Barlike

El objetivo de este proyecto es el desarrollo de la aplicación Android Barlike. La aplicación pretende ser un espacio social para compartir opiniones y datos sobre restaurantes y bares de tapas.

Catalytic gasification of glycerol in supercritical water

The conversion of glycerol in supercritical water (SCW) was studied at 510-550 °C and a pressure of 350 bars using both a bed of inert and non-porous ZrO2 particles (hydrothermal experiments), and a bed of a 1% Ru/ZrO2 catalyst. Experiments were conducted with a glycerol concentration of 5 wt% in a continuous isothermal fixed-bed reactor at a residence time between 2 and 10 s. Hydrothermolysis of glycerol formed water-soluble products such as acetaldehyde, acetic acid, hydroxyacetone and acrolein, and gases like H2, CO and CO2. The catalyst enhanced the formation of acetic acid, inhibited the formation of acrolein, and promoted gasification of the glycerol decomposition products. Hydrogen and carbon oxides were the main gases produced in the catalytic experiments, with minor amounts of methane and ethylene. Complete glycerol conversion was achieved at a residence time of 8.5 s at 510 °C, and at around 5 s at 550 °C with the 1 wt% Ru/ZrO2 catalyst. The catalyst was not active enough to achieve complete gasification since high yields of primary products like acetic acid and acetaldehyde were still present. Carbon balances were between 80 and 60% in the catalytic experiments, decreasing continuously as the residence time was increased. This was attributed partially to the formation of methanol and acetaldehyde, which were not recovered and analyzed efficiently in our set-up, but also to the formation of carbon deposits. Carbon deposition was not observed on the catalyst particles but on the surface of the inert zirconia particles, especially at high residence time. This was related to the higher concentration of acetic acid and other acidic species in the catalytic experiments, which may polymerize to form tar-like carbon precursors. Because of carbon deposition, hydrogen yields were significantly lower than expected; for instance at 550 °C the hydrogen yield potential was only 50% of the stoichiometric value.

Modelo de comportamiento en sevicio para estructuras reticulares de hormigón. Parte I: Descripción del modelo y ejemplos de aplicación

A general method for instantaneous and time-dependent serviceability analysis of plane concrete frames is presented. The methodology is based in an extension of the classic matrix formulation for bars. The main aspects influencing the behaviour of the structural concrete are considered: cracking, creep, shrinkage or prestress losses. To simulate the effect of cracking a smeared model (developed in Part II) based on the modification of the tensile branch of the concrete stress-strain relationship is adopted. The general approach considered permits the application to different materials and constitutive laws. Sequential construction (sectional and structural), incorporation of reinforcement, consideration of the loads history; placing and removing shores, and restraining or releasing in boundary conditions are considered. Some examples are included to highlight the capabilities of the model

Modelo de comportamiento en sevicio para estructuras reticulares de hormigón. Parte II: Diagrama tensión- deformación para elementos fisurados a flexión

This paper presents a general methodology to adjust the coefficients defining a constitutive law for tensioned concrete to simulate, under serviceability conditions, the behaviour of cracked concrete members subjected to simple and combined bending (with axial compressive forces). Although experimental results could be used to obtain the mentioned objective, in this work the models proposed by the CEB are utilized, in order to obtain more general conclusions not subjected to specific experiments. A numerical parametrical analysis is performed to determine the more significant variables influencing the Tension-Stiffening effect and simplified closed-form solution is derived for rectangular sections. A systematic study has been to verify the ability of the method to simulate long-term effects. The methodology can be implemented as an initial process in a general model of analysis like the one presented in Part I

High pressure compression of filter cakes

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the compression of filter cakes at high filtration pressures with five different test materials and to compare the energy consumption of high pressure compression with the energy consumption of thermal drying. The secondary target of this study was to investigate the particle deformation of test materials during filtration and compression. Literature part consists of basic theory of filtration and compression and of the basic parameters that influence the filtration process. There is also a brief description about all of the test materials including their properties and their industrial production and processing. Theoretical equations for calculating the energy consumptions of the filtrations at different conditions are also presented. At the beginning of the experiments at experimental part, the basic filtration tests were done with all the five test materials. Filtration tests were made at eight different pressures, from 6 bars up to 100 bars, by using piston press pressure filter. Filtration tests were then repeated by using a cylinder with smaller slurry volume than in the first series of filtration tests. Separate filtration tests were also done for investigating the deformation of solid particles during filtration and for finding the optimal curve for raising the filtration pressure. Energy consumption differences between high pressure filtration and ideal thermal drying process were done partly experimentally and partly by using theoretical calculation equations. By comparing these two water removal methods, the optimal ranges for their use were found considering their energy efficiency. The results of the measurements shows that the filtration rate increased and the moisture content of the filter cakes decreased as the filtration pressure was increased. Also the porosity of the filter cakes mainly decreased when the filtration pressure was increased. Particle deformation during the filtration was observed only with coal particles.

