Over the last decade, six major earthquakes that occurred in Turkey dramatically demonstrated the poor performance of the buildings that were designed and constructed far from Turkish seismic code&rsquo / s requirements. The Marmara region, where most of the population and industry is located, is in the active seismic zone. With the rising cost of damages due to earthquakes, the necessity of the cost-benefit analysis for various rehabilitation strategies used in existing buildings has become a major concern for the decision makers who are in the position of making decisions on the building rehabilitation This study evaluates the performance of two different rehabilitation strategies applied to two five-story reinforced concrete buildings and assesses their cost-benefit analyses. These buildings were chosen to be representative of the typical residential To carry out the structural analysis of the buildings, three-dimensional models of the buildings were developed using SAP2000 [6]. Two alternative strengthening methods, insertion of reinforced concrete shear walls and application of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) on hallow clay tile infill walls, were used for both of the buildings. While modeling infill walls strengthened with CFRP, two specific modeling attempts proposed by the researchers at Middle East Technical University were used. Pushover analyses were performed to evaluate seismic performance of the buildings. The Life Safety criterion was chosen as the rehabilitation objective. The global and component response acceptability limits were checked and the cost-benefit analysis was performed in order to determine the most attractive rehabilitation alternative. The results and comparisons given here illustrated that strengthening with shear wall had the most significant improvement on the seismic performance and cost effectiveness of the case study buildings. Outcomes of this study are only applicable to the buildings employed here and are bound by the assumptions made, approximations used and parameters considered in this study. The findings cannot be generalized for the buildings rehabilitated with CFRP due to lack of the consistent models for CFRP application. More research needs to be conducted to provide solid guidelines and reliable models applicable to the CFRP rehabilitated infill walls.

[pt] Este trabalho é uma pesquisa experimental realizada no Laboratório de Estruturas e Materiais da PUC–Rio, utilizando–se a técnica de aplicação do compósito de fibras de carbono (CFC) colados externamente em consoles curtos de concreto armado. Foram ensaiados seis consoles curtos, sendo: um de referência, três com reforço de CFC na horizontal e dois com reforço de CFC na diagonal. A resistência média do concreto aos 28 dias foi de 30 MPa. A seção transversal do pilar foi de 25 cm × 50 cm e a seção do transversal console foi de 25 cm × 37,5 cm. O diâmetro da armadura tracionada em laço era de 10 mm e o diâmetro da armadura de costura era de 6,3 mm. Os consoles foram instrumentados com extensômetros elétricos de resistência na armadura tracionada, no estribo, no concreto e no CFC. Os ensaios comprovaram um razoável desempenho dessa técnica de reforço. Os resultados experimentais foram comparados com os resultados obtidos no modelo de Bielas e Tirantes e no modelo cinemático da Teoria da Plasticidade, visando a comparação das forças verticais últimas teóricas e experimentais. Foi avaliado o ângulo de inclinação das bielas e o fator de efetividade da deformação específica no reforço de CFC. / [en] This work is an experimental research of concrete short corbels wrapped with Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips. Different strengthening configurations were used. Was carried out on six corbels strengthened by CFRP. One control specimen without CFRP, three corbels with horizontal CFRP strips and two corbels with diagonal CFRP strips. The concrete had a 28 day compressive strength of 30 MPa. The column cross-section dimensions were 25 cm x 50 cm and the corbel cross-section dimensions were 25 cm x 37,5 cm. The flexural reinforcement consisted of four deformed bars each of diameter 10 mm with four transverse bars of diameter 6,3 mm. The corbels were instrumented with strain gages in flexural reinforcement, stirrup, concrete surface and CFRP strips. The analytical models based on Strut-and-Tie model and in the kinematic model of the Theory of Plasticity, allows one to determine the bearing capacity of corbels. The experimental values are then compared with the analytical results, showing good agreement. The strut angle and the strengthening effectiveness were evaluated.

