Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Mechanical Engineering) by Title
Now showing items 20-39 of 51
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EEG artefact identification and extraction in autonomic wireless network for future coordination and control of semi-autonomous systems.
(2015)Electroencephalographic signals is used to show correlations between specific forms of cognitive activities and robotic hand motion. This research presents EEG artefact identification, extraction and classification for ... -
The effect of tip clearance and tip gap geometry on the performance of a one and a half stage axial gas turbine.
(1996)In a previous work of a similar nature, the performance of a low speed axial turbine with a second stage nozzle was examined with respect to the effect of the variation of tip clearance for various tip shapes. Present ... -
Fabrication and characterization of metal oxide nanostructured thin film for photovoltaic application.
(2018)This study focused on fabrication and characterization of nanostructured metal oxide heterojunction solar cells for photovoltaic application. The study involved experimental fabrication of the device and modelling and ... -
Finite element and analytical solutions for the optimal design of laminated composites.
(1996)The present study involves the analysis and design optimisation of composite structures using analytical and numerical methods. Five different problems are considered. The first problem considers the design of laminated ... -
Finite element modelling of smart TRIP steel sensors and systems.
(2003)Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels undergo a phase transformation when subjected to high levels of mechanical strain. This transformation from a paramagnetic austenitic parent phase to a ferromagnetic ... -
Finite element solutions of optimization problems with stability constraints involving columns and laminated composites.
(2006)The primary aim of this study is to assess the applicability and performance of the finite element method (FEM) in solving structural optimization problems with stability constraints. In order to reach this goal, several ... -
Influence of wagon structure on the vertical response of freight.
(2002)Historically, wagons have been designed according to the American Association of Railroads specifications. These require that wagons be designed to withstand a static load between the couplers of 350 tons. This implies ... -
Investigation and design of wet-mill equipment and process technology.
(2003)need to dry-mill the wheat into flour, and as a result, the total cost of conversion from wheat to bread is reduced. The resulting product has been perceived as being more filling than normal bread and it is also more ... -
Investigation into on-line optimization of cutting tool geometry.
(1996)Metal cutting is an important process used to manufacture components with machined surfaces or holes. Due to the wide usage o f this manufacturing process, research with the aim to optimize the cutting processes is ... -
Investigation of the thermophysical properties of coconut fibre based green nanofluid for heat transfer applications.
(2018)Significant resources are being channelled toward research on carbon nanomaterials obtained from biomass precursors because of their overall environmental acceptability, stability, low toxicity and simplistic use. Due ... -
Low velocity impact energy absorption of fibrous metal-matrix composites using smart materials.
(2003)In general, the basic concept of an intelligent material is defined as the multifunctional material that has a sensor, a processor and an actuator function in the material that allows it to maintain optimum conditions in ... -
Manufacturing planning and operations optimisation for mass customisation manufacturing using computational intelligence.
(2015)This study determined whether an Advanced Manufacturing System could be optimised, more effectively than by traditional methods, using new and novel computational intelligence techniques. An Advanced Manufacturing System ... -
A mechanistic evaluation and design of tunnel support systems for deep level South African mines.
(1999)The design of support systems, comprising rock bolt reinforcement and fabric containment components for tunnels in deep level mining environments does not currently cater well for adverse rock mass conditions. This often ... -
Modelling and empirical characterisation of environmental degradation of FRP laminates in southern Africa.
(2010-10-29)As polymeric composite materials are being increasingly used in Southern Africa, there is a -
Modelling and testing of a low temperature solar organic rankine cycle power plant.
(2016)The post-apartheid era in South Africa has brought with it great challenges regarding electricity supply with demand far outstripping supply mainly due to the refocusing of the economy to foster industrialisation, the mass ... -
Modelling saturated tearing modes in tokamaks.
(1992)In this thesis a model for saturated tearing mode islands is developed. The equations for the mode amplitudes are essentially those of R B White et al,after a pertubation expansion has been made. It is well known that ... -
Molecular simulation and modeling of the phase equilibria of polar compounds.
(2006)The initial phase of the project involved an investigation into the modeling of binary carboxylic acid vapour-liquid equilibrium (VLE) data. This stemmed from the Masters research that led into the current study, in which ... -
Molecular simulation of vapour-liquid equilibrium using beowulf clusters.
(2010-11-01)This work describes the installation of a Beowulf cluster at the University of KwaZulu-Natal -
Non-stationary responses on hoisting cables with slowly varying length.
(1999)Cables in hoisting installations, due to their flexibility, are susceptible to vibrations. A common arrangement in industrial hoisting systems comprises a driving winder drum, a steel wire cable, a sheave mounted in headgear, ... -
Numerical and experimental investigations of optimal fatty acid methyl ester hybrid for enhanced engine performance and emission mitigation in the conventional compression ignition strategy.
(2020)The utilization of petroleum-based diesel fuel to power compression ignition (CI) engines has been hampered by inefficient combustion process resulting in unsatisfactory engine performance and emission of hazardous gases. ...