Computer aided design and manufacture for three dimensional milling

Advances in both computer technology and the necessary mathematical models capable of capturing the geometry of arbitarily shaped objects has led to the development in this thesis of a surface generation package called 'IBSCURF' aimed at providing a more economically viable solution to free-form surface manufacture. A suit of computer programs written in FORTRAN 77 has been developed to provide computer aids for every aspect of work in designing and machining free-form surfaces. A vector-valued parametric method was used for shape description and a lofting technique employed for the construction of the surface. The development of the package 'IBSCURF' consists of two phases. The first deals with CAD. The design process commences in defining the cross-sections which are represented by uniform B-spline curves as approximations to give polygons. The order of the curve and the position and number of the polygon vertices can be used as parameters for the modification to achieve the required curves. When the definitions of the sectional curves is complete, the surface is interpolated over them by cubic cardinal splines. To use the CAD function of the package to design a mould for a plastic handle, a mathematical model was developed. To facilitate the integration of design and machining using the mathematical representation of the surface, the second phase of the package is concerned with CAM which enables the generation of tool offset positions for ball-nosed cutters and a general post-processor has been developed which automatically generates NC tape programs for any CNC milling machine. The two phases of these programs have been successfully implemented, as a CAD/CAM package for free-form surfaces on the VAX 11/750 super-minicomputer with graphics facilities for displaying drawings interactively on the terminal screen. The development of this package has been beneficial in all aspects of design and machining of free form surfaces.

The role of micro computers on the construction site

The control needed in the management of a project was analysed with particular reference to the unique needs of the construction industry within the context of site management. This was explored further by analysing the various problems facing managers within the overall system and determining to what extent the organisation would benefit from an integrated mangement information system. Integration and management of information within the organisational units and the cycles of events that make up the main sub-system was suggested as the means of achieving this objective. A conceptual model of the flow of information was constructed within the whole process of project management by examining the type of information and documents which are generated for the production cycle of a project. This model was analysed with respect to the site managers' needs and the minimum requirements for an overall integrated system. The most tedious and time-consuming task facing the site manager is the determination of weekly production costs, calculation and preparation of interim certificates and valuation of variations occurring during the production stage and finally the settlement and preparation of supplier and sub-contractors' accounts. These areas where microcomputers could be of most help were identified and a number of packages were designed and implemented for various contractors. The gradual integration of stand-alone packages within the whole of the construction industry is a logical sequence to achieve integration of management system. The methods of doing this were analysed together with the resulting advantages and disadvantages.

Design and function of trilobite exoskeletons

The fossil arthropod Class Trilobita is characterised by the possession of a highly mineralised dorsal exoskeleton with an incurved marginal flange (doublure). This cuticle is usually the only part of the organism to be preserved. Despite the common occurrence of trilobites in Palaeozoic sediments, the original exoskeletal mineralogy has not been determined previously. Petrographic data involving over seventy trilobite species, ranging in age from Cambrian to Devonian, together with atomic absorption and stable isotope analyses, indicate a primary low-magnesian calcite composition. Trilobite cuticles exhibit a variety of preservational textures which are related to the different diagenetic realms through which they have passed. A greater knowledge of post-depositional processes and the specific features they produce, has enabled post-mortem artefacts to be distinguished from primary cuticular microstructures. Alterations of the cuticle can either enhance or destroy primary features, and their effects are best observed in thin-sections, both under transmitted light and cathodoluminescence. Well-preserved trilobites often retain primary microstructures such as laminations, canals, and tubercles. These have been examined in stained thin-sections and by scanning electron microscopy, from as wide a range of trilobites as possible. Construction of sensory field maps has shown that although the basic organisation of the exoskeleton is the same in all trilobites, the types of microstructures found, and their distribution is species-specific. The composition, microstructure, and architecture of the trilobite exoskeleton have also been studied from a biomechanical viewpoint. Total cuticle thickness, and the relative proportions of the different layers, together with the overall architecture all affected the mechanical properties of the exoskeleton.