La consommation globale de plastique renforcé de fibres de carbone (PRFC) est en constante augmentation, ce qui induit la nécessité de créer un secteur de recyclage capable de traiter l’ensemble des fibres de carbone actuellement consommées et qui représente la quantité de déchets à traiter en devenir. Cette thèse porte sur le développement et l'application d’une méthodologie d’évaluation multicritère du développement durable pour la création d’une filière de recyclage des plastiques renforcés de fibres de carbone (PRFC) issus du secteur aéronautique, mais aussi des autres secteurs consommateurs de fibres de carbone tels que l’automobile et l’éolien. Cette méthodologie a pour but d’identifier les indicateurs les plus pertinents ainsi que les méthodes qui leurs sont associés, c'est-à-dire qu’elle vise à la création et l’adaptation d’indicateurs clé de performance du développement durable pour caractériser au mieux les impacts environnementaux et sociaux-économique de cette filière de recyclage. Le résultat final de ce travail est la création d’une méthodologie d’évaluation du développement durable dédiée à la filière de recyclage des fibres de carbone par la considération des différents aspects de celui-ci. Cette méthodologie, aidant à l’identification et la définition des indicateurs clé de performances du développement durable peut être aussi appliquée à d’autres secteurs souhaitant s’implanter en suivant les principes de ce développement. / The global consumption of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is constantly growing since the last decade, leading to the need to create a recycling sector able to manage the amount of carbon fibers currently consumed and representing the amount of waste to be treated in the future. This thesis focus on the creation of a methodology for evaluating the sustainability potential for the implementation of a carbon fiber reinforced plastics recycling (CFRP) sector. CFRP coming from the aeronautics sector as well as other sectors such as the automobile and wind-energy industries. This methodology aims at identifying the most relevant indicators and associated methods, but also aims at the creation and adaptation of indicators to best assess the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of this recycling sector. The final result of this work, is the creation of a sustainability assessment methodology dedicated to the carbon fiber recycling sector, considering the different sustainability pillars. However this methodology also define more widely a tool that helps to identify sustainability performance indicators and that can be applied to other sectors if necessary.

Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites are extensively used in aircraft structures because of its high specific stiffness, high specific strength and tailorability. Though Fibre Reinforced Polymers offer many advantages, they are not free from problems. The damage of different nature, e.g., service mechanical damages, fatigue damage or environmental damage can be observed during operating conditions. Among all the damages, manufacturing or service induced, delamination related damage is the most important failure mechanisms of aircraft-composite structures and can be detrimental for safety. Delamination growth under fatigue loading may take place due to local buckling, growth from free edges and notches such as holes, growth from ply-drops and impact damaged composites containing considerable delamination. Delamination growth can also occur due to interlaminar stresses, which can arise in complex structures due to unanticipated loading. The complex nature of composite failure, involving different failure modes and their interactions, makes it necessary to characterize/identify the relevant parameters for fatigue damage resistance, accumulation and life prediction. An effort has been made in this thesis to understand the fatigue behavior of carbon fibre reinforced epoxy laminates under aircraft wing service loading conditions. The study was made on laminates with different lay-up sequences (quasi-isotropic and fibre dominated) and different geometries (plain specimen, specimen with a hole and ply-drop specimen). The fatigue behaviour of the composite was analyzed by following methods: . Ultrasonic C-Scan was used to characterize the delamination growth. . Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) was done to study the interfacial degradation due to fatigue loading. In this analysis, the interfacial strength indicator and interfacial damping were calculated. The DMA also provides the storage modulus degradation under fatigue loading. . Scanning electron microscope examination was carried out to understand the fatigue damage mechanisms. . A semi-empirical phenomenological model was also used to estimate the residual fatigue life. This research work reveals that the Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer laminates are in the safe limit under service loading conditions, except the specimen with a hole. The specimen with a hole showed delaminations around the hole due to stress concentration and higher interlaminar stresses at the hole edges and this delamination is found to be associated with fibre breakage and fibre pullout. The quasi-isotropic laminate is found to show poorer fatigue behaviour when compared to fibre dominated laminate and ply-drop also shows poor performance due to high stress concentration in the ply-drop region.

