For wood products such as flooring and worktop, only one surface is normally exposed in their use, and the mechanical properties like hardness and wearing resistance of that surface is then important. Since mechanical properties are strongly related to the density, surface densification, i.e. transverse compression of the wood cells beneath the surface of a piece of wood with the aim to increase the density of that region, may be a method for improving hardness and wearing resistance when low-density species are used for such products. The set-recovery, i.e. the moisture-induced swelling of the densified wood cells back to their original shape, is the main obstacle in the use of densified wood products. Although there are several methods reported in literature, such as post heat-treatment, that can almost eliminate the set-recovery, but such methods are either time consuming or difficult to implement into an industrial continuous process which may do densification competitive to techniques or materials that can achieve at least the same hardness.     In the present study, furfuryl alcohol was used as pre-treatment to fix the set-recovery of surface-densified Scots pine sapwood. The main effect and interactive influence of four process parameter (impregnation time, press temperature, press time and compression ratio) on set-recovery and Brinell hardness after two wet-dry cycles were studied by a two-level full factorial design of experiments. The characterizing variables of the density profile after the surface densification and set-recovery test were carried out as a supplementary tool to learn the mechanism of this two-step modification process. According to the result, the surface densified wood with furfuryl alcohol pre-treatment can retain their dimension and keep hardness at a very high level after two wet-dry cycles. The set-recovery and hardens after two wet-dry cycles were about 20 % and 30 N/mm2, respectively. The Pearson correlation analysis shows that the correlation coefficients between set-recovery with impregnation time, press temperature, press temperature, compression ratio were -0.35, -0.52, -0.37, and 0.16, respectively. That means that for the specimens with furfuryl alcohol pre-treatment, the higher press temperature can reduce the set-recovery significantly. The longer press time and impregnation time can also reduce the set-recovery in some extent, but the influence was  low. As expected, the hardness improvement was retained with low set-recovery. The lowest set-recovery value was 14% with the corresponding hardness of 41 N/mm2 was achieved by specimens processed with 120 minutes of impregnation, 10% compression ratio, 210℃ pressing temperature, and 15 minutes of pressing time. With 20 minutes of impregnation time, 10% compression ratio, 210℃ pressing temperature, and 5 minutes of pressing time, the sample still owns twofold hardness after the set-recovery test.

Cemented carbides based on tungsten carbide and cobalt arecommonly produced by a powder metallurgy route including liquidphase sintering. The pressed compact densifies to almost halfits volume during sintering due to pore elimination. Thesintering behaviour changes with material composition, such ascarbide grain size, binder fraction, carbon content andaddition of cubic carbides. This thesis is devoted to the study of constitutivebehaviour, in particular densification, and the microstructuralevolution during cemented carbide sintering. Dimensionalchanges are monitored using dilatometry with and withoutapplied external load. The microstructural evolution isinvestigated with light optical microscopy and scanningelectron microscopy. Thermodynamic calculations are used asreference. Constitutive relations are derived for uniaxial viscosity,viscous equivalent of Poisson’s ratio and sintering stressbased on relative density and temperature. The relations areextended to a model describing sintering shrinkage withexplicit dependencies on carbide grain size and binder content.The model is divided in three stages of which two pertain tothe solid state and the third to liquid phase sintering. Solidstate shrinkage is suppressed in a material with coarsecarbides and in the stage of liquid phase sintering grain sizestrongly influences the uniaxial viscosity. The binder contentaffects primarily the later densification. The effects of carbon content and grain size distribution onshrinkage have been studied. High carbon content enhancesshrinkage rate, but the effect of grain size distribution israther small. The mean carbide grain size is insufficient todescribe densification for very broad distributions only. Shrinkage occurs through rearrangement andsolution-reprecipitation. Rearrangement is studied through theevolution of the pore size distribution and simulatedgenerically using a discrete element method. Keywords:Cemented carbides, Sintering, Constitutiverelations, Microstructure, Densification, Modelling