Kehittyneiden hitsausprosessien soveltuvuus alumiinin ja hiiliterästen hitsaukseen

Diplomityössä tutkitaan hitsausprosessien kehitystä. Työn kirjallisen osan alku kuvaa hitsauksen nykypäivää ja tulevaisuutta sekä millainen on hitsaava Suomi. Kehittyneiden hitsausprosessien tarkastelu on jaettu hiiliterästen ja alumiinien hitsausprosesseihin. Hiiliteräksien hitsauksen osalta työssä esitellään kitkahitsaus pyörivällä työkalulla, muunnettu lyhytkaarihitsaus, laserhitsaus, laser-hybridihitsaus ja kapearailohitsaus. Alumiinien hitsauksen osalta työssä esitellään laserhitsaus, muunnettu lyhytkaarihitsaus, kitkahitsaus pyörivällä työkalulla ja vaihtovirta MIG hitsaus. Diplomityön käytännönosuudessa todennettiin hitsausprosessien kehitys. Ensimmäisissä hitsauskokeissa hitsattiin merialumiinia eri kaarityypeillä. Vertailua tehdään pulssihitsauksen, lankapulssihitsauksen sekä CMT-kaarihitsauksen välillä. Koehitsaukset osoittavat CMT-hitsauksen tuottavan MIG-pulssihitsausta pienemmät hitsausmuodonmuutokset. CMT-hitsauksessa alumiinin oksidikerros aiheuttaa MIGpulssihitsausta vähemmän ongelmia, sillä kaari syttyy varmemmin suurillakin hitsausnopeuksilla, eikä hitsiin synny huokosia. Hitsausnopeudella 40 cm/min lankapulssihitsauksella ja MIG-pulssihitsauksella päittäisliitoksena hitsattujen vesileikattujen alumiinikappaleiden hitseihin ei syntynyt huokosia. Kokeen perusteella voidaan todeta, ettei oksidikerroksella ollut vaikutusta hitsin onnistumiseen. Hitsauskokeiden toinen osio tutkii hiilimangaaniteräksisen T-palkin kuitulaserhitsausta. Viiden kilowatin laserteholla hitsattiin onnistuneesti viisi metriä pitkiä T-palkkeja hitsausnopeudella 2 m/min. Takymetrimittauksella ja Tritop 3D-koordinaattimittauksella todennettiin laserhitsatun T-palkin hitsausmuodonmuutosten olevan huomattavasti Twin-jauhekaarihitsauksella hitsattua T-palkkia pienemmät.

Estudo da síntese da zeólita MCM-71

A new kind of material, denominated MCM-71, was synthesized and characterized by several complementary techniques: X Ray Diffractometry, textural analysis by nitrogen adsorption, Scanning electronic microscopy and infrared spectroscopy. MCM-71 zeolite was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of triethanolamine. Mordenite phase as impurity was not detected, otherwise quartz was observed. The MCM-71 sample obtained presented a BET surface area of 20 m²/g in the as synthesized form and of 85 m²/g in protonic form. By SEM was observed crystals with rectangular shape with average size of 2 x 0,2 x 0,05 µm and this crystals were agglomerated in spherical particles with average diameter between 14 and 24 µm.

Lasikuituputkien kelauslinjan automatisointi

Lasikuituputkien kelaamiseen tarkoitettu automaatio voidaan toteuttaa suorakulmaisen kolmion trigonometrian perusteella. Kelaaminen tapahtuu pyörittämällä muottia ja liikuttamalla samalla muottia sivuttain. Näin tehdessä saadaan kelattavat lasikuitulangat leviämään koko muotin leveydelle. Jos langat halutaan saada kelattua tiiviisti toistensa viereen, on muotin liikuttava tietty matka yhtä muotin pyörähdystä kohden. Matkaa kutsutaan nousuksi. Nousu riippuu lankojen muodostaman kimpun leveydestä, kelauskulmasta ja muotin säteestä. Kelauskulmalla voidaan vaikuttaa kelattavan tuotteen aksiaaliseen ja pitkittäiseen lujuuteen. Kelauskoneen automaatiojärjestelmä koostuu sähkökäytöistä, ohjaavasta yksiköstä, valvomosta ja erilaisista antureista. Eri osat yhdistetään toisiinsa väylätekniikalla. Sähkökäytöt ovat yleensä servokäyttöjä, koska niiltä vaaditaan tarkkuutta ja nopeutta. Ohjaavana yksikkönä toimii yleensä teollisuus logiikka. Anturointia tarvitaan esimerkiksi hartsin lämpötilan säätöön ja lankojen ratakireyden säätöön. Anturoinnilla ja säädöillä pyritään parantamaan kelattavan tuotteen laatua. Koneen ohjelmallinen toteutus vaatii kelauskoneen mekaniikan ja kelausprosessin ymmärtämistä. Lisäksi on huomioitava koneen käyttäjät ja heidän turvallisuus.

