Husqvarna AB is one of the leading producers of outdoor products such as autonomous lawn mowers. One important feature of these products is the ability toquickly respond to environmental factors such as slippy areas. A reliable slip detector is needed for this mission and many different technologies exists for detectingslip events. A common technique is to check the wheel motor current, which clearlydeviates when the lawn mower is subjected to slipping. The on-board sensors opensup for an alternative solution which utilizes the loop sensors as the main slip detector. This thesis covers the construction of a slip detection prototype which is basedon the loop sensors. In the end, Husqvarna AB was provided with a new alternativesolution, which was successfully compared to the exiting solution. It proved to bea reliable slip detector for manually induced slipping indoors, outdoor performancewere not investigated. Ultimately, the implemented prototype outperformed the existing solution in the intended environment of indoor testing.

The mining industry contributes to enormous amounts of waste all over the world, which places high demands on tailings dams. In Sweden, there are strict regulations regarding the management and treatment of tailings dams, but some dams that were built before these regulations existed still pose a threat to the environment. Lilla Bredsjön in Dalarna, Sweden, is an example of an old tailings dam that has not been treated properly. Boliden, which is the owner of the dam, and the county board of Dalarna are currently in meetings regarding the responsibilities of old polluted sites in Garpenberg, where Lilla Bredsjön is included. This study aims to investigate possible remediation measures of the dams at Lilla Bredsjön in order to achieve long- term stability upon closure of the facility. Lilla Bredsjön is 350 000 m2 large and contains three impoundments; dam 1 to the east, dam 2 to the south and dam 3 to the north. Dam 1 is seven meters at its highest point whereas dam 2 and 3 both are three meters high. All of the dams are classified to a consequence level of 3, meaning that the consequences in case of a failure would be negligible. They are built using the centerline method with impermeable cores of moraine. The tailings are partly covered with sludge mixed with biomass ash, but no proper closure method have been implemented. A geotechnical investigation was conducted to obtain more information about the geometry, construction and foundation of each dam. It could be observed that dam 1 consisted of a moraine core and support fill, both constructed using the Christmas tree principle. Dam 2 consisted of a coarse and fine filter in the upstream part of the dam, whereas the rest of the dam consisted of a moraine core. Dam 3 consisted of tailings and a moraine core, and was like dam 1 also constructed using the Christmas tree principle. The downstream slopes of all dams are moreover very steep with slope angles of approximately 34o. Seepage and stability calculations were therefore performed in the software GeoStudio. In GeoStudio, two different analysis tools were used; SEEP/W to calculate seepage and SLOPE/W to calculate slope stability. Four hydraulic load cases were analyzed in the calculations: present conditions, flooded conditions, potential maximum seepage and present conditions with lower permeability of the tailings. The result shows that all of the dams are unstable in their present con- ditions, both with original and lower permeability of the tailings, as well as at flooded conditions. The required safety factor is however fulfilled at potential maximum seepage. The stability highly depends on the pore pressure inside the dams, which in turn depends on the choice of closure method. Based on the result from the stability calculations it can be concluded that if a dry cover is chosen as the closure method, it will probably be enough to reinforce the existing dams to achieve long-term stability. If, on the other hand, a raised groundwater level is chosen, more extensive solutions in terms of for example completely new impoundments directly downstream of the existing ones are most likely needed. Before a decision regarding the closure method is taken, it is hence very difficult to come to a conclusion regarding suitable remediation measures of the dams. / Gruvindustrin bidrar med enorma mängder avfall över hela världen, vilket ställer höga krav på gruvdammar. I Sverige finns det strikta förordningar gällande hanteringen och efterbehandlingen av gruvdammar, men en del dammar som byggdes innan dessa förordningar existerade utgör fortfarande ett hot mot miljön. Lilla Bredsjön i Dalarna är ett exempel på en gammal gruvdamm som inte blivit efterbehandlad tillräckligt. Boliden, som äger dammen, har möten med Länsstyelssen Dalarna angående ansvarsförhållanden gällande gamla förorenade områden i Garpenberg där även Lilla Bredsjön ingår. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka möjliga efterbehandlingsmetoder av dammarna vid Lilla Bredsjön för att uppnå långtidsstabilitet i samband med nedläggning av anläggningen. Lilla Bredsjön är 350 000 m2 stor och består av tre uppdämningar; damm 1 i öst, damm 2 i söder och damm 3 i norr. Damm 1 är sju meter som högst medan damm 2 och 3 båda är tre meter höga. Samtliga dammar är klassificerade till konsekvensklass 3, vilket betyder att konsekvenserna i händelse av ett dammbrott är försumbara. Dammarna är byggda med uppåtmetoden och har tätkärnor av morän. Magasinet är delvis täckt med slam utblandat med biobränsleaska, men ingen riktig efterbehandling har utförts. En geoteknisk undersökning genomfördes för att erhålla mer information om geometrin, konstruktionen och grundläggningen av varje damm. Det observerades att damm 1 består av en tätkärna av morän samt stödfyllning som båda konstruerades med julgransprincipen. Damm 2 består av ett grov- och finfilter i uppströmsdelen av dammen medan resten av dammen består av en tätkärna av morän. Damm 3 består av anrikningssand och en tätkärna av morän, och var liksom damm 1 konstruerad med julgransprincipen. Nedströmsslänterna på alla dammar är väldigt branta med en vinkel på ungefär 34o. Genomströmnings- och stabilitetsberäkningar genomfördes därför i programmet GeoStudio. I GeoStudio användes två olika verktyg; SEEP/W för att beräkna genomströmning och SLOPE/W för att beräkna släntstabilitet. Fyra olika hydrauliska belastningsfall analyserades i beräkningarna: normalfallet, överdämning, dimensionerat läckage och normalfallet med lägre permeabilitet på anrikningssanden. Resultatet visar på att samtliga dammar är instabila i deras nuvarande skick, beräknat på normalfallet med både ursprunglig och lägre permeabilitet på anrikningssanden, samt vid överdämning. Den erforderliga säkerhetsfaktorn är däremot uppfylld vid dimensionerat läckage. Stabiliteten är starkt beroende av portrycket inuti dammarna, vilket i sin tur är beroende av vilken efterbehandlingsmetod som väljs för magasinet. Baserat på resultatet från stabilitetsberäkningarna kan det konstateras att om torrtäckning väljs som efterbehandlingsmetod så räcker det förmodligen med att förstärka nuvarande dammar för att uppnå långtidsstabilitet. Om, å andra sidan, en förhöjd grundvattennivå väljs behövs med största sannolikhet en mer omfattande lösning, till exempel helt nya dammar direkt nedströms de nuvarande. Innan ett beslut gällande efterbehandlingsmetod av magasinet har tagits är det alltså väldigt svårt att dra en slutsats gällande den mest lämpliga efterbehandlingsmetoden av dammarna.

