A new three-dimensional finite solid element (3D FE) model for dowel-type wood connections was developed using the concept of a beam on a nonlinear wood foundation, which addresses the intricate wood crushing behaviour under the connector in a dowel type connection. In order to implement the concept of wood foundation with solid elements, a 3D FE wood foundation model was defined within a prescribed foundation zone surrounding the dowel. Based on anisotropic plasticity material theory, the material model for the foundation zone was developed using effective foundation material constants that were defined from dowel-embedment test data. New 3D FE single nail connection models were developed that incorporated the wood foundation model. The 3D wood foundation model was justified and validated using dowel-embedment test data with a range of dowel diameters, from a 2.5-mm nail to a 25.4-mm bolt. The connection models provided successful results in simulating the characteristics of load-slip behaviour that were experimentally observed. Based on the success of the single nail connection models, several applications of the 3D FE connection models were investigated including statistical wood material models, bolted connection models and a multiple nail connection model. Throughout the application studies, discussion of the benefits and limitations of the new model approach using the 3D FE wood foundation are presented. Also, future areas of study are proposed in order to improve the 3D FE dowel-type wood connections models.

A new three-dimensional finite solid element (3D FE) model for dowel-type wood connections was developed using the concept of a beam on a nonlinear wood foundation, which addresses the intricate wood crushing behaviour under the connector in a dowel type connection. In order to implement the concept of wood foundation with solid elements, a 3D FE wood foundation model was defined within a prescribed foundation zone surrounding the dowel. Based on anisotropic plasticity material theory, the material model for the foundation zone was developed using effective foundation material constants that were defined from dowel-embedment test data. New 3D FE single nail connection models were developed that incorporated the wood foundation model. The 3D wood foundation model was justified and validated using dowel-embedment test data with a range of dowel diameters, from a 2.5-mm nail to a 25.4-mm bolt. The connection models provided successful results in simulating the characteristics of load-slip behaviour that were experimentally observed. Based on the success of the single nail connection models, several applications of the 3D FE connection models were investigated including statistical wood material models, bolted connection models and a multiple nail connection model. Throughout the application studies, discussion of the benefits and limitations of the new model approach using the 3D FE wood foundation are presented. Also, future areas of study are proposed in order to improve the 3D FE dowel-type wood connections models.

A new three-dimensional finite solid element (3D FE) model for dowel-type wood connections was developed using the concept of a beam on a nonlinear wood foundation, which addresses the intricate wood crushing behaviour under the connector in a dowel type connection. In order to implement the concept of wood foundation with solid elements, a 3D FE wood foundation model was defined within a prescribed foundation zone surrounding the dowel. Based on anisotropic plasticity material theory, the material model for the foundation zone was developed using effective foundation material constants that were defined from dowel-embedment test data. New 3D FE single nail connection models were developed that incorporated the wood foundation model. The 3D wood foundation model was justified and validated using dowel-embedment test data with a range of dowel diameters, from a 2.5-mm nail to a 25.4-mm bolt. The connection models provided successful results in simulating the characteristics of load-slip behaviour that were experimentally observed. Based on the success of the single nail connection models, several applications of the 3D FE connection models were investigated including statistical wood material models, bolted connection models and a multiple nail connection model. Throughout the application studies, discussion of the benefits and limitations of the new model approach using the 3D FE wood foundation are presented. Also, future areas of study are proposed in order to improve the 3D FE dowel-type wood connections models. / Forestry, Faculty of / Graduate