Small and Large Scale Dynamics in the Milky Way

This thesis contains dynamical analysis on four different scales: the Solar system, the Sun itself, the Solar neighbourhood, and the central region of the Milky Way galaxy. All of these topics have been handled through methods of potential theory and statistics. The central topic of the thesis is the orbits of stars in the Milky Way. An introduction into the general structure of the Milky Way is presented, with an emphasis on the evolution of the observed value for the scale-length of the Milky Way disc and the observations of two separate bars in the Milky Way. The basics of potential theory are also presented, as well as a developed potential model for the Milky Way. An implementation of the backwards restricted integration method is shown, rounding off the basic principles used in the dynamical studies of this thesis. The thesis looks at the orbit of the Sun, and its impact on the Oort cloud comets (Paper IV), showing that there is a clear link between these two dynamical systems. The statistical atypicalness of the orbit of the Sun is questioned (Paper I), concluding that there is some statistical typicalness to the orbit of the Sun, although it is not very significant. This does depend slightly on whether one includes a bar, or not, as a bar has a clear effect on the dynamical features seen in the Solar neighbourhood (Paper III). This method can be used to find the possible properties of a bar. Finally, we look at the effect of a bar on a statistical system in the Milky Way, seeing that there are not only interesting effects depending on the mass and size of the bar, but also how bars can capture disc stars (Paper II).

Online Ultrasound Measurements of Membrane Compaction

There are several filtration applications in the pulp and paper industry where the capacity and cost-effectiveness of processes are of importance. Ultrafiltration is used to clean process water. Ultrafiltration is a membrane process that separates a certain component or compound from a liquid stream. The pressure difference across the membrane sieves macromolecules smaller than 0.001-0.02 μm through the membrane. When optimizing the filtration process capacity, online information about the conditions of the membrane is needed. Fouling and compaction of the membrane both affect the capacity of the filtration process. In fouling a “cake” layer starts to build on the surface of the membrane. This layer blocks the molecules from sieving through the membrane thereby decreasing the yield of the process. In compaction of the membrane the structure is flattened out because of the high pressure applied. The higher pressure increases the capacity but may damage the structure of the membrane permanently. Information about the compaction is needed to effectively operate the filters. The objective of this study was to develop an accurate system for online monitoring of the condition of the membrane using ultrasound reflectometry. Measurements of ultrafiltration membrane compaction were made successfully utilizing ultrasound. The results were confirmed by permeate flux decline, measurements of compaction with a micrometer, mechanical compaction using a hydraulic piston and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The scientific contribution of this thesis is to introduce a secondary ultrasound transducer to determine the speed of sound in the fluid used. The speed of sound is highly dependent on the temperature and pressure used in the filters. When the exact speed of sound is obtained by the reference transducer, the effect of temperature and pressure is eliminated. This speed is then used to calculate the distances with a higher accuracy. As the accuracy or the resolution of the ultrasound measurement is increased, the method can be applied to a higher amount of applications especially for processes where fouling layers are thinner because of smaller macromolecules. With the help of the transducer, membrane compaction of 13 μm was measured in the pressure of 5 bars. The results were verified with the permeate flux decline, which indicated that compaction had taken place. The measurements of compaction with a micrometer showed compaction of 23–26 μm. The results are in the same range and confirm the compaction. Mechanical compaction measurements were made using a hydraulic piston, and the result was the same 13 μm as obtained by applying the ultrasound time domain reflectometry (UTDR). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to study the structure of the samples before and after the compaction.

