Microwave and millimeterwave oscillator developments at the Johannes Kepler University

This contribution reviews the research work performed at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria, on the development of oscillators for the microwave and millimeter wave frequency range. This work, performed by the Microelectronics Institute and the Institute for Communications and Information Engineering, covers the range from low GHz frequencies up to 61 GHz and is devoted to applications like mobile communications and sensing. The active devices are based on gallium arsenide (GaAs), silicon germanium (SiGe), and Silicon (Si) and include Gunn-devices, bipolar transistors, and CMOS-technology.     

Smart help for operator performance

Our emphasis in this paper has been on the knowledge-based and cognitive issues pertinent for improved interactions between workers and manufacturing computer systems. We believe that these techniques are as necessary and applicable to manufacturing as to any other vocation, especially as the difference in collar color of shop people becomes less noticeable in their increasing role as knowledge workers.     

Pressure wave propagation in a short tunnel caused by passing trains

The aerodynamic behaviour of pressure transients in railway tunnels due to the passage of train are accompanied by the wave reflection between the entrance and exit of the tunnel as well as the tunnel wall and train surface. This study presents a numerical method using the Harten-Yee upwind TVD scheme to simulate compression wave transients and reflection in a railway tunnel. The strength of the compression wave generated by the entrance of a train into a tunnel emerged within the applied calculation procedure, without any special consideration of the boundary condition for the entrance or exit of the tunnel as well as the train nose and tail. Good agreements were obtained when the initial pressure rise at tunnel entrance and the process of pressure variations in a short tunnel, which were calculated by the presented numerical method, were compared with experimental data. The pressure wave reflection at the entrance and exit, the unsteady flow around the train and the transmitted wave at tunnel exit portal were simulated. The transmitted wave at the tunnel exit portal is also discussed. In addition a method to determine the non-reflective boundary condition for multi-dimensional Euler equation is given.     

A systematic transition to flexible manufacturing

The transition from basic automation to flexible manufacturing is an expensive and tedious procedure. It requires meticulous planning and almost clairvoyant forecasting to insure that the initial flexibility obtained is sufficient to allow growth and expansion in the future. This paper will suggest a systematic and methodological approach to achieve optimal flexibility and describe the present results of its application to an ongoing system transformation.

Conclusions based on existing levels of completion are presented along with identification of critical and non critical flexibility requirements. The considerations and steps taken are summarized in a procedural format which may then be applied to a wide variety of system transformations.     

Intelligent structuring and exploration of digital music collections

In this paper we present a general approach to the automatic content-based organization and visualization of large digital music collections. The general methodology consists in extracting musically and perceptually relevant patterns (‘features’) from the given audio recordings (e.g., mp3 files), using topology-preserving data projection methods to map the entire music collection onto two-dimensional visualization planes (possibly in a hierarchical fashion), and using a new display metaphor (the ‘Islands of Music’) to display the inherent structure of the music collection to the user. It is shown how arbitrary meta-data can be integrated into the visualization process, and how similarity according to different viewpoints can be defined and exploited. The basic methodology is briefly described, three prototype systems are presented, and a general discussion of the practical application possibilities of such technologies is offered.     

Interconnected power systems with superconducting magnetic energy storage

The objective of this work is to discuss the concept of back‐to‐back interconnection systems with energy storage, especially with a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) incorporated into a back‐to‐back DC link. In this case, each converter of the back‐to‐back system is used as a power conditioning system for the SMES coils. Since the AC–DC converter can be designed independently of the frequency of the power system, a two‐way switch is connected to the AC side of each converter. This two‐way switch can select the interconnected power systems. By using the two‐way switches, this system can provide the stored energy in the SMES system to each interconnected power system through two AC–DC converters. For instance, lower‐cost power of each power network can be stored through two converters during the off‐peak hours and made available for dispatch to each power network during periods of demand peak. Then this system increases the reliability of electric power networks and enables the economical operations depending on the power demand. This paper describes the unique operations of the back‐to‐back interconnection with SMES and discuses the optimal SMES configuration for a 300‐MW‐class back‐to‐back interconnection. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 164(2): 37–43, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20482     

Improving user security behaviour

Many organisations suspect that their internal security threat is more pressing than their external security threat. The internal threat is predominantly the result of poor user security behaviour. Yet, despite that, security awareness programmes often seem more likely to put users to sleep than to improve their behaviour. This article discusses the influences that affect a user's security behaviour and outlines how a well structured approach focused on improving behaviour could be an excellent way to take security slack out of an organisation and to achieve a high return for a modest, low-risk investment.     

Simulation des dichteabhängigen Stofftransportes im Grundwasser und Verifizierung am Beispiel der Saltpool-Experimente

Kurzfassung Die Saltpool-Experimente von OSWALD (1998) und OSWALD & KINZELBACH (2004), im Jahre 1998 an der ETH Zürich ausgeführt, sind exzellente Benchmark-Tests für numerische Simulationsprogramme der dichtevariablen Strömung. Zahlreiche Autoren haben Ergebnisse dazu veröffentlicht. Die kritischen Probleme hierbei sind sowohl die zu dicke Übergangszone von hoher Konzentration an der Sohle der Versuchsbox zum Süßwasser am Top der Box in der Injektionsphase und in der Ruhephase als auch die extrem langen Rechenzeiten.Die Untersuchungen von HÄFNER & BOY (2003a) wurden fortgeführt mit dem erweiterten Code MODCALIF-MST (MODular Flow and CALIbration with Front Limitation algorithm—Multi Species and Temperature). Insbesondere werden Methoden zur Rechenzeitbeschleunigung diskutiert und verifiziert. Durch Nutzung eines algebraischen Multigrid- Gleichungslösers konnte die Rechenzeit um den Faktor 4 verringert werden. Zur Prüfung der Leistungsfähigkeit von MODCALIF-MST wurden die Saltpool Experimente, case 1 und case 2, nachsimuliert und Gitterkonvergenzstudien sowie eine Modellkalibrierung durchgeführt.

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Simulation of density-dependent solute transport in groundwater and verification with saltpool experiments

Abstract The Saltpool experiments by OSWALD (1998) and OSWALD & KINZELBACH (2004), carried out in 1998 at the ETH Zurich, are an excellent benchmark test for numerical simulation programmes of the variable-density flow. Numerous authors published results on this subject. Here, critical problems are the thick transition zones from high concentration at the bottom to fresh water at the top of the box in the injection phase and the rest phase (phases 1–2) as well as the extremely long computing time.We have continued the investigations by HÄFNER & BOY (2003a) with the extended code MODCALIF-MST (MODular Flow and CALIbration with Front Limitation algorithm—Multi Species and Temperature) in double porosity porous media. Especially, the methods for code acceleration are discussed and verified. By incorporating the algebraic multigrid package as linear equation solver, computing times could be reduced by a factor of about 4. Simulations, a grid convergence study and a model calibration were carried out for the experiments case 1 and case 2 with MODCALIF.

     

Wasserstofffreie amorphe Kohlenstoffschichten ‐ abgeschieden durch plasmaaktivierte Hochratebedampfung

Hydrogen free amorphous carbon coatings ‐ deposited with plasma‐activated high‐rate evaporation By using the technology of the plasmaactivated electron beam evaporation we deposited hydrogen free amorphous carbon coatings with deposition rates of up to 100 μm/h. The results of the mechanical and tribological investigations show the potential of these layers for the use in case of wear resistance. Hardnesses of up to 16GPa were proved. The actual state of the characterisation of the coatings is described and the outlook onto possibilities of further optimisation is given.