<p>Cemented carbides based on tungsten carbide and cobalt arecommonly produced by a powder metallurgy route including liquidphase sintering. The pressed compact densifies to almost halfits volume during sintering due to pore elimination. Thesintering behaviour changes with material composition, such ascarbide grain size, binder fraction, carbon content andaddition of cubic carbides.</p><p>This thesis is devoted to the study of constitutivebehaviour, in particular densification, and the microstructuralevolution during cemented carbide sintering. Dimensionalchanges are monitored using dilatometry with and withoutapplied external load. The microstructural evolution isinvestigated with light optical microscopy and scanningelectron microscopy. Thermodynamic calculations are used asreference.</p><p>Constitutive relations are derived for uniaxial viscosity,viscous equivalent of Poisson’s ratio and sintering stressbased on relative density and temperature. The relations areextended to a model describing sintering shrinkage withexplicit dependencies on carbide grain size and binder content.The model is divided in three stages of which two pertain tothe solid state and the third to liquid phase sintering. Solidstate shrinkage is suppressed in a material with coarsecarbides and in the stage of liquid phase sintering grain sizestrongly influences the uniaxial viscosity. The binder contentaffects primarily the later densification.</p><p>The effects of carbon content and grain size distribution onshrinkage have been studied. High carbon content enhancesshrinkage rate, but the effect of grain size distribution israther small. The mean carbide grain size is insufficient todescribe densification for very broad distributions only.</p><p>Shrinkage occurs through rearrangement andsolution-reprecipitation. Rearrangement is studied through theevolution of the pore size distribution and simulatedgenerically using a discrete element method.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Cemented carbides, Sintering, Constitutiverelations, Microstructure, Densification, Modelling</p>

Lack of access to adequate housing in Mexico City's urban core and sprawling settlement patterns have led to numerous social and environmental issues. Current development patterns sharpen social fragmentation and segregation, create imbalances in the provision of infrastructure and services, and encourage human occupation of high-risk and environmentally susceptible areas. Furthermore, expansive urbanization has become increasingly expensive, both at the individual and collective level. This has happened because private interests often overshadow public ones; economic growth rather than equitable and sustainable development has been the mark of success. Thus, commercial uses have displaced residential uses, particularly low-income housing, to remote areas of the metropolitan region. Local government efforts, albeit significant in comparison to other parts of the country, have been unable to adequately address this issue. Government inefficiency, lack of inter-institutional coordination, corruption, and lack of resources, among other factors, have hindered the success of housing and densification projects. The present research evaluates recent densification efforts and their goals to increase housing access and repopulate the urban core. Some of the individual benefits enjoyed by residents of densification projects, such as access to infrastructure and services, as well as some of the difficulties experienced by them in the process of obtaining government credits and access to housing are also identified. The conclusion is that only the rigorous integration of environmental and social planning agendas and the renegotiation of concepts of spatial justice will lead to more effective policies and housing programs, and a just, accessible, and sustainable city, region and country. / text

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Creating a city that is both dense and green could result in conflicts. The aim with this report is to describe how the municipality of Malmö works with densification and at the same time creating green environments. Also, the aim is to describe how densification and greenery in the city are problematized by researchers. It was shown in the empirical study that it is a political directive to create a dense and green cite. To be able to create this, all of the interviewees refers to the comprehensive plan of Malmö. The methods the municipality of Malmö uses to create green environments during densification varies from different projects, considers John Lepic. The results in the literature survey show that greenery often is identified as a key ingredient of a sustainable city (Boverket 2002; Jim 2004). In order to systematically create a greener city the spatial planning and data produced in connection with it are important tools (Nordmalm, et al. 1999). To create exciting and interesting environments both quantity and quality are important (Jim 2004). Greenery could be introduced in cities in many ways. Even if the wildest ideas may not be reality, it is possible to get inspiration from these ideas and with their help find new solutions.

Pressboard, a high-density cellulose-based product, is used both as load bearing structures and dielectric insulation in oil-filled power transformers. During transformer operation, mechanical forces and vibrations are applied on the material. In particular, this investigation focuses on pressboard sheets placed between the turns of transformer windings, called the spacers, which during short circuit are subjected to high compressive forces of impulse nature. As a result of these forces, remaining deformations are created in the components. One step to reduce the negative consequences that come from the deformations is to understand how the fiber structure of the material changes by these forces, thus finding the week link. Understanding these changes could lead to future modification of the material to better withstand short circuits. To see the fiber structure and its changes in the material, pressboard has been investigated with a micro-CT at the Division of Applied Mechanics at Uppsala University. The scanned images have been reconstructed and analyzed in NRecon, CTAnalyser, and Matlab to investigate the density distribution changes and to identify the densification patterns. The study shows that pressboard initially has an inhomogeneous density distribution through the thickness and after mechanical indentations, the densification tends to begin in the more porous parts of the material. The project also included a prediction of the densification pattern, performed by finite element analysis (FEA) using a simplified material model. The results show that a material model with varying Young’s modulus through the thickness, based on a stiffness and porosity relationship, can produce similar densification patterns as in the experiments.