Kaksoislaatuisesta rakenneputkesta hitsatun X-liitoksen kestävyys ja muodonmuutoskyky

Rautaruukki Oyj:n uusi Ruukki double grade S420MH/S355J2H -rakenneputki yhdistää putkilajien S420MH ja S355J2H ominaisuudet. Eurocode 3:n suunnitteluohjeiden mukaan Ruukki double graden käyttöön on sovellettava lujuusluokan S420 mukaista hitsien mitoitusta ja rakenneputkiliitosten staattista mitoituskestävyyttä alentavaa varmuuskerrointa, kun halutaan hyödyntää lujuusluokan S420 ominaisuudet Ruukki double gradea käytettäessä. Tässä työssä tutkittiin S420-lujuusluokkaa vastaavien suunnittelumääräysten soveltamistarvetta Ruukki double grade -rakenneputken käyttöön. Työn tavoitteena oli arvioida Ruukki double grade -rakenneputkesta hitsaamalla valmistetun X-liitoksen kestävyyden ja muodonmuutoskyvyn riittävyys, kun hitsit mitoitettiin S355-lujuusluokkaa vastaavien Eurocode 3:n suunnitteluohjeiden mukaisesti. X-liitosten kestävyyttä ja muodonmuutoskykyä tutkittiin kokeellisesti -40 C lämpötilassa suoritettujen laboratoriokokeiden avulla sekä analyyttisen laskennan ja elementtimenetelmän keinoin. Kestävyyden riittävyyttä arvioitiin vertaamalla laboratoriokokeista saatuja liitosten kestävyyksiä Eurocode 3:n ja myötöviivateorian mukaisiin kestävyyksiin. Elementtimenetelmän ja laboratoriokokeen pohjalta piirrettyjä liitoksen voima-siirtymäkuvaajia vertailtiin keskenään, kun elementtimalli analysoitiin eri materiaalimalleilla. Lisäksi verrattiin elementtimallin voima-venymäkuvaajia liitoksen venymäliuskan arvoihin. Kaikki koesarjan S355-lujuusluokan mukaisilla hitsin a-mitoilla valmistetut liitokset täyttivät kestävyydelle ja muodonmuutoskyvylle asetetut vaatimukset. Täten tämän koesarjan perusteella ei ollut tarpeellista soveltaa S420-lujuusluokan mukaista hitsien mitoitusta ja staattista mitoituskestävyyttä alentavaa varmuuslukua Ruukki double grade -rakenneputkeen. Elementtimenetelmästä ja laboratoriokokeesta saadut liitoksen voima-siirtymäkuvaajat vastasivat hyvin toisiaan. Sen sijaan elementtimallin voima-venymä-kuvaajat eivät vastanneet venymäliuskojen mittausdataa kovin hyvin.

Suorakulmaisten palonrajoittimien valmistettavuuden kehittäminen

Palonrajoittimet ovat tuotteita, jotka estävät tulen ja savun leviämisen palo-osastosta toiseen ja mahdollistavat ihmisten turvallisen ulospääsyn palotilanteessa. Tämän diplomityön tavoitteena oli vähentää suorakulmaisten palonrajoittimien valmistuskustannuksia niiden valmistettavuutta kehittämällä. Työn teoriaosassa käsitellään valmistettavuutta ja kokoonpantavuutta kehittäviä menetelmiä DFM:ää (Design for Manufacturability) ja DFA:ta (Design for Assembly) sekä palonrajoittimien ja ohutlevytuotteiden erityispiirteitä. Käytännön osuudessa esitellään tutkimusta varten valmistetut kolme kehitettävää palonrajoitinta, joita vertaillaan myös kilpaileviin tuotteisiin. Tuotteista analysoidaan osamääriä, materiaalikustannuksia ja työaikoja. Palonrajoittimien ongelmakohtia olivat muun muassa liittäminen ja kokoonpantavuus. Työssä esitetään keinoja palonrajoitinten valmistusystävälliseen suunnitteluun ja uusi moduloitu tuoteperhemalli, jolla vähennetään varsinkin valmistuksesta aiheutuvia kiinteitä kustannuksia. Lisäksi työssä esitetään alustava runkoratkaisumalli uudelle tuoteperheelle.