i Abstract The Nockeby Bridge, in the western part of Stockholm, is a prestressed concrete bridge with an openable swing span of steel. The bridge was built during 1970 and should now be widened with 0.5 meters on each side. The concrete bridge deck is supported by two main-beams and cross-beams are located at the position of all supports. Previous studies of the bridge show that the torsional resistance is too low and the bridge needs strengthening while widened. The aim of this master  thesis  was  to  study  and  compare  different  strengthening  methods  for  The  Nockeby Bridge.  Eight  different  bridges  in  Sweden  and  China  were  reviewed  to  find  possible  strengthening  methods  for  The  Nockeby  Bridge.  External  prestressing  tendons  and  additional  cross-beams between  the  two  main-beams  were  seen  to  have  good  influence  on  the  resistance.  The  effect from strengthening with carbon-fiber reinforced polymer was questioned during small loads and was not seen as a suitable strengthening method for The Nockeby Bridge.  Four different FE-models were generated to be able to compare two strengthening methods. The compared strengthening methods were a method with additional cross-beams between the main-beams and a method with external prestressing tendons. All FE-models were built up by solid- and  truss  elements  where  the  concrete  was  modelled  with  solid  elements  and  the  prestressed reinforcement was modelled with truss elements.  Only a few load-cases were included to limit the scope of the study. The included load-cases were deadweight,  prestressing  forces  and  vehicle  load  from  standard  vehicle  F,  G,  H  and  I.  Two influence lines were created to be able to place the vehicle loads in an unfavorable way. From the FE-models, shear  stresses were  extracted  along two  lines, one  on  each  side  of the main-beam. The torsional part of the shear stresses was calculated from these two results and compared with the torsional resistance of the bridge. While calculating the torsional resistance, the normal force in the cross-section from prestress was extracted with the function “free body cut”. The results showed that none of the tested strengthening methods were enough to  strengthen The  Nockeby  Bridge.  However, the  method  with additional  cross-beams  was  seen  as  a  better method than external prestressing tendons. A combination of the two methods might be suitable but  was  not  tested.  Adding  four  cross-beams  in  each  span  might  also  increase  the  resistance enough, but this was neither tested. It was also seen that a reduction of the torsional stiffness had a large influence on the result. Such a reduction is allowed in some cases and should be utilized if possible. Furthermore,  it  was  seen  that  solid-models  were  extremely  time  consuming  and  there  is  not  a  good alternative to design a bridge with only a solid model. / Nockebybron i västra Stockholm är en förspänd betongbro med ett öppningsbart svängspann av stål. Bron byggdes 1970 och ska nu breddas med 0.5 meter på varje sida. Betongplattan stöds upp av två huvudbalkar och tvärbalkar är placerade vid samtliga stöd. Tidigare studier av bron visar att brons vridstyvhet är låg och bron behöver förstärkas i samband med breddningen. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka och jämföra olika förstärkningsmetoder för Nockebybron. Åtta olika  broar  i  Sverige  och  Kina  undersöktes  för  att  hitta möjliga  förstärkningsåtgärder  för Nockebybron. Extern spännarmering och extra tvärbalkar mellan de två huvudbalkarna hade en bra inverkan på kapaciteten. Kapacitetsökningen fån förstärkning med kolfiberförstärkt plast är ifrågasatt vid låga laster och uppfattas inte som en bra metod för att förstärka Nockebybron.  Fyra     olika     FE-modeller     skapades     för     att     jämföra     två     förstärkningsmetoder. Förstärkningsmetoderna som jämfördes var metoden med extra tvärbalkar mellan huvudbalkarna samt   en   metod   extern   spännarmering.   Alla   FE-modeller   byggdes  upp   med  solid-  och stångelement  där  betongen  modellerades  med  solidelement  och  den  förspända  armeringen modellerades med stångelement.  Enbart ett fåtal lastfall inkluderades i studien för att minska studiens omfattning. De inkluderade lastfallen  var  egenvikt,  förspänningskrafter  samt  trafiklast  från  typfordon  F,  G,  H  och  I.  Två influenslinjer  skapades  för  att  placera  trafiklasten  på  ett  ogynnsamt  sätt.  Från  FE-modellerna extraherades   skjuvspänningar   från   bägge   sidor   av   en   av   huduvbalkarna.   Från   dessa skjuvspänningar   beräknades   vrid-delen   av   skjuvspänningarna   som   jämfördes   med   brons vridkapacitet.  När  vridkapaciteten  beräknades  togs  tryckkraften  från  tvärsnittet  fram  genom funktionen ”free body cut”.  Resultatet visade att ingen av de testade förstärkningsmetoderna var tillräckliga för att  förstärka Nockebybron.  Hur  som  helst,  metoden  med  extra  tvärbalkar  ansågs  som  en  bättre  metod  än extern  spännarmering.  En  kombination  av  de  bägge  förstärkningsmetoderna  kan  vara  lämplig men detta testades inte. Att lägga in fyra tvärbalkar i varje spann kan också leda till en tillräcklig ökning av kapaciteten, men detta fall testades inte heller. En reduktion av vridstyvheten sågs ha en stor påverkan på resultatet. En sådan reduktion är tillåten i vissa fall och borde utnyttjas om möjligt. Vidare  upptäcktes  att  en  solidmodell  är  väldigt  tidskrävande  varför  det  inte  är  lämpligt  att  dimensionera en bro enbart med hjälp av en solidmodell.

