle design, and fatigue. A laparoscopic tool handle designed with ergonomic considerations (pistol grip) was tested against a current market tool with a traditional pinch grip handle. The goal of this study is to quantify the impact ergonomic design considerations which have on surgeon performance. We hypothesized that there will be measurable differences between the efficiency while performing FLS surgical trainer tasks when using both tool handle designs in three categories: time to completion, technical skill, and subjective user ratings. The pistol grip incorporates an ergonomic interface intended to reduce contact stress points on the hand and fingers, promote a more neutral operating wrist posture, and reduce hand tremor and fatigue. The traditional pinch grip is a laparoscopic tool developed by Stryker Inc. widely used during minimal invasive surgery. Twenty-three (13 M, 10 F) participants with no existing upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders or experience performing laparoscopic procedures were selected to perform in this study. During a training session prior to testing, participants performed practice trials in a SAGES FLS trainer with both tools. During data collection, participants performed three evaluation tasks using both handle designs (order was randomized, and each trial completed three times). The tasks consisted of FLS peg transfer, cutting, and suturing tasks. Feedback from test participants indicated that they significantly preferred the ergonomic pistol grip in every category (p < 0.05); most notably, participants experienced greater degrees of discomfort in their hands after using the pinch grip tool. Furthermore, participants completed cutting and peg transfer tasks in a shorter time duration (p < 0.05) with the pistol grip than with the pinch grip design; there was no significant difference between completion

  3. Tool design and materials for electro sinter forging (ESF)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cannella, Emanuele; Nielsen, Chris Valentin

    ) process, the main requirement is the electrical current passing through the electrical conducting powder. To obtain this, a closed-die setup with electrical insulating properties was used. Furthermore, the alignment between the compacting punch and die needed to be ensured by pre-aligning or alternatively...... by using an alignment system. The present work is focused on the designing phase of a tool for the electro sinter forging of a disc, made from titanium powder. By applying a pre-alignment system, the setup resulted suitable for this application. A tool design for sintering rings is also showed....

  4. Participatory design of probability-based decision support tools for in-hospital nurses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeffery, Alvin D; Novak, Laurie L; Kennedy, Betsy; Dietrich, Mary S; Mion, Lorraine C

    2017-11-01

    To describe nurses' preferences for the design of a probability-based clinical decision support (PB-CDS) tool for in-hospital clinical deterioration. A convenience sample of bedside nurses, charge nurses, and rapid response nurses (n = 20) from adult and pediatric hospitals completed participatory design sessions with researchers in a simulation laboratory to elicit preferred design considerations for a PB-CDS tool. Following theme-based content analysis, we shared findings with user interface designers and created a low-fidelity prototype. Three major themes and several considerations for design elements of a PB-CDS tool surfaced from end users. Themes focused on "painting a picture" of the patient condition over time, promoting empowerment, and aligning probability information with what a nurse already believes about the patient. The most notable design element consideration included visualizing a temporal trend of the predicted probability of the outcome along with user-selected overlapping depictions of vital signs, laboratory values, and outcome-related treatments and interventions. Participants expressed that the prototype adequately operationalized requests from the design sessions. Participatory design served as a valuable method in taking the first step toward developing PB-CDS tools for nurses. This information about preferred design elements of tools that support, rather than interrupt, nurses' cognitive workflows can benefit future studies in this field as well as nurses' practice. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the United States.

  5. The ORNL Modulating Heat Pump Design Tool User's Guide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rice, C.K.

    2001-06-01

    The ORNL Modulating Heat Pump Design Tool consists of a Modulating HPDM (Heat Pump Design Model) and a parametric-analysis (contour-data generating) front-end. Collectively the program is also referred to as MODCON which is in reference to the modulating and the contour data generating capabilities. The program was developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy to provide a publicly-available system design tool for variable- and single-speed heat pumps.

  6. An Adaptive Cultural Algorithm with Improved Quantum-behaved Particle Swarm Optimization for Sonar Image Detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xingmei; Hao, Wenqian; Li, Qiming

    2017-12-18

    This paper proposes an adaptive cultural algorithm with improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization (ACA-IQPSO) to detect the underwater sonar image. In the population space, to improve searching ability of particles, iterative times and the fitness value of particles are regarded as factors to adaptively adjust the contraction-expansion coefficient of the quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm (QPSO). The improved quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization algorithm (IQPSO) can make particles adjust their behaviours according to their quality. In the belief space, a new update strategy is adopted to update cultural individuals according to the idea of the update strategy in shuffled frog leaping algorithm (SFLA). Moreover, to enhance the utilization of information in the population space and belief space, accept function and influence function are redesigned in the new communication protocol. The experimental results show that ACA-IQPSO can obtain good clustering centres according to the grey distribution information of underwater sonar images, and accurately complete underwater objects detection. Compared with other algorithms, the proposed ACA-IQPSO has good effectiveness, excellent adaptability, a powerful searching ability and high convergence efficiency. Meanwhile, the experimental results of the benchmark functions can further demonstrate that the proposed ACA-IQPSO has better searching ability, convergence efficiency and stability.

  7. Automated Design Tools for Integrated Mixed-Signal Microsystems (NeoCAD)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Petre, P; Visher, J; Shringarpure, R; Valley, F; Swaminathan, M

    2005-01-01

    Automated design tools and integrated design flow methodologies were developed that demonstrated more than an order- of-magnitude reduction in cycle time and cost for mixed signal (digital/analoglRF...

  8. A Maturity Grid Assessment Tool for Environmentally Conscious Design in the Medical Device Industry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moultrie, James; Sutcliffe, Laura Francesca Rose; Maier, Anja

    2016-01-01

    . This intervention tool provides designers and product marketers with insights on how to improve the design of their medical devices and specifically allows consideration of the complex trade-offs between decisions that influence different life-cycle stages. Through the tool, actionable insight is created......The medical device industry is growing increasingly concerned about environmental impact of products. Whilst there are many tools aiming to support environmentally conscious design, they are typically complex to use, demand substantial data collection and are not tailored to the specific needs...... of the medical device sector. This paper reports on the development of a Maturity Grid to address this gap. This novel design tool was developed iteratively through application in five case studies. The tool captures principles of eco-design for medical devices in a simple form, designed to be used by a team...

  9. Research on Key Technologies of Unit-Based CNC Machine Tool Assembly Design

    OpenAIRE

    Zhongqi Sheng; Lei Zhang; Hualong Xie; Changchun Liu

    2014-01-01

    Assembly is the part that produces the maximum workload and consumed time during product design and manufacturing process. CNC machine tool is the key basic equipment in manufacturing industry and research on assembly design technologies of CNC machine tool has theoretical significance and practical value. This study established a simplified ASRG for CNC machine tool. The connection between parts, semantic information of transmission, and geometric constraint information were quantified to as...

  10. Comparative study of electromagnetic compatibility methods in printed circuit board design tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marinova, Galia

    2002-01-01

    The paper considers the state-of-the art in electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) oriented printed circuit board (PCB) design. A general methodology of EMC oriented PCB design is synthesized. The main CAD tools available today are estimated and compared for their abilities to treat EMC oriented design. To help non experts a knowledge-base containing more than 50 basic rules for EMC-oriented PCB design is proposed. It can be applied in the PCB design CAD tools that possess rule-builders or it can help interactive design. Trends in this area of EMC-oriented PCB design are deduced. (Author)

  11. Bridging the Design-Science Gap with Tools: Science Learning and Design Behaviors in a Simulated Environment for Engineering Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chao, Jie; Xie, Charles; Nourian, Saeid; Chen, Guanhua; Bailey, Siobhan; Goldstein, Molly H.; Purzer, Senay; Adams, Robin S.; Tutwiler, M. Shane

    2017-01-01

    Many pedagogical innovations aim to integrate engineering design and science learning. However, students frequently show little attempt or have difficulties in connecting their design projects with the underlying science. Drawing upon the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory, we argue that the design tools available in a learning environment…

  12. Deep sea animal density and size estimated using a Dual-frequency IDentification SONar (DIDSON) offshore the island of Hawaii

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giorli, Giacomo; Drazen, Jeffrey C.; Neuheimer, Anna B.; Copeland, Adrienne; Au, Whitlow W. L.

    2018-01-01

    Pelagic animals that form deep sea scattering layers (DSLs) represent an important link in the food web between zooplankton and top predators. While estimating the composition, density and location of the DSL is important to understand mesopelagic ecosystem dynamics and to predict top predators' distribution, DSL composition and density are often estimated from trawls which may be biased in terms of extrusion, avoidance, and gear-associated biases. Instead, location and biomass of DSLs can be estimated from active acoustic techniques, though estimates are often in aggregate without regard to size or taxon specific information. For the first time in the open ocean, we used a DIDSON sonar to characterize the fauna in DSLs. Estimates of the numerical density and length of animals at different depths and locations along the Kona coast of the Island of Hawaii were determined. Data were collected below and inside the DSLs with the sonar mounted on a profiler. A total of 7068 animals were counted and sized. We estimated numerical densities ranging from 1 to 7 animals/m3 and individuals as long as 3 m were detected. These numerical densities were orders of magnitude higher than those estimated from trawls and average sizes of animals were much larger as well. A mixed model was used to characterize numerical density and length of animals as a function of deep sea layer sampled, location, time of day, and day of the year. Numerical density and length of animals varied by month, with numerical density also a function of depth. The DIDSON proved to be a good tool for open-ocean/deep-sea estimation of the numerical density and size of marine animals, especially larger ones. Further work is needed to understand how this methodology relates to estimates of volume backscatters obtained with standard echosounding techniques, density measures obtained with other sampling methodologies, and to precisely evaluate sampling biases.

  13. Interactive tool that empowers structural understanding and enables FEM analysis in a parametric design environment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Jesper Thøger; Parigi, Dario; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning

    2014-01-01

    This paper introduces an interactive tool developed to integrate structural analysis in the architectural design environment from the early conceptual design stage. The tool improves exchange of data between the design environment of Rhino Grasshopper and the FEM analysis of Autodesk Robot...... Structural Analysis. Further the tool provides intuitive setup and visual aids in order to facilitate the process. Enabling students and professionals to quickly analyze and evaluate multiple design variations. The tool has been developed inside the Performance Aided Design course at the Master...... of Architecture and Design at Aalborg University...

  14. Highly dynamic biological seabed alterations revealed by side scan sonar tracking of Lanice conchilega beds offshore the island of Sylt (German Bight)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heinrich, C.; Feldens, P.; Schwarzer, K.

    2017-06-01

    Hydroacoustic surveys are common tools for habitat investigation and monitoring that aid in the realisation of the aims of the EU Marine Directives. However, the creation of habitat maps is difficult, especially when benthic organisms densely populate the seafloor. This study assesses the sensitivity of entropy and homogeneity image texture parameters derived from backscatter strength data to benthic habitats dominated by the tubeworm Lanice conchilega. Side scan sonar backscatter surveys were carried out in 2010 and 2011 in the German Bight (southern North Sea) at two sites approx. 20 km offshore of the island of Sylt. Abiotic and biotic seabed facies, such as sorted bedforms, areas of fine to medium sand and L. conchilega beds with different tube densities, were identified and characterised based on manual expert analysis and image texture analysis. Ground truthing was performed by grab sampling and underwater video observations. Compared to the manual expert analysis, the k- means classification of image textures proves to be a semi-automated method to investigate small-scale differences in a biologically altered seabed from backscatter data. The texture parameters entropy and homogeneity appear linearly interrelated with tube density, the former positively and the latter negatively. Reinvestigation of one site after 1 year showed an extensive change in the distribution of the L. conchilega-altered seabed. Such marked annual fluctuations in L. conchilega tube cover demonstrate the need for dense time series and high spatial coverage to meaningfully monitor ecological patterns on the seafloor with acoustic backscatter methods in the study region and similar settings worldwide, particularly because the sand mason plays a pivotal role in promoting biodiversity. In this context, image texture analysis provides a cost-effective and reproducible method to track biologically altered seabeds from side scan sonar backscatter signatures.

  15. CATO: a CAD tool for intelligent design of optical networks and interconnects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chlamtac, Imrich; Ciesielski, Maciej; Fumagalli, Andrea F.; Ruszczyk, Chester; Wedzinga, Gosse

    1997-10-01

    Increasing communication speed requirements have created a great interest in very high speed optical and all-optical networks and interconnects. The design of these optical systems is a highly complex task, requiring the simultaneous optimization of various parts of the system, ranging from optical components' characteristics to access protocol techniques. Currently there are no computer aided design (CAD) tools on the market to support the interrelated design of all parts of optical communication systems, thus the designer has to rely on costly and time consuming testbed evaluations. The objective of the CATO (CAD tool for optical networks and interconnects) project is to develop a prototype of an intelligent CAD tool for the specification, design, simulation and optimization of optical communication networks. CATO allows the user to build an abstract, possible incomplete, model of the system, and determine its expected performance. Based on design constraints provided by the user, CATO will automatically complete an optimum design, using mathematical programming techniques, intelligent search methods and artificial intelligence (AI). Initial design and testing of a CATO prototype (CATO-1) has been completed recently. The objective was to prove the feasibility of combining AI techniques, simulation techniques, an optical device library and a graphical user interface into a flexible CAD tool for obtaining optimal communication network designs in terms of system cost and performance. CATO-1 is an experimental tool for designing packet-switching wavelength division multiplexing all-optical communication systems using a LAN/MAN ring topology as the underlying network. The two specific AI algorithms incorporated are simulated annealing and a genetic algorithm. CATO-1 finds the optimal number of transceivers for each network node, using an objective function that includes the cost of the devices and the overall system performance.

  16. Instruments of Inquiry: Understanding the Nature and Role of Design Tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalsgaard, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Designers employ a range of tools in most design projects, yet there are few frameworks for understanding how and why they work. On the basis of a well-established school of thought, pragmatism, this paper contributes with a coherent conceptualisation of tools in design, which I label instruments...... of inquiry. This perspective underscores the crucial role that instruments play in design, and the ways in which they scaffold design creativity and exploration. In particular, it highlights that instruments not only augment our capabilities for carrying out intended actions, they also guide our perception...... and understanding of design problems and solutions. I present and discuss a framework consisting of five qualities of instruments of inquiry, which make them valuable in designerly inquiry: perception, conception, externalisation, knowing-through-action, and mediation....

  17. Improving design processes through structured reflection : a prototype software tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reymen, I.M.M.J.; Melby, E.

    2001-01-01

    A prototype software tool facilitating the use of a design method supporting structured reflection on design processes is presented. The prototype, called Echo, has been developed to explore the benefits of using a software system to facilitate the use of the design method. Both the prototype

  18. Burial and exhumation of temperate bedrock reefs as elucidated by repetitive high-resolution sea floor sonar surveys: Spatial patterns and impacts to species' richness and diversity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storlazzi, Curt D.; Fregoso, Theresa A.; Figurski, Jared D.; Freiwald, Jan; Lonhart, Steve I.; Finlayson, David P.

    2013-01-01

    To understand how chronic sediment burial and scour contribute to variation in the structure of algal and invertebrate communities on temperate bedrock reefs, the dynamics of the substrate and communities were monitored at locations that experience sand inundation and adjacent areas that do not. Co-located benthic scuba-transect surveys and high-resolution swath-sonar surveys were completed on bedrock reefs on the inner shelf of northern Monterey Bay, CA, in early winter 2009, spring 2010, and summer 2010. Analysis of the sonar surveys demonstrates that during the 8 months over which the surveys were conducted, 19.6% of the study area was buried by sand while erosion resulted in the exposure of bedrock over 13.8% of the study area; the remainder underwent no change between the surveys. Substrate classifications from the benthic transect surveys correlated with classifications generated from the sonar surveys, demonstrating the capacity of high-resolution sonar surveys to detect burial of bedrock reefs by sediment. On bedrock habitat that underwent burial and exhumation, species' diversity and richness of rock-associated sessile and mobile organisms were 50–66% lower as compared to adjacent stable bedrock habitat. While intermediate levels of disturbance can increase the diversity and richness of communities, these findings demonstrate that burial and exhumation of bedrock habitat are sources of severe disturbance. We suggest that substrate dynamics must be considered when developing predictions of benthic community distributions based on sea floor imagery. These results highlight the need for predictive models of substrate dynamics and for a better understanding of how burial and exhumation shape benthic communities.

  19. Climate-responsive design: A framework for an energy concept design-decision support tool for architects using principles of climate-responsive design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Remco Looman

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available In climate-responsive design the building becomes an intermediary in its own energy housekeeping, forming a link between the harvest of climate resources and low energy provision of comfort. Essential here is the employment of climate-responsive building elements, defined as structural and architectural elements in which the energy infrastructure is far-reaching integrated. This thesis presents the results of research conducted on what knowledge is needed in the early stages of the design process and how to transfer and transform that knowledge to the field of the architect in order for them to successfully implement the principles of climate-responsive design. The derived content, form and functional requirements provide the framework for a design decision support tool. These requirements were incorporated into a concept tool that has been presented to architects in the field, in order to gain their feedback. Climate-responsive design makes the complex task of designing even more complex. Architects are helped when sufficient information on the basics of climate-responsive design and its implications are provided as informative support during decision making in the early design stages of analysis and energy concept development. This informative support on climate-responsive design should address to different design styles in order to be useful to any type of architects. What is defined as comfortable has far-reaching implications for the way buildings are designed and how they operate. This in turn gives an indication of the energy used for maintaining a comfortable indoor environment. Comfort is not a strict situation, but subjective. Diversity is appreciated and comfort is improved when users have the ability to exert influence on their environment. Historically, the provision of comfort has led to the adoption of mechanical climate control systems that operate in many cases indifferent from the building space and mass and its environment

  20. Toxic release consequence analysis tool (TORCAT) for inherently safer design plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shariff, Azmi Mohd; Zaini, Dzulkarnain

    2010-01-01

    Many major accidents due to toxic release in the past have caused many fatalities such as the tragedy of MIC release in Bhopal, India (1984). One of the approaches is to use inherently safer design technique that utilizes inherent safety principle to eliminate or minimize accidents rather than to control the hazard. This technique is best implemented in preliminary design stage where the consequence of toxic release can be evaluated and necessary design improvements can be implemented to eliminate or minimize the accidents to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) without resorting to costly protective system. However, currently there is no commercial tool available that has such capability. This paper reports on the preliminary findings on the development of a prototype tool for consequence analysis and design improvement via inherent safety principle by utilizing an integrated process design simulator with toxic release consequence analysis model. The consequence analysis based on the worst-case scenarios during process flowsheeting stage were conducted as case studies. The preliminary finding shows that toxic release consequences analysis tool (TORCAT) has capability to eliminate or minimize the potential toxic release accidents by adopting the inherent safety principle early in preliminary design stage.

  1. Equipment and special tool design for remote maintenance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Northey, L.M.; Thomson, J.D.

    1985-01-01

    Maintenance tasks performed in locations with hostile environments and/or limited space accesses often require equipment that is operated remotely. This paper discusses considerations that should be addressed in the design of remote maintenance equipment. Some of the topics include proper material selection, interface identifications, operational feedback devices and cost limitations. These considerations add ''human engineering'' to the equipment design to assure protection of the tool and the operating personnel. Examples of remote maintenance and inspection systems that were developed by the Westinghouse Hanford Company and that utilize many of these design considerations are included

  2. Design tool for TOF and SL based 3D cameras.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouquet, Gregory; Thorstensen, Jostein; Bakke, Kari Anne Hestnes; Risholm, Petter

    2017-10-30

    Active illumination 3D imaging systems based on Time-of-flight (TOF) and Structured Light (SL) projection are in rapid development, and are constantly finding new areas of application. In this paper, we present a theoretical design tool that allows prediction of 3D imaging precision. Theoretical expressions are developed for both TOF and SL imaging systems. The expressions contain only physically measurable parameters and no fitting parameters. We perform 3D measurements with both TOF and SL imaging systems, showing excellent agreement between theoretical and measured distance precision. The theoretical framework can be a powerful 3D imaging design tool, as it allows for prediction of 3D measurement precision already in the design phase.

  3. IT-tool Concept for Design and Intelligent Motion Control

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Conrad, Finn; Hansen, Poul Erik; Sørensen, Torben

    2000-01-01

    The paper presents results obtained from a Danish mechatronic research program focusing on intelligent motion control as well as results from the Esprit project SWING on IT-tools for rapid prototyping of fluid power components and systems. A mechatronic test facility with digital controllers for ....... Furthermore, a developed IT-tool concept for controller and system design utilising the ISO 10303 STEP Standard is proposed....

  4. Validation of designing tools as part of nuclear pump development process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klemm, T.; Sehr, F.; Spenner, P.; Fritz, J.

    2010-01-01

    Nuclear pumps are characterized by high safety standards, operational reliability as well as long life cycles. For the design process it is of common use to have a down scaled model pump to qualify operating data and simulate exceptional operating conditions. In case of modifications of the pump design compared to existing reactor coolant pumps a model pump is required to develop methods and tools to design the full scale pump. In the presented case it has a geometry scale of 1:2 regarding the full scale pump size. The experimental data of the model pump is basis for validation of methods and tools which are applied in the designing process of the full scale pump. In this paper the selection of qualified tools and the validation process is demonstrated exemplarily on a cooling circuit. The aim is to predict the resulting flow rate. Tools are chosen for different components depending on the benefit to effort ratio. For elementary flow phenomena such as fluid flow in straight pipes or gaps analytic or empirical laws can be used. For more complex flow situations numerical methods are utilized. Main focus is set on the validation process of the applied numerical flow simulation. In this case not only integral data should be compared, it is also necessary to validate local flow structure of numerical flow simulation to avoid systematic errors in CFD Model generation. Due to complex design internal flow measurements are not possible. On that reason simple comparisons of similar flow test cases are used. Results of this study show, that the flow simulation data closely match measured integral pump and test case data. With this validation it is now possible to qualify CFD simulations as a design tool for the full scale pump in similar cooling circuit. (authors)

  5. Design of a novel parallel reconfigurable machine tool

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Modungwa, D

    2008-06-01

    Full Text Available of meeting the demands for high mechanical dexterity adaptation as well as high stiffness necessary for mould and die re-conditioning. This paper presents, the design of parallel reconfigurable machine tool (PRMT) based on both application...