The Sedimentology, Ichnology and Hydrogeochemistry of the Late Miocene, Marginal Marine, Upper Pebas and Nauta Formations, Amazonian Foreland Basin, Peru

This thesis includes detailed sedimentological and ichnological studies on two geological units: the Pebas Formation, with a special focus in its informal upper member, and the Nauta Formation. Both formations were deposited during the Miocene in Northeastern Peruvian Amazonia, in the Amazon retroarc foreland basin. The Pebas and Nauta successions mainly consist of non-consolidated, clastic sedimentary deposits arranged into sand- to mud-dominated heterolithic successions, which can be upward-coarsening to upward-fining. Sediments in both the Pebas and Nauta successions range from mud to fine- to medium-grained sand. The main facies observed were 1) mud-dominated horizontal heterolithic couplets; 2) rooted brownish mud; 3) lenticular, mud-draped, cross-stratified sand; 4) mud- to sand-dominated, inclined heterolithic stratification; 5) sand-dominated horizontal heterolithic couplets; and 6) mud-draped, trough cross-stratified sand. Locally, tidal rhythmites were documented. The facies are interpreted as: 1) muddy, shallow, subaqueous flats/shoals; 2) palaeosols; 3) secondary tidal channels or run-off creeks; 4) tidally influenced point bars; 5) shoreface deposits; and 6) subtidal compound dunes. Thalassinoides-dominated Glossifungites ichnofacies, low-diversity expressions of the Skolithos ichnofacies and depauperate suites consisting of elements common to the Cruziana ichnofacies strongly indicate brackish-water conditions. However, continental trace fossil assemblages, with possible elements common to the Scoyenia ichnofacies, have also been identified. In addition to the palaeoenvironmental study, a local hydrogeochemical characterisation of the Pebas and Nauta formations was also conducted. The geochemistry of the groundwaters reflects the characteristics and the soil geochemistry of the geological formations studied. The Pebas formation has low hardness, acid to neutral waters, whereas the upper Pebas has high hardness, acid to neutral waters. In both units, the arsenic content is locally high. The Nauta formation has low hardness acid groundwaters. A regional review of the Pebas and Nauta formations placed the local observations into a continental perspective and suggests that the whole Pebas-Nauta system was a probably shallow (some tens of metres at maximum), brackish- to freshwater, tidally-influenced epicontinental embayment with a probable semi-diurnal to mixed tidal regime and a microtidal range, surrounded by continental environments such as forest floors, lagoons, rivers and their flood plains, and lakes.

Surface transformation hardening of carbon steel with high power fiber laser

This study investigated the surface hardening of steels via experimental tests using a multi-kilowatt fiber laser as the laser source. The influence of laser power and laser power density on the hardening effect was investigated. The microhardness analysis of various laser hardened steels was done. A thermodynamic model was developed to evaluate the thermal process of the surface treatment of a wide thin steel plate with a Gaussian laser beam. The effect of laser linear oscillation hardening (LLOS) of steel was examined. An as-rolled ferritic-pearlitic steel and a tempered martensitic steel with 0.37 wt% C content were hardened under various laser power levels and laser power densities. The optimum power density that produced the maximum hardness was found to be dependent on the laser power. The effect of laser power density on the produced hardness was revealed. The surface hardness, hardened depth and required laser power density were compared between the samples. Fiber laser was briefly compared with high power diode laser in hardening medium-carbon steel. Microhardness (HV0.01) test was done on seven different laser hardened steels, including rolled steel, quenched and tempered steel, soft annealed alloyed steel and conventionally through-hardened steel consisting of different carbon and alloy contents. The surface hardness and hardened depth were compared among the samples. The effect of grain size on surface hardness of ferritic-pearlitic steel and pearlitic-cementite steel was evaluated. In-grain indentation was done to measure the hardness of pearlitic and cementite structures. The macrohardness of the base material was found to be related to the microhardness of the softer phase structure. The measured microhardness values were compared with the conventional macrohardness (HV5) results. A thermodynamic model was developed to calculate the temperature cycle, Ac1 and Ac3 boundaries, homogenization time and cooling rate. The equations were numerically solved with an error of less than 10-8. The temperature distributions for various thicknesses were compared under different laser traverse speed. The lag of the was verified by experiments done on six different steels. The calculated thermal cycle and hardened depth were compared with measured data. Correction coefficients were applied to the model for AISI 4340 steel. AISI 4340 steel was hardened by laser linear oscillation hardening (LLOS). Equations were derived to calculate the overlapped width of adjacent tracks and the number of overlapped scans in the center of the scanned track. The effect of oscillation frequency on the hardened depth was investigated by microscopic evaluation and hardness measurement. The homogeneity of hardness and hardened depth with different processing parameters were investigated. The hardness profiles were compared with the results obtained with conventional single-track hardening. LLOS was proved to be well suitable for surface hardening in a relatively large rectangular area with considerable depth of hardening. Compared with conventional single-track scanning, LLOS produced notably smaller hardened depths while at 40 and 100 Hz LLOS resulted in higher hardness within a depth of about 0.6 mm.