Extensive attention has been paid to consolidate nanoparticles into nanocrystalline components that possess better properties than their coarse-grained counterparts. Nanocrystalline monolithic tungsten (W) has been envisaged to possess better properties than coarse-grained tungsten and to improve the performance of many military components. Commercially available nano-W powders were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller (BET) measurement. While the bulk of nano-W powders consisted of bcc-W as confirmed by XRD and TEM, much of their surface consisted of WO3 with traces of WO2 and WC. Despite the irregular morphology and agglomerates greater than 1 m in size, the diameter of individual nano-W powders ranged from 30 to 100 nm with a surface area of 10.4 m2/g. To obtain green bodies of higher densities and more homogeneous microstructures after consolidation, W nanopowders were de-agglomerated in water and slip cast in plaster molds. De-agglomeration in water was conducted by repeated ultrasonication, washing, centrifuge and pH adjustment. The change in particle size and morphology was examined via SEM. After the initial surface oxide was removed by repeated washing, the reactivity of W nanoparticles to water was somewhat inhibited. Increasing the number of cycles for ultrasonication and washing increased the pH, the degree of de-agglomeration and the stability of W suspension. The zeta potential was more negative with increasing pH and most negative at pH values close to 5. Viscosity also decreased with increasing pH and reached a minimum at a pH 5. To obtain the highest solid loading with the lowest viscosity, the pH value of W suspension was adjusted to 5 using aqueous tetramethylammonium hydroxide solutions. The relative density of the slip cast increased with longer ultrasonic time, increasing slurry pH up to 5, and consequent increase in solids loading. Smaller particles were separated from larger ones by ultrasonication, washing with water and centrifugation. At a 27.8 vol.% solids loading, the size-separated fine W slurry was slip cast into pellets with relative green densities up to 41.3 % and approximate particle sizes of 100 nm. W powders were also ultrasonicated in aqueous poly (ethyleneimine) (PEI) solutions with various concentrations. SEM examinations of particle sizes showed that 1 wt.% PEI led to the optimum dispersion and ultrasonication for longer time with a low power resulted in better dispersion. 0.5 g of W powders were ultrasonicated in 10 ml aqueous poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) solutions with molar concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.05 M. W suspensions with 0.03 M and 0.04 M PAH after two washing cycles showed improved dispersion. Cold isostatic pressing can further increase the green density following slip casting. Sintered slip casts made from de-agglomerated nanoparticle W showed a lower density, more uniform microstructure, smaller grains and smaller pores than the sintered dry pressed pellets.

