Browsing Doctoral Degrees (Mechanical Engineering) by Title
Now showing items 30-49 of 51
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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. ... -
The optimal design of laminated plates for maximum buckling load using finite element and analytical methods.
(1994)In the first part of the study, finite element solutions are presented for the optimal design of symmetrically laminated rectangular plates subject to a combination of simply supported, clamped and free boundary conditions. ... -
Optimisation of the process parameters of the resin film infusion process.
(1999)The resin film infusion process or RFI is a vacuum assisted moulding method for producing high quality fibre reinforced components. The goals of this research have been to investigate this new process, with the aim of ... -
Optimisation of welding parameters to mitigate the effect of residual stress on the fatigue life of nozzle–shell welded joints in cylindrical pressure vessels.
(2017)The process of welding steel structures inadvertently causes residual stress as a result of thermal cycles that the material is subjected to. These welding-induced residual stresses have been shown to be responsible for ... -
Optimum design of grid structures of revolution using homogenised model.
(2000)The present study involves analysis and design optimisation of lattice composite structures using symbolic computation. The concept of a homogenised model is used to represent heterogeneous composite isogrid structure as ... -
The performance of a one and a half stage axial turbine including various tip clearance effects.
(1993)The necessary clearance at the tip of unshrouded rotors of axial turbines allows fluid to leak from the pressure to the suction side of the blade and produces an important component of loss that is ultimately responsible ... -
Production of jet fuel from microalgae biomass cultivated in saline domestic wastewater.
(2018)Jet fuel from crude petroleum oil is known as the most efficient energy carrier for the aviation sector. Environmental concerns and economic pressure drive major industries to adapt to current global revolution towards ... -
Production, evaluation and testing of biodiesel : case studies of Moringa oleifera and selected tropical seed oils.
(2015)Production, evaluation and comparative testing of biodiesel from Moringa oleifera seed oil and selected tropical feedstock oils were undertaken in this study. From studies, Moringa oil has higher oil yields and excellent ... -
Production, evaluation and testing of bioethanol from matooke peels species as an alternative fuel for spark ignition engine: a case study of Uganda.
(2020)Conversion of new lignocellulose biomass (LCB) waste to energy is an innovative technique for waste valorization and management which reduces environmental pollutions and offers socioeconomic benefits. This has made the ... -
Smart materials for structural health monitoring.
(2003)A new philosophy in structural health monitoring was explored, with the view to the creation of a smart mining bolt: one which would bear the normal load of any bolt used in South African gold mining tunnels, but at the ... -
Smart structural health monitoring of mining support units.
(2003)In the South African mining industry, the design of tunnel support systems is generally based on empirical methodologies that consider rockmass characteristics as well as the type of loading (e.g. seismic) that the ...