Efficient Thermal Modelling and Topology Optimization for Additive Manufacturing

With the advent of Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques, the design principle of `form follows function' no longer remains a utopian proposition. The unprecedented design freedom offered by AM is making it possible to conceptualize highly performant designs by efficiently leveraging geometrical complexity. The increase in design freedom...

Structural Performance of Demountable Hybrid Floor Systems Under Monotonic and Cyclic Loading

The building sector is actively researching and reviewing technical solutions for de-construction, driven by the increasing importance of sustainability requirements, as outlined in the EU Commission's ‘Green Deal,‘ which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Two key research areas in efficient structural design strategies...

Historical and future naturalization of Magallana gigas in the Galician coast in a context of climate change

Magallana gigas is a naturalized species on the north coast of Galicia (Rías Altas, Northwest Iberian Peninsula), where it was unintentionally introduced. In recent decades, a greater abundance of M. gigas has been observed on the Galician coast, expanding towards the south, reaching the Artabro Gulf (Rías Centrales, NW Galician coast), probably...

Distributed memory parallel groundwater modeling for the Netherlands Hydrological Instrument

Worldwide, billions of people rely on fresh groundwater reserves for their domestic, agricultural and industrial water use. Extreme droughts and excessive groundwater pumping put pressure on water authorities in maintaining sustainable water usage. High-resolution integrated models are valuable assets in supporting them. The Netherlands...

Calcium phosphate cement reinforced with poly (vinyl alcohol) fibers: An experimental and numerical failure analysis

Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) have been widely used during the past decades as biocompatible bone substitution in maxillofacial, oral and orthopedic surgery. CPCs are injectable and are chemically resemblant to the mineral phase of native bone. Nevertheless, their low fracture toughness and high brittleness reduce their clinical...

Intertidal Flats in Engineered Estuaries: On the Hydrodynamics, Morphodynamics, and Implications for Ecology and System Management

Intertidal flats — regions of estuaries that emerge every tide from the water — form unique ecosystems. Benthic communities living in the bed are a valuable food source for wading birds. Salt marshes present on these flats further enhance the biodiversity. Through the damping of waves, intertidal flats also contribute to the safety of the...

Bar pattern and sediment sorting in a channel contraction/expansion area: Application to the Loire River at Bréhémont (France)

Bars are large sediment deposits alternating with deeper areas that arise from alluvial river bed instability and forcing. The present study aimed at investigating the combined influence of flow and longitudinal width variations on the co-evolution between bar pattern and sediment sorting in a sandy-gravel river reach. To this goal, a fully...

Impacts of progressive urban expansion on subsurface temperatures in the city of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)

Subsurface temperatures are substantially higher in urban areas than in surrounding rural environments; the result is a subsurface urban heat island (SUHI). SUHIs and their drivers have received attention in studies world-wide. In this study, a well-constrained data set of subsurface temperatures from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is presented....

Experimental and numerical analysis on bending and tensile failure behavior of calcium phosphate cements

Since their discovery in the 1980s, injectable self-setting calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are frequently used in orthopedic, oral and maxillofacial surgery due to their chemical resemblance to the mineral phase of native bone. However, these cements are very brittle, which complicates their application in load-bearing anatomical sites....

Wave attenuation in coastal mangroves: Mangrove squeeze in the mekong delta

This study explores the influence of the wave characteristics on the attenuation process of waves through coastal mangroves, which are threatened by the coastal mangrove squeeze phenomenon. Coastal mangrove squeeze is the phenomenon where coastal regions, even when sediment availability is sufficient, are eroding due to a lack of accommodation...

Numerical modeling of wheel-rail squeal-exciting contact

Complex frictional rolling contact and high-frequency wheel dynamic behavior make modeling squeal greatly challenging. The falling-friction effect and wheel mode-coupling behavior are believed to be the two main mechanisms that generate unstable wheel vibration and the resulting squeal noise. To rigorously consider both mechanisms in one...

Sensitivity of rip current forecasts to errors in remotely-sensed bathymetry

Operational nearshore current forecasts based on numerical model simulations are gaining popularity as a measure to increase the safety of swimmers. Applying remotely-sensed bathymetry in these model simulations is often proposed in order to cope with rapidly changing nearshore bathymetry. Errors in the remotely-sensed bathymetry may...

Multiscale modeling of fatigue crack propagation in additively manufactured porous biomaterials

Advances in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have enabled fabrication of highly porous titanium implants that combine the excellent biocompatibility of bulk titanium with all the benefits that a regular volume-porous structure has to offer (e.g. lower stiffness values comparable to those of bone). Clinical application of such...

Five common mistakes in fluvial morphodynamic modeling

Recent years have seen a marked increase in the availability of morphodynamic models and a proliferation of new morphodynamic codes. As a consequence, morphodynamic models are increasingly developed, used and evaluated by non-experts, possibly leading to mistakes. This paper draws attention to five types of common mistakes. First, new...

Coupled poroelastic waves and electromagnetic fields in layered media: Theory, Modeling, and Interferometric Synthesis

In this thesis, I study coupled poroelastic waves and electromagnetic fields in layered media. The focus is two-fold:<br/>1. Increase the theoretical and physical understanding of the seismo-electromagnetic phenomenon by analytically-based numerical modeling.<br/>2. Investigate the potential of seismo-electromagnetic interferometry.<br/><br/...

A time-series analysis framework for the flood-wave method to estimate groundwater model parameters

The flood-wave method is implemented within the framework of time-series analysis to estimate aquifer parameters for use in a groundwater model. The resulting extended flood-wave method is applicable to situations where groundwater fluctuations are affected significantly by time-varying precipitation and evaporation. Response functions for time...

ADVANCES IN THE MODELLING OF VERTICAL HYDRAULIC TRANSPORT BY A CONTINUUM DESCRIPTION