  6. Acoustic Imaging of Selected Areas of Gdansk Bay with the Aid of Parametric Echosounder and Side-Scan Sonar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grelowska Grażyna

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available The article presents and analyses the data recorded during sounding of the Gdansk Bay seabed with the aid of a parametric echosounder and a side-scan sonar. The accuracy of seabed structure examination, as a condition for obtaining valuable results, requires correct configuration of echolocation devices and proper calibration of peripheral devices, such as the survey unit geographical position sensor - GPS, the navigation unit, the MRU-Z sensor of pitch, roll and heave, and the sound velocity meter, which deliver the data to the bathymetric measurement system. Parametric seabed profilers deliver two types of data: the envelope, and the detailed echo signal without processing. The envelope is used for data visualisation in the form of online echograms, while the echo signal is stored for further analyses, to be performed using dedicated software or, after relevant conversion, in arbitrary programming environment1. The presented data analysis is illustrated by selected sample images recorded by the parametric echosounder and the side-scan sonar during Gdansk Bay sounding.

  7. Cast Off expansion plan by rapid improvement through Optimization tool design, Tool Parameters and using Six Sigma’s ECRS Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gopalakrishnan, T.; Saravanan, R.

    2017-03-01

    Powerful management concepts step-up the quality of the product, time saving in producing the product thereby increase the production rate, improves tools and techniques, work culture, work place and employee motivation and morale. In this paper discussed about the case study of optimizing the tool design, tool parameters to cast off expansion plan according ECRS technique. The proposed designs and optimal tool parameters yielded best results and meet the customer demand without expansion plan. Hence the work yielded huge savings of money (direct and indirect cost), time and improved the motivation and more of employees significantly.

  8. ErgoTMC, A New Tool For Human-Centered TMC Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-04-01

    The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has recently made available a new tool to assist Transportation Management Center (TMC) managers and designers in incorporating human-centered design principles into their TMCs. ErgoTMC, a web site tailored t...

  9. Innovated Conceptual Design of Loading Unloading Tool for Livestock at the Port

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mustakim, Achmad; Hadi, Firmanto

    2018-03-01

    The condition of loading and unloading process of livestock in a number of Indonesian ports doesn’t meet the principle of animal welfare, which makes cattle lose weight and injury when unloaded. Livestock loading and unloading is done by throwing cattle into the sea one by one, tying cattle hung with a sling strap and push the cattle to the berth directly. This process is against PP. 82 year 2000 on Article 47 and 55 about animal welfare. Innovation of loading and unloading tools design offered are loading and unloading design with garbarata. In the design of loading and unloading tools with garbarata, apply the concept of semi-horizontal hydraulic ladder that connects the ship and truck directly. This livestock unloading equipment design innovation is a combination of fire extinguisher truck design and bridge equipped with weightlifting equipment. In 10 years of planning garbarata, requires a total cost of IDR 321,142,921; gets benefits IDR 923,352,333; and BCR (Benefit-Cost Ratio) Value worth 2.88. BCR value >1 means the tool is feasible applied. The designs of this loading and unloading tools are estimated up to 1 hour faster than existing way. It can also minimize risks such as injury and also weight reduction livestock agencies significantly.

  10. Process development and tooling design for intrinsic hybrid composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riemer, M.; Müller, R.; Drossel, W. G.; Landgrebe, D.

    2017-09-01

    Hybrid parts, which combine the advantages of different material classes, are moving into the focus of lightweight applications. This development is amplified by their high potential for usage in the field of crash relevant structures. By the current state of the art, hybrid parts are mainly made in separate, subsequent forming and joining processes. By using the concept of an intrinsic hybrid, the shaping of the part and the joining of the different materials are performed in a single process step for shortening the overall processing time and thereby the manufacturing costs. The investigated hybrid part is made from continuous fibre reinforced plastic (FRP), in which a metallic reinforcement structure is integrated. The connection between these layered components is realized by a combination of adhesive bonding and a geometrical form fit. The form fit elements are intrinsically generated during the forming process. This contribution regards the development of the forming process and the design of the forming tool for the single step production of a hybrid part. To this end a forming tool, which combines the thermo-forming and the metal forming process, is developed. The main challenge by designing the tool is the temperature management of the tool elements for the variothermal forming process. The process parameters are determined in basic tests and finite element (FE) simulation studies. On the basis of these investigations a control concept for the steering of the motion axes and the tool temperature is developed. Forming tests are carried out with the developed tool and the manufactured parts are analysed by computer assisted tomography (CT) scans.

  11. Status of Preliminary Design on the Assembly Tools for ITER Tokamak Machine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nam, Kyoung O; Park, Hyun Ki; Kim, Dong Jin; Moon, Jae Hwan; Kim, Byung Seok; Lee, Jae Hyuk; Shaw, Robert

    2012-01-01

    The ITER Tokamak device is principally composed of nine 40 .deg. sectors. Each 40 .deg. sector is made up of one 40 .deg. vacuum vessel (VV), two 20 .deg. toroidal filed coils (TFC) and associated vacuum vessel thermal shield (VVTS) segments which consist of one inboard and two outboard vacuum vessel thermal shields. Based on the design description document and final report prepared by the ITER organization (IO) and conceptual design, Korea has carried out the preliminary design of these assembly tools. The assembly strategy and relevant tools for the 40 .deg. sector sub-assembly and sector assembly at in-pit should be developed to satisfy the basic assembly requirements of the ITER Tokamak machine. Assembly strategy, preliminary design of the sector sub-assembly and assembly tools are described in this paper

  12. DESIGN OF A SUPERBIKE PADDOCK STAND USING CAD AND CAE TOOLS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.H. Mohd Noh

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Two people are required to operate current superbike paddock stands in order to elevate the superbike. Lifting the superbike alone using the current design of paddock stand may be impractical and inconvenient for users. To overcome this limitation, a new design of a superbike paddock stand was conceived that could be operated by a single user. CAD and CAE tools using CATIA V5R18 software were utilised in designing this new stand. A 3D CAD model was developed and analysed through finite element analysis (FEA and a prototype fabricated for verification testing of the design. The use of CAD and CAE tools saved much time in the design work and gave the researchers and designers freedom in producing their own design. However, the most important aspect of this design study was to design a superbike paddock stand that is more practical and convenient for operation by a single user.

  13. Sonar atlas of caverns comprising the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Volume 2, Big Hill Site, Texas.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rautman, Christopher Arthur; Lord, Anna Snider

    2007-08-01

    Downhole sonar surveys from the four active U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites have been modeled and used to generate a four-volume sonar atlas, showing the three-dimensional geometry of each cavern. This volume 2 focuses on the Big Hill SPR site, located in southeastern Texas. Volumes 1, 3, and 4, respectively, present images for the Bayou Choctaw SPR site, Louisiana, the Bryan Mound SPR site, Texas, and the West Hackberry SPR site, Louisiana. The atlas uses a consistent presentation format throughout. The basic geometric measurements provided by the down-cavern surveys have also been used to generate a number of geometric attributes, the values of which have been mapped onto the geometric form of each cavern using a color-shading scheme. The intent of the various geometrical attributes is to highlight deviations of the cavern shape from the idealized cylindrical form of a carefully leached underground storage cavern in salt. The atlas format does not allow interpretation of such geometric deviations and anomalies. However, significant geometric anomalies, not directly related to the leaching history of the cavern, may provide insight into the internal structure of the relevant salt dome.

  14. Sonar atlas of caverns comprising the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Volume 1, Bayou Choctaw site, Louisiana.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rautman, Christopher Arthur; Lord, Anna Snider

    2007-10-01

    Downhole sonar surveys from the four active U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites have been modeled and used to generate a four-volume sonar atlas, showing the three-dimensional geometry of each cavern. This volume 1 focuses on the Bayou Choctaw SPR site, located in southern Louisiana. Volumes 2, 3, and 4, respectively, present images for the Big Hill SPR site, Texas, the Bryan Mound SPR site, Texas, and the West Hackberry SPR site, Louisiana. The atlas uses a consistent presentation format throughout. The basic geometric measurements provided by the down-cavern surveys have also been used to generate a number of geometric attributes, the values of which have been mapped onto the geometric form of each cavern using a color-shading scheme. The intent of the various geometrical attributes is to highlight deviations of the cavern shape from the idealized cylindrical form of a carefully leached underground storage cavern in salt. The atlas format does not allow interpretation of such geometric deviations and anomalies. However, significant geometric anomalies, not directly related to the leaching history of the cavern, may provide insight into the internal structure of the relevant salt dome.

  15. Sonar atlas of caverns comprising the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Volume 3, Bryan Mound Site, Texas.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rautman, Christopher Arthur; Lord, Anna Snider

    2007-09-01

    Downhole sonar surveys from the four active U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites have been modeled and used to generate a four-volume sonar atlas, showing the three-dimensional geometry of each cavern. This volume 3 focuses on the Bryan Mound SPR site, located in southeastern Texas. Volumes 1, 2, and 4, respectively, present images for the Bayou Choctaw SPR site, Louisiana, the Big Hill SPR site, Texas, and the West Hackberry SPR site, Louisiana. The atlas uses a consistent presentation format throughout. The basic geometric measurements provided by the down-cavern surveys have also been used to generate a number of geometric attributes, the values of which have been mapped onto the geometric form of each cavern using a color-shading scheme. The intent of the various geometrical attributes is to highlight deviations of the cavern shape from the idealized cylindrical form of a carefully leached underground storage cavern in salt. The atlas format does not allow interpretation of such geometric deviations and anomalies. However, significant geometric anomalies, not directly related to the leaching history of the cavern, may provide insight into the internal structure of the relevant salt dome.

  16. Sonar atlas of caverns comprising the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Volume 4, West Hackberry site, Louisiana.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rautman, Christopher Arthur; Lord, Anna Snider

    2007-09-01

    Downhole sonar surveys from the four active U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve sites have been modeled and used to generate a four-volume sonar atlas, showing the three-dimensional geometry of each cavern. This volume 4 focuses on the West Hackberry SPR site, located in southwestern Louisiana. Volumes 1, 2, and 3, respectively, present images for the Bayou Choctaw SPR site, Louisiana, the Big Hill SPR site, Texas, and the Bryan Mound SPR site, Texas. The atlas uses a consistent presentation format throughout. The basic geometric measurements provided by the down-cavern surveys have also been used to generate a number of geometric attributes, the values of which have been mapped onto the geometric form of each cavern using a color-shading scheme. The intent of the various geometrical attributes is to highlight deviations of the cavern shape from the idealized cylindrical form of a carefully leached underground storage cavern in salt. The atlas format does not allow interpretation of such geometric deviations and anomalies. However, significant geometric anomalies, not directly related to the leaching history of the cavern, may provide insight into the internal structure of the relevant salt dome.

  17. Design of Friction Stir Spot Welding Tools by Using a Novel Thermal-Mechanical Approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Zheng-Ming; Qiu, Qi-Hong; Lin, Pai-Chen

    2016-08-09

    A simple thermal-mechanical model for friction stir spot welding (FSSW) was developed to obtain similar weld performance for different weld tools. Use of the thermal-mechanical model and a combined approach enabled the design of weld tools for various sizes but similar qualities. Three weld tools for weld radii of 4, 5, and 6 mm were made to join 6061-T6 aluminum sheets. Performance evaluations of the three weld tools compared fracture behavior, microstructure, micro-hardness distribution, and welding temperature of welds in lap-shear specimens. For welds made by the three weld tools under identical processing conditions, failure loads were approximately proportional to tool size. Failure modes, microstructures, and micro-hardness distributions were similar. Welding temperatures correlated with frictional heat generation rate densities. Because the three weld tools sufficiently met all design objectives, the proposed approach is considered a simple and feasible guideline for preliminary tool design.

  18. Tool-based requirement traceability between requirement and design artifacts

    CERN Document Server

    Turban, Bernhard

    2013-01-01

    Processes for developing safety-critical systems impose special demands on ensuring requirements traceability. Achieving valuable traceability information, however, is especially difficult concerning the transition from requirements to design. Bernhard Turban analyzes systems and software engineering theories cross-cutting the issue (embedded systems development, systems engineering, software engineering, requirements engineering and management, design theory and processes for safety-critical systems). As a solution, the author proposes a new tool approach to support designers in their thinkin

  19. A review of electronic engineering design free software tools

    OpenAIRE

    Medrano Sánchez, Carlos; Plaza García, Inmaculada; Castro Gil, Manuel Alonso; García Sevilla, Francisco; Martínez Calero, J.D.; Pou Félix, Josep; Corbalán Fuertes, Montserrat

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, we review electronic design free software tools. We have searched open source programs that help with several tasks of the electronic design flow: analog and digital simulation, schematic capture, printed circuit board design and hardware description language compilation and simulation. Using some rapid criteria for verifying their availability, we have selected some of them which are worth working with. This work intends to perform a deeper analysis of fre...

  20. New tools for the simulation and design of calorimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Womersley, W.J.

    1989-01-01

    Two new approaches to the simulation and design of large hermetic calorimeters are presented. Firstly, the Shower Library scheme used in the fast generation of showers in the Monte Carlo of the calorimeter for the D-Zero experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron is described. Secondly, a tool for the design future calorimeters is described, which can be integrated with a computer aided design system to give engineering designers an immediate idea of the relative physics capabilities of different geometries. 9 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab

  1. Hygrothermal Simulation: A Tool for Building Envelope Design Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Samuel V. Glass; Anton TenWolde; Samuel L. Zelinka

    2013-01-01

    Is it possible to gauge the risk of moisture problems while designing the building envelope? This article provides a brief introduction to computer-based hygrothermal (heat and moisture) simulation, shows how simulation can be useful as a design tool, and points out a number of im-portant considerations regarding model inputs and limita-tions. Hygrothermal simulation...

  2. Justifying the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Whitehead

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Criteria for the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools that allow educators to justify what they do are described within a wider framework of learning theory and research into best practice. Based on a meta-analysis of best practice, results from a three year project designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a secondary school literacy initiative in New Zealand, together with recent research from cognitive and neuro-psychologists, it is argued that the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools used in elementary schools should be consistent with (i teaching focused (ii learner focused, (iii thought linked (iv neurologically consistent, (v subject specific, (vi text linked, (vii developmentally appropriate, and (viii assessment linked criteria.

  3. DESIGN METHODOLOGIES AND TOOLS FOR SINGLE-FLUX QUANTUM LOGIC CIRCUITS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    Determine GLOBAL CLK DEF or NETLIST Produce results END STA TOOL Determine clocking scheme Determine system clock Determine slack and other path...times. It also enables the designer to input a target time for the design which produces a slack value. Positive slack meaning that the critical time is...less than the target time and the design meets the speed requirements set by the designer. A negative slack value indicates that the design does

  4. A Study to Interpret the Biological Significance of Behavior Associated with 3S Experimental Sonar Exposures

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-09-30

    species; 2.) quantitative comparison of behavior, and behavioral changes, during sonar presentation and playback of killer whale sounds across the 3S... foraging dives were pre-classified from the remaining dives first by determining a break-point depth in the depth versus duration relationship, and then...AIC point to divide dive depth versus duration relationships (Fig. 2). 50.8% of dives greater than 15m in depth were classified as foraging dives

  5. Tools for environmental simulations and calculations in an Integrated Design Process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Mads Dines; Knudstrup, Mary-Ann

    2010-01-01

    to address environmental issues. This paper in specific takes its starting point in a student project where the student is working with a building complex that have to fulfill the passive house standards and through that the student explores the use of the simulation and calculation tools in the design...... the possibilities of interoperability and the different possibilities are utilized pointing towards a heavier focus of the utilization of BIM tools in the design process from the first stages....

  6. The PDS4 Data Dictionary Tool - Metadata Design for Data Preparers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raugh, A.; Hughes, J. S.

    2017-12-01

    One of the major design goals of the PDS4 development effort was to create an extendable Information Model (IM) for the archive, and to allow mission data designers/preparers to create extensions for metadata definitions specific to their own contexts. This capability is critical for the Planetary Data System - an archive that deals with a data collection that is diverse along virtually every conceivable axis. Amid such diversity in the data itself, it is in the best interests of the PDS archive and its users that all extensions to the IM follow the same design techniques, conventions, and restrictions as the core implementation itself. But it is unrealistic to expect mission data designers to acquire expertise in information modeling, model-driven design, ontology, schema formulation, and PDS4 design conventions and philosophy in order to define their own metadata. To bridge that expertise gap and bring the power of information modeling to the data label designer, the PDS Engineering Node has developed the data dictionary creation tool known as "LDDTool". This tool incorporates the same software used to maintain and extend the core IM, packaged with an interface that enables a developer to create his extension to the IM using the same, standards-based metadata framework PDS itself uses. Through this interface, the novice dictionary developer has immediate access to the common set of data types and unit classes for defining attributes, and a straight-forward method for constructing classes. The more experienced developer, using the same tool, has access to more sophisticated modeling methods like abstraction and extension, and can define context-specific validation rules. We present the key features of the PDS Local Data Dictionary Tool, which both supports the development of extensions to the PDS4 IM, and ensures their compatibility with the IM.

  7. On Computational Fluid Dynamics Tools in Architectural Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Hougaard, Mads; Stærdahl, Jesper Winther

    engineering computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation program ANSYS CFX and a CFD based representative program RealFlow are investigated. These two programs represent two types of CFD based tools available for use during phases of an architectural design process. However, as outlined in two case studies...

  8. Ecological Interface Design of a Tactical Airborne Separation Assistance Tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Dam, S.; Mulder, M.; Van Paassen, M.M.

    2008-01-01

    In a free-flight airspace environment, pilots have more freedom to choose user-preferred trajectories. An onboard pilot support system is needed that exploits travel freedom while maintaining spatial separation with other traffic. Ecological interface design is used to design an interface tool that

  9. Principles of waveform diversity and design

    CERN Document Server

    Wicks, Michael

    2011-01-01

    This is the first book to discuss current and future applications of waveform diversity and design in subjects such as radar and sonar, communications systems, passive sensing, and many other technologies. Waveform diversity allows researchers and system designers to optimize electromagnetic and acoustic systems for sensing, communications, electronic warfare or combinations thereof. This book enables solutions to problems, explaining how each system performs its own particular function, as well as how it is affected by other systems and how those other systems may likewise be affected. It is

  10. A Conceptual Design and Structural Analysis for ITER Mid-plane Brace Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nam, Kyoung O; Park, Hyun Ki; Kim, Dong Jin [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jae Hyuk; Kim, Kyung kyu [SFA Engineering Corp., Changwon (Korea, Republic of); Im, Kihak; Robert, Shaw [ITER Organization, St Paul lez Durance Cedex (France)

    2010-10-15

    The ITER, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, Tokamak machine is mainly composed of 9 vacuum vessel (VV)/toroidal field coils (TFCs)/vacuum vessel thermal shields (VVTS) 40 .deg. sectors. Each VV/TFCs/VVTS 40 .deg. sector is made up of one 40 .deg. VV, two 20 .deg. TFCs and associated VVTS segments. The ITER Tokamak assembly tools are purpose-built tools to assemble the ITER Tokamak machine which includes the cryostat and the components contained therein. Based on the design description document prepared by the IO (ITER international organization), Korea has carried out the conceptual design of assembly tools with IO cooperation. The 40 .deg. sector assemblies attached mid-plane brace tools sub-assembled at assembly hall are transferred to Tokamak hall using the lifting tool operated by Tokamak main cranes. The sector sub-assembly tools are composed of the upending tool, the sector sub-assembly tool, the sector lifting tool and the vacuum vessel support and mid-plane brace tools. The mid-plane brace tool is assembled to inner surface of VV and TFCs in phase of sector sub-assembly after completion of all sector components. VV, TFC and VVTS are separated fully before completion of 9 sectors at Tokamak in-pit. In this paper the mid-plane brace tools is introduced about function, structure and status of research and development are also described

  11. Providing guidance in virtual lab experimentation : the case of an experiment design tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Efstathiou, Charalampos; Hovardas, Tasos; Xenofontos, Nikoletta A.; Zacharia, Zacharias C.; de Jong, Ton A.J.M.; Anjewierden, Anjo; van Riesen, Siswa A.N.

    2018-01-01

    The present study employed a quasi-experimental design to assess a computer-based tool, which was intended to scaffold the task of designing experiments when using a virtual lab for the process of experimentation. In particular, we assessed the impact of this tool on primary school students’

  12. The design process and the use of computerized tools in control room design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wahlstroem, B.; Heinonen, R.; Ranta, J.; Haarla, J.

    1985-09-01

    Control room design has proven an important component when the safety and availability of a complex industrial process plant are considered. Many control room deficiencies can be traced back to oversights and other errors during the design process. The introduction of powerful computers and software for computer-aided design (CAD) offers one possibility when tools for improving the quality of design are being selected. The report gives a broad assessment of problems of design and the benefits of using computer-aided design. One proposal for a structure of a computer-aided design system is considered in more detail. In this system special emphasis has been laid on dealing with requirements during design process. A demonstration system has been built and sample system user dialogues are described. The report is the final report of the LIT3.1 project of the Nordic cooperation on human reliability in the energy production field. (author)

  13. Development of reactor design aid tool using virtual reality technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mizuguchi, N.; Tamura, Y.; Imagawa, S.; Sagara, A.; Hayashi, T.

    2006-01-01

    A new type of aid system for fusion reactor design, to which the virtual reality (VR) visualization and sonification techniques are applied, is developed. This system provides us with an intuitive interaction environment in the VR space between the observer and the designed objects constructed by the conventional 3D computer-aided design (CAD) system. We have applied the design aid tool to the heliotron-type fusion reactor design activity FFHR2m [A. Sagara, S. Imagawa, O. Mitarai, T. Dolan, T. Tanaka, Y. Kubota, et al., Improved structure and long -life blanket concepts for heliotron reactors, Nucl. Fusion 45 (2005) 258-263] on the virtual reality system CompleXcope [Y. Tamura, A. Kageyama, T. Sato, S. Fujiwara, H. Nakamura, Virtual reality system to visualize and auralize numerical imulation data, Comp. Phys. Comm. 142 (2001) 227-230] of the National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan, and have evaluated its performance. The tool includes the functions of transfer of the observer, translation and scaling of the objects, recording of the operations and the check of interference

  14. Synthetic RNAs for Gene Regulation: Design Principles and Computational Tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laganà, Alessandro; Shasha, Dennis; Croce, Carlo Maria

    2014-01-01

    The use of synthetic non-coding RNAs for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has not only become a standard laboratory tool for gene functional studies but it has also opened up new perspectives in the design of new and potentially promising therapeutic strategies. Bioinformatics has provided researchers with a variety of tools for the design, the analysis, and the evaluation of RNAi agents such as small-interfering RNA (siRNA), short-hairpin RNA (shRNA), artificial microRNA (a-miR), and microRNA sponges. More recently, a new system for genome engineering based on the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 system (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), was shown to have the potential to also regulate gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional level in a more specific way. In this mini review, we present RNAi and CRISPRi design principles and discuss the advantages and limitations of the current design approaches.

