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Now showing items 21-30 of 191
Irreversibilities and nonidealities in desalination systems
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2013)
Energy requirements for desalination systems must be reduced to meet increasing global demand for fresh water. This thesis identifies thermodynamic limits for the energetic performance of desalination systems and establishes ...
Knock limits in spark ignited direct injected engines using gasoline/ethanol blends
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
Direct Fuel Injection (DI) extends engine knock limits compared to Port Fuel Injection (PFI) by utilizing the in-cylinder charge cooling effect due to fuel evaporation. The use of gasoline/ethanol blends in DI is therefore ...
Automated rapid thermal imaging systems technology
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012)
A major source of energy savings occurs on the thermal envelop of buildings, which amounts to approximately 10% of annual energy usage in the United States. To pursue these savings, energy auditors use closed loop energy ...
Understanding success and failure in outsourced product development
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
Companies that develop new products increasingly outsource product design, a trend that has prompted much concern but little evidence on its effectiveness. This dissertation uses a combination of interviews, cross-case ...
Development of computational and experimental tools to study mechanotransduction in C.elegans and primates
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
When an object comes into contact with the human fingertip, surface loads imposed on the fingerpad are transmitted to thousands of specialized nerve endings embedded in the skin tissue. These nerve endings, called ...
A method to significantly improve finite element stress predictions
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012)
In this thesis, we present a novel method to improve the finite element stress predictions in static, dynamic and nonlinear analyses of solids. We focus on the use of low-order displacement-based finite elements, 3-node ...
In vivo knee biomechanics and implications for total knee arthroplasty implant design
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010)
The overall objective of this thesis was to determine the limitations of contemporary Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) and to identify areas for future improvements. In line with this objective, the first goal was to quantify ...
On fuel selection in controlled auto-ignition engines : the link between intake conditions, chemical kinetics, and stratification
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012)
The objective of this research is to examine the impact fuel selection can have on the high-load limit in a stratified Compression Auto-Ignition (CAI) engine. This was accomplished by first studying the validity of the ...
Aspects of the mechanics of metallic glasses
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
Metallic glasses are amorphous materials that possess unique mechanical properties, such as high tensile strengths and good fracture toughnesses. Also, since they are amorphous, metallic glasses exhibit a glass transition, ...
Dynamic scheduling of manufacturing systems with setups and random disruptions
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011)
Manufacturing systems are often composed of machines that can produce a variety of items but that most undergo time-consuming (and possibly costly) setups when switching between product types. Scheduling these setups ...