The purpose of this essay has been to highlight how a municipality, with a target of population growth, is planning and working with areas and spaces for physical activity. The method used to conduct this research has been a qualitative interview- and content study. To include spaces for physical activity in the planning phase has shown to have positive effects on people’s health which also can results in a positive impact on the wider society. Like many other municipalities in Sweden Skellefteå is working towards a population growth target. The development strategy to reach this target has a focus on densification. Densification can have several positive effects, but densification processes in cities can also lead to increased pressure on the remaining areas for physical activity. The results of the study have shown that Skellefteå municipality hasn’t had any tangible conflicts regarding how to use existing areas for physical activity, although some tendencies of potential future conflicts have started to emerge. The results of the study have also shown that several different factors impact people’s access and possibility to engage in psychical activity and that the access to areas for sports activities is dependent on what sport activity is being discussed.

Ce travail de thèse a pour objectif l’obtention de nanocomposites denses ZnO/SiO2 afin d’améliorer les propriétés thermoélectriques de l’oxyde de zinc. Ce manuscrit décrit différents aspects de l’élaboration tant en terme de synthèse que de densification de nanocomposites ZnO/SiO2 ainsi que leur caractérisation. Afin d’obtenir des nanoparticules en grande quantité, de bonne cristallinité et de taille inférieure à 10 nm, l’optimisation d’une synthèse par voie polyol en jouant sur différents paramètres (pH, température, taux d’hydrolyse, solvant, surfactant) a été réalisée. Nous avons pu mettre en évidence l’intérêt d’utiliser l’acide benzoïque comme surfactant pour éviter l’agglomération de ces nanoparticules. La modification de surface des nanoparticules par de la silice a ensuite été explorée. Cette modification a été réalisée par une méthode classique, le procédé Stöber, ainsi que par une technique moins conventionnelle, l’ALD. Une étude approfondie de la densification par SPS à la fois de l’oxyde de zinc et des nanoparticules recouvertes a été décrite. L’influence de la couche amorphe déposée sur la croissance cristalline des nanoparticules a été démontrée. Nous avons par ailleurs pu mettre en exergue une pollution importante par du carbone lors de la densification des composés entrainant des modifications importantes des propriétés de transport. Le résultat majeur de cette thèse est la mise en évidence de clusters d’oxyde de zinc fortement dopés dans ces composés qui remet en question les mécanismes de transport dans le ZnO. / This study is focusing on the synthesis of nanocomposites of Al doped ZnO/SiO2 with high density in order to increase the thermoelectric properties of ZnO. This work describes the optimization of the synthesis by investigating the effect of different experimental parameters (temperature, type of surfactant, degree of hydrolysis, nature of the solvent, pH) to obtain large amount of nanoparticles with size below 10 nm and good crystallinity. We have identified that using benzoic acid as surfactant could avoid the formation of particle aggregates. The modification of nanoparticles surfaces with SiO2 was investigated by using two methods the Stöber process and ALD. The possibility of ZnO and nanocomposite powder densification by spark plasma sintering was also tackled as well as the role played by the main parameters of the method (applied pressure and the best moment of its application, heating rate). The influence of the amorphous shell on the limiting grain growth during the sintering was demonstrated. Furthermore, a carbon accumulation which modifies the thermoelectric properties in the densified pellet was demonstrated. The source of it was assigned in part to the densification process. The most significant result of this study was the finding of the presence of ZnO clusters strongly doped wich could have fundamental implications as it may reopen the discussion on the transport mechanism in ZnO.

Densification of the urban structure is a hot topic in urban development, but densification is almost absent as a strategy in rural settlements. This project studies densification in a rural settlement in a Nordic context by using the "dense and low-rise" design strategy and the concept of linear cities. Is linearity the key to rural densification? The concepts are tested on the small town of Kimito in south-western Finland.