  15. Synthetic RNAs for Gene Regulation: Design Principles and Computational Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laganà, Alessandro [Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States); Shasha, Dennis [Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University, New York, NY (United States); Croce, Carlo Maria [Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (United States)

    2014-12-11

    The use of synthetic non-coding RNAs for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression has not only become a standard laboratory tool for gene functional studies but it has also opened up new perspectives in the design of new and potentially promising therapeutic strategies. Bioinformatics has provided researchers with a variety of tools for the design, the analysis, and the evaluation of RNAi agents such as small-interfering RNA (siRNA), short-hairpin RNA (shRNA), artificial microRNA (a-miR), and microRNA sponges. More recently, a new system for genome engineering based on the bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 system (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), was shown to have the potential to also regulate gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional level in a more specific way. In this mini review, we present RNAi and CRISPRi design principles and discuss the advantages and limitations of the current design approaches.

  16. Logical Framework Analysis (LFA): An Essential Tool for Designing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Logical Framework Analysis (LFA): An Essential Tool for Designing Agricultural Project ... overview of the process and the structure of the Logical Framework Matrix or Logframe, derivable from it, ..... System Approach to Managing The Project.

  17. Improving sustainability during hospital design and operation a multidisciplinary evaluation tool

    CERN Document Server

    Bottero, Marta; Buffoli, Maddalena; Lettieri, Emanuele

    2015-01-01

    This book describes the Sustainable High Quality Healthcare (SustHealth) project, which had the goal of developing an original multidisciplinary evaluation tool that can be applied to assess and improve hospitals’ overall sustainability. The comprehensive nature of the appraisal offered by this tool exceeds the scope of most current rating systems, which typically permit a thorough evaluation of relevant environmental factors when designing a new building but fail to consider social and economic impacts of the design phase or the performance of the hospital’s operational structure in these fields. The multidisciplinary evaluation system was developed, from its very inception through to its testing, by following a scientific experimental method in which a global perspective was constantly maintained, as opposed to a focus only on specific technical issues. Application of the SustHealth rating tool to a currently functioning hospital, or one under design, will identify weaknesses and guide users to potentia...

  18. AGILE, a tool for interactive lattice design

    CERN Document Server

    Bryant, P J

    2000-01-01

    AGILE is a program that works in the IBM-PC, MS-Windows environment and is dedicated to the interactive design of alternating-gradient lattices for synchrotrons and transfer lines. The program was originally intended as a teaching tool, but has been used mostly for professional design work and is subject to continuous development. It contains original algorithms for coupling, scattering and eddy currents, and some slightly unusual algorithms for off-axis orbits and space charge. There are also additional features such as engineering design aids, calculators for relativistic and synchrotron radiation parameters, expert routines for optimising slow extraction, fitting and matching, and the internal storage of constants for over 1000 stable and quasi-stable charged particles. The program is object-oriented and fully integrated into the Windows environment - it is not a shell. Apart from office work, AGILE is ideal for home use, design workshops and when travelling. It is particularly suited to practical problems...

  19. Metal Cutting Theory and Friction Stir Welding Tool Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Payton, Lewis N.

    2003-01-01

    Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a relatively new industrial process that was invented at The Weld Institute (TWI, United Kingdom) and patented in 1992 under research funded by in part by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Often quoted advantages of the process include good strength and ductility along with minimization of residual stress and distortion. Less well advertised are the beneficial effects of this solid state welding process in the field of occupational and environmental safety. It produces superior weld products in difficult to weld materials without producing any toxic fumes or solid waste that must be controlled as hazardous waste. In fact, it reduces noise pollution in the workspace as well. In the early days of FSW, most welding was performed on modified machine tools, in particular on milling machines with modified milling cutters. In spite of the obvious milling heritage of the process, the techniques and lessons learned from almost 250 years of successful metalworking with milling machines have not been applied in the field of modern Friction Stir Welding. The goal of the current research was to study currently successful FSW tools and parameterize the process in such a way that the design of new tools for new materials could be accelerated. Along the way, several successful new tooling designs were developed for current issues at the Marshall Space Flight Center with accompanying patent disclosures

  20. Performance Evaluation of a Software Engineering Tool for Automated Design of Cooling Systems in Injection Moulding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jauregui-Becker, Juan M.; Tosello, Guido; van Houten, Fred J.A.M.

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents a software tool for automating the design of cooling systems for injection moulding and a validation of its performance. Cooling system designs were automatically generated by the proposed software tool and by applying a best practice tool engineering design approach. The two...

  1. SEQ-POINTER: Next generation, planetary spacecraft remote sensing science observation design tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boyer, Jeffrey S.

    1994-11-01

    Since Mariner, NASA-JPL planetary missions have been supported by ground software to plan and design remote sensing science observations. The software used by the science and sequence designers to plan and design observations has evolved with mission and technological advances. The original program, PEGASIS (Mariners 4, 6, and 7), was re-engineered as POGASIS (Mariner 9, Viking, and Mariner 10), and again later as POINTER (Voyager and Galileo). Each of these programs were developed under technological, political, and fiscal constraints which limited their adaptability to other missions and spacecraft designs. Implementation of a multi-mission tool, SEQ POINTER, under the auspices of the JPL Multimission Operations Systems Office (MOSO) is in progress. This version has been designed to address the limitations experienced on previous versions as they were being adapted to a new mission and spacecraft. The tool has been modularly designed with subroutine interface structures to support interchangeable celestial body and spacecraft definition models. The computational and graphics modules have also been designed to interface with data collected from previous spacecraft, or on-going observations, which describe the surface of each target body. These enhancements make SEQ POINTER a candidate for low-cost mission usage, when a remote sensing science observation design capability is required. The current and planned capabilities of the tool will be discussed. The presentation will also include a 5-10 minute video presentation demonstrating the capabilities of a proto-Cassini Project version that was adapted to test the tool. The work described in this abstract was performed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  2. Directionality of sperm whale sonar clicks and its relation to piston radiation theory

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beedholm, K.; Møhl, Bertel

    2006-01-01

    This paper investigates the applicability to sperm whales of the theory of sound radiating from a piston. The theory is applied to a physical model and to a series of sperm whale clicks. Results show that wave forms of off-axis signals can be reproduced by convolving an on-axis signal...... with the spatial impulse response of a piston. The angle of a recorded click can be estimated as the angle producing the spatial impulse response that gives the best match with the observation when convolved with the on-axis wave form. It is concluded that piston theory applies to sperm whale sonar click emission....

  3. Analytical Modelling Of Milling For Tool Design And Selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fontaine, M.; Devillez, A.; Dudzinski, D.

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents an efficient analytical model which allows to simulate a large panel of milling operations. A geometrical description of common end mills and of their engagement in the workpiece material is proposed. The internal radius of the rounded part of the tool envelope is used to define the considered type of mill. The cutting edge position is described for a constant lead helix and for a constant local helix angle. A thermomechanical approach of oblique cutting is applied to predict forces acting on the tool and these results are compared with experimental data obtained from milling tests on a 42CrMo4 steel for three classical types of mills. The influence of some tool's geometrical parameters on predicted cutting forces is presented in order to propose optimisation criteria for design and selection of cutting tools

  4. Tools for Stakeholder Involvement in Facility Management Service Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nardelli, Giulia; Scupola, Ada

    that are more in line with the stakeholder needs and expectations, and may thus result in increased customer satisfaction, better services and, at the very end, an increased competitive advantage for the organization. Background: The background of this study lies in user involvement in service design...... in the design process as well as FM service provision processes. Research limitations: The major limitation of the study consists of the relatively small amount of interviews conducted, which is the basis for finding the tools in FM service design processes....

  5. Matlab as a robust control design tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregory, Irene M.

    1994-01-01

    This presentation introduces Matlab as a tool used in flight control research. The example used to illustrate some of the capabilities of this software is a robust controller designed for a single stage to orbit air breathing vehicles's ascent to orbit. The global requirements of the controller are to stabilize the vehicle and follow a trajectory in the presence of atmospheric disturbances and strong dynamic coupling between airframe and propulsion.

  6. IT-based wellness tools for older adults: Design concepts and feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joe, Jonathan; Hall, Amanda; Chi, Nai-Ching; Thompson, Hilaire; Demiris, George

    2018-03-01

    To explore older adults' preferences regarding e-health applications through use of generated concepts that inform wellness tool design. The 6-8-5 method and affinity mapping were used to create e-health design ideas that were translated into storyboards and scenarios. Focus groups were conducted to obtain feedback on the prototypes and included participant sketching. A qualitative analysis of the focus groups for emerging themes was conducted, and sketches were analyzed. Forty-three older adults participated in six focus group sessions. The majority of participants found the wellness tools useful. Preferences included features that supported participants in areas of unmet needs, such as ability to find reliable health information, cognitive training, or maintaining social ties. Participants favored features such as use of voice navigation, but were concerned over cost and the need for technology skills and access. Sketches reinforced these wants, including portability, convenience, and simplicity. Several factors were found to increase the desirability of such devices including convenient access to their health and health information, a simple, accessible interface, and support for memory issues. Researchers and designers should incorporate the feedback of older adults regarding wellness tools, so that future designs meet the needs of older adults.

  7. Virtual reality solutions for the design of machine tools in practice

    OpenAIRE

    Zickner, H.; Neugebauer, Reimund; Weidlich, D.

    2006-01-01

    At the Virtual Reality Centre Production Engineering (VRCP) the Institute for Machine Tools and Production Processes (IWP) of the Chemnitz University of Technology and the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology (IWU) have developed several practical Virtual Reality (VR) based solutions for the industry. Some practical examples will show the benefits gained by the application of Virtual Reality techniques in the design process of machine tools and assembly lines.

  8. Quantitative and creative design tools for urban design in cold and windy climates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Koss, Holger; Jensen, Lotte Bjerregaard; Nielsen, Thomas Alexander Sick

    2014-01-01

    between the design processes and the academic knowledge available is a focus area. The effects of climate change and a general higher demand for quantitative assessment of urban planning proposals in hard climatic locations have created a demand for research based design advice. The paper will present......In cold and windy climates, the quality of the urban spaces is severely challenged. A design process with a very high level of information regarding wind, sun, daylight and water from the earliest of the design process will help create the most optimized design. For the last couple of years...... in academic ‘silos’ where little attention has been made in regards to architectural design processes. Simulation tools were developed that can render a larger amount of information available in a short time and thus can keep pace with an ongoing design process in an architectural studio. Bridging the gap...

  9. Design support document for the K Basins Vertical Fuel Handling Tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bridges, A.E.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to provide the design support information for the Vertical Fuel Handling Tools, developed for the removal of N Reactor fuel elements from their storage canisters in the K Basins storage pool and insertion into the Single Fuel Element Can for subsequent shipment to a Hot Cell for examination. Examination of these N Reactor fuel elements is part of the overall characterization effort. These new hand tools are required since previous fuel movement has involved grasping the fuel in a horizontal position. These tools are required to lift an element vertically from the storage canister. Additionally, a Mark II storage canister Lip Seal Protector was designed and fabricated for use during fuel retrieval. This device was required to prevent damage to the canister lip should a fuel element accidentally be dropped during its retrieval, using the handling tools. Supporting documentation for this device is included in this document

  10. Experience with case tools in the design of process-oriented software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novakov, Ognian; Sicard, Claude-Henri

    1994-12-01

    In Accelerator systems such as the CERN PS complex, process equipment has a life time which may exceed the typical life cycle of its related software. Taking into account the variety of such equipment, it is important to keep the analysis and design of the software in a system-independent form. This paper discusses the experience gathered in using commercial CASE tools for analysis, design and reverse engineering of different process-oriented software modules, with a principal emphasis on maintaining the initial analysis in a standardized form. Such tools have been in existence for several years, but this paper shows that they are not fully adapted to our needs. In particular, the paper stresses the problems of integrating such a tool into an existing data-base-dependent development chain, the lack of real-time simulation tools and of Object-Oriented concepts in existing commercial packages. Finally, the paper gives a broader view of software engineering needs in our particular context.

  11. Using CFD as Rocket Injector Design Tool: Recent Progress at Marshall Space Flight Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tucker, Kevin; West, Jeff; Williams, Robert; Lin, Jeff; Rocker, Marvin; Canabal, Francisco; Robles, Bryan; Garcia, Robert; Chenoweth, James

    2003-01-01

    The choice of tools used for injector design is in a transitional phase between exclusive reliance on the empirically based correlations and extensive use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The Next Generation Launch Technology (NGLT) Program goals emphasizing lower costs and increased reliability have produced a need to enable CFD as an injector design tool in a shorter time frame. This is the primary objective of the Staged Combustor Injector Technology Task currently under way at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The documentation of this effort begins with a very brief status of current injector design tools. MSFC's vision for use of CFD as a tool for combustion devices design is stated and discussed with emphasis on the injector. The concept of the Simulation Readiness Level (SRL), comprised of solution fidelity, robustness and accuracy, is introduced and discussed. This quantitative measurement is used to establish the gap between the current state of demonstrated capability and that necessary for regular use in the design process. MSFC's view of the validation process is presented and issues associated with obtaining the necessary data are noted and discussed. Three current experimental efforts aimed at generating validation data are presented. The importance of uncertainty analysis to understand the data quality is also demonstrated. First, a brief status of current injector design tools is provided as context for the current effort. Next, the MSFC vision for using CFD as an injector design tool is stated. A generic CFD-based injector design methodology is also outlined and briefly discussed. Three areas where MSFC is using injector CFD analyses for program support will be discussed. These include the Integrated Powerhead Development (IPD) engine which uses hydrogen and oxygen propellants in a full flow staged combustion (FFSC) cycle and the TR-107 and the RS84 engine both of which use RP-1 and oxygen in an ORSC cycle. Finally, an attempt is made to

  12. Design and validation of an improved graphical user interface with the 'Tool ball'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kuo-Wei; Lee, Ying-Chu

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this research is introduce the design of an improved graphical user interface (GUI) and verifies the operational efficiency of the proposed interface. Until now, clicking the toolbar with the mouse is the usual way to operate software functions. In our research, we designed an improved graphical user interface - a tool ball that is operated by a mouse wheel to perform software functions. Several experiments are conducted to measure the time needed to operate certain software functions with the traditional combination of "mouse click + tool button" and the proposed integration of "mouse wheel + tool ball". The results indicate that the tool ball design can accelerate the speed of operating software functions, decrease the number of icons on the screen, and enlarge the applications of the mouse wheel. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

  13. Reliability Oriented Design Tool For the New Generation of Grid Connected PV-Inverters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sintamarean, Nicolae Cristian; Blaabjerg, Frede; Wang, Huai

    2015-01-01

    is achieved and is further used as an input to the lifetime model. The proposed reliability-oriented design tool is used to study the impact of mission profile (MP) variation and device degradation (aging) in the PV inverter lifetime. The obtained results indicate that the MP of the field where the PV...... inverter is operating has an important impact (up to 70%) on the converter lifetime expectation, and it should be considered in the design stage to better optimize the converter design margin. In order to have correct lifetime estimation, it is crucial to consider also the device degradation feedback (in......This paper introduces a reliability-oriented design tool for a new generation of grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) inverters. The proposed design tool consists of a real field mission profile (RFMP) model (for two operating regions: USA and Denmark), a PV panel model, a grid-connected PV inverter...

  14. A Simulation Tool for the Conceptual Design of Thermonuclear Pulsors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ramos, R.; Gonzalez, J.; Clausse, A.

    2003-01-01

    We worked with an effective model that calculates the neutron production of Plasma Focus devices.From experimental data we obtained different fitting functions for the model lumped parameters.By this way, we obtained a simple tool for neutron yield calculation.This tool is very useful at a conceptual design stage, because it can predict easily if a given PF device would be suitable for a certain application

  15. KIT multi-physics tools for the analysis of design and beyond design basis accidents of light water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanchez, Victor Hugo; Miassoedov, Alexei; Steinbrueck, M.; Tromm, W.

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the KIT numerical simulation tools under extension and validation for the analysis of design and beyond design basis accidents (DBA) of Light Water Reactors (LWR). The description of the complex thermal hydraulic, neutron kinetics and chemo-physical phenomena going on during off-normal conditions requires the development of multi-physics and multi-scale simulations tools which are fostered by the rapid increase in computer power nowadays. The KIT numerical tools for DBA and beyond DBA are validated using experimental data of KIT or from abroad. The developments, extensions, coupling approaches and validation work performed at KIT are shortly outlined and discussed in this paper.

  16. KIT multi-physics tools for the analysis of design and beyond design basis accidents of light water reactors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sanchez, Victor Hugo; Miassoedov, Alexei; Steinbrueck, M.; Tromm, W. [Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany)

    2016-05-15

    This paper describes the KIT numerical simulation tools under extension and validation for the analysis of design and beyond design basis accidents (DBA) of Light Water Reactors (LWR). The description of the complex thermal hydraulic, neutron kinetics and chemo-physical phenomena going on during off-normal conditions requires the development of multi-physics and multi-scale simulations tools which are fostered by the rapid increase in computer power nowadays. The KIT numerical tools for DBA and beyond DBA are validated using experimental data of KIT or from abroad. The developments, extensions, coupling approaches and validation work performed at KIT are shortly outlined and discussed in this paper.

  17. Process Improvement Through Tool Integration in Aero-Mechanical Design

    Science.gov (United States)

    Briggs, Clark

    2010-01-01

    Emerging capabilities in commercial design tools promise to significantly improve the multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary design and analysis coverage for aerospace mechanical engineers. This paper explores the analysis process for two example problems of a wing and flap mechanical drive system and an aircraft landing gear door panel. The examples begin with the design solid models and include various analysis disciplines such as structural stress and aerodynamic loads. Analytical methods include CFD, multi-body dynamics with flexible bodies and structural analysis. Elements of analysis data management, data visualization and collaboration are also included.

  18. Mechanical System Analysis/Design Tool (MSAT) Quick Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, HauHua; Kolb, Mark; Madelone, Jack

    1998-01-01

    MSAT is a unique multi-component multi-disciplinary tool that organizes design analysis tasks around object-oriented representations of configuration components, analysis programs and modules, and data transfer links between them. This creative modular architecture enables rapid generation of input stream for trade-off studies of various engine configurations. The data transfer links automatically transport output from one application as relevant input to the next application once the sequence is set up by the user. The computations are managed via constraint propagation - the constraints supplied by the user as part of any optimization module. The software can be used in the preliminary design stage as well as during the detail design of product development process.

  19. A Revised Interface for the ARL Topodef Mobility Design Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-01

    designed paths as though moving down a conveyor belt . Giving paths an existence independent of the nodes that travel along them not only makes their...A Revised Interface for the ARL Topodef Mobility Design Tool by Andrew J. Toth and Michael Christensen ARL-TR-5980 April 2012...Disclaimers The findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other

  20. Value engineering on the designed operator work tools for brick and rings wells production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayu Bidiawati J., R.; Muchtiar, Yesmizarti; Wariza, Ragil Okta

    2017-06-01

    Operator working tools in making brick and ring wells were designed and made, and the value engineering was calculated to identify and develop the function of these tools in obtaining the balance between cost, reliability and appearance. This study focused on the value of functional components of the tools and attempted to increase the difference between the costs incurred by the generated values. The purpose of this study was to determine the alternatives of tools design and to determine the performance of each alternative. The technique was developed using FAST method that consisted of five stages: information, creative, analytical, development and presentation stage. The results of the analysis concluded that the designed tools have higher value and better function description. There were four alternative draft improvements for operator working tools. The best alternative was determined based on the rank by using matrix evaluation. Best performance was obtained by the alternative II, amounting to 98.92 with a value of 0.77.

  1. Resources for Indoor Air Quality Design Tools for Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    The information available here is presented as a tool to help school districts and facility planners design the next generation of learning environments so that the school facility will help schools in achieving their core mission of educating children.

  2. Justifying the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Whitehead

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Criteria for the design and selection of literacy and thinking tools that allow educators to justifywhat they do are described within a wider framework of learning theory and research into bestpractice. Based on a meta-analysis of best practice, results from a three year project designedto evaluate the effectiveness of a secondary school literacy initiative in New Zealand, togetherwith recent research from cognitive and neuro-psychologists, it is argued that the design andselection of literacy and thinking tools used in elementary schools should be consistent with (iteaching focused (ii learner focused, (iii thought linked (iv neurologically consistent, (vsubject specific, (vi text linked, (vii developmentally appropriate, and (viii assessment linkedcriteria.

  3. Sonar gas flux estimation by bubble insonification: application to methane bubble flux from seep areas in the outer Laptev Sea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leifer, Ira; Chernykh, Denis; Shakhova, Natalia; Semiletov, Igor

    2017-06-01

    Sonar surveys provide an effective mechanism for mapping seabed methane flux emissions, with Arctic submerged permafrost seepage having great potential to significantly affect climate. We created in situ engineered bubble plumes from 40 m depth with fluxes spanning 0.019 to 1.1 L s-1 to derive the in situ calibration curve (Q(σ)). These nonlinear curves related flux (Q) to sonar return (σ) for a multibeam echosounder (MBES) and a single-beam echosounder (SBES) for a range of depths. The analysis demonstrated significant multiple bubble acoustic scattering - precluding the use of a theoretical approach to derive Q(σ) from the product of the bubble σ(r) and the bubble size distribution where r is bubble radius. The bubble plume σ occurrence probability distribution function (Ψ(σ)) with respect to Q found Ψ(σ) for weak σ well described by a power law that likely correlated with small-bubble dispersion and was strongly depth dependent. Ψ(σ) for strong σ was largely depth independent, consistent with bubble plume behavior where large bubbles in a plume remain in a focused core. Ψ(σ) was bimodal for all but the weakest plumes. Q(σ) was applied to sonar observations of natural arctic Laptev Sea seepage after accounting for volumetric change with numerical bubble plume simulations. Simulations addressed different depths and gases between calibration and seep plumes. Total mass fluxes (Qm) were 5.56, 42.73, and 4.88 mmol s-1 for MBES data with good to reasonable agreement (4-37 %) between the SBES and MBES systems. The seepage flux occurrence probability distribution function (Ψ(Q)) was bimodal, with weak Ψ(Q) in each seep area well described by a power law, suggesting primarily minor bubble plumes. The seepage-mapped spatial patterns suggested subsurface geologic control attributing methane fluxes to the current state of subsea permafrost.

  4. An Accurate and Efficient Design Tool for Large Contoured Beam Reflectarrays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhou, Min; Sørensen, Stig B.; Jørgensen, Erik

    2012-01-01

    An accurate and efficient tool for the design of contoured beam reflectarrays is presented. It is based on the Spectral Domain Method of Moments, the Local Periodicity approach, and a minimax optimization algorithm. Contrary to the conventional phase-only optimization techniques, the geometrical...... parameters of the array elements are directly optimized to fulfill the far-field requirements. The design tool can be used to optimize reflectarrays based on a regular grid as well as an irregular grid. Both coand cross-polar radiation can be optimized for multiple frequencies, polarizations, and feed...... illuminations. Two offset contoured beam reflectarrays that radiate a highgain beam on an European coverage have been designed, manufactured, and measured at the DTU-ESA Spherical Near-Field Antenna Test Facility. An excellent agreement is obtained for the simulated and measured patterns. To show the design...