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<p>This investigation delineates the optimal synthesis and characterization of innovative epoxy-carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite filaments via electrospinning. Electrospinning thermosetting materials such as epoxy resins presents significant challenges due to the polycationic behavior arising from intermolecular noncovalent interactions between epoxide and hydroxyl groups, resulting in a substantial increase in solution surface tension. In this study, electrospinning submicron epoxy filaments was achieved through partial curing of epoxy via a thermal treatment process in an organic polar solvent, circumventing the necessity for plasticizers or thermoplastic binders. The filament diameter can be modulated to as low as 100 nm by adjusting electrospinning parameters.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Integrating a minimal amount of CNT into the epoxy matrix yielded enhanced structural, electrical, and thermal stability. The CNTs were aligned within the epoxy filaments due to the electrostatic field present during electrospinning. The modulus of the epoxy and epoxy-CNT filaments were determined to be 3.24 and 4.84 GPa, respectively, resulting in a 49% improvement. Epoxy-CNT nanofibers were directly deposited onto carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) prepreg layers, yielding augmented adhesion, interfacial bonding, and significant mechanical property enhancements. The interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) and fatigue resistance demonstrated a 29% and 27% increase, respectively, under intense stress conditions. Up to 45% of the Barely Visible Impact Damage (BVID) energy absorption was increased. In addition, the strategic incorporation of CNT (multi-walled) networks between the layers of CFRP resulted in a significant increase in thermal and electrical conductivities.</p> <p>This study also introduces a scalable fabrication procedure to address large volume processing, reproducibility, accuracy, and electrospinning safety. Electric fields of the experimental multi-nozzle setups were simulated to elucidate the induced surface charges responsible for the Taylor cone formation of the epoxy-CNT solution droplet on the nozzle tips. Electrospinning parameters were subsequently optimized for the multi-nozzle system and analyzed alongside simulated data to improve stability and synthesize fibers with smaller diameters.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Smaller diameter epoxy-CNT nanofibers proved critical as CNTs maintained alignment within the nanofibers when compared to larger diameter nanofibers. This research examines the impact of effective parameters on the diameter of electrospun epoxy-CNT nanofibers using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Consequently, employing a genetic algorithm (GA) and Bayesian optimization (BO) methods enable accurate prediction of epoxy-CNT nanofiber diameters prior to electrospinning. The presented models could aid researchers in fabricating electrospun thermosetting and thermoplastic scaffolds with specified fiber diameters, thereby tailoring these scaffolds for specific applications.</p>

Roller conveyors are critical components in various industries for material handling, enabling the efficient transportation of items in assembly lines, warehouses, and distribution centers. Traditionally constructed from materials such as steel, aluminum, or plastic, roller conveyors are now being innovatively designed using composite materials. This study investigates the design, analysis, and optimization of roller conveyors utilizing composite materials to achieve weight reduction while maintaining or enhancing structural integrity and operational efficiency. Composite materials offer enhanced properties compared to their individual components. Typical composites include fibers like carbon, glass, or aramid within a matrix of epoxy resin, providing superior strength, corrosion resistance, and customization capabilities. The research employs finite element analysis (FEA) and other advanced modeling techniques to evaluate the performance of composite roller conveyors under various loading conditions. The findings suggest that using composite materials can significantly reduce the weight of roller conveyors, leading to decreased energy consumption, lower operational costs, and improved handling efficiency. The optimized design enhances productivity and contributes to sustainability by minimizing environmental impact. This thesis advances the understanding of composite-based roller conveyors, demonstrating their potential to replace conventional materials and achieve higher efficiency in industrial applications.