In this dissertation, I study a nonlinear partial differential equation, the complex Ginzburg-Landau (CGL) equation. I first employed the perturbative field-theoretic renormalization group method to investigate the critical dynamics near the continuous non-equilibrium transition limit in this equation with additive noise. Due to the fact that time translation invariance is broken following a critical quench from a random initial configuration, an independent ``initial-slip'' exponent emerges to describe the crossover temporal window between microscopic time scales and the asymptotic long-time regime. My analytic work shows that to first order in a dimensional expansion with respect to the upper critical dimension, the extracted initial-slip exponent in the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation is identical to that of the equilibrium model A. Subsequently, I studied transient behavior in the CGL through numerical calculations. I developed my own code to numerically solve this partial differential equation on a two-dimensional square lattice with periodic boundary conditions, subject to random initial configurations. Aging phenomena are demonstrated in systems with either focusing and defocusing spiral waves, and the related aging exponents, as well as the auto-correlation exponents, are numerically determined. I also investigated nucleation processes when the system is transiting from a turbulent state to the ``frozen'' state. An extracted finite dimensionless barrier in the deep-quenched case and the exponentially decaying distribution of the nucleation times in the near-transition limit are both suggestive that the dynamical transition observed here is discontinuous. This research is supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science and Engineering under Award DE-FG02-SC0002308 / Doctor of Philosophy / The complex Ginzburg-Landau equation is one of the most studied nonlinear partial differential equation in the physics community. I study this equation using both analytical and numerical methods. First, I employed the field theory approach to extract the critical initial-slip exponent, which emerges due to the breaking of time translation symmetry and describes the intermediate temporal window between microscopic time scales and the asymptotic long-time regime. I also numerically solved this equation on a two-dimensional square lattice. I studied the scaling behavior in non-equilibrium relaxation processes in situations where defects are interactive but not subject to strong fluctuations. I observed nucleation processes when the system under goes a transition from a strongly fluctuating disordered state to the relatively stable “frozen” state where its dynamics cease. I extracted a finite dimensionless barrier for systems that are quenched deep into the frozen state regime. An exponentially decaying long tail in the nucleation time distribution is found, which suggests a discontinuous transition. This research is supported by the U. S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Science and Engineering under Award DE-FG02-SC0002308.