Betong är ett av de mest använda byggnadsmaterialen i dagens samhälle. Några av anledningarna till detta är att den har lång livslängd, är naturligt material som är 100 % återvinningsbart samt ej lättantändligt material. Även om betong har många fördelar så är den inte helt idealisk eftersom den har en låg draghållfasthet. En betongkonstruktion kan spricka på grund av förhindrade rörelser som skapar dragspänningar. Förhindrade rörelser kallas för tvång och kan beskrivas i form av en tvångsfaktor. I detta examensarbete definieras tvångsfaktor som en spänningskvot mellan påtvingade spänningar och påtvingade spänningar vid fullständigt tvång. Fastlåsningsgrad, rörelsemöjlighet och styvhetsrelation mellan det nygjutna elementet och motgjutningen är avgörande parametrar vid beräkning av tvång och ett typiskt fall kan exempelvis vara en vägg gjuten mot grund. En helt förhindrad konstruktion kan ha en tvångsfaktor som är lika med 1 medan en konstruktion som kan röra sig fritt kan ha en tvångsfaktor som är lika med 0. En relativ lägre tvångsfaktor fås däremot om krypningseffekten beaktas eftersom den har gynnsam inverkan på tvånget. Betongen kan spricka på grund av tvånget och om sprickan inte är förväntad eller är större än den förväntade för den dimensionerade lasten då betraktas den som skada. Att förhindra vattengenomträngning eller läckage innebär dessutom att genomgående sprickor i vattentäta betongkonstruktioner bör undvikas. Det är således viktigt att beakta tvånget vid sprickriskanalyser av vattentäta betongkonstruktioner. Syftet med det här examensarbetet var att undersöka tvånget utifrån flera aspekter vilket gjorde att arbetet uppdelades i 3 analyser. Analys 1 syftade på att bekräfta de typiska fallen som anges i eurokoden SS-EN 1992–3 samt att utvärdera angivna tvångsfaktorer vid beräkning av tvångsdeformationer. Följaktligen användes finita elementprogram för modellering av de fallen från eurokoden och samtidigt gjordes handberäkningar för att komplettera analysen. I analys 2 studerades hur tvånget påverkas mellan konstruktionsdelar med ändring av bärverksdimensioner. Bärverket som studerades var vägg gjuten mot bottenplatta. Föränderliga parametrar var plattans bredd och tjocklek samt väggens höjd och tjocklek. Samtidigt togs ändring av konstruktionens längd som en påverkande faktor. Slutligen gjordes sprickviddsberäkningar avseende böjande moment och krympning i analys 3 för att få fram armeringsmängderna som skulle klara sprickviddskravet för vattentäta betongkonstruktioner. Detta åstadkoms enligt två olika beräkningsmetoder: Eurokodens och Engströms (2014). Dessa beräkningar visade även en jämförelse i armeringsmängd vid användning av tvångsfaktorer hämtad från eurokoden och tvångsfaktorer framräknad enligt FE-analyserna. Resultaten från analys 1 visade att variationen av beräknade tvångsfaktorer inte motsvarade helt den variationen som anges i SS-EN 1992–3 men avvek inte alldeles för mycket. Det fanns dock några enstaka fall där avvikelser var märkbara och därmed erfordras en noggrannare undersökning. Analys 2 visade att ökning av väggens volym minskar tvånget mot plattan men att en motsatt effekt fås för ökning av plattans volym. Det visade sig dessutom att en längre konstruktion orsakar större tvång mellan själva konstruktionsdelar. Slutsatsen från analys 3 var att skillnaden i genererad armeringsmängd var nästan proportionell i procentsats mot skillnaden i tvångsfaktor. Olika beräkningsmetoder resulterade dock i armeringsmängder som inte var jämförbara. Jämförelsen mellan de två beräkningsmetoderna var inte heller syftet med detta examensarbete utan endast ett försök att få en insyn i hur de olika metoderna är uppbyggda. / Concrete is one of the most widely used building materials in society today. Some of the reasons for this are that it has a long life, is a natural material that is 100% recyclable and non-flammable material. It has many advantages, but it is not entirely ideal due to its low tensile strength. A concrete structure may crack due to restrained movements which creates tensile stresses. Restrained movements are called restraint which can be described in the form of restraint factor. In this thesis, restraint factor is defined as a ratio between the actual imposed stress and the imposed stress at full restraint. The degree of fixity, movement possibility and stiffness relation between the newly casted element and the adjacent old structure are crucial parameters in the calculation of restraint and a typical case is, for example, a wall-on-slab cast. A completely restrained construction has a restraint factor equal to 1, while a structure that can move freely has a restraint factor equal to 0. However, a relative lower restraint factor is obtained if the creep effect is considered, since it has a positive influence on the restraint. The concrete may crack due to the restraint and if the crack is not expected or is larger than the expected for the dimensioned load then it is considered as damage. Preventing water penetration or leakage also means that through cracks in waterproof concrete structures should be avoided. Therefore, it is important to consider the restraint on fracture risk analyzes of waterproof concrete structures. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the restraint based on several aspects, which meant that the work was divided into 3 analyses. Analysis 1 had as purpose to confirm typical cases specified in Eurocode SS-EN 1992–3 and to evaluate the stated restraint factors that the Eurocode proposes should be used in calculations of restraint deformations. For that matter, finite element program was used for modeling the cases from the Eurocode and at the same time hand calculations were made to supplement the analysis. Analysis 2 consisted of examining how the restraint between structural parts is affected by changing dimensions of the structure. The construction being studied was wall-on-slab cast. Variable parameters were the width and thickness of the slab, as well as the height and thickness of the wall. At the same time, changing the length of the construction was taken as an affecting factor. Lastly, crack width calculations for bending moments and shrinkage were made in analysis 3 to obtain the amount of reinforcement that meet the crack width requirement for waterproof concrete structures. This was done according to two different calculation methods: Eurocodes and Engström’s (2014). These calculations also showed a comparison in the amount of reinforcement when using restraint factors derived from Eurocode and restraint factors calculated according to the FE analyses. The results from analysis 1 showed that the variation of restraint factors calculated did not completely correspond to the variation stated in SS-EN 1992–3 but did not deviate too much. However, there were a few cases where deviations were noticeable and therefore a more detailed examination is required. Analysis 2 showed that increasing the volume of the wall reduces the restraint against the slab, but an opposite effect was obtained by increasing the volume of the slab. At the same time, it was found that a longer construction causes greater restraint between the actual components. The conclusion from analysis 3 was that the difference in generated amount of reinforcement was almost proportional in percentage to the difference in restraint factor. However, using different calculation methods resulted in amounts of reinforcement that were not comparable. Comparison between the two calculation methods was not the purpose of this thesis, but merely an attempt to gain an insight into how the different methods are structured.