Evaluation and development of drainage and pipeline construction processes

In 1974 Dr D M Bramwell published his research work at the University of Aston a part of which was the establishment of an elemental work study data base covering drainage construction. The Transport and Road Research Laboratory decided to, extend that work as part of their continuing research programme into the design and construction of buried pipelines by placing a research contract with Bryant Construction. This research may be considered under two broad categories. In the first, site studies were undertaken to validate and extend the data base. The studies showed good agreement with the existing data with the exception of the excavation trench shoring and pipelaying data which was amended to incorporate new construction plant and methods. An inter-active on-line computer system for drainage estimating was developed. This system stores the elemental data, synthesizes the standard time of each drainage operation and is used to determine the required resources and construction method of the total drainage activity. The remainder of the research was into the general topic of construction efficiency. An on-line command driven computer system was produced. This system uses a stochastic simulation technique, based on distributions of site efficiency measurements to evaluate the effects of varying performance levels. The analysis of this performance data quantities the variability inherent in construction and demonstrates how some of this variability can be reconciled by considering the characteristics of a contract. A long term trend of decreasing efficiency with contract duration was also identified. The results obtained from the simulation suite were compared to site records collected from current contracts. This showed that this approach will give comparable answers, but these are greatly affected by the site performance parameters.

INTAMAP: the design and implementation of an interoperable automated interpolation web service

INTAMAP is a Web Processing Service for the automatic spatial interpolation of measured point data. Requirements were (i) using open standards for spatial data such as developed in the context of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), (ii) using a suitable environment for statistical modelling and computation, and (iii) producing an integrated, open source solution. The system couples an open-source Web Processing Service (developed by 52°North), accepting data in the form of standardised XML documents (conforming to the OGC Observations and Measurements standard) with a computing back-end realised in the R statistical environment. The probability distribution of interpolation errors is encoded with UncertML, a markup language designed to encode uncertain data. Automatic interpolation needs to be useful for a wide range of applications and the algorithms have been designed to cope with anisotropy, extreme values, and data with known error distributions. Besides a fully automatic mode, the system can be used with different levels of user control over the interpolation process.

Clinical decision support system for point of care use: ontology driven design and software implementation

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this research was to design a clinical decision support system (CDSS) that supports heterogeneous clinical decision problems and runs on multiple computing platforms. Meeting this objective required a novel design to create an extendable and easy to maintain clinical CDSS for point of care support. The proposed solution was evaluated in a proof of concept implementation. METHODS: Based on our earlier research with the design of a mobile CDSS for emergency triage we used ontology-driven design to represent essential components of a CDSS. Models of clinical decision problems were derived from the ontology and they were processed into executable applications during runtime. This allowed scaling applications' functionality to the capabilities of computing platforms. A prototype of the system was implemented using the extended client-server architecture and Web services to distribute the functions of the system and to make it operational in limited connectivity conditions. RESULTS: The proposed design provided a common framework that facilitated development of diversified clinical applications running seamlessly on a variety of computing platforms. It was prototyped for two clinical decision problems and settings (triage of acute pain in the emergency department and postoperative management of radical prostatectomy on the hospital ward) and implemented on two computing platforms-desktop and handheld computers. CONCLUSIONS: The requirement of the CDSS heterogeneity was satisfied with ontology-driven design. Processing of application models described with the help of ontological models allowed having a complex system running on multiple computing platforms with different capabilities. Finally, separation of models and runtime components contributed to improved extensibility and maintainability of the system.

Measurements design and phenomena discrimination

The construction of measurements suitable for discriminating signal components produced by phenomena of different types is considered. The required measurements should be capable of cancelling out those signal components which are to be ignored when focusing on a phenomenon of interest. Under the hypothesis that the subspaces hosting the signal components produced by each phenomenon are complementary, their discrimination is accomplished by measurements giving rise to the appropriate oblique projector operator. The subspace onto which the operator should project is selected by nonlinear techniques in line with adaptive pursuit strategies.