Determination of particle slip is a major concern for particle based measurements in un- heated supersonic facilities, as it is a limiting factor for the instruments' frequency response. For the purpose of determining the particle deceleration through a stationary shock wave in a super sonic windtunnel, a novel 1-D Laser Doppler probe with an unique spatial range (~1.5 mm) is presented. The study first gives a short review of the physics of particle motion with respect to different drag models and flow regime encountered in super sonic flows. In the second part, the focus lies on the development of a new Laser Doppler probe using non Gaussian beams to obtain a prolonged measurement volume. This volume covers a major part of the particle lag after a shock wave. An experimental investigation on particle acceleration and drag, using different types and sizes of seeding material, including standardized microspheres is carried out in the Mâ = 2.0 super sonic facility. Three different types of particles with four different sizes are experimentally investigated. The experimental data provides mean velocity as a function of distance from the shock and reveals significant agglomeration and evaporation problems with Titanium Oxide and Polystyrene Latex spheres. Particle acceleration measurements are presented, proving the unique concept of the new Laser Doppler probe. Mean and instantaneous acceleration data is extracted from high SNR signals. The acceleration data obtained is consistent in magnitude and trend with the physical phenomena expected and shows the feasibility of the new instrument. / Master of Science

Yes / GFRP profiled-concrete composite beams with groove shear connectors are analyzed using finite the element (FE) analysis. The concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model was adopted for normal strength concrete (NSC) and reactive powder concrete (RPC). The orthotropic behaviour of GFRP profile was taken into consideration, and the bi-linear traction-separation model was used to investigate the bond-slip behavior between GFRP profile and concrete. Furthermore, parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of strength and the cross-sectional dimensions of concrete, strength (orthotropy), and the cross-sectional dimensions (the web height and the thickness of FRP plate). Numerical analysis results correlate well with experimental results. Based on numerical analysis, the composite beam with shear connectors spacing at 100 mm has a deflection-limit load of 21.4 % higher than the specimens with 150 mm spacing. It is possible to improve the bonding behavior of interfaces by using groove shear connectors. The ultimate load and deformation, and pseudo-ductility were significantly improved by using RPC with high strength and toughness (ultimate compressive strain). GFRP profiles with greater orthotropy coefficients provide fully utilized concrete's compressive strength, preventing premature crushing and enhancing composite structure stiffness. Flexural performance of the composite beams can be improved efficiently by choosing the appropriate sectional size during design and construction. / The authors would like to thank the financial support provided by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, China (BK20201436), the Science and Technology Project of Jiangsu Construction System (2018ZD047, 2021ZD06), the Science and Technology Project of Gansu Construction System (JK2021-19), the Open Foundation of Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Prefabricated Building and Intelligent Construction (2021), the High-End Foreign Experts Project of Ministry of Science and Technology, China (G2022014054L), the Science and Technology Cooperation Fund Project of Yangzhou City and Yangzhou University (YZU2022194, YZU212105), the Blue Project Youth Academic Leader of Colleges and Universities in Jiangsu Province (2020), the Science and Technology Project of Yangzhou Construction System (2022ZD03, 202204) and the Technology Innovation Cultivation Fund of Yangzhou University (2020-65).

Yes / This paper investigated the bond characteristics between eight types of nanofillers modified reactive powder concrete (RPC) and plain steel bars, aiming to explore the modifying mechanisms and establish a bond-slip relationship model for nanofillers modified RPC and steel bar interface. The experimental results indicated that the incorporation of nanofillers can increase the bond strength and reduce the slip between RPC and plain steel bars. It was shown that a 2.15 MPa/20.5% of absolute/relative increase in cracking bond strength, a 1.25 MPa/10.3% of absolute/relative increase in ultimate bond strength, a 2.35 MPa/22.4% of absolute/relative increase in residual bond strength, a 0.592 mm/56.5% of absolute/relative reduction in ultimate bond slip, and a 1.779 mm/52.1% of absolute/relative reduction in residual bond slip were the best achieved due to the addition of various nanofillers. The enhancement of nanofillers on RPC-steel bar interface has been mainly attributed to RPC microstructure improvement, optimization of intrinsic compositions, and elimination of defects in the interface, especially the underside near steel bar, due to the nano-core effect of nanofillers enriched in the interface. In addition, the bond-slip relationship of nanofillers modified RPC-steel bar interface can be accurately described by the proposed model considering an initial branch. / The authors would like to thank the funding offered by the National Science Foundation of China (51978127 and 51908103), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT21RC(3)039).