  5. Interdisciplinary Approach to Tool-Handle Design Based on Medical Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    G. Harih

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Products are becoming increasingly complex; therefore, designers are faced with a challenging task to incorporate new functionality, higher performance, and optimal shape design. Traditional user-centered design techniques such as designing with anthropometric data do not incorporate enough subject data to design products with optimal shape for best fit to the target population. To overcome these limitations, we present an interdisciplinary approach with medical imaging. The use of this approach is being presented on the development of an optimal sized and shaped tool handle where the hand is imaged using magnetic resonance imaging machine. The obtained images of the hand are reconstructed and imported into computer-aided design software, where optimal shape of the handle is obtained with Boolean operations. Methods can be used to develop fully customized products with optimal shape to provide best fit to the target population. This increases subjective comfort rating, performance and can prevent acute and cumulative trauma disorders. Provided methods are especially suited for products where high stresses and exceptional performance is expected (high performance tools, professional sports, and military equipment, etc.. With the use of these interdisciplinary methods, the value of the product is increased, which also increases the competitiveness of the product on the market.

  6. The ORNL Modulating Heat Pump Design Tool -- Mark IV User's Guide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rice, C.K.

    2001-09-27

    The ORNL Modulating Heat Pump Design Tool consists of a Modulating HPDM (Heat Pump Design Model) and a parametric-analysis (contour-data generating) front-end. Collectively the program is also referred to as MODCON which is in reference to the modulating and the contour data generating capabilities. The program was developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory for the Department of Energy to provide a publicly-available system design tool for variable- and single-speed heat pumps.

  7. A Tool for the Automated Design and Evaluation of Habitat Interior Layouts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, Matthew A.; Wilhite, Alan W.

    2013-01-01

    The objective of space habitat design is to minimize mass and system size while providing adequate space for all necessary equipment and a functional layout that supports crew health and productivity. Unfortunately, development and evaluation of interior layouts is often ignored during conceptual design because of the subjectivity and long times required using current evaluation methods (e.g., human-in-the-loop mockup tests and in-depth CAD evaluations). Early, more objective assessment could prevent expensive design changes that may increase vehicle mass and compromise functionality. This paper describes a new interior design evaluation method to enable early, structured consideration of habitat interior layouts. This interior layout evaluation method features a comprehensive list of quantifiable habitat layout evaluation criteria, automatic methods to measure these criteria from a geometry model, and application of systems engineering tools and numerical methods to construct a multi-objective value function measuring the overall habitat layout performance. In addition to a detailed description of this method, a C++/OpenGL software tool which has been developed to implement this method is also discussed. This tool leverages geometry modeling coupled with collision detection techniques to identify favorable layouts subject to multiple constraints and objectives (e.g., minimize mass, maximize contiguous habitable volume, maximize task performance, and minimize crew safety risks). Finally, a few habitat layout evaluation examples are described to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method and tool to influence habitat design.

  8. Impact assessment as a design tool

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lyhne, Ivar

    Research and development (R&D) programmes constitute a pivotal arena for shaping technologies of the future. In order to make qualified decisions, R&D programmes ought to be subject to impact assessment (IA). It seems, however, that only a few countries have developed a systematic practice. One r...... reason for the limited practice might be that IA of R&D policy is said to be particularly difficult. This paper reports on experiences from a voluntary IA application in Danish with point of departure in the question: How does IA work as a design tool in terms of R&D programmes?...

  9. Towards life-cycle awareness in decision support tools for engineering design

    OpenAIRE

    Nergård, Henrik; Sandberg, Marcus; Larsson, Tobias

    2009-01-01

    In this paper a decision support tool with the focus on how to generate and visualize decision base coupled to the business agreement is outlined and discussed. Decision support tools for the early design phases are few and especially tools that visualize the readiness level of activities throughout the product life-cycle. Aiming for the sustainable society there is an indication that business-to-business manufacturers move toward providing a function rather than selling off the hardware and ...

  10. Computer Aided Design Tools for Extreme Environment Electronics, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This project aims to provide Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools for radiation-tolerant, wide-temperature-range digital, analog, mixed-signal, and radio-frequency...

  11. Design and application of a formal verification tool for VHDL designs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    John, Ajith K.; Bhattacharjee, A.K.; Sharma, Mukesh; Ganesh, G.; Dhodapkar, S.D.; Biswas, B.B.

    2012-01-01

    The design of Control and Instrumentation (C and I) systems used in safety critical applications such as nuclear power plants involves partitioning of the overall system functionality into subparts and implementing each subpart in hardware and/or software as appropriate. With increasing use of programmable devices like FPGA, the hardware subsystems are often implemented in Hardware Description Languages (HDL) like VHDL. Since the functional bugs in such hardware subsystems used in safety critical C and I systems have disastrous consequences, it is important to use rigorous reasoning to verify the functionalities of the HDL models. Work on developing a software tool named VBMC (VHDL Bounded Model Checker) for mathematically proving functional properties of hardware designs described in VHDL has been described. It is based on the principle of bounded model checking. Although the design of VBMC is still evolving, it is currently also being used for the functional verification of FPGA based intelligent I/O (EHS) boards developed in Reactor Control Division, BARC

  12. The Design of Tools for Sketching Sensor-Based Interaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brynskov, Martin; Lunding, Rasmus; Vestergaard, Lasse Steenbock

    2012-01-01

    In this paper we motivate, present, and give an initial evaluation of DUL Radio, a small wireless toolkit for sketching sensor-based interaction. In the motivation, we discuss the purpose of this specific platform, which aims to balance ease-of-use (learning, setup, initialization), size, speed......, flexibility and cost, aimed at wearable and ultra-mobile prototyping where fast reaction is needed (e.g. in controlling sound), and we discuss the general issues facing this category of embodied interaction design tools. We then present the platform in more detail, both regarding hard- ware and software....... In the brief evaluation, we present our initial experiences with the platform both in design projects and in teaching. We conclude that DUL Radio does seem to be a relatively easy-to-use tool for sketching sensor-based interaction compared to other solutions, but that there are many ways to improve it. Target...

  13. A Method for Design of Modular Reconfigurable Machine Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengyi Xu

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Presented in this paper is a method for the design of modular reconfigurable machine tools (MRMTs. An MRMT is capable of using a minimal number of modules through reconfiguration to perform the required machining tasks for a family of parts. The proposed method consists of three steps: module identification, module determination, and layout synthesis. In the first step, the module components are collected from a family of general-purpose machines to establish a module library. In the second step, for a given family of parts to be machined, a set of needed modules are selected from the module library to construct a desired reconfigurable machine tool. In the third step, a final machine layout is decided though evaluation by considering a number of performance indices. Based on this method, a software package has been developed that can design an MRMT for a given part family.

  14. Development of a software tool and criteria evaluation for efficient design of small interfering RNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chaudhary, Aparna; Srivastava, Sonam; Garg, Sanjeev

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → The developed tool predicted siRNA constructs with better thermodynamic stability and total score based on positional and other criteria. → Off-target silencing below score 30 were observed for the best siRNA constructs for different genes. → Immunostimulation and cytotoxicity motifs considered and penalized in the developed tool. → Both positional and compositional criteria were observed to be important. -- Abstract: RNA interference can be used as a tool for gene silencing mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNA). The critical step in effective and specific RNAi processing is the selection of suitable constructs. Major design criteria, i.e., Reynolds's design rules, thermodynamic stability, internal repeats, immunostimulatory motifs were emphasized and implemented in the siRNA design tool. The tool provides thermodynamic stability score, GC content and a total score based on other design criteria in the output. The viability of the tool was established with different datasets. In general, the siRNA constructs produced by the tool had better thermodynamic score and positional properties. Comparable thermodynamic scores and better total scores were observed with the existing tools. Moreover, the results generated had comparable off-target silencing effect. Criteria evaluations with additional criteria were achieved in WEKA.

  15. Seafloor identification in sonar imagery via simulations of Helmholtz equations and discrete optimization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engquist, Björn; Frederick, Christina; Huynh, Quyen; Zhou, Haomin

    2017-06-01

    We present a multiscale approach for identifying features in ocean beds by solving inverse problems in high frequency seafloor acoustics. The setting is based on Sound Navigation And Ranging (SONAR) imaging used in scientific, commercial, and military applications. The forward model incorporates multiscale simulations, by coupling Helmholtz equations and geometrical optics for a wide range of spatial scales in the seafloor geometry. This allows for detailed recovery of seafloor parameters including material type. Simulated backscattered data is generated using numerical microlocal analysis techniques. In order to lower the computational cost of the large-scale simulations in the inversion process, we take advantage of a pre-computed library of representative acoustic responses from various seafloor parameterizations.

  16. SSME Investment in Turbomachinery Inducer Impeller Design Tools and Methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zoladz, Thomas; Mitchell, William; Lunde, Kevin

    2010-01-01

    Within the rocket engine industry, SSME turbomachines are the de facto standards of success with regard to meeting aggressive performance requirements under challenging operational environments. Over the Shuttle era, SSME has invested heavily in our national inducer impeller design infrastructure. While both low and high pressure turbopump failures/anomaly resolution efforts spurred some of these investments, the SSME program was a major benefactor of key areas of turbomachinery inducer-impeller research outside of flight manifest pressures. Over the past several decades, key turbopump internal environments have been interrogated via highly instrumented hot-fire and cold-flow testing. Likewise, SSME has sponsored the advancement of time accurate and cavitating inducer impeller computation fluid dynamics (CFD) tools. These investments together have led to a better understanding of the complex internal flow fields within aggressive high performing inducers and impellers. New design tools and methodologies have evolved which intend to provide confident blade designs which strike an appropriate balance between performance and self induced load management.

  17. A tool for early workstation design for small and medium enterprises evaluated in five cases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hallbeck, M.S.; Bosch, T.; Rhijn, J.W.van; Krause, F.; Looze, M.P.de; Vink, P.

    2010-01-01

    Five case studies on production line design were described to study the effect of an early design support tool. Based on these case studies, the simple, interactive, real-time, medium-fidelity, mixed-reality methodology was not only found to be a good early design stage evaluative tool for

  18. Design of Scalable and Effective Earth Science Collaboration Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maskey, M.; Ramachandran, R.; Kuo, K. S.; Lynnes, C.; Niamsuwan, N.; Chidambaram, C.

    2014-12-01

    Collaborative research is growing rapidly. Many tools including IDEs are now beginning to incorporate new collaborative features. Software engineering research has shown the effectiveness of collaborative programming and analysis. In particular, drastic reduction in software development time resulting in reduced cost has been highlighted. Recently, we have witnessed the rise of applications that allow users to share their content. Most of these applications scale such collaboration using cloud technologies. Earth science research needs to adopt collaboration technologies to reduce redundancy, cut cost, expand knowledgebase, and scale research experiments. To address these needs, we developed the Earth science collaboration workbench (CWB). CWB provides researchers with various collaboration features by augmenting their existing analysis tools to minimize learning curve. During the development of the CWB, we understood that Earth science collaboration tasks are varied and we concluded that it is not possible to design a tool that serves all collaboration purposes. We adopted a mix of synchronous and asynchronous sharing methods that can be used to perform collaboration across time and location dimensions. We have used cloud technology for scaling the collaboration. Cloud has been highly utilized and valuable tool for Earth science researchers. Among other usages, cloud is used for sharing research results, Earth science data, and virtual machine images; allowing CWB to create and maintain research environments and networks to enhance collaboration between researchers. Furthermore, collaborative versioning tool, Git, is integrated into CWB for versioning of science artifacts. In this paper, we present our experience in designing and implementing the CWB. We will also discuss the integration of collaborative code development use cases for data search and discovery using NASA DAAC and simulation of satellite observations using NASA Earth Observing System Simulation

  19. Structure for Categorization of EcoDesign Methods and Tools

    OpenAIRE

    Lindahl, Mattias; Ekermann, Sara

    2013-01-01

    This edited volume presents the proceedings of the 20th CIRP LCE Conference, which cover various areas in life cycle engineering such as life cycle design, end-of-life management, manufacturing processes, manufacturing systems, methods and tools for sustainability, social sustainability, supply chain management, remanufacturing,

  20. Software simulation: a tool for enhancing control system design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sze, B.; Ridgway, G.H.

    2008-01-01

    The creation, implementation and management of engineering design tools are important to the quality and efficiency of any large engineering project. Some of the most complicated tools to develop are system simulators. The development and implementation of system simulators to support replacement fuel handling control systems is of particular interest to the Canadian nuclear industry given the current age of installations and the risk of obsolescence to many utilities. The use of such simulator tools has been known to significantly improve successful deployment of new software packages and maintenance-related software changes while reducing the time required for their overall development. Moreover, these simulation systems can also serve as operator training stations and provide a virtual environment for site engineers to test operational changes before they are uploaded to the actual system. (author)

  1. Using ground-penetrating radar and sidescan sonar to compare lake bottom geology in New England

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nesbitt, I. M.; Campbell, S. W.; Arcone, S. A.; Smith, S. M.

    2017-12-01

    Post-Laurentide Ice Sheet erosion and re-deposition has had a significant influence on the geomorphology of New England. Anthropogenic activities such as forestry, farming, and construction of infrastructure such as dams and associated lake reservoirs, has further contributed to near surface changes. Unfortunately, these surface dynamics are difficult to constrain, both in space and time. One analog that can be used to estimate erosion and deposition, lake basin sedimentation, is typically derived from lake bottom sediment core samples. Reliance on core records assumes that derived sedimentation rates are representative of the broader watershed, despite being only a single point measurement. Geophysical surveys suggest that this assumption can be highly erroneous and unrepresentative of an entire lake basin. Herein, we conducted ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and side-scan sonar (SSS) surveys of multiple lakes in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont which are representative of different basin types to estimate sedimentation rates since Laurentide retreat. Subsequent age constraints from cores on multiple GPR-imaged horizons could be used to refine estimates of sedimentation rate change caused by evolving physical, biological, and chemical processes that control erosion, transport, and re-deposition. This presentation will provide a summary of GPR and SSS data collection methods, assumptions and limitations, structural and surficial interpretations, and key findings from multiple lake basins in New England. Results show that GPR and SSS are efficient, cost effective, and relatively accurate tools for helping to constrain lake erosion and deposition processes.

  2. On doing two things at once: dolphin brain and nose coordinate sonar clicks, buzzes and emotional squeals with social sounds during fish capture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ridgway, Sam; Samuelson Dibble, Dianna; Van Alstyne, Kaitlin; Price, DruAnn

    2015-12-01

    Dolphins fishing alone in open waters may whistle without interrupting their sonar clicks as they find and eat or reject fish. Our study is the first to match sound and video from the dolphin with sound and video from near the fish. During search and capture of fish, free-swimming dolphins carried cameras to record video and sound. A hydrophone in the far field near the fish also recorded sound. From these two perspectives, we studied the time course of dolphin sound production during fish capture. Our observations identify the instant of fish capture. There are three consistent acoustic phases: sonar clicks locate the fish; about 0.4 s before capture, the dolphin clicks become more rapid to form a second phase, the terminal buzz; at or just before capture, the buzz turns to an emotional squeal (the victory squeal), which may last 0.2 to 20 s after capture. The squeals are pulse bursts that vary in duration, peak frequency and amplitude. The victory squeal may be a reflection of emotion triggered by brain dopamine release. It may also affect prey to ease capture and/or it may be a way to communicate the presence of food to other dolphins. Dolphins also use whistles as communication or social sounds. Whistling during sonar clicking suggests that dolphins may be adept at doing two things at once. We know that dolphin brain hemispheres may sleep independently. Our results suggest that the two dolphin brain hemispheres may also act independently in communication. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  3. Tooling device design for vibration-assisted high speed shaping of PMMA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mostofa, Md. Golam; Noh, J. H.; Kim, H. Y.; Ahn, J. H.; Kang, D. B.

    2010-01-01

    PMMA optical components that are used as one of the most important parts of high precision equipment and machines are increasingly replacing the glass due to the various advantages of PMMA. Especially in Light Guide Panels, the PMMA sheet that is used in Liquid Crystal Displays plays an important role in scattering the incident light and requires very fine machining as the sheet is directly related to the optical characteristics of the panels. The High Speed End milling and High Speed Shaping processes that are widely adopted and applied to the precise machining of Light Incident Plane still have quality problems, such as cracks, breakages, poor waviness, and straightness. This paper presents the tooling device design for machining a Light Incident Plane through vibration-assisted High Speed Shaping for increasing the optical quality by minimizing the above-mentioned problems. The cutting tool and the tool post presented in this paper are designed by the authors to increase the magnitude of the cutting stroke by adopting the resonant frequency without weakening the stiffness and to reduce vibrations during even high speed feeding. The dynamic characteristics of the cutting tool and the tool post are evaluated through simulation and experiment as well. The results reveal very appropriate dynamic characteristics for vibration-assisted High Speed Shaping

  4. Rapid Design and Navigation Tools to Enable Small-Body Missions

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Rapid design and navigation tools broaden the number and scope of available missions by making the most of advances in astrodynamics and in computer software and...

  5. Cooling Systems Design in Hot Stamping Tools by a Thermal-Fluid-Mechanical Coupled Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tao Lin

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Hot stamping tools with cooling systems are the key facilities for hot stamping process of Ultrahigh strength steels (UHSS in automotive industry. Hot stamping tools have significant influence on the final microstructure and properties of the hot stamped parts. In serials production, the tools should be rapidly cooled by cooling water. Hence, design of hot stamping tools with cooling systems is important not only for workpieces of good quality but also for the tools with good cooling performance and long life. In this paper, a new multifield simulation method was proposed for the design of hot stamping tools with cooling system. The deformation of the tools was also analyzed by this method. Based on MpCCI (Mesh-based parallel Code Coupling Interface, thermal-fluid simulation and thermal-fluid-mechanical coupled simulation were performed. Subsequently, the geometrical parameters of the cooling system are investigated for the design. The results show that, both the distance between the ducts and the distance between the ducts and the tools loaded contour have significant influence on the quenching effect. And better quenching effect can be achieved with the shorter distance from the tool surface and with smaller distance between ducts. It is also shown that, thermal expansion is the main reason for deformation of the hot forming tools, which causes the distortion of the cooling ducts, and the stress concentration at corner of the ducts.

  6. Streamlining the Design-to-Build Transition with Build-Optimization Software Tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oberortner, Ernst; Cheng, Jan-Fang; Hillson, Nathan J; Deutsch, Samuel

    2017-03-17

    Scaling-up capabilities for the design, build, and test of synthetic biology constructs holds great promise for the development of new applications in fuels, chemical production, or cellular-behavior engineering. Construct design is an essential component in this process; however, not every designed DNA sequence can be readily manufactured, even using state-of-the-art DNA synthesis methods. Current biological computer-aided design and manufacture tools (bioCAD/CAM) do not adequately consider the limitations of DNA synthesis technologies when generating their outputs. Designed sequences that violate DNA synthesis constraints may require substantial sequence redesign or lead to price-premiums and temporal delays, which adversely impact the efficiency of the DNA manufacturing process. We have developed a suite of build-optimization software tools (BOOST) to streamline the design-build transition in synthetic biology engineering workflows. BOOST incorporates knowledge of DNA synthesis success determinants into the design process to output ready-to-build sequences, preempting the need for sequence redesign. The BOOST web application is available at https://boost.jgi.doe.gov and its Application Program Interfaces (API) enable integration into automated, customized DNA design processes. The herein presented results highlight the effectiveness of BOOST in reducing DNA synthesis costs and timelines.

  7. Innovative method for optimizing Side-Scan Sonar mapping: The blind band unveiled

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pergent, Gérard; Monnier, Briac; Clabaut, Philippe; Gascon, Gilles; Pergent-Martini, Christine; Valette-Sansevin, Audrey

    2017-07-01

    Over the past few years, the mapping of Mediterranean marine habitats has become a priority for scientists, environment managers and stakeholders, in particular in order to comply with European directives (Water Framework Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive) and to implement legislation to ensure their conservation. Side-scan sonar (SSS) is recognised as one of the most effective tool for underwater mapping. However, interpretation of acoustic data (sonograms) requires extensive field calibration and the ground-truthing process remains essential. Several techniques are commonly used, with sampling methods involving grabs, scuba diving observations or Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) underwater video recordings. All these techniques are time consuming, expensive and only provide sporadic informations. In the present study, the possibility of coupling a camera with a SSS and acquiring underwater videos in a continuous way has been tested. During the 'PosidCorse' oceanographic survey carried out along the eastern coast of Corsica, optical and acoustic data were respectively obtained using a GoPro™ camera and a Klein 3000™ SSS. Thereby, five profiles were performed between 10 and 50 m depth, corresponding to more than 20 km of data acquisition. The vertical images recorded with the camera fixed under the SSS and positioned facing downwards provided photo mosaics of very good quality corresponding to the entire sonograms's blind band. From the photo mosaics, 94% of the different bottom types and main habitats have been identified; specific structures linked to hydrodynamics conditions, anthropic and biological activities have also been observed as well as the substrate on which the Posidonia oceanica meadow grows. The association between acoustic data and underwater videos has proved to be a non-destructive and cost-effective method for ground-truthing in marine habitats mapping. Nevertheless, in order to optimize the results over the next surveys

  8. mos113_0401r.tif -- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-113-2004-01r in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (50-80 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2004 aboard the NOAA ship McArthurII.A Klein System...

  9. mos119_0601c.tif-- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-119-2006-01c in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (120-210 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in April 2006 aboard the NOAA ship McArthurII. A...

  10. mos113_0401d.tif -- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-113-2004-01d in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (120-350 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2004 aboard the NOAA ship McArthurII. A Klein...

  11. mos114_0402b.tif -- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-114-2004-02b in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar image of the sea floor was mosaiced from data collected in August 2004 onboard the NOAA vesselTatoosh. An EG&G 272 side scan system was used...

  12. mos119_0601a.tif-- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-119-2006-01a in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (90-270 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in April 2006 aboard the NOAA ship McArthurII.A Klein...

  13. mos118_0503a.tif -- Side scan sonar image from survey effort HMPR-118-2005-03a in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar imagery of the sea floor (140-350 m water depths) was mosaiced from acoustic data collected in 2005 aboard the NOAA ship McArthurII. A Klein...