Extreme weather events and construction SMEs:vulnerability, impacts and responses

Purpose – The UK experienced a number of Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) during recent years and a significant number of businesses were affected as a result. With the intensity and frequency of weather extremes predicted in the future, enhancing the resilience of businesses, especially of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), who are considered as highly vulnerable, has become a necessity. However, little research has been undertaken on how construction SMEs respond to the risk of EWEs. In seeking to help address this dearth of research, this investigation sought to identify how construction SMEs were being affected by EWEs and the coping strategies being used. Design/methodology/approach – A mixed methods research design was adopted to elicit information from construction SMEs, involving a questionnaire survey and case study approach. Findings – Results indicate a lack of coping strategies among the construction SMEs studied. Where the coping strategies have been implemented, these were found to be extensions of their existing risk management strategies rather than radical measures specifically addressing EWEs. Research limitations/implications – The exploratory survey focused on the Greater London area and was limited to a relatively small sample size. This limitation is overcome by conducting detailed case studies utilising two SMEs whose projects were located in EWE prone localities. The mixed method research design adopted benefits the research by presenting more robust findings. Practical implications – A better way of integrating the potential of EWEs into the initial project planning stage is required by the SMEs. This could possibly be achieved through a better risk assessment model supported by better EWE prediction data. Originality/value – The paper provides an original contribution towards the overarching agenda of resilience of SMEs and policy making in the area of EWE risk management. It informs both policy makers and practitioners on issues of planning and preparedness against EWEs.

Modern Training Tools for Binding Design and Paper Conservation of Antique Books, Albums and Documents (BBINDING)

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013

The construction and optimization of an ion mobility spectrometer for the analysis of explosives and drugs

Today, over 15,000 Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) analyzers are employed at worldwide security checkpoints to detect explosives and illicit drugs. Current portal IMS instruments and other electronic nose technologies detect explosives and drugs by analyzing samples containing the headspace air and loose particles residing on a surface. Canines can outperform these systems at sampling and detecting the low vapor pressure explosives and drugs, such as RDX, PETN, cocaine, and MDMA, because these biological detectors target the volatile signature compounds available in the headspace rather than the non-volatile parent compounds of explosives and drugs.^ In this dissertation research volatile signature compounds available in the headspace over explosive and drug samples were detected using SPME as a headspace sampling tool coupled to an IMS analyzer. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique was developed to optimize the operating conditions of a commercial IMS (GE Itemizer 2), leading to the successful detection of plastic explosives (Detasheet, Semtex H, and C-4) and illicit drugs (cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana). Short sampling times (between 10 sec to 5 min) were adequate to extract and preconcentrate sufficient analytes (> 20 ng) representing the volatile signatures in the headspace of a 15 mL glass vial or a quart-sized can containing ≤ 1 g of the bulk explosive or drug.^ Furthermore, a research grade IMS with flexibility for changing operating conditions and physical configurations was designed and fabricated to accommodate future research into different analytes or physical configurations. The design and construction of the FIU-IMS were facilitated by computer modeling and simulation of ion’s behavior within an IMS. The simulation method developed uses SIMION/SDS and was evaluated with experimental data collected using a commercial IMS (PCP Phemto Chem 110). The FIU-IMS instrument has comparable performance to the GE Itemizer 2 (average resolving power of 14, resolution of 3 between two drugs and two explosives, and LODs range from 0.7 to 9 ng). ^ The results from this dissertation further advance the concept of targeting volatile components to presumptively detect the presence of concealed bulk explosives and drugs by SPME-IMS, and the new FIU-IMS provides a flexible platform for future IMS research projects.^

Parallel relationships, architecture and water : the urban spa

This thesis explores the relationship of architecture and water through the design of an urban spa that offers both a bodily and a poetic experience of water. Research included investigation of recent architectural projects that enhance and order the view, sound, and touch of water as well as projects that integrate fountains, showers and reflecting pools into the experience of a building. In the design of the spa, the movement of water was based metaphorically on the natural water cycle: evaporation, condensation and collection of water in pools. The building presents fountains, rivulets, and pools in a descending sequence that represents the natural flow of water. The temperature of water and the activities of the spa follow the same descending sequence, progressing from a warm water bath at the top of the building to cool swimming pool at the plaza level in a contemporary interpretation of the experience of a Roman Bath.