<p dir="ltr">Antennas are used to transmit communication signals for many applications including for the navigation of aircraft. To protect the antennas from environmental conditions electromagnetic transparent structures called radomes are used. Advancements in technology have led to the development of hypersonic flight vehicles. These aircraft travel at speeds of Mach 5 and greater subjecting them to extreme environmental conditions. These aircraft require precise navigation making it important to have radome materials that can withstand the extreme conditions of high-speed flight while maintaining transparency to the incoming and outgoing signals of the antenna. Silicon nitride is a ceramic material of interest for high temperature radomes due to its mechanical properties, temperature stability, and satisfactory dielectric properties. Incorporating porosity into silicon nitride further enhances the transmission performance making porous silicon nitride a leading candidate material for high temperature radomes. In this dissertation slip casting with pressureless sintering is proposed as a route to fabricate porous silicon nitride ceramics for radomes. Modification of sintering aids and sintering temperatures are explored as a method to control the amount of porosity. Mechanical properties and dielectric properties of these materials are investigated. </p><p dir="ltr">First, an aqueous silicon nitride suspension developed for slip casting was optimized by investigating the rheological properties, zeta potential, and sedimentation behavior. It was determined that a suspension with 30 vol% solids, 0.5 wt% dispersant (PEI), and a pH of 7 was the optimized condition that resulted in uniform cast parts. This optimized suspension was used to fabricate silicon nitride samples with yttria and alumina sintering aids. An average density of 93% with an average strength of 659 MPa at room temperature and a strength of 472 MPa maintained up to 1200°C was achieved. Dielectric constant and loss tangent were measured on samples with 4-17% porosity to be 5.85-7.70 and <0.02, respectively. </p><p dir="ltr">To create samples with higher levels of porosity and therefore lower dielectric constants the yttria and alumina sintering aids were replaced with ytterbium oxide. Ytterbium oxide assists in forming porous silicon nitride due to the high melting temperature and high viscosity of the resulting glassy phase. Slip cast samples with 5% Yb₂O₃ were sintered at temperatures of 1700-1850°C resulting in porosities of 21-32% and strengths of 267-445 MPa. The dielectric constants of these materials were measured to be 4.56-5.80 with average loss tangents <0.006. The amount of ytterbium oxide was also studied to determine the effects on density, microstructure, mechanical properties, and dielectric properties. Slip-cast samples with 5-15% Yb₂O₃ were made having average porosities of 23-36% and strengths of 275-421 MPa. The dielectric constants of these materials were measured to be 4.13-4.65 with average loss tangents of <0.007. </p><p dir="ltr">Lastly, slip casting using the previously developed and evaluated suspensions was done to fabricate various radome shapes as well as layered structures. The processing method presented in this dissertation shows the potential for fabricating porous silicon nitride for high temperature radome applications with controlled porosity and relatively high strengths.</p>

Parsing the effect of slip-twin interactions on the strain rate and thermal sensitivities of Magnesium (Mg) alloys has been a challenging endeavor for scientists preoccupied with the mechanical behavior of hexagonal close-packed alloys, especially those with great latent economic potential such as Mg. One of the main barriers is the travail entailed in fitting the various stress-strain behaviors at different temperatures, strain rates, loading directions applied to different starting textures. Taking on this task for two different Mg alloys presenting different textures and as such various levels of slip-twin interactions were modeled using VPSC code. A recently developed routine that captures dislocation transmutation by twinning interfaces on strain hardening within the twin lamellae was employed. While the strong texture was exemplified by traditional rolled AZ31 Mg alloys, the weak texture was represented by ZEK100 Mg alloy sheets. The transmutation model casted within a dislocation density based hardening model showed tremendous flexibility in predicting the complex strain rate and thermal sensitive behavior of Mg textures’ response to various mechanical loadings schemes.

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