Dans le domaine du renforcement et/ou de la réparation des structures en béton armé par des matériaux composites à l'aide de la méthode du collage extérieur au moyen d'un adhésif époxy, une des préoccupations de la communauté scientifique est l'intégrité structurelle de ce système dans le cas d'incendie dans lequel la haute température est une caractéristique essentielle et peut atteindre jusqu'à 1200°C. Ce travail de recherche est axé sur le comportement thermomécanique à très haute température des matériaux composites [un composite à base de polymère carbone/ époxy (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer- CFRP), un composite textile/ mortier cimentaire (Textile Reinforced Concrete- TRC) et un adhésif à base d'époxy]. L'évolution des propriétés mécaniques et d'autres aspects mécaniques de ces matériaux composites avec la température a été caractérisée. Une nouvelle procédure expérimentale concernant la mesure de la déformation de l'éprouvette à l'aide du capteur laser est développée et validée. Une étude numérique et expérimentale a été réalisée dans le but de déterminer principalement la température à la rupture des joints « composite/ adhésif/ composite » sous les sollicitations mécaniques et thermiques. L'efficacité de la protection thermique de deux isolants [PROMASPRAY®T (produit commercial de la société PROMAT] et Isolant A (produit développé par le LGCIE site Tusset) a aussi été étudiée dans cette thèse. Enfin, une approche numérique, à l'aide du logiciel ANSYS, est utilisée afin de déterminer, de façon préliminaire et approximative, à l'échelle matériau, les propriétés thermiques des matériaux (composite textile/ mortier cimentaire -TRC et Isolant A) / In the area of the strengthening and/or the reparation of reinforced concrete structures with composites by means of the external bonding method using an epoxy adhesive, one of the preoccupation of the scientific community is the structural integrity of this system in the event of fire in which the high temperature is the essential feature et can reach up to 1200°C. This research focuses on the thermo-mechanical behavior of composite materials [carbon/epoxy adhesive composite (or carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), textile/cementitious mortar composite (or textile reinforced concrete (TRC)] and an epoxy-based adhesive. The evolution of mechanical properties and other mechanical aspects of these materials with the temperature has been characterized. A new experimental procedure concerning the measurement of sample strain by the laser sensor is developed and validated. An experimental and numerical study has been realized in order to mainly determine the temperature at the failure of "composite/adhesive/composite" joints under thermal and mechanical loadings. The effectiveness of the thermal protection of two insulators [PROMASPRAY®T (a commercial product of the PROMAT company and the insulator A (product developed by the LGCIE site Tuset)] has also been investigated in this PhD thesis. Finally, a numerical approach, using ANSYS software, is used to determine, in the preliminary and approximate way, at material scale, thermal properties of the materials [the textile reinforced concrete (TRC) and the insulator A]

The content of the diploma thesis is evaluation of the usability of carbon composites in the space industry. The aim of this work is to assess whether carbon composites can find application in mechanical systems of passive thermal protection of artificial objects. Model examples demonstrate the principle of operation of selected passive thermal protection. The evaluation is realized based on the results of thermal analysis. Analytical formulas from field theory of heat transfer are used as a calculation method. The diploma thesis consists from two parts. The theoretical part briefly describes the mechanisms of heat transfer, selected types of passive thermal protection and properties and applications of carbon composites. The practical part consists of the assignment, calculation and evaluation of three examples. The results show that carbon composites can compete with commonly used materials for specific requirements.