  14. The relation between Arctic sea ice surface elevation and draft: A case study using coincident AUV sonar and airborne scanning laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Doble, Martin J.; Skourup, Henriette; Wadhams, Peter

    2011-01-01

    Data are presented from a survey by airborne scanning laser profilometer and an AUV-mounted, upward looking swath sonar in the spring Beaufort Sea. The air-snow (surface elevation) and water-ice (draft) surfaces were mapped at 1 x 1 m resolution over a 300 x 300 m area. Data were separated into l...

  15. WASP: a Web-based Allele-Specific PCR assay designing tool for detecting SNPs and mutations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Assawamakin Anunchai

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Allele-specific (AS Polymerase Chain Reaction is a convenient and inexpensive method for genotyping Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs and mutations. It is applied in many recent studies including population genetics, molecular genetics and pharmacogenomics. Using known AS primer design tools to create primers leads to cumbersome process to inexperience users since information about SNP/mutation must be acquired from public databases prior to the design. Furthermore, most of these tools do not offer the mismatch enhancement to designed primers. The available web applications do not provide user-friendly graphical input interface and intuitive visualization of their primer results. Results This work presents a web-based AS primer design application called WASP. This tool can efficiently design AS primers for human SNPs as well as mutations. To assist scientists with collecting necessary information about target polymorphisms, this tool provides a local SNP database containing over 10 million SNPs of various populations from public domain databases, namely NCBI dbSNP, HapMap and JSNP respectively. This database is tightly integrated with the tool so that users can perform the design for existing SNPs without going off the site. To guarantee specificity of AS primers, the proposed system incorporates a primer specificity enhancement technique widely used in experiment protocol. In particular, WASP makes use of different destabilizing effects by introducing one deliberate 'mismatch' at the penultimate (second to last of the 3'-end base of AS primers to improve the resulting AS primers. Furthermore, WASP offers graphical user interface through scalable vector graphic (SVG draw that allow users to select SNPs and graphically visualize designed primers and their conditions. Conclusion WASP offers a tool for designing AS primers for both SNPs and mutations. By integrating the database for known SNPs (using gene ID or rs number

  16. Bioinformatic tools and guideline for PCR primer design | Abd ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Bioinformatics has become an essential tool not only for basic research but also for applied research in biotechnology and biomedical sciences. Optimal primer sequence and appropriate primer concentration are essential for maximal specificity and efficiency of PCR. A poorly designed primer can result in little or no ...

  17. The Design of Tools for Sketching Sensor-Based Interaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brynskov, Martin; Lunding, Rasmus; Vestergaard, Lasse Steenbock

    2012-01-01

    , flexibility and cost, aimed at wearable and ultra-mobile prototyping where fast reaction is needed (e.g. in controlling sound), and we discuss the general issues facing this category of embodied interaction design tools. We then present the platform in more detail, both regarding hard- ware and software...

  18. Health impact assessment in planning: Development of the design for health HIA tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Forsyth, Ann; Slotterback, Carissa Schively; Krizek, Kevin J.

    2010-01-01

    How can planners more systematically incorporate health concerns into practical planning processes? This paper describes a suite of health impact assessment tools (HIAs) developed specifically for planning practice. Taking an evidence-based approach the tools are designed to fit into existing planning activities. The tools include: a short audit tool, the Preliminary Checklist; a structured participatory workshop, the Rapid HIA; an intermediate health impact assessment, the Threshold Analysis; and a set of Plan Review Checklists. This description provides a basis for future work including assessing tool validity, refining specific tools, and creating alternatives.

  19. Design and Analysis of a Collision Detector for Hybrid Robotic Machine Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan ZHANG

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Capacitive sensing depends on the physical parameter changing either the spacing between the two plates or the dielectric constant. Based on this idea, a capacitive based collision detection sensor is proposed and designed in this paper for the purpose of detecting any collision between the end effector and peripheral equipment (e.g., fixture for the three degrees of freedom hybrid robotic machine tools when it is in operation. One side of the finger-like capacitor is attached to the moving platform of the hybrid robotic manipulator and the other side of the finger-like capacitor is attached to the tool. When the tool accidently hits the peripheral equipment, the vibration will make the distance of the capacitor change and therefore trigger the machine to stop. The new design is illustrated and modelled. The capacitance, sensitivity and frequency response of the detector are analyzed in detail, and finally, the fabrication process is presented. The proposed collision detector can also be applied to other machine tools.

  20. Adobe creative cloud design tools all-in-one for dummies

    CERN Document Server

    Smith, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    Your all-in-one guide to Adobe's new Creative CloudPacked with more than a thousand pages of content, Adobe Creative Cloud All-in-One For Dummies is exactly what you need to get your head in the Creative Cloud. Written by designers for designers, this book is filled with useful information and expert instruction that spans eight minibooks to help you get started with Adobe Creative Cloud, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Photoshop CC, Acrobat XI, Dreamweaver CC, Flash Professional CC, and Fireworks CC. You'll learn the latest graphic design and web development tools, t

  1. Design and field test of collaborative tools in the service of an innovative organization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Beler, N.; Parfouru, S.

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents the design process of collaborative tools, based on ICT, aiming at supporting the tasks of the team that manages an outage of an energy production plant for maintenance activities. The design process follows an iterative and multidisciplinary approach, based on a collective tasks modeling of the outage management team in the light of Socio Organizational and Human (SOH) field studies, and on the state of the art of ICT. Field test of the collaborative tools designed plays a great place in this approach, allowing taking into account the operational world but involves also some risks which must be managed. To implement tools on all the production plants, we build an 'operational concept' with a level of description which authorizes the evolution of tools and allows some local adaptations. The field tests provide lessons on the ICT topics. For examples: the status of the remote access tools, the potential of use of a given information input by an actor for several individual and collective purposes, the actors perception of the tools meaning, and the requirements for supporting the implementation of change. (authors)

  2. Design of a Power Tool Attachment for Sawing Operation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mayur Appaiah

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available The Design of a Power Tool Attachment for Sawing Operation is discussed. First, the Target Specifications are established. The Design work is carried out, especially that of the Main Shaft and Support Tube. Calculations and Finite Element Analysis (FEA are also done. The Prototype is fabricated and assembled. The Testing of the prototype is done, by Sawing commercial plywood of maximum thickness 25mm. Weight of the Attachment is 1.3 kg, and the Machine is easy to use, benefitting unskilled users.

  3. The Application of Concurrent Engineering Tools and Design Structure Matrix in Designing Tire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginting, Rosnani; Fachrozi Fitra Ramadhan, T.

    2016-02-01

    The development of automobile industry in Indonesia is growing rapidly. This phenomenon causes companies related to the automobile industry such as tire industry must develop products based on customers’ needs and considering the timeliness of delivering the product to the customer. It could be reached by applying strategic planning in developing an integrated concept of product development. This research was held in PT. XYZ that applied the sequential approach in designing and developing products. The need to improve in one stage of product development could occur re-designing that needs longer time in developing a new product. This research is intended to get an integrated product design concept of tire pertaining to the customer's needs using Concurrent Engineering Tools by implementing the two-phased of product development. The implementation of Concurrent Engineering approach results in applying the stage of project planning, conceptual design, and product modules. The product modules consist of four modules that using Product Architecture - Design Structure Matrix to ease the designing process of new product development.

  4. Collaboratively Conceived, Designed and Implemented: Matching Visualization Tools with Geoscience Data Collections and Geoscience Data Collections with Visualization Tools via the ToolMatch Service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoebelheinrich, N. J.; Lynnes, C.; West, P.; Ferritto, M.

    2014-12-01

    Two problems common to many geoscience domains are the difficulties in finding tools to work with a given dataset collection, and conversely, the difficulties in finding data for a known tool. A collaborative team from the Earth Science Information Partnership (ESIP) has gotten together to design and create a web service, called ToolMatch, to address these problems. The team began their efforts by defining an initial, relatively simple conceptual model that addressed the two uses cases briefly described above. The conceptual model is expressed as an ontology using OWL (Web Ontology Language) and DCterms (Dublin Core Terms), and utilizing standard ontologies such as DOAP (Description of a Project), FOAF (Friend of a Friend), SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) and DCAT (Data Catalog Vocabulary). The ToolMatch service will be taking advantage of various Semantic Web and Web standards, such as OpenSearch, RESTful web services, SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) and SPARQL (Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language). The first version of the ToolMatch service was deployed in early fall 2014. While more complete testing is required, a number of communities besides ESIP member organizations have expressed interest in collaborating to create, test and use the service and incorporate it into their own web pages, tools and / or services including the USGS Data Catalog service, DataONE, the Deep Carbon Observatory, Virtual Solar Terrestrial Observatory (VSTO), and the U.S. Global Change Research Program. In this session, presenters will discuss the inception and development of the ToolMatch service, the collaborative process used to design, refine, and test the service, and future plans for the service.

  5. Use of Software Tools in Teaching Relational Database Design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McIntyre, D. R.; And Others

    1995-01-01

    Discusses the use of state-of-the-art software tools in teaching a graduate, advanced, relational database design course. Results indicated a positive student response to the prototype of expert systems software and a willingness to utilize this new technology both in their studies and in future work applications. (JKP)

  6. MURMoT: Design and Application of Microbial Uranium Reduction Monitoring Tools

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pennell, Kurt [Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States)

    2014-12-31

    The overarching project goal of the MURMoT project was the design of tools to elucidate the presence, abundance, dynamics, spatial distribution, and activity of metal- and radionuclide-transforming bacteria. To accomplish these objectives, an integrated approach that combined nucleic acid-based tools, proteomic workflows, uranium isotope measurements, and U(IV) speciation and structure analyses using the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory was developed.

  7. MURMoT: Design and Application of Microbial Uranium Reduction Monitoring Tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pennell, Kurt

    2014-01-01

    The overarching project goal of the MURMoT project was the design of tools to elucidate the presence, abundance, dynamics, spatial distribution, and activity of metal- and radionuclide-transforming bacteria. To accomplish these objectives, an integrated approach that combined nucleic acid-based tools, proteomic workflows, uranium isotope measurements, and U(IV) speciation and structure analyses using the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory was developed.

  8. TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR IMPROVING THE MODULAR FIXTURE DESIGN IN AUTODESK INVENTOR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PĂUNESCU Rodica

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The paper presents some strategies achieving significant productivity gains in modular fixture design like: intelligent tools iParts, iAssembly, iProperties, Constraint and Joint, Interference, Relationships tools, working with subassemblies, using Autodesk Inventor new releases. Another objective is to minimize modular fixture systems databases and to optimize searching and inserting components. All this techniques and tools are exemplified by a modular fixture based on grid patterns with multipurpose holes.

  9. iDoRNA: An Interacting Domain-based Tool for Designing RNA-RNA Interaction Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jittrawan Thaiprasit

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available RNA-RNA interactions play a crucial role in gene regulation in living organisms. They have gained increasing interest in the field of synthetic biology because of their potential applications in medicine and biotechnology. However, few novel regulators based on RNA-RNA interactions with desired structures and functions have been developed due to the challenges of developing design tools. Recently, we proposed a novel tool, called iDoDe, for designing RNA-RNA interacting sequences by first decomposing RNA structures into interacting domains and then designing each domain using a stochastic algorithm. However, iDoDe did not provide an optimal solution because it still lacks a mechanism to optimize the design. In this work, we have further developed the tool by incorporating a genetic algorithm (GA to find an RNA solution with maximized structural similarity and minimized hybridized RNA energy, and renamed the tool iDoRNA. A set of suitable parameters for the genetic algorithm were determined and found to be a weighting factor of 0.7, a crossover rate of 0.9, a mutation rate of 0.1, and the number of individuals per population set to 8. We demonstrated the performance of iDoRNA in comparison with iDoDe by using six RNA-RNA interaction models. It was found that iDoRNA could efficiently generate all models of interacting RNAs with far more accuracy and required far less computational time than iDoDe. Moreover, we compared the design performance of our tool against existing design tools using forty-four RNA-RNA interaction models. The results showed that the performance of iDoRNA is better than RiboMaker when considering the ensemble defect, the fitness score and computation time usage. However, it appears that iDoRNA is outperformed by NUPACK and RNAiFold 2.0 when considering the ensemble defect. Nevertheless, iDoRNA can still be an useful alternative tool for designing novel RNA-RNA interactions in synthetic biology research. The source code of i

  10. A Clinical Reasoning Tool for Virtual Patients: Design-Based Research Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hege, Inga; Kononowicz, Andrzej A; Adler, Martin

    2017-11-02

    Clinical reasoning is a fundamental process medical students have to learn during and after medical school. Virtual patients (VP) are a technology-enhanced learning method to teach clinical reasoning. However, VP systems do not exploit their full potential concerning the clinical reasoning process; for example, most systems focus on the outcome and less on the process of clinical reasoning. Keeping our concept grounded in a former qualitative study, we aimed to design and implement a tool to enhance VPs with activities and feedback, which specifically foster the acquisition of clinical reasoning skills. We designed the tool by translating elements of a conceptual clinical reasoning learning framework into software requirements. The resulting clinical reasoning tool enables learners to build their patient's illness script as a concept map when they are working on a VP scenario. The student's map is compared with the experts' reasoning at each stage of the VP, which is technically enabled by using Medical Subject Headings, which is a comprehensive controlled vocabulary published by the US National Library of Medicine. The tool is implemented using Web technologies, has an open architecture that enables its integration into various systems through an open application program interface, and is available under a Massachusetts Institute of Technology license. We conducted usability tests following a think-aloud protocol and a pilot field study with maps created by 64 medical students. The results show that learners interact with the tool but create less nodes and connections in the concept map than an expert. Further research and usability tests are required to analyze the reasons. The presented tool is a versatile, systematically developed software component that specifically supports the clinical reasoning skills acquisition. It can be plugged into VP systems or used as stand-alone software in other teaching scenarios. The modular design allows an extension with new

  11. Users’ perception of visual design and usefulness of a web-based educational tool

    OpenAIRE

    Sánchez Franco, Manuel Jesús; Villarejo Ramos, Ángel Francisco; Peral Peral, Begoña; Buitrago Esquinas, Eva María; Roldán Salgueiro, José Luis

    2012-01-01

    Our research has become increasingly aware of the relevance of visual design in understanding learners’ attitudes towards the use of virtual tools. Likewise, perceived usefulness is an essential antecedent of the cumulative impressions of and preferences for them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the main effects of visual design and usefulness on learning and productivity in the domain of web-based educational tools. A Structural Equation Modelling, specifically Partial Lea...

  12. Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool Development Using a Genetic Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pak, Chan-gi; Li, Wesley

    2009-01-01

    Multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization using a genetic algorithm is being developed at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, California) to automate analysis and design process by leveraging existing tools to enable true multidisciplinary optimization in the preliminary design stage of subsonic, transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic aircraft. This is a promising technology, but faces many challenges in large-scale, real-world application. This report describes current approaches, recent results, and challenges for multidisciplinary design, analysis, and optimization as demonstrated by experience with the Ikhana fire pod design.!

  13. Thinkering through Experiments: Nurturing Transdisciplinary Approaches to the Design of Testing Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathryn B. Francis

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available In order to assess and understand human behavior, traditional approaches to experimental design incorporate testing tools that are often artificial and devoid of corporeal features. Whilst these offer experimental control in situations in which, methodologically, real behaviors cannot be examined, there is increasing evidence that responses given in these contextually deprived experiments fail to trigger genuine responses. This may result from a lack of consideration regarding the material makeup and associations connected with the fabric of experimental tools. In a two-year collaboration, we began to experiment with the physicality of testing tools using the domain of moral psychology as a case study. This collaboration involved thinkering and prototyping methods that included direct contact and consideration of the materials involved in experimentation. Having explored the embodied nature of morality, we combined approaches from experimental psychology, moral philosophy, design thinking, and computer science to create a new testing tool for simulated moral behavior. Although the testing tool itself generated fruitful results, this paper considers the collaborative methodology through which it was produced as a route to highlight material questions within psychological research.

  14. Colossal Tooling Design: 3D Simulation for Ergonomic Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Steve L.; Dischinger, Charles; Thomas, Robert E.; Babai, Majid

    2003-01-01

    The application of high-level 3D simulation software to the design phase of colossal mandrel tooling for composite aerospace fuel tanks was accomplished to discover and resolve safety and human engineering problems. The analyses were conducted to determine safety, ergonomic and human engineering aspects of the disassembly process of the fuel tank composite shell mandrel. Three-dimensional graphics high-level software, incorporating various ergonomic analysis algorithms, was utilized to determine if the process was within safety and health boundaries for the workers carrying out these tasks. In addition, the graphical software was extremely helpful in the identification of material handling equipment and devices for the mandrel tooling assembly/disassembly process.

  15. Implementation of straight and curved steel girder erection design tools construction : summary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-05

    Project 0-5574 Curved Plate Girder Design for Safe and Economical Construction, resulted in the : development of two design tools, UT Lift and UT Bridge. UT Lift is a spreadsheet-based program for analyzing : steel girders during lifting while ...

  16. Biomimetic Sonar for Electrical Activation of the Auditory Pathway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Menniti

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Relying on the mechanism of bat’s echolocation system, a bioinspired electronic device has been developed to investigate the cortical activity of mammals in response to auditory sensorial stimuli. By means of implanted electrodes, acoustical information about the external environment generated by a biomimetic system and converted in electrical signals was delivered to anatomically selected structures of the auditory pathway. Electrocorticographic recordings showed that cerebral activity response is highly dependent on the information carried out by ultrasounds and is frequency-locked with the signal repetition rate. Frequency analysis reveals that delta and beta rhythm content increases, suggesting that sensorial information is successfully transferred and integrated. In addition, principal component analysis highlights how all the stimuli generate patterns of neural activity which can be clearly classified. The results show that brain response is modulated by echo signal features suggesting that spatial information sent by biomimetic sonar is efficiently interpreted and encoded by the auditory system. Consequently, these results give new perspective in artificial environmental perception, which could be used for developing new techniques useful in treating pathological conditions or influencing our perception of the surroundings.

  17. The new designs of diamond drill bits for composite polymers tooling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruslan Yu. Melentiev

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The author explores the drilling operation of some new engineering materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP and other polymers that have an anisotropic structure, high-strength and elastic properties combined with low heat endurance. Such combination of properties makes impossible the simple transfer of the existing technologies for classic materials working to considered new class. At the same time, the existing tools cannot assure the specified quality of tooled products at the current productivity and tool life. Aim: The aim of this research is to increase the process efficiency of diamond drilling in composite polymers by developing the new designs of diamond drill bits. Materials and Methods: One of the most promising directions to solve this problem is the diamond coated abrasive type tool. This paper addresses and classifies the existing types of diamond drill bits according to their application and operation. The literature data analysis of known disadvantages during drilling operation, the quality of surface and joining face was performed. Results: The experimental researches of the author prove the negative meaning of the already known but kept out fact – the drill core blocking. The most important factors and structural features affecting the CFRP drilling process are revealed. The accounting of these factors allowed creating the set of unique designs of diamond drill bits for different purposes. The presented patented models has different allowance distribution schemes and cutting forces, thus satisfy the mechanical requirements of quality, productivity, tool life and hole geometry in the tooling of the specified material class.

  18. hab108_0201_east.tif -- Side scan sonar image (East mosaic) from survey effort HMPR-108-2002-01 in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This side scan sonar image of the sea floor (120-350 m water depths) was mosaiced from data collected in 2002.An Edgetech DF1000 side scan system was used for...

  19. DSC: software tool for simulation-based design of control strategies applied to wastewater treatment plants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruano, M V; Ribes, J; Seco, A; Ferrer, J

    2011-01-01

    This paper presents a computer tool called DSC (Simulation based Controllers Design) that enables an easy design of control systems and strategies applied to wastewater treatment plants. Although the control systems are developed and evaluated by simulation, this tool aims to facilitate the direct implementation of the designed control system to the PC of the full-scale WWTP (wastewater treatment plants). The designed control system can be programmed in a dedicated control application and can be connected to either the simulation software or the SCADA of the plant. To this end, the developed DSC incorporates an OPC server (OLE for process control) which facilitates an open-standard communication protocol for different industrial process applications. The potential capabilities of the DSC tool are illustrated through the example of a full-scale application. An aeration control system applied to a nutrient removing WWTP was designed, tuned and evaluated with the DSC tool before its implementation in the full scale plant. The control parameters obtained by simulation were suitable for the full scale plant with only few modifications to improve the control performance. With the DSC tool, the control systems performance can be easily evaluated by simulation. Once developed and tuned by simulation, the control systems can be directly applied to the full-scale WWTP.

  20. Logical Framework Analysis (LFA): An Essential Tool for Designing ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Evaluation of a project at any stage of its life cycle, especially at its planning stage, is necessary for its successful execution and completion. The Logical Framework Analysis or the Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is an essential tool in designing such evaluation because it is a process that serves as a reference guide in ...

  1. Echolocating bats emit a highly directional sonar sound beam in the field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Surlykke, Annemarie; Boel Pedersen, Simon; Jakobsen, Lasse

    2009-01-01

    Bats use echolocation or biosonar to navigate and find prey at night. They emit short ultrasonic calls and listen for reflected echoes. The beam width of the calls is central to the function of the sonar, but directionality of echolocation calls has never been measured from bats flying in the wild....... We used a microphone array to record sounds and determine horizontal directionality for echolocation calls of the trawling Daubenton's bat, Myotis daubentonii, flying over a pond in its natural habitat. Myotis daubentonii emitted highly directional calls in the field. Directionality increased...... and directionality can be explained by the simple piston model. The model also suggests that the increase in the emitted intensity in the field is caused by the increased directionality, focusing sound energy in the forward direction. The bat may increase directionality by opening the mouth wider to emit a louder...

  2. Development and Validation of a Hypersonic Vehicle Design Tool Based On Waverider Design Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dasque, Nastassja

    Methodologies for a tool capable of assisting design initiatives for practical waverider based hypersonic vehicles were developed and validated. The design space for vehicle surfaces was formed using an algorithm that coupled directional derivatives with the conservation laws to determine a flow field defined by a set of post-shock streamlines. The design space is used to construct an ideal waverider with a sharp leading edge. A blunting method was developed to modify the ideal shapes to a more practical geometry for real-world application. Empirical and analytical relations were then systematically applied to the resulting geometries to determine local pressure, skin-friction and heat flux. For the ideal portion of the geometry, flat plate relations for compressible flow were applied. For the blunted portion of the geometry modified Newtonian theory, Fay-Riddell theory and Modified Reynolds analogy were applied. The design and analysis methods were validated using analytical solutions as well as empirical and numerical data. The streamline solution for the flow field generation technique was compared with a Taylor-Maccoll solution and showed very good agreement. The relationship between the local Stanton number and skin friction coefficient with local Reynolds number along the ideal portion of the body showed good agreement with experimental data. In addition, an automated grid generation routine was formulated to construct a structured mesh around resulting geometries in preparation for Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. The overall analysis of the waverider body using the tool was then compared to CFD studies. The CFD flow field showed very good agreement with the design space. However, the distribution of the surface properties was near CFD results but did not have great agreement.