Scour is a phenomenon of soil erosion around foundations under currents and waves. It is a major cause for the disruption to water-borne structures such as bridges and marine structures. Pile foundations supporting these structures are required to be designed against the scour damage. However, at present, there is no accepted method for the design of piles in scoured conditions probably due to an inadequate understanding of scour effects on foundations. Although numerous efforts have been made to evaluate the scour effects on single piles using numerical simulations and centrifuges tests, the scour susceptibility of piles in different soil properties is still not well understood. Furthermore, there is no study concerning scour effects on the lateral responses of pile groups. Therefore, a series of three-dimensional finite element (FE) parametric analyses were conducted to investigate scour effects on lateral behavior of both single piles and free-head pile groups by varying scour-hole dimensions, soil properties, pile properties, and pile group configurations. Moreover, to facilitate the routine design, a modified p-y method that was modified based on the widely used p-y method was proposed for both scoured single piles and pile groups, and was validated against the results from the FE analyses. The results show that scour induced lateral capacity loss to both single piles and pile groups, which was approximately 10% more in dense sands than that in loose sands. Simplification of local scour as a general scour that has been commonly used in general design practice resulted in a maximum of 17% underestimate of lateral capacity of pile foundations. Pile groups were more susceptible to scour than single piles under equivalent scour conditions. A pile group with smaller pile spacing or larger pile numbers tended to experience less lateral capacity loss due to scour. / Graduate / 2020-08-19

<p>This report investigates the feasibility and accuracy of determining fastener flexibility with 3D FE and representing fasteners in FE load distribution models with simple elements such as springs or beams. A detailed study of 3D models compared to experimental data is followed by a parametric study of different shell modelling techniques. These are evaluated and compared with industry semi-empirical equations.</p><p>The evaluated 3D models were found to match the experimental values with good precision. Simulations based on these types of 3D models may replace experimental tests. Two different modelling techniques were also evaluated for use in load distribution models. Both were verified to work very well with representing fastener installations in lap-joints using the ABAQUS/Standard solver. Further improvement of one of the models was made through a modification scale factor. Finally, the same modelling technique was verified using the NASTRAN solver.</p><p>To summarize, it is concluded that:</p><p>• Detailed 3D-models with material properties defined from stress-strain curves correspond well to experiments and simulations may replace actual flexibility tests.</p><p>• At mid-surface modelling of the connecting parts, beam elements with a circular cross section as a connector between shell elements is an easy and accurate modelling technique, with the only data input of bolt material and dimension.</p><p>• Using connector elements is accurate only if the connecting parts are modelled in the same plane, i.e. with no offset. Secondary bending due to offset should only be accounted for once and only once throughout the analysis, and it is already included in the flexibility input.</p>