Skill Development in Music Reading. The Eye-Movement Approach

This dissertation examined skill development in music reading by focusing on the visual processing of music notation in different music-reading tasks. Each of the three experiments of this dissertation addressed one of the three types of music reading: (i) sight-reading, i.e. reading and performing completely unknown music, (ii) rehearsed reading, during which the performer is already familiar with the music being played, and (iii) silent reading with no performance requirements. The use of the eye-tracking methodology allowed the recording of the readers’ eye movements from the time of music reading with extreme precision. Due to the lack of coherence in the smallish amount of prior studies on eye movements in music reading, the dissertation also had a heavy methodological emphasis. The present dissertation thus aimed to promote two major issues: (1) it investigated the eye-movement indicators of skill and skill development in sight-reading, rehearsed reading and silent reading, and (2) developed and tested suitable methods that can be used by future studies on the topic. Experiment I focused on the eye-movement behaviour of adults during their first steps of learning to read music notation. The longitudinal experiment spanned a nine-month long music-training period, during which 49 participants (university students taking part in a compulsory music course) sight-read and performed a series of simple melodies in three measurement sessions. Participants with no musical background were entitled as “novices”, whereas “amateurs” had had musical training prior to the experiment. The main issue of interest was the changes in the novices’ eye movements and performances across the measurements while the amateurs offered a point of reference for the assessment of the novices’ development. The experiment showed that the novices tended to sight-read in a more stepwise fashion than the amateurs, the latter group manifesting more back-and-forth eye movements. The novices’ skill development was reflected by the faster identification of note symbols involved in larger melodic intervals. Across the measurements, the novices also began to show sensitivity to the melodies’ metrical structure, which the amateurs demonstrated from the very beginning. The stimulus melodies consisted of quarter notes, making the effects of meter and larger melodic intervals distinguishable from effects caused by, say, different rhythmic patterns. Experiment II explored the eye movements of 40 experienced musicians (music education students and music performance students) during temporally controlled rehearsed reading. This cross-sectional experiment focused on the eye-movement effects of one-bar-long melodic alterations placed within a familiar melody. The synchronizing of the performance and eye-movement recordings enabled the investigation of the eye-hand span, i.e., the temporal gap between a performed note and the point of gaze. The eye-hand span was typically found to remain around one second. Music performance students demonstrated increased professing efficiency by their shorter average fixation durations as well as in the two examined eye-hand span measures: these participants used larger eye-hand spans more frequently and inspected more of the musical score during the performance of one metrical beat than students of music education. Although all participants produced performances almost indistinguishable in terms of their auditory characteristics, the altered bars indeed affected the reading of the score: the general effects of expertise in terms of the two eye- hand span measures, demonstrated by the music performance students, disappeared in the face of the melodic alterations. Experiment III was a longitudinal experiment designed to examine the differences between adult novice and amateur musicians’ silent reading of music notation, as well as the changes the 49 participants manifested during a nine-month long music course. From a methodological perspective, an opening to research on eye movements in music reading was the inclusion of a verbal protocol in the research design: after viewing the musical image, the readers were asked to describe what they had seen. A two-way categorization for verbal descriptions was developed in order to assess the quality of extracted musical information. More extensive musical background was related to shorter average fixation duration, more linear scanning of the musical image, and more sophisticated verbal descriptions of the music in question. No apparent effects of skill development were observed for the novice music readers alone, but all participants improved their verbal descriptions towards the last measurement. Apart from the background-related differences between groups of participants, combining verbal and eye-movement data in a cluster analysis identified three styles of silent reading. The finding demonstrated individual differences in how the freely defined silent-reading task was approached. This dissertation is among the first presentations of a series of experiments systematically addressing the visual processing of music notation in various types of music-reading tasks and focusing especially on the eye-movement indicators of developing music-reading skill. Overall, the experiments demonstrate that the music-reading processes are affected not only by “top-down” factors, such as musical background, but also by the “bottom-up” effects of specific features of music notation, such as pitch heights, metrical division, rhythmic patterns and unexpected melodic events. From a methodological perspective, the experiments emphasize the importance of systematic stimulus design, temporal control during performance tasks, and the development of complementary methods, for easing the interpretation of the eye-movement data. To conclude, this dissertation suggests that advances in comprehending the cognitive aspects of music reading, the nature of expertise in this musical task, and the development of educational tools can be attained through the systematic application of the eye-tracking methodology also in this specific domain.