  3. A simulator-independent optimization tool based on genetic algorithm applied to nuclear reactor design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abreu Pereira, Claudio Marcio Nascimento do; Schirru, Roberto; Martinez, Aquilino Senra

    1999-01-01

    Here is presented an engineering optimization tool based on a genetic algorithm, implemented according to the method proposed in recent work that has demonstrated the feasibility of the use of this technique in nuclear reactor core designs. The tool is simulator-independent in the sense that it can be customized to use most of the simulators which have the input parameters read from formatted text files and the outputs also written from a text file. As the nuclear reactor simulators generally use such kind of interface, the proposed tool plays an important role in nuclear reactor designs. Research reactors may often use non-conventional design approaches, causing different situations that may lead the nuclear engineer to face new optimization problems. In this case, a good optimization technique, together with its customizing facility and a friendly man-machine interface could be very interesting. Here, the tool is described and some advantages are outlined. (author)

  4. Ares I-X Flight Test Validation of Control Design Tools in the Frequency-Domain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Matthew; Hannan, Mike; Brandon, Jay; Derry, Stephen

    2011-01-01

    A major motivation of the Ares I-X flight test program was to Design for Data, in order to maximize the usefulness of the data recorded in support of Ares I modeling and validation of design and analysis tools. The Design for Data effort was intended to enable good post-flight characterizations of the flight control system, the vehicle structural dynamics, and also the aerodynamic characteristics of the vehicle. To extract the necessary data from the system during flight, a set of small predetermined Programmed Test Inputs (PTIs) was injected directly into the TVC signal. These PTIs were designed to excite the necessary vehicle dynamics while exhibiting a minimal impact on loads. The method is similar to common approaches in aircraft flight test programs, but with unique launch vehicle challenges due to rapidly changing states, short duration of flight, a tight flight envelope, and an inability to repeat any test. This paper documents the validation effort of the stability analysis tools to the flight data which was performed by comparing the post-flight calculated frequency response of the vehicle to the frequency response calculated by the stability analysis tools used to design and analyze the preflight models during the control design effort. The comparison between flight day frequency response and stability tool analysis for flight of the simulated vehicle shows good agreement and provides a high level of confidence in the stability analysis tools for use in any future program. This is true for both a nominal model as well as for dispersed analysis, which shows that the flight day frequency response is enveloped by the vehicle s preflight uncertainty models.

  5. Evaluating a digital ship design tool prototype: Designers' perceptions of novel ergonomics software.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallam, Steven C; Lundh, Monica; MacKinnon, Scott N

    2017-03-01

    Computer-aided solutions are essential for naval architects to manage and optimize technical complexities when developing a ship's design. Although there are an array of software solutions aimed to optimize the human element in design, practical ergonomics methodologies and technological solutions have struggled to gain widespread application in ship design processes. This paper explores how a new ergonomics technology is perceived by naval architecture students using a mixed-methods framework. Thirteen Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Masters students participated in the study. Overall, results found participants perceived the software and its embedded ergonomics tools to benefit their design work, increasing their empathy and ability to understand the work environment and work demands end-users face. However, participant's questioned if ergonomics could be practically and efficiently implemented under real-world project constraints. This revealed underlying social biases and a fundamental lack of understanding in engineering postgraduate students regarding applied ergonomics in naval architecture. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Learning Asset Technology Integration Support Tool Design Document

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-11

    language known as Hypertext Preprocessor ( PHP ) and by MySQL – a relational database management system that can also be used for content management. It...Requirements The LATIST tool will be implemented utilizing a WordPress platform with MySQL as the database. Also the LATIST system must effectively work... MySQL . When designing the LATIST system there are several considerations which must be accounted for in the working prototype. These include: • DAU

  7. Research on Key Technologies of Unit-Based CNC Machine Tool Assembly Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhongqi Sheng

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Assembly is the part that produces the maximum workload and consumed time during product design and manufacturing process. CNC machine tool is the key basic equipment in manufacturing industry and research on assembly design technologies of CNC machine tool has theoretical significance and practical value. This study established a simplified ASRG for CNC machine tool. The connection between parts, semantic information of transmission, and geometric constraint information were quantified to assembly connection strength to depict the assembling difficulty level. The transmissibility based on trust relationship was applied on the assembly connection strength. Assembly unit partition based on assembly connection strength was conducted, and interferential assembly units were identified and revised. The assembly sequence planning and optimization of parts in each assembly unit and between assembly units was conducted using genetic algorithm. With certain type of high speed CNC turning center, as an example, this paper explored into the assembly modeling, assembly unit partition, and assembly sequence planning and optimization and realized the optimized assembly sequence of headstock of CNC machine tool.

  8. Higher-Order Statistics for the Detection of Small Objects in a Noisy Background Application on Sonar Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Amate

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available An original algorithm for the detection of small objects in a noisy background is proposed. Its application to underwater objects detection by sonar imaging is addressed. This new method is based on the use of higher-order statistics (HOS that are locally estimated on the images. The proposed algorithm is divided into two steps. In a first step, HOS (skewness and kurtosis are estimated locally using a square sliding computation window. Small deterministic objects have different statistical properties from the background they are thus highlighted. The influence of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR on the results is studied in the case of Gaussian noise. Mathematical expressions of the estimators and of the expected performances are derived and are experimentally confirmed. In a second step, the results are focused by a matched filter using a theoretical model. This enables the precise localization of the regions of interest. The proposed method generalizes to other statistical distributions and we derive the theoretical expressions of the HOS estimators in the case of a Weibull distribution (both when only noise is present or when a small deterministic object is present within the filtering window. This enables the application of the proposed technique to the processing of synthetic aperture sonar data containing underwater mines whose echoes have to be detected and located. Results on real data sets are presented and quantitatively evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC curves.

  9. Remediating a Design Tool: Implications of Digitizing Sticky Notes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Mads Møller; Rädle, Roman; Klokmose, Clemens Nylandsted

    2018-01-01

    digital sticky notes setup. The paper contributes with a nuanced understanding of what happens when remediating a physical design tool into digital space, by emphasizing focus shifts and breakdowns caused by the technology, but also benefits and promises inherent in the digital media. Despite users...... their use and understanding, yielding new concerns regarding cross-device transfer and collaboration....

  10. MODEST: a web-based design tool for oligonucleotide-mediated genome engineering and recombineering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bonde, Mads; Klausen, Michael Schantz; Anderson, Mads Valdemar

    2014-01-01

    Recombineering and multiplex automated genome engineering (MAGE) offer the possibility to rapidly modify multiple genomic or plasmid sites at high efficiencies. This enables efficient creation of genetic variants including both single mutants with specifically targeted modifications as well......, which confers the corresponding genetic change, is performed manually. To address these challenges, we have developed the MAGE Oligo Design Tool (MODEST). This web-based tool allows designing of MAGE oligos for (i) tuning translation rates by modifying the ribosomal binding site, (ii) generating...

  11. Engineering Design Tools for Shape Memory Alloy Actuators: CASMART Collaborative Best Practices and Case Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wheeler, Robert W.; Benafan, Othmane; Gao, Xiujie; Calkins, Frederick T; Ghanbari, Zahra; Hommer, Garrison; Lagoudas, Dimitris; Petersen, Andrew; Pless, Jennifer M.; Stebner, Aaron P.; hide

    2016-01-01

    The primary goal of the Consortium for the Advancement of Shape Memory Alloy Research and Technology (CASMART) is to enable the design of revolutionary applications based on shape memory alloy (SMA) technology. In order to help realize this goal and reduce the development time and required experience for the fabrication of SMA actuation systems, several modeling tools have been developed for common actuator types and are discussed herein along with case studies, which highlight the capabilities and limitations of these tools. Due to their ability to sustain high stresses and recover large deformations, SMAs have many potential applications as reliable, lightweight, solid-state actuators. Their advantage over classical actuators can also be further improved when the actuator geometry is modified to fit the specific application. In this paper, three common actuator designs are studied: wires, which are lightweight, low-profile, and easily implemented; springs, which offer actuation strokes upwards of 200 at reduced mechanical loads; and torque tubes, which can provide large actuation forces in small volumes and develop a repeatable zero-load actuation response (known as the two-way shape memory effect). The modeling frameworks, which have been implemented in the design tools, are developed for each of these frequently used SMA actuator types. In order to demonstrate the versatility and flexibility of the presented design tools, as well as validate their modeling framework, several design challenges were completed. These case studies include the design and development of an active hinge for the deployment of a solar array or foldable space structure, an adaptive solar array deployment and positioning system, a passive air temperature controller for regulation flow temperatures inside of a jet engine, and a redesign of the Corvette active hatch, which allows for pressure equalization of the car interior. For each of the presented case studies, a prototype or proof

  12. Electronic circuit design with HEP computational tools

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vaz, Mario

    1996-01-01

    CPSPICE is an electronic circuit statistical simulation program developed to run in a parallel environment under UNIX operating system and TCP/IP communications protocol, using CPS - Cooperative Processes Software , SPICE program and CERNLIB software package. It is part of a set of tools being develop, intended to help electronic engineers to design, model and simulate complex systems and circuits for High Energy Physics detectors, based on statistical methods, using the same software and methodology used by HEP physicists for data analysis. CPSPICE simulates electronic circuits by Monte Carlo method, through several different processes running simultaneously SPICE in UNIX parallel computers or workstation farms. Data transfer between CPS processes for a modified version of SPICE2G6 is done by RAM memory, but can also be done through hard disk files if no source files are available for the simulator, and for bigger simulation outputs files. Simulation results are written in a HBOOK file as a NTUPLE, to be examined by HBOOK in batch model or graphics, and analyzed by statistical procedures available. The HBOOK file be stored on hard disk for small amount of data, or into Exabyte tape file for large amount of data. HEP tools also helps circuit or component modeling, like MINUT program from CERNLIB, that implements Nelder and Mead Simplex and Gradient with or without derivatives algorithms, and can be used for design optimization.This paper presents CPSPICE program implementation. The scheme adopted is suitable to make parallel other electronic circuit simulators. (author)

  13. Methodologies and tools for proton beam design for lung tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moyers, Michael F.; Miller, Daniel W.; Bush, David A.; Slater, Jerry D.

    2001-01-01

    Purpose: Proton beams can potentially increase the dose delivered to lung tumors without increasing the dose to critical normal tissues because protons can be stopped before encountering the normal tissues. This potential can only be realized if tissue motion and planning uncertainties are correctly included during planning. This study evaluated several planning strategies to determine which method best provides adequate tumor coverage, minimal normal tissue irradiation, and simplicity of use. Methods and Materials: Proton beam treatment plans were generated using one or more of three different planning strategies. These strategies included designing apertures and boluses to the PTV, apertures to the PTV and boluses to the CTV, and aperture and bolus to the CTV. Results: The planning target volume as specified in ICRU Report 50 can be used only to design the lateral margins of beams, because the distal and proximal margins resulting from CT number uncertainty, beam range uncertainty, tissue motions, and setup uncertainties, are different than the lateral margins resulting from these same factors. The best strategy for target coverage with the planning tools available overirradiated some normal tissues unnecessarily. The available tools also made the planning of lung tumors difficult. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that inclusion of target motion and setup uncertainties into a plan should be performed in the beam design step instead of creating new targets. New computerized treatment planning system tools suggested by this study will ease planning, facilitate abandonment of the PTV concept, improve conformance of the dose distribution to the target, and improve conformal avoidance of critical normal tissues

  14. A Shape Optimization Study for Tool Design in Resistance Welding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bogomolny, Michael; Bendsøe, Martin P.; Hattel, Jesper Henri

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to apply shape optimization tools for design of resistance welding electrodes. The numerical simulation of the welding process has been performed by a simplified FEM model implemented in COMSOL. The design process is formulated as an optimization problem where...... the objective is to prolong the life-time of the electrodes. Welding parameters like current, time and electrode shape parameters are selected to be the design variables while constraints are chosen to ensure a high quality of the welding. Surrogate models based on a Kriging approximation has been used in order...

  15. Computational Tools for RF Structure Design

    CERN Document Server

    Jensen, E

    2004-01-01

    The Finite Differences Method and the Finite Element Method are the two principally employed numerical methods in modern RF field simulation programs. The basic ideas behind these methods are explained, with regard to available simulation programs. We then go through a list of characteristic parameters of RF structures, explaining how they can be calculated using these tools. With the help of these parameters, we introduce the frequency-domain and the time-domain calculations, leading to impedances and wake-fields, respectively. Subsequently, we present some readily available computer programs, which are in use for RF structure design, stressing their distinctive features and limitations. One final example benchmarks the precision of different codes for calculating the eigenfrequency and Q of a simple cavity resonator.

  16. Application of ICT tools in communicating information and knowledge to artisanal fishermen communities in Zanzibar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald Benard

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available This article assesses the application of ICT tools in communicating information and knowledge to artisanal fishermen communities in Zanzibar. The study was carried out in four purposefully selected wards in Unguja District in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The study involved a sample size of 80 respondents. Data were collected by using document reviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions and personal observations. Results showed that artisanal fishermen need information and knowledge on weather condition, modern fish capturing methods, market and marketing, fish preservation and processing. The study also found that mobile phones and radio are the most ICTs tools used by the artisanal fishermen. The findings also revealed that communicating information and knowledge through ICT tools was limited by lack of funds, poor network connectivity, lack of training and seminars on the use of ICTs in accessing information and poor coverage on radio and television transmission. It is therefore recommended that the government should support artisanal fishermen in acquiring some of the fishing gears and ICTs tools such as GPS and sonar through subsidizing them.

  17. Improved Design Tools for Surface Water and Standing Column Well Heat Pump Systems (DE-EE0002961)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Spitler, J. D.; Culling, J. R.; Conjeevaram, K.; Ramesh, M.; Selvakumar, M.

    2012-11-30

    Ground-source heat pump (GSHP) systems are perhaps the most widely used “sustainable” heating and cooling systems, with an estimated 1.7 million installed units with total installed heating capacity on the order of 18 GW. They are widely used in residential, commercial, and institutional buildings. Standing column wells (SCW) are one form of ground heat exchanger that, under the right geological conditions, can provide excellent energy efficiency at a relatively low capital cost. Closed-loop surface water heat pump (SWHP) systems utilize surface water heat exchangers (SWHE) to reject or extract heat from nearby surface water bodies. For building near surface water bodies, these systems also offer a high degree of energy efficiency at a low capital cost. However, there have been few design tools available for properly sizing standing column wells or surface water heat exchangers. Nor have tools for analyzing the energy consumption and supporting economics-based design decisions been available. The main contributions of this project lie in providing new tools that support design and energy analysis. These include a design tool for sizing surface water heat exchangers, a design tool for sizing standing column wells, a new model of surface water heat pump systems implemented in EnergyPlus and a new model of standing column wells implemented in EnergyPlus. These tools will better help engineers design these systems and determine the economic and technical feasibility.

  18. Materials modelling - a possible design tool for advanced nuclear applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffelner, W.; Samaras, M.; Bako, B.; Iglesias, R.

    2008-01-01

    The design of components for power plants is usually based on codes, standards and design rules or code cases. However, it is very difficult to get the necessary experimental data to prove these lifetime assessment procedures for long-term applications in environments where complex damage interactions (temperature, stress, environment, irradiation) can occur. The rules used are often very simple and do not have a basis which take physical damage into consideration. The linear life fraction rule for creep and fatigue interaction can be taken as a prominent example. Materials modelling based on a multi-scale approach in principle provides a tool to convert microstructural findings into mechanical response and therefore has the capability of providing a set of tools for the improvement of design life assessments. The strength of current multi-scale modelling efforts is the insight they offer as regards experimental phenomena. To obtain an understanding of these phenomena it is import to focus on issues which are important at the various time and length scales of the modelling code. In this presentation the multi-scale path will be demonstrated with a few recent examples which focus on VHTR applications. (authors)

  19. VisBOL: Web-Based Tools for Synthetic Biology Design Visualization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McLaughlin, James Alastair; Pocock, Matthew; Mısırlı, Göksel; Madsen, Curtis; Wipat, Anil

    2016-08-19

    VisBOL is a Web-based application that allows the rendering of genetic circuit designs, enabling synthetic biologists to visually convey designs in SBOL visual format. VisBOL designs can be exported to formats including PNG and SVG images to be embedded in Web pages, presentations and publications. The VisBOL tool enables the automated generation of visualizations from designs specified using the Synthetic Biology Open Language (SBOL) version 2.0, as well as a range of well-known bioinformatics formats including GenBank and Pigeoncad notation. VisBOL is provided both as a user accessible Web site and as an open-source (BSD) JavaScript library that can be used to embed diagrams within other content and software.

  20. Paper-based mixed reality sketch augmentation as a conceptual design support tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    dos Santos, G.J.D.; van Dijk, E.M.A.G.; Vyas, D.M.; Backwell, Alan

    2009-01-01

    This undergraduate student paper explores usage of mixed reality techniques as support tools for conceptual design. A proof-of-concept was developed to illustrate this principle. Using this as an example, a small group of designers was interviewed to determine their views on the use of this

  1. Examination of CRISPR/Cas9 design tools and the effect of target site accessibility on Cas9 activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Ciaran M; Davis, Timothy H; Bao, Gang

    2018-04-01

    What is the topic of this review? In this review, we analyse the performance of recently described tools for CRISPR/Cas9 guide RNA design, in particular, design tools that predict CRISPR/Cas9 activity. What advances does it highlight? Recently, many tools designed to predict CRISPR/Cas9 activity have been reported. However, the majority of these tools lack experimental validation. Our analyses indicate that these tools have poor predictive power. Our preliminary results suggest that target site accessibility should be considered in order to develop better guide RNA design tools with improved predictive power. The recent adaptation of the clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system for targeted genome engineering has led to its widespread application in many fields worldwide. In order to gain a better understanding of the design rules of CRISPR/Cas9 systems, several groups have carried out large library-based screens leading to some insight into sequence preferences among highly active target sites. To facilitate CRISPR/Cas9 design, these studies have spawned a plethora of guide RNA (gRNA) design tools with algorithms based solely on direct or indirect sequence features. Here, we demonstrate that the predictive power of these tools is poor, suggesting that sequence features alone cannot accurately inform the cutting efficiency of a particular CRISPR/Cas9 gRNA design. Furthermore, we demonstrate that DNA target site accessibility influences the activity of CRISPR/Cas9. With further optimization, we hypothesize that it will be possible to increase the predictive power of gRNA design tools by including both sequence and target site accessibility metrics. © 2017 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

  2. Framework for Multidisciplinary Analysis, Design, and Optimization with High-Fidelity Analysis Tools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orr, Stanley A.; Narducci, Robert P.

    2009-01-01

    A plan is presented for the development of a high fidelity multidisciplinary optimization process for rotorcraft. The plan formulates individual disciplinary design problems, identifies practical high-fidelity tools and processes that can be incorporated in an automated optimization environment, and establishes statements of the multidisciplinary design problem including objectives, constraints, design variables, and cross-disciplinary dependencies. Five key disciplinary areas are selected in the development plan. These are rotor aerodynamics, rotor structures and dynamics, fuselage aerodynamics, fuselage structures, and propulsion / drive system. Flying qualities and noise are included as ancillary areas. Consistency across engineering disciplines is maintained with a central geometry engine that supports all multidisciplinary analysis. The multidisciplinary optimization process targets the preliminary design cycle where gross elements of the helicopter have been defined. These might include number of rotors and rotor configuration (tandem, coaxial, etc.). It is at this stage that sufficient configuration information is defined to perform high-fidelity analysis. At the same time there is enough design freedom to influence a design. The rotorcraft multidisciplinary optimization tool is built and substantiated throughout its development cycle in a staged approach by incorporating disciplines sequentially.

  3. GIS tools for analyzing accidents and road design: A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Satria, R.

    2016-07-01

    A significant unexpected outcome of transportation systems is road accidents with injuries and loss of lives. In recent years, the number of studies about the tools for analyzing accidents and road design has increased considerably. Among these tools, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) stand out for their ability to perform complex spatial analyses. However, sometimes the GIS, has been used only as a geographical database to store and represent data about accidents and road characteristics. It has also been used to represent the results of statistical studies of accidents but, these statistical studies have not been carried out with GIS. Owing to its integrated statistical-analysis capabilities GIS provides several advantages. First, it allows a more careful and accurate data selection, screening and reduction. Also, it allows a spatial analysis of the results in pre and post-processing. Second, GIS allows the development of spatial statistics that rely on geographically-referenced data. In this paper, several GIS tools used to model accidents have been examined. The understanding of these tools will help the analyst to make a better decision about which tool could be applied in each particular condition and context. (Author)

  4. Design tool for offshore wind farm cluster planning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hasager, Charlotte Bay; Madsen, Peter Hauge; Giebel, Gregor

    2015-01-01

    In the framework of the FP7 project EERA DTOC: Design Tool for Offshore wind farm Cluster, a new software supporting the planning of offshore wind farms was developed, based on state-of-the-art approaches from large scale wind potential to economic benchmarking. The model portfolio includes WAs......P, FUGA, WRF, Net-Op, LCoE model, CorWind, FarmFlow, EeFarm and grid code compliance calculations. The development is done by members from European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and guided by several industrial partners. A commercial spin-off from the project is the tool ‘Wind & Economy’. The software...... by the software and several tests were performed. The calculations include the smoothing effect on produced energy between wind farms located in different regional wind zones and the short time scales relevant for assessing balancing power. The grid code compliance was tested for several cases and the results...

  5. Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parvez, M S; Shahriar, M M

    2018-01-01

    Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale). The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.

  6. Agricultural Farm-Related Injuries in Bangladesh and Convenient Design of Working Hand Tools

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. S. Parvez

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Injuries during cultivation of land are the significant causes of recession for an agricultural country like Bangladesh. Thousands of tools are used in agricultural farm having much probability of getting injury at their workplaces. For the injury prevention, proper hand tool designs need to be recommended with ergonomic evaluations. This paper represents the main causes of agricultural injuries among the Bangladeshi farmers. Effective interventions had been discussed in this paper to reduce the rate of injury. This study was carried out in the Panchagarh district of Bangladesh. Data on 434 agricultural injuries were collected and recorded. About 67% injuries of all incidents were due to hand tools, and the remaining 33% were due to machinery or other sources. Though most of the injuries were not serious, about 22% injuries were greater than or equal to AIS 2 (Abbreviated Injury Scale. The practical implication of this study is to design ergonomically fit agricultural hand tools for Bangladeshi farmers in order to avoid their injuries.