This report investigates the feasibility and accuracy of determining fastener flexibility with 3D FE and representing fasteners in FE load distribution models with simple elements such as springs or beams. A detailed study of 3D models compared to experimental data is followed by a parametric study of different shell modelling techniques. These are evaluated and compared with industry semi-empirical equations. The evaluated 3D models were found to match the experimental values with good precision. Simulations based on these types of 3D models may replace experimental tests. Two different modelling techniques were also evaluated for use in load distribution models. Both were verified to work very well with representing fastener installations in lap-joints using the ABAQUS/Standard solver. Further improvement of one of the models was made through a modification scale factor. Finally, the same modelling technique was verified using the NASTRAN solver. To summarize, it is concluded that: • Detailed 3D-models with material properties defined from stress-strain curves correspond well to experiments and simulations may replace actual flexibility tests. • At mid-surface modelling of the connecting parts, beam elements with a circular cross section as a connector between shell elements is an easy and accurate modelling technique, with the only data input of bolt material and dimension. • Using connector elements is accurate only if the connecting parts are modelled in the same plane, i.e. with no offset. Secondary bending due to offset should only be accounted for once and only once throughout the analysis, and it is already included in the flexibility input.

Les nouveaux composants à semi-conducteur de type grand gap ont été développés pour des applications de conversion de puissance en raison de leurs hautes fréquences de commutation (de centaine kHz à quelques MHz) et pertes faibles. Afin de bien profiter ses avantages, la technologie des circuits imprimés (PCB) est intéressante pour une intégration à haute densité de puissance grâce à sa flexibilité et son faible coût. Cependant, à cause de la mauvaise conductivité thermique du matériau FR-4 utilisé pour le substrat PCB et la haute densité de puissance réalisée, il est primordial de trouver des solutions thermiques pour améliorer les performances thermiques de la structure de PCB. Dans cette thèse, trois solutions thermiques pour les structures de PCB ont été proposées, y compris des solutions avec des vias thermiques, de cuivre épais sur le substrat de PCB ainsi que des dispositifs de refroidissement thermoélectrique (TEC). Nos études sont basées sur la modélisation électrothermique et la méthode d’éléments finis en 3D. Tout d’abord, l’optimisation des paramètres des vias (diamètre, épaisseur de placage, surface formée par des vias, la distance entre des vias etc.) a été réalisée pour optimiser l’effet de refroidissement. Ensuite, on constate que les performances thermiques des structures de PCB peuvent être améliorées en utilisant cuivre épais sur le substrat de PCB. Cuivre épais augmente le flux thermique latéral dans la couche de cuivre. Les influences de l’épaisseur de cuivre (35 à 500 µm) ont été étudiées. Cette solution est facile à réaliser et peut être combinée à d’autres solutions de refroidissement. Enfin, le dispositif thermoélectrique comme les modules Peltier est une technologie de refroidissement local. Les influences des paramètres de Peltier (Propriétés du matériau thermoélectrique, nombre d’éléments Peltier, distance entre la source de chaleur et les dispositifs Peltier, etc.) ont été identifiées. Il est démontré que des modules Peltier ont l’application potentielle pour le développement d’intégration de PCB attendu que son active contrôle des températures. / The emerging wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices have been developed for power conversion applications instead of silicon devices due to higher switching frequencies (from few 100 kHz to several MHz) and lower on-state losses resulting in a better efficiency. In order to take full advantage of the WBG components, PCB technology is attractive for high power density integration thanks to its flexibility and low cost. However, due to poor thermal conductivity of the commonly used material Flame Retardant-4 (FR4), efficient thermal solutions are becoming a challenging issue in integrated power boards based on PCB substrates. So it is of the first importance to seek technological means in order to improve the thermal performances. In this thesis, three main thermal management solutions for PCB structures have been investigated including thermal vias, thick copper thickness on the PCB substrate as well as thermoelectric cooling (TEC) devices. Our studies are based on the electro-thermal modeling and 3D finite element (FE) methods. Firstly, optimization of the thermal via parameters (via diameter, via plating thickness, via-cluster surface, via pattern, pitch distance between vias etc.) has been realized to improve their cooing performances. We presented and evaluated thermal performances of the PCB structures by analyzing the thermal resistance of the PCB substrate with different thermal vias. Secondly, it is found that thermal performances of the PCB structures can be enhanced by using thick copper thickness on top of the PCB substrate, which increases the lateral heat flux along the copper layer. Influences of the copper thickness (35 µm to 500 µm) has been discussed. This solution is easy to realize and can be combined with other cooling solutions. Thirdly, thermoelectric cooler like Peltier device is a solid-state cooling technology that can meet the local cooling requirements. Influences of Peltier parameters (Thermoelectric material properties, number of Peltier elements, distance between the heating source and the Peltier devices etc.) have been identified. All these analyses demonstrate the potential application of Peltier devices placed beside the heating source for PCB structures, which is a benefit for developing the embedding technology in such structures.