Time, Cost, and Environmental Impact Analysis for Sustainable Design at Multiple Building Levels

Construction projects are complex endeavors that require the involvement of different professional disciplines in order to meet various project objectives that are often conflicting. The level of complexity and the multi-objective nature of construction projects lend themselves to collaborative design and construction such as integrated project delivery (IPD), in which relevant disciplines work together during project conception, design and construction. Traditionally, the main objectives of construction projects have been to build in the least amount of time with the lowest cost possible, thus the inherent and well-established relationship between cost and time has been the focus of many studies. The importance of being able to effectively model relationships among multiple objectives in building construction has been emphasized in a wide range of research. In general, the trade-off relationship between time and cost is well understood and there is ample research on the subject. However, despite sustainable building designs, relationships between time and environmental impact, as well as cost and environmental impact, have not been fully investigated. The objectives of this research were mainly to analyze and identify relationships of time, cost, and environmental impact, in terms of CO2 emissions, at different levels of a building: material level, component level, and building level, at the pre-use phase, including manufacturing and construction, and the relationships of life cycle cost and life cycle CO2 emissions at the usage phase. Additionally, this research aimed to develop a robust simulation-based multi-objective decision-support tool, called SimulEICon, which took construction data uncertainty into account, and was capable of incorporating life cycle assessment information to the decision-making process. The findings of this research supported the trade-off relationship between time and cost at different building levels. Moreover, the time and CO2 emissions relationship presented trade-off behavior at the pre-use phase. The results of the relationship between cost and CO2 emissions were interestingly proportional at the pre-use phase. The same pattern continually presented after the construction to the usage phase. Understanding the relationships between those objectives is a key in successfully planning and designing environmentally sustainable construction projects.

The Construction and Optimization on an Ion Mobility Spectrometer for the Analysis of Explosives and Drugs

Today, over 15,000 Ion Mobility Spectrometry (IMS) analyzers are employed at worldwide security checkpoints to detect explosives and illicit drugs. Current portal IMS instruments and other electronic nose technologies detect explosives and drugs by analyzing samples containing the headspace air and loose particles residing on a surface. Canines can outperform these systems at sampling and detecting the low vapor pressure explosives and drugs, such as RDX, PETN, cocaine, and MDMA, because these biological detectors target the volatile signature compounds available in the headspace rather than the non-volatile parent compounds of explosives and drugs. In this dissertation research volatile signature compounds available in the headspace over explosive and drug samples were detected using SPME as a headspace sampling tool coupled to an IMS analyzer. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique was developed to optimize the operating conditions of a commercial IMS (GE Itemizer 2), leading to the successful detection of plastic explosives (Detasheet, Semtex H, and C-4) and illicit drugs (cocaine, MDMA, and marijuana). Short sampling times (between 10 sec to 5 min) were adequate to extract and preconcentrate sufficient analytes (> 20 ng) representing the volatile signatures in the headspace of a 15 mL glass vial or a quart-sized can containing ≤ 1 g of the bulk explosive or drug. Furthermore, a research grade IMS with flexibility for changing operating conditions and physical configurations was designed and fabricated to accommodate future research into different analytes or physical configurations. The design and construction of the FIU-IMS were facilitated by computer modeling and simulation of ion’s behavior within an IMS. The simulation method developed uses SIMION/SDS and was evaluated with experimental data collected using a commercial IMS (PCP Phemto Chem 110). The FIU-IMS instrument has comparable performance to the GE Itemizer 2 (average resolving power of 14, resolution of 3 between two drugs and two explosives, and LODs range from 0.7 to 9 ng). The results from this dissertation further advance the concept of targeting volatile components to presumptively detect the presence of concealed bulk explosives and drugs by SPME-IMS, and the new FIU-IMS provides a flexible platform for future IMS research projects.

Sites of Excavation and Construction

For his first solo show in Belgium, British artist Neal White presents a range of recent and new work – some of them in collaboration with artist Tina O’Connell – that reflect his ongoing preoccupations with deep time and the spaces of art. OBJECTIF EXHIBITIONS is a not-for-profit institution devoted to the presentation of contemporary art, supported by the Flemish Community. Curated by Antony Hudek