  7. New design-tools for energy efficient commercial buildings. Neue Planungsinstrumente fuer energiegerechte Verwaltungsgebaeude

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Erhorn, H [Fraunhofer-Inst. fuer Bauphysik, Stuttgart (Germany); Szerman, M [Fraunhofer-Inst. fuer Bauphysik, Stuttgart (Germany)

    1993-03-01

    Aim of SHC-Task 12 is to develop and hand out design tools to designers, architects and engineers for the integrated evaluation of daylighting and heating/cooling concepts on an early stage of the actual design process. Concerning the software for the lighting and daylighting evaluation, the following international validated programmes are used: SUPERLITE (Radiosity); RADIANCE (Raytracing); SUPERLINK (linkage between daylighting an energy analysis). The thermal and energetic behaviour of buildings can be analysed with the simulation tools: - SUNCODE; - TRNSYS; - tsbi. The input of the programmes is handled by a common CAD programme and special converters. The software package is produced in international collaboration and will be distributed in 1993. (orig./BWI)

  8. Development of hybrid lifecycle cost estimating tool (HLCET) for manufacturing influenced design tradeoff

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sirirojvisuth, Apinut

    In complex aerospace system design, making an effective design decision requires multidisciplinary knowledge from both product and process perspectives. Integrating manufacturing considerations into the design process is most valuable during the early design stages since designers have more freedom to integrate new ideas when changes are relatively inexpensive in terms of time and effort. Several metrics related to manufacturability are cost, time, and manufacturing readiness level (MRL). Yet, there is a lack of structured methodology that quantifies how changes in the design decisions impact these metrics. As a result, a new set of integrated cost analysis tools are proposed in this study to quantify the impacts. Equally important is the capability to integrate this new cost tool into the existing design methodologies without sacrificing agility and flexibility required during the early design phases. To demonstrate the applicability of this concept, a ModelCenter environment is used to develop software architecture that represents Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD) methodology used in several aerospace systems designs. The environment seamlessly integrates product and process analysis tools and makes effective transition from one design phase to the other while retaining knowledge gained a priori. Then, an advanced cost estimating tool called Hybrid Lifecycle Cost Estimating Tool (HLCET), a hybrid combination of weight-, process-, and activity-based estimating techniques, is integrated with the design framework. A new weight-based lifecycle cost model is created based on Tailored Cost Model (TCM) equations [3]. This lifecycle cost tool estimates the program cost based on vehicle component weights and programmatic assumptions. Additional high fidelity cost tools like process-based and activity-based cost analysis methods can be used to modify the baseline TCM result as more knowledge is accumulated over design iterations. Therefore, with this

  9. MATHEMATICS COURSES AND NEW EMERGING DESIGN TOOL AN OVERVIEW OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aswin Indraprastha

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the beginning, mathematics courses are inherent within architecture education. In Indonesia, the legacy from Dutch education system has influenced most of the architectural schools and this courses stand as one of basic engineering courses for architecture education system. This situation has been remaining well adopted until recently, some of architectural schools are tailoring mathematics to shape with contemporary challenges particularly regards to the digital tools. This paper aims to present brief information about mathematics courses in architectural schools in Indonesia, the importance of mathematics in learning digital design tools and propose thoughts to upgrade mathematics content in architectural education towards new emerging design tools.

  10. Multi-diameter pigging: factors affecting the design and selection of pigging tools for multi-diameter pipelines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dawson, Karl [Pipeline Engineering and Supply Co. Ltd., Richmond, NY (United States)

    2009-07-01

    This paper will consider the process involved in pigging tool selection for pipelines with two or more significant internal diameters which require pigging tools capable of negotiating the different internal diameters whilst also carrying out the necessary pipeline cleaning operation. The paper will include an analysis of pipeline features that affect pigging tool selection and then go on to look at other variables that determine the pigging tool design; this will include a step by step guide outlining how the tool is designed, the development of prototype pigs and the importance of testing and validation prior to final deployment in operational pigging programmes. (author)

  11. Predictive tools for designing new insulins and treatment regimens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Klim, Søren

    The thesis deals with the development of "Predictive tools for designing new insulins and treatments regimens" and consists of two parts: A model based approach for bridging properties of new insulin analogues from glucose clamp experiments to meal tolerance tests (MTT) and a second part that des......The thesis deals with the development of "Predictive tools for designing new insulins and treatments regimens" and consists of two parts: A model based approach for bridging properties of new insulin analogues from glucose clamp experiments to meal tolerance tests (MTT) and a second part...... that describes an implemented software program able to handle stochastic differential equations (SDEs) with mixed effects. The thesis is supplemented with scientific papers published during the PhD. Developing an insulin analogue from candidate molecule to a clinical drug consists of a development programme...... and efficacy are investigated. Numerous methods are used to quantify dose and efficacy in Phase II - especially of interest is the 24-hour meal tolerance test as it tries to portray near normal living conditions. Part I describes an integrated model for insulin and glucose which is aimed at simulating 24-hour...

  12. TNO-ADVANCE: a modular power train simulation and design tool

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Venne, J.W.C. van de; Hendriksen, P.; Smokers, R.T.M.; Verkiel, M.

    1998-01-01

    To support its activities in the field of conventional and hybrid vehicles, TNO has developed ADVANCE, a modular simulation tool for the design and evaluation of advanced power trains. In this paper the various features and the potential of ADVANCE are described and illustrated by means of two case

  13. Design tool for the thermal energy potential of asphalt pavements

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Loomans, M.G.L.C.; Oversloot, H.P.; Bondt, A. de; Jansen, R.; Rij, H. van

    2003-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a design tool for the calculation of the thermal energy potential of a so-called asphalt collector. Two types of numerical models have been developed and validated against experimental results from a full-scale test-site. The validation showed to be a tedious

  14. Designing appropriate complementary feeding recommendations: tools for programmatic action.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daelmans, Bernadette; Ferguson, Elaine; Lutter, Chessa K; Singh, Neha; Pachón, Helena; Creed-Kanashiro, Hilary; Woldt, Monica; Mangasaryan, Nuné; Cheung, Edith; Mir, Roger; Pareja, Rossina; Briend, André

    2013-09-01

    Suboptimal complementary feeding practices contribute to a rapid increase in the prevalence of stunting in young children from age 6 months. The design of effective programmes to improve infant and young child feeding requires a sound understanding of the local situation and a systematic process for prioritizing interventions, integrating them into existing delivery platforms and monitoring their implementation and impact. The identification of adequate food-based feeding recommendations that respect locally available foods and address gaps in nutrient availability is particularly challenging. We describe two tools that are now available to strengthen infant and young child-feeding programming at national and subnational levels. ProPAN is a set of research tools that guide users through a step-by-step process for identifying problems related to young child nutrition; defining the context in which these problems occur; formulating, testing, and selecting behaviour-change recommendations and nutritional recipes; developing the interventions to promote them; and designing a monitoring and evaluation system to measure progress towards intervention goals. Optifood is a computer-based platform based on linear programming analysis to develop nutrient-adequate feeding recommendations at lowest cost, based on locally available foods with the addition of fortified products or supplements when needed, or best recommendations when the latter are not available. The tools complement each other and a case study from Peru illustrates how they have been used. The readiness of both instruments will enable partners to invest in capacity development for their use in countries and strengthen programmes to address infant and young child feeding and prevent malnutrition. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Integration of numerical analysis tools for automated numerical optimization of a transportation package design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Witkowski, W.R.; Eldred, M.S.; Harding, D.C.

    1994-01-01

    The use of state-of-the-art numerical analysis tools to determine the optimal design of a radioactive material (RAM) transportation container is investigated. The design of a RAM package's components involves a complex coupling of structural, thermal, and radioactive shielding analyses. The final design must adhere to very strict design constraints. The current technique used by cask designers is uncoupled and involves designing each component separately with respect to its driving constraint. With the use of numerical optimization schemes, the complex couplings can be considered directly, and the performance of the integrated package can be maximized with respect to the analysis conditions. This can lead to more efficient package designs. Thermal and structural accident conditions are analyzed in the shape optimization of a simplified cask design. In this paper, details of the integration of numerical analysis tools, development of a process model, nonsmoothness difficulties with the optimization of the cask, and preliminary results are discussed

  16. IT-tools for Mechatronic System Engineering and Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Conrad, Finn; Sørensen, Torben; Andersen, T. O.

    2003-01-01

    Companies are facing the on-going challenge that customers always increase their needs for capability of products and machinery. They want improved productivity and efficiency - if possible to lower prices; value for money. The demands often focus on extensions of functionality, faster response......, operation capability, man-machine interface (MMI), robustness, reliability and safety in use. Information Technology (IT) offers both software and hardware for improvement of the engineering design and industrial applications. The latest progress in IT makes integration of an overall design...... the Esprit project SWING on IT-tools for rapid prototyping of fluid power components and systems. A mechatronic test facility for a hydraulic robot and a CNC XY-machine table was implemented. The controller applies digital signal processors (DSPs). The DSP controller utilizes the dSPACE System suitable...

  17. TESPI (Tool for Environmental Sound Product Innovation): a simplified software tool to support environmentally conscious design in SMEs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misceo, Monica; Buonamici, Roberto; Buttol, Patrizia; Naldesi, Luciano; Grimaldi, Filomena; Rinaldi, Caterina

    2004-12-01

    TESPI (Tool for Environmental Sound Product Innovation) is the prototype of a software tool developed within the framework of the "eLCA" project. The project, (www.elca.enea.it)financed by the European Commission, is realising "On line green tools and services for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs)". The implementation by SMEs of environmental product innovation (as fostered by the European Integrated Product Policy, IPP) needs specific adaptation to their economic model, their knowledge of production and management processes and their relationships with innovation and the environment. In particular, quality and costs are the main driving forces of innovation in European SMEs, and well known barriers exist to the adoption of an environmental approach in the product design. Starting from these considerations, the TESPI tool has been developed to support the first steps of product design taking into account both the quality and the environment. Two main issues have been considered: (i) classic Quality Function Deployment (QFD) can hardly be proposed to SMEs; (ii) the environmental aspects of the product life cycle need to be integrated with the quality approach. TESPI is a user friendly web-based tool, has a training approach and applies to modular products. Users are guided through the investigation of the quality aspects of their product (customer"s needs and requirements fulfilment) and the identification of the key environmental aspects in the product"s life cycle. A simplified check list allows analyzing the environmental performance of the product. Help is available for a better understanding of the analysis criteria. As a result, the significant aspects for the redesign of the product are identified.

  18. Design and simulation of thermal residual stresses of coatings on WC-Co cemented carbide cutting tool substrate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Anhai; Zhao, Jun; Zang, Jian; Zheng, Wei

    2016-01-01

    Large thermal residual stresses in coatings during the coating deposition process may easily lead to coating delamination of coated carbide tools in machining. In order to reduce the possibility of coating delamination during the tool failure process, a theoretical method was proposed and a numerical method was constructed for the coating design of WC-Co cemented carbide cutting tools. The thermal residual stresses of multi-layered coatings were analytically modeled based on equivalent parameters of coating properties, and the stress distribution of coatings are simulated by Finite element method (FEM). The theoretically calculated results and the FEM simulated results were verified and in good agreement with the experimental test results. The effects of coating thickness, tool substrate, coating type and interlayer were investigated by the proposed geometric and FEM model. Based on the evaluations of matchability of tool substrate and tool coatings, the basic principles of tool coating design were proposed. This provides theoretical basis for the selection and design of coatings of cutting tools in high-speed machining

  19. A Combinational Digital Logic Design Tool for Practice and Assessment in Engineering Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rasha Morsi

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available As technology advances, computers are being used almost everywhere. In a 2013 US Census report (File and Ryan, 2014, 83.8% (up from 78.9% in 2012 of U.S. households reported owning a computer with 74.4% reporting internet use (73.4% high speed internet. In recent years, the shift in educational technologies has been moving towards gaming, more specifically serious gaming. Although this is an important trend, there is still much to be said about e-learning through a step-by-step interactive process using an online practice tool. This paper presents a detailed description of the Combinational Logic Design Tool (CLDT (Morsi and Russell (2007. CLDT was designed and developed under the CCLI project, #0737242, funded by the National Science Foundation, which aimed to develop and disseminate a novel online practice tool for on demand review and assessment in Electrical and Computer Engineering education. The paper also reports on a formal assessment conducted in a Digital Logic Design Classroom and presents the results of this assessment.

  20. A Design Tool for Matching UAV Propeller and Power Plant Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mangio, Arion L.

    A large body of knowledge is available for matching propellers to engines for large propeller driven aircraft. Small UAV's and model airplanes operate at much lower Reynolds numbers and use fixed pitch propellers so the information for large aircraft is not directly applicable. A design tool is needed that takes into account Reynolds number effects, allows for gear reduction, and the selection of a propeller optimized for the airframe. The tool developed in this thesis does this using propeller performance data generated from vortex theory or wind tunnel experiments and combines that data with an engine power curve. The thrust, steady state power, RPM, and tip Mach number vs. velocity curves are generated. The Reynolds number vs. non dimensional radial station at an operating point is also found. The tool is then used to design a geared power plant for the SAE Aero Design competition. To measure the power plant performance, a purpose built engine test stand was built. The characteristics of the engine test stand are also presented. The engine test stand was then used to characterize the geared power plant. The power plant uses a 26x16 propeller, 100/13 gear ratio, and an LRP 0.30 cubic inch engine turning at 28,000 RPM and producing 2.2 HP. Lastly, the measured power plant performance is presented. An important result is that 17 lbf of static thrust is produced.

  1. A basic tool for computer-aided sail design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thrasher, D.F.; Dunyak, T.J.; Mook, D.T.; Nayfeh, A.H.

    1985-01-01

    Recent developments in modelling lifting surfaces have provided a tool that also can be used to model sails. The simplest of the adequate models is the vortex-lattice method. This method can fully account for the aerodynamic interactions among several lifting surfaces having arbitrary platforms, camber, and twist as long as separation occurs only along the edges and the phenomenon known as vortex bursting does not occur near the sails. This paper describes this method and how it can be applied to the design of sails

  2. mos115_0403.TIF -- Multibeam backscatter sonar image for the nearshore Cape Flattery area: Data from survey effort HMPR-115-2004-03 in the Olympic Coast national marine sanctuary.

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This multibeam backscatter sonar image of the sea floor (0-200 m water depths) was mosaiced from data collected fromvarious mapping efforts each October from...

  3. A Bird's-eye View with X-ray Vision: Remote-sensing tools to Monitor Reach-scale Response to Dam Removal on the Elwha River

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ritchie, A. C.

    2012-12-01

    Repeat digital surface models, orthoimagery and sidescan sonar data are being generated to monitor river response to the largest dam removal and controlled sediment release in history on the Elwha River, on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. These products are generated using low-cost readily-available tools to collect data at a spatial and temporal scale that provides important insight into effects of base-level change, sediment release, and discrete hydrologic events on erosion of reservoir sediments, downstream sediment transport, and channel evolution above and below the dam sites. In combination, these products provide a view above and below the water surface to changes in sediment composition and morphology that other methods cannot capture at this spatial scale and both spatial and temporal resolution. Orthoimagery is developed from still images collected with a plane-mounted point-and-shoot camera using customized firmware from the open-source Canon Hack Development Kit (CHDK) with a total hardware cost of about $300 USD. Images are processed using structure-from-motion algorithms. Several software options are available. Sonar data are collected from a raft-mounted platform using a high-resolution 990 KHz Starfish sidescan sonar, with a water-resistant topside enclosure holding top-side electronics. A steerable pole-mount was developed for this application to allow the sidescan to to remain oriented in the direction of motion-over-ground.; Surface reconstruction from aerial images collected during Elwha dam removal project. ; bedforms near Elwha Sediment Treatment Plant from sediment released from Lake Aldwell, surveyed 12 July 2012.

  4. Integrated Design and Analysis Tools for Reduced Weight, Affordable Fiber Steered Composites

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Hale, Richard

    2004-01-01

    This report describes geometric design tools which encompass the overall process flow for fiber placed and fiber steered structures, to allow parallel considerations for manufacturability and mechanical performance...

  5. A novel gripper design for multi hand tools grasping under tight clearance constraints and external torque effect

    KAUST Repository

    Shaqura, Mohammad; Shamma, Jeff S.

    2017-01-01

    A robotic multi tool gripper design and implementation is presented in this paper. The proposed design targets applications where an actuation task is performed using a wide selection of standard hand tools. The manipulation motion is assumed

  6. Advantages of using 3D design tools in the nuclear power plants projects

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roldan, P.; Melendro, J.; Gomez, A.; Hermana, I.

    2011-01-01

    It there is anything that distinguished Iberdrola Ingeneria y Construccion, as part of the Iberdrola Group, it is its firm commitment to innovation and continuous improvement. This is the philosophy that led the company to its interest in three-dimensional design tools back when they were in an early stage of development : very little international implementation, lack of integration with other applications, absence of previous experiences to understand the best possible configuration for each case, etc. Nevertheless, the company was able to see the tremendous advantage of having a construction program in the early months of a project- a detailed program that could predict, and therefore avoid, the problems that, if not anticipated, would arise in the construction phase when they result in higher costs, longer timeframes and a multitude of complications. This is precisely what 3D design tools offer prediction and this has been proven in the latest combined cycle projects executed with these tools. A project executed without errors not only decreases cost and time overruns, but also necessarily increases the quality of the end result. Efficiency and quality: these are both basic goals of Iberdrola Ingenieria y Construccion. The knowledge of and skill in the use of these tools have grown at the same time that their development has reached increasingly higher levels. As a result, Iberdrola Ingenieria y Conctruccion now has extensive experience in the use of 3D design tools and is prepared for the future challenges posed by these tools, the capabilities of which have attained such heights that it is possible to take on one of the most technically challenging projects that exists a nuclear power plant. And we are ready. (Author)

  7. Tools and procedures for a “maintenance oriented” design for buildings of worship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cinzia Talamo

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes the results, achieved in the first year, of a three years research dealing with the themes connected with the methods and the tools for planned maintenance and concerning the proposal of a system of supports for a design “maintenance oriented”. The starting hypothesis is that most of maintenance problems emerging during the life time of a building are due to a lack of attention towards the use phase that both clients and designers demonstrate. Starting from this point of view the aim of the research was to develop and to check a system of supports, useful both for clients and for designs of buildings of worship, consisting in guide lines, procedures and evaluation tools, graduate according to the different steps of design process and carried out in order to assume and to verify the requirement of maintainability.

  8. Designing a tool for curriculum leadership development in postgraduate programs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Avizhgan

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Leadership in the area of curriculum development is increasingly important as we look for ways to improve our programmes and practices. In curriculum studies, leadership has received little attention. Considering the lack of an evaluation tool with objective criteria in postgraduate curriculum leadership process, this study aimed to design a specific tool and determine the validity and reliability of the tool. Method: This study is a methodological research.  At first, domains and items of the tool were determined through expert interviews and literature review. Then, using Delphi technique, 54 important criteria were developed. A panel of experts was used to confirm content and face validity. Reliability was determined by a descriptive study in which 30 faculties from two of Isfahan universities and was estimated by internal consistency. The data were analyzed by SPSS software, using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and reliability analysis. Results: At first, considering the definition of curriculum leadership determined the domains and items of the tool and they were developed primary tool. Expert’s faculties’ views were used in deferent stages of development and psychometry. The tool internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha coefficient times was 96.5. This was determined for each domain separately. Conclution: Applying this instrument can improve the effectiveness of curriculum leadership. Identifying the characteristics of successful and effective leaders, and utilizing this knowledge in developing and implementing curriculum might help us to have better respond to the changing needs of our students, teachers and schools of tomorrow.

  9. An evaluation of software tools for the design and development of cockpit displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellis, Thomas D., Jr.

    1993-01-01

    The use of all-glass cockpits at the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) simulation facility has changed the means of design, development, and maintenance of instrument displays. The human-machine interface has evolved from a physical hardware device to a software-generated electronic display system. This has subsequently caused an increased workload at the facility. As computer processing power increases and the glass cockpit becomes predominant in facilities, software tools used in the design and development of cockpit displays are becoming both feasible and necessary for a more productive simulation environment. This paper defines LaRC requirements of a display software development tool and compares two available applications against these requirements. As a part of the software engineering process, these tools reduce development time, provide a common platform for display development, and produce exceptional real-time results.

  10. Rivalry between the collective use of IT tools and working methods of design teams

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Otter, den A.F.H.J.; Pels, H.J.

    2008-01-01

    Nowadays a high variety of IT tools is available for communication purposes in design processes on individual and group level. Despite this, the exchange and sharing of design documents collectively in design and engineering teams might be limited mainly, due to habits, preferences, working methods

  11. Design of Contactlessly Powered and Piezoelectrically Actuated Tools for Non-Resonant Vibration Assisted Milling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Silge

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This contribution presents a novel design approach for vibration assisted machining (VAM. A lot of research has already been done regarding the influence of superimposed vibrations during a milling process, but there is almost no information about how to design a VAM tool where the tool is actually rotating. The proposed system consists of a piezoelectric actuator for vibration excitation, an inductive contactless energy transfer system and an electronic circuit for powering the actuated tool. The main benefit of transferring the required power without mechanical contact is that the maximum spindle speed is no longer restricted by friction of slip rings. A detailed model is shown that enables for preliminary estimation of the system’s response to different excitation signals. Experimental data are provided to validate the model. Finally, some parts are shown that have been manufactured using the contactlessly actuated milling tool.

  12. Sampling Approaches for Multi-Domain Internet Performance Measurement Infrastructures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calyam, Prasad

    2014-09-15

    The next-generation of high-performance networks being developed in DOE communities are critical for supporting current and emerging data-intensive science applications. The goal of this project is to investigate multi-domain network status sampling techniques and tools to measure/analyze performance, and thereby provide “network awareness” to end-users and network operators in DOE communities. We leverage the infrastructure and datasets available through perfSONAR, which is a multi-domain measurement framework that has been widely deployed in high-performance computing and networking communities; the DOE community is a core developer and the largest adopter of perfSONAR. Our investigations include development of semantic scheduling algorithms, measurement federation policies, and tools to sample multi-domain and multi-layer network status within perfSONAR deployments. We validate our algorithms and policies with end-to-end measurement analysis tools for various monitoring objectives such as network weather forecasting, anomaly detection, and fault-diagnosis. In addition, we develop a multi-domain architecture for an enterprise-specific perfSONAR deployment that can implement monitoring-objective based sampling and that adheres to any domain-specific measurement policies.

  13. SCREAMER: a single-line pulsed-power design tool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiefer, M.L.; Widner, M.M.

