Arun Prakash Jaganathan

Broadband magnetic levitation-based nonlinear energy harvester

In this work, development of a broadband nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvester is described. The energy harvester consists of a casing housing stationary magnets, a levitated magnet, oblique mechanical springs, and a coil. Magnetic and oblique springs introduce nonlinear behavior into the energy harvester. A mathematical model of the proposed device is developed and validated. The results show good agreement between model and experiment. The significance of adding oblique mechanical springs to the energy harvester design is investigated using the model simulation. The results from the model suggest that adding oblique springs to the energy harvester will improve the performance and increase the frequency bandwidth and amplitude response of the energy harvester.

Case Study from Application of High-Resolution Ultra-Wideband Radar for QC/QA Analysis of Trenchless Pipe Rehabilitation and Pipeline Condition Assessment

Advanced condition assessment technologies for buried municipal pipeline applications have been gaining significant attention in recent years. This paper presents a case study from the recently completed pipeline condition assessment project employing Ultra Wideband (UWB) radar system integrated with closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. Recently, a storm drain was rehabilitated using the trenchless slip lining technique. Following rehabilitation, a non-destructive testing (NDT) based quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) analysis was performed to evaluate the quality of rehabilitation. Prior to the field test, laboratory based feasibility study was conducted using pipe specimen with artificially created defects. Results from both laboratory and field evaluations are presented in this paper. The results indicated the possibility of employing UWB radar as a tool for detecting quality control issues in the trenchless slip lining projects including grout blockage within the annular space, uniformity of grout thickness and proper alignment of liner pipe.