    1985-01-01

    SCREAMER is a special purpose circuit code developed as a design tool for single module accelerators. It is fast, accurate, flexible, and user-friendly. Its development was motivated by the excessive costs and long turn-around times incurred when using the SCEPTRE circuit analysis code to perform simulations of circuits with large numbers of nodes and with nonlinear components. Comparable simulations between SCREAMER running on a VAX 11/780 and SCEPTRE running on a CRAY-1S show that turn-around times and costs can be two orders of magnitude lower when using SCREAMER

  14. SCREAMER - A single-line pulsed-power design tool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kiefer, M.L.; Widner, M.M.

    1985-01-01

    SCREAMER is a special purpose circuit code developed as a design tool for single module accelerators. it is fast, accurate, flexible, and user-friendly. Its development was motivated by the excessive costs and long turn-around times incurred when using the SCEPTRE circuit analysis code to perform simulations of circuits with large numbers of modes and with nonlinear components. Comparable simulations between SCREAMER running on a VAX 11/780 and SCEPTRE running on a CRAY-1S show that turn-around times and costs can be two orders of magnitude lower when using SCREAMER

  15. Amail : design and evaluation of an accessible email tool for persons with Aphasia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mahmud, Al A.; Martens, J.B.O.S.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we describe the iterative design and exploratory evaluation of 'Amail', an email tool designed for persons with aphasia. It is inspired by interviews with persons with aphasia and their partners and has been improved through discussions with experienced speech therapists. Our user

  16. Physics-Based Probabilistic Design Tool with System-Level Reliability Constraint, Phase II

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The work proposed herein would develop a set of analytic methodologies and a computer tool suite enabling aerospace hardware designers to rapidly determine optimum...

  17. HTP-OligoDesigner: An Online Primer Design Tool for High-Throughput Gene Cloning and Site-Directed Mutagenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camilo, Cesar M; Lima, Gustavo M A; Maluf, Fernando V; Guido, Rafael V C; Polikarpov, Igor

    2016-01-01

    Following burgeoning genomic and transcriptomic sequencing data, biochemical and molecular biology groups worldwide are implementing high-throughput cloning and mutagenesis facilities in order to obtain a large number of soluble proteins for structural and functional characterization. Since manual primer design can be a time-consuming and error-generating step, particularly when working with hundreds of targets, the automation of primer design process becomes highly desirable. HTP-OligoDesigner was created to provide the scientific community with a simple and intuitive online primer design tool for both laboratory-scale and high-throughput projects of sequence-independent gene cloning and site-directed mutagenesis and a Tm calculator for quick queries.

  18. A conceptual design of assembly strategy and dedicated tools for assembly of 40o sector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, H.K.; Nam, K.O.; Kim, D.J.; Ahn, H.J.; Lee, J.H.; Im, K.; Shaw, R.

    2010-01-01

    The International Thermanuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tokamak device is composed of 9 vacuum vessel (VV)/toroidal field coils (TFCs)/vacuum vessel thermal shields (VVTS) 40 o sectors. Each VV/TFCs/VVTS 40 o sector is made up of one 40 o VV, two 20 o TFCs and associated VVTS segments. The 40 o sectors are sub-assembled at assembly hall respectively and then nine 40 o sectors sub-assembled at assembly hall are finally assembled at tokamak in-pit hall. The assembly strategy and tools for the 40 o sector sub-assembly and final assembly should be developed to satisfy the basic assembly requirements of the ITER tokamak device. Accordingly, the purpose-built assembly tools should be designed and manufactured considering assembly plan, available space, cost, safety, easy operation, efficient maintenance, and so on. The 40 o sector assembly tools are classified into 2 groups. One group is the sub-assembly tools including upending tool, lifting tool, sub-assembly tool, VV supports and bracing tools used at assembly hall and the other group is the in-pit assembly tools including lifting tool, central column, radial beams and their supports. This paper describes the current status of the assembly strategy and major tools for the VV/TFCs/VVTS 40 o sector assembly at in-pit hall and assembly hall. The conceptual design of the major assembly tools and assembly process at assembly hall and tokamak in-pit hall are presented also.

  19. Design for Environment as a Tool for the Development of a Sustainable Supply Chain

    CERN Document Server

    Bevilacqua, Maurizio; Giacchetta, Giancarlo

    2012-01-01

    Environmental Design is becoming an increasingly significant agenda for many manufacturing companies and yet there is no standard to their approaches, strategies or their levels of execution. Applying Design for Environment (DfE) methodologies to develop a more sustainable supply chain has formed procedures and techniques which allow designers to integrate these methods with environmental supply chain management. Design for Environment as a Tool for the Development of a Sustainable Supply Chain aims to define relevant target specifications for a product throughout its life cycle; from conception and design to the end of its operating life.  Be considering this new approach to the supply chain, environmental responsiveness can work in tandem with sounds business management. The usual focus on suppliers, manufacturers and customers is expanded in Design for Environment as a Tool for the Development of a Sustainable Supply Chain to include stakeholders such as government bodies and recycling companies. The infl...

  20. A Reference Architecture for Provisioning of Tools as a Service: Meta-Model, Ontologies and Design Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chauhan, Muhammad Aufeef; Babar, Muhammad Ali; Sheng, Quan Z.

    2016-01-01

    Software Architecture (SA) plays a critical role in designing, developing and evolving cloud-based platforms that can be used to provision different types of services to consumers on demand. In this paper, we present a Reference Architecture (RA) for designing cloud-based Tools as a service SPACE...... (TSPACE) for provisioning a bundled suite of tools by following the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. The reference architecture has been designed by leveraging information structuring approaches and by using well-known architecture design principles and patterns. The RA has been documented using view...

  1. A data-driven design evaluation tool for handheld device soft keyboards.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthieu B Trudeau

    Full Text Available Thumb interaction is a primary technique used to operate small handheld devices such as smartphones. Despite the different techniques involved in operating a handheld device compared to a personal computer, the keyboard layouts for both devices are similar. A handheld device keyboard that considers the physical capabilities of the thumb may improve user experience. We developed and applied a design evaluation tool for different geometries of the QWERTY keyboard using a performance evaluation model. The model utilizes previously collected data on thumb motor performance and posture for different tap locations and thumb movement directions. We calculated a performance index (PITOT, 0 is worst and 2 is best for 663 designs consisting in different combinations of three variables: the keyboard's radius of curvature (R (mm, orientation (O (°, and vertical location on the screen (L. The current standard keyboard performed poorly (PITOT = 0.28 compared to other designs considered. Keyboard location (L contributed to the greatest variability in performance out of the three design variables, suggesting that designers should modify this variable first. Performance was greatest for designs in the middle keyboard location. In addition, having a slightly upward curve (R = -20 mm and orientated perpendicular to the thumb's long axis (O = -20° improved performance to PITOT = 1.97. Poorest performances were associated with placement of the keyboard's spacebar in the bottom right corner of the screen (e.g., the worst was for R = 20 mm, O = 40°, L =  Bottom (PITOT = 0.09. While this evaluation tool can be used in the design process as an ergonomic reference to promote user motor performance, other design variables such as visual access and usability still remain unexplored.

  2. Integration of life cycle assessment software with tools for economic and sustainability analyses and process simulation for sustainable process design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kalakul, Sawitree; Malakul, Pomthong; Siemanond, Kitipat

    2014-01-01

    The sustainable future of the world challenges engineers to develop chemical process designs that are not only technically and economically feasible but also environmental friendly. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a tool for identifying and quantifying environmental impacts of the chemical product...... with other process design tools such as sustainable design (SustainPro), economic analysis (ECON) and process simulation. The software framework contains four main tools: Tool-I is for life cycle inventory (LCI) knowledge management that enables easy maintenance and future expansion of the LCI database; Tool...... and/or the process that makes it. It can be used in conjunction with process simulation and economic analysis tools to evaluate the design of any existing and/or new chemical-biochemical process and to propose improvement options in order to arrive at the best design among various alternatives...

  3. A new tool for quantifying the impacts of water sensitive urban design – the power of simplicity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lerer, Sara Maria; Sørup, Hjalte Jomo Danielsen; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten

    2015-01-01

    simulation tools. Emphasis is put on reducing complexity in order to help drainage engineers communicate their priorities to other stakeholders. The tool outputs include two key indicators: The first is the amount of runoff held back in stormwater control measures on event basis, presented graphically......We present a prototype for a new software tool which enables quantification of impacts of water sensitive urban design (WSUD) plans in a simplifying manner. The tool is designed to fill a gap between the needs of utility companies for assessing WSUD performance and available urban drainage...

  4. A novel gripper design for multi hand tools grasping under tight clearance constraints and external torque effect

    KAUST Repository

    Shaqura, Mohammad

    2017-08-29

    A robotic multi tool gripper design and implementation is presented in this paper. The proposed design targets applications where an actuation task is performed using a wide selection of standard hand tools. The manipulation motion is assumed to be rotational which requires a firm grip to account for external torque on the grasped tool. The setup is assumed to be a conventional workshop panel with hand tools being hanged close to each other, which constraints lateral clearance around the target, and near the wall of the panel, which constraints the depth clearance. Off the shelf grippers are mostly heavy and bulky which make them unsuitable for these requirements. Moreover, they are not optimized in terms of power consumption, simplicity and compactness. These generic grippers are mostly designed for pick and place tasks where no external torques other than those caused by the object weight affects the gripper. The design challenge involves building a gripper that is capable of operating in limited clearance space, firmly grip a variety of standard hand tools with different sizes and shapes. The proposed design is optimized for these objectives and offers a low cost and power consumption solution. The design has been validated in lab and outdoor experiments and has been deployed in real operating platform used in an international robotics competition.

  5. Designing an Intelligent Mobile Learning Tool for Grammar Learning (i-MoL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Munir Shuib

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available English is the most important second language in most non-English speaking countries, including Malaysia. A good English proficiency comes from good grasp of grammar. To conquer the problems of low English proficiency among Malaysians, it is important to identify the key motivators that could facilitate the process of grammar learning. In this digital age, technology can play a very important role and mobile technology could be one of it. Thus, this study aims at designing a mobile learning tool, namely the Intelligent Mobile Learning Tool for Grammar Learning (i-MoL to act as the “on-the-go” grammar learning support via mobile phones. i-MoL helps reinforce grammar learning through mobile phone with game-like applications, inquiry-based activities and flashcard-like information. The intelligent part of i-MoL lies in its ability to map the mobile-based grammar learning content to individual’s preferred learning styles based on Felder-Silverman Learning Style Model (FSLSM. The instructional system design through the ADDIE model was used in this study as a systematic approach in designing a novel and comprehensive mobile learning tool for grammar learning. In terms of implications, this study provides insights on how mobile technologies can be utilized to meet the mobility demand among language learners today.

  6. Advanced Design Tools for the Lifetime of Power Electronics – Study Case on Motor Drive Application

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ma, Ke; Vernica, Ionut; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2016-01-01

    assessment of reliability performance for the power electronics is a crucial and emerging need, because it is the essential information for the reliability improvements, and thus reduction of the cost-of-energy. Unfortunately, there is still lack of suitable tools for the reliability assessment in power...... electronics. In this paper, an advanced design tool structure, which can acquire various reliability metrics of the power electronics, is proposed. The proposed design tool is based on the failure mechanisms in the critical components of the power electronics, and the mission profiles in the converter...

  7. a design to digitalize hydraulic cylinder control of a machine tool

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Dr Obe

    1995-09-01

    Sep 1, 1995 ... Department of Mechanical Engineering. FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, OWERRI,. P.M.B. 1526, OWERRI. ABSTRACT. Conventionally hydraulic piston - cylinder servos are actuated using analogue controls for machine tool axis drives. In this paper a design of the axis control system of an NC ...

  8. Reflective Drawing as a Tool for Reflection in Design Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo, Mirian

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the role of drawing as a tool for reflection. It reports on a PhD research project that aims to identify and analyse the value that co-design processes can bring to participants and their communities. The research is associated with Leapfrog, a three-year project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).…

  9. Using data crawlers and semantic Web to build financial XBRL data generators: the SONAR extension approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-García, Miguel Ángel; Rodríguez-González, Alejandro; Colomo-Palacios, Ricardo; Valencia-García, Rafael; Gómez-Berbís, Juan Miguel; García-Sánchez, Francisco

    2014-01-01

    Precise, reliable and real-time financial information is critical for added-value financial services after the economic turmoil from which markets are still struggling to recover. Since the Web has become the most significant data source, intelligent crawlers based on Semantic Technologies have become trailblazers in the search of knowledge combining natural language processing and ontology engineering techniques. In this paper, we present the SONAR extension approach, which will leverage the potential of knowledge representation by extracting, managing, and turning scarce and disperse financial information into well-classified, structured, and widely used XBRL format-oriented knowledge, strongly supported by a proof-of-concept implementation and a thorough evaluation of the benefits of the approach.

  10. Using Data Crawlers and Semantic Web to Build Financial XBRL Data Generators: The SONAR Extension Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Ángel Rodríguez-García

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Precise, reliable and real-time financial information is critical for added-value financial services after the economic turmoil from which markets are still struggling to recover. Since the Web has become the most significant data source, intelligent crawlers based on Semantic Technologies have become trailblazers in the search of knowledge combining natural language processing and ontology engineering techniques. In this paper, we present the SONAR extension approach, which will leverage the potential of knowledge representation by extracting, managing, and turning scarce and disperse financial information into well-classified, structured, and widely used XBRL format-oriented knowledge, strongly supported by a proof-of-concept implementation and a thorough evaluation of the benefits of the approach.

  11. Using Data Crawlers and Semantic Web to Build Financial XBRL Data Generators: The SONAR Extension Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-García, Miguel Ángel; Rodríguez-González, Alejandro; Valencia-García, Rafael; Gómez-Berbís, Juan Miguel

    2014-01-01

    Precise, reliable and real-time financial information is critical for added-value financial services after the economic turmoil from which markets are still struggling to recover. Since the Web has become the most significant data source, intelligent crawlers based on Semantic Technologies have become trailblazers in the search of knowledge combining natural language processing and ontology engineering techniques. In this paper, we present the SONAR extension approach, which will leverage the potential of knowledge representation by extracting, managing, and turning scarce and disperse financial information into well-classified, structured, and widely used XBRL format-oriented knowledge, strongly supported by a proof-of-concept implementation and a thorough evaluation of the benefits of the approach. PMID:24587726

  12. Design of sampling tools for Monte Carlo particle transport code JMCT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shangguan Danhua; Li Gang; Zhang Baoyin; Deng Li

    2012-01-01

    A class of sampling tools for general Monte Carlo particle transport code JMCT is designed. Two ways are provided to sample from distributions. One is the utilization of special sampling methods for special distribution; the other is the utilization of general sampling methods for arbitrary discrete distribution and one-dimensional continuous distribution on a finite interval. Some open source codes are included in the general sampling method for the maximum convenience of users. The sampling results show sampling correctly from distribution which are popular in particle transport can be achieved with these tools, and the user's convenience can be assured. (authors)

  13. Surface characteristics analysis of dry EDMed AISI D2 steel using modified tool design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pragadish, N.; Kumar, M. Pradeep [Anna University, Chennai (China)

    2015-04-15

    A modified tool design is proposed which helps in drilling holes without any central core, and also enables the effective removal of the debris particles. Experiments were conducted on AISI D2 Steel using copper electrode as tool in both conventional EDM and dry EDM processes and the performance of both processes is compared. Experiments were designed using Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array. Discharge current (I), gap voltage (V), pulse on time (T{sub ON}), gas pressure (P) and tool rotational speed (N) were chosen as the various input parameters, and their effect on the material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR), surface morphology, microstructure and elemental composition of the machined surface is analyzed. The experimental results show better surface characteristics in the surface machined under dry EDM process.

  14. Surface characteristics analysis of dry EDMed AISI D2 steel using modified tool design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pragadish, N.; Kumar, M. Pradeep

    2015-01-01

    A modified tool design is proposed which helps in drilling holes without any central core, and also enables the effective removal of the debris particles. Experiments were conducted on AISI D2 Steel using copper electrode as tool in both conventional EDM and dry EDM processes and the performance of both processes is compared. Experiments were designed using Taguchi's L27 orthogonal array. Discharge current (I), gap voltage (V), pulse on time (T ON ), gas pressure (P) and tool rotational speed (N) were chosen as the various input parameters, and their effect on the material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR), surface morphology, microstructure and elemental composition of the machined surface is analyzed. The experimental results show better surface characteristics in the surface machined under dry EDM process.

  15. A critical review of environmental assessment tools for sustainable urban design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ameen, Raed Fawzi Mohammed; Mourshed, Monjur; Li, Haijiang

    2015-01-01

    Cities are responsible for the depletion of natural resources and agricultural lands, and 70% of global CO 2 emissions. There are significant risks to cities from the impacts of climate change in addition to existing vulnerabilities, primarily because of rapid urbanization. Urban design and development are generally considered as the instrument to shape the future of the city and they determine the pattern of a city's resource usage and resilience to change, from climate or otherwise. Cities are inherently dynamic and require the participation and engagement of their diverse stakeholders for the effective management of change, which enables wider stakeholder involvement and buy-in at various stages of the development process. Sustainability assessment of urban design and development is increasingly being seen as indispensable for informed decision-making. A sustainability assessment tool also acts as a driver for the uptake of sustainable pathways by recognizing excellence through their rating system and by creating a market demand for sustainable products and processes. This research reviews six widely used sustainability assessment tools for urban design and development: BREEAM Communities, LEED-ND, CASBEE-UD, SBTool PT –UP, Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) and GSAS/QSAS, to identify, compare and contrast the aim, structure, assessment methodology, scoring, weighting and suitability for application in different geographical contexts. Strengths and weaknesses of each tool are critically discussed. The study highlights the disparity in local and international contexts for global sustainability assessment tools. Despite their similarities in aim on environmental aspects, differences exist in the relative importance and share of mandatory vs optional indicators in both environmental and social dimensions. PCRS and GSAS/QSAS are new incarnations, but have widely varying shares of mandatory indicators, at 45.4% and 11.36% respectively, compared to 30% in

  16. A critical review of environmental assessment tools for sustainable urban design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ameen, Raed Fawzi Mohammed, E-mail: MohammedAmeenRF@cardiff.ac.uk [BRE Centre of Sustainable Construction, School of Engineering, The Parade, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom); Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Karbala (Iraq); Mourshed, Monjur, E-mail: MourshedM@cardiff.ac.uk [BRE Centre of Sustainable Construction, School of Engineering, The Parade, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom); Li, Haijiang, E-mail: LiH@cardiff.ac.uk [BRE Centre of Sustainable Construction, School of Engineering, The Parade, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom)

    2015-11-15

    Cities are responsible for the depletion of natural resources and agricultural lands, and 70% of global CO{sub 2} emissions. There are significant risks to cities from the impacts of climate change in addition to existing vulnerabilities, primarily because of rapid urbanization. Urban design and development are generally considered as the instrument to shape the future of the city and they determine the pattern of a city's resource usage and resilience to change, from climate or otherwise. Cities are inherently dynamic and require the participation and engagement of their diverse stakeholders for the effective management of change, which enables wider stakeholder involvement and buy-in at various stages of the development process. Sustainability assessment of urban design and development is increasingly being seen as indispensable for informed decision-making. A sustainability assessment tool also acts as a driver for the uptake of sustainable pathways by recognizing excellence through their rating system and by creating a market demand for sustainable products and processes. This research reviews six widely used sustainability assessment tools for urban design and development: BREEAM Communities, LEED-ND, CASBEE-UD, SBTool{sup PT}–UP, Pearl Community Rating System (PCRS) and GSAS/QSAS, to identify, compare and contrast the aim, structure, assessment methodology, scoring, weighting and suitability for application in different geographical contexts. Strengths and weaknesses of each tool are critically discussed. The study highlights the disparity in local and international contexts for global sustainability assessment tools. Despite their similarities in aim on environmental aspects, differences exist in the relative importance and share of mandatory vs optional indicators in both environmental and social dimensions. PCRS and GSAS/QSAS are new incarnations, but have widely varying shares of mandatory indicators, at 45.4% and 11.36% respectively, compared to

  17. TacTool: a tactile rapid prototyping tool for visual interfaces

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Keyson, D.V.; Tang, H.K.; Anzai, Y.; Ogawa, K.; Mori, H.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes the TacTool development tool and input device for designing and evaluating visual user interfaces with tactile feedback. TacTool is currently supported by the IPO trackball with force feedback in the x and y directions. The tool is designed to enable both the designer and the

  18. A climate responsive urban design tool: a platform to improve energy efficiency in a dry hot climate

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Dallal, Norhan; Visser, Florentine

    2017-09-01

    In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, new urban developments should address the climatic conditions to improve outdoor comfort and to reduce the energy consumption of buildings. This article describes a design tool that supports climate responsive design for a dry hot climate. The approach takes the climate as an initiator for the conceptual urban form with a more energy-efficient urban morphology. The methodology relates the different passive strategies suitable for major climate conditions in MENA region (dry-hot) to design parameters that create the urban form. This parametric design approach is the basis for a tool that generates conceptual climate responsive urban forms so as to assist the urban designer early in the design process. Various conceptual scenarios, generated by a computational model, are the results of the proposed platform. A practical application of the approach is conducted on a New Urban Community in Aswan (Egypt), showing the economic feasibility of the resulting urban form and morphology, and the proposed tool.

  19. Designing a Tool System for Lowering Friction during the Ejection of In-Die Sintered Micro Gears

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emanuele Cannella

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The continuous improvements in micro-forging technologies generally involve process, material, and tool design. The field assisted sintering technique (FAST is a process that makes possible the manufacture of near-net-shape components in a closed-die setup. However, the final part quality is affected by the influence of friction during the ejection phase, caused by radial expansion of the compacted and sintered powder. This paper presents the development of a pre-stressed tool system for the manufacture of micro gears made of aluminum. By using the hot isostatic pressing (HIP sintering process and different combinations of process parameters, the designed tool system was compared to a similar tool system designed without a pre-stressing strategy. The comparison between the two tool systems was based on the ejection force and part fidelity. The ejection force was measured during the tests, while the part fidelity was documented using an optical microscope and computed tomography in order to obtain a multi-scale characterization. The results showed that the use of pre-stress reduced the porosity in the gear by 40% and improved the dimensional fidelity by more than 75% compared to gears produced without pre-stress.

  20. Don't Be a Stranger-Designing a Digital Intercultural Sensitivity Training Tool that is Culture General

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Degens, Nick; Hofstede, Gert Jan; Beulens, Adrie; Krumhuber, E.; Kappas, Arvid

    2016-01-01

    Digital intercultural training tools play an important role in helping people to mediate cultural misunderstandings. In recent years, these tools were made to teach about specific cultures, but there has been little attention for the design of a tool to teach about differences across a wide range