The geological disposal of nuclear waste, in underground openings and the long-term performance of these openings demand a detailed understanding of fundamental rock mechanics. A full scale field experiment: Äspö Pillar Stability Experiment was conducted at a depth of 450 m in sparsely fractured granitic rock to examine the rock mass response between two deposition holes. An oval shaped tunnel was excavated parallel to the σ3 direction to provide access to the experiment and also provide elevated stress magnitudes in the floor. In the tunnel floor two 1.75-m diameter 6-m deep boreholes were excavated so that a 1-m thick pillar was created between them. In one of the holes a confinement pressure of 700 kPa was applied and in the other displacement transducers were installed. The pillar volume was monitored by an Acoustic Emission System. Spatially distributed thermocouples were used to monitor the temperature development as the pillar was heated by electrical heaters. The excavation-induced stress together with the thermal-induced stress was sufficient to cause the wall of the open borehole to yield. The temperature-induced stress was increased slowly to enable detailed studies of the rock mass yielding process. Once the rock mass loading response was observed, the rock mass was unloaded using a de-stress slotting technique. This thesis focuses on the in-situ study of the rock mass response to coupled mechanical thermal loading and thermal-mechanical unloading. The experiment, its design, monitoring and observations are thoroughly described. An estimate of the yielding strength of the rock mass is presented and compared with laboratory test and results from other rock mass conditions reported elsewhere in the open literature. General conclusions about the effect of the confining pressure and the observations from the unloading of the pillar are also presented. Important findings are that the yielding strength of the rock mass has been successfully determined, low confinement pressures significantly affects the onset of yielding, the primary mode of fracture initiation and propagation is extensional, no significant time dependency of the yielding process was observed. The unloading studies also indicated that what appeared to be shear bands likely was a propagating zone of extensile failure that weakened the rock so that displacements in the shear direction could occur. / <p>QC 20100622</p>

The thesis deals with the application of nondestructive testing methods (acoustic emission, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction topography) to description and identification of stages in the fatigue process in aluminium alloys. The main contribution of this dissertation thesis consists of the approach and evaluation methodology of cyclic damage in the materials. It dealt especially with the verification of measured data by using data obtained using other nondestructive methods. The experimental results show that the field of nondestructive testing materials can fundamentally uncover the process of fatigue damage and improve current knowledge in this area. Combination of used methods has become a powerful tool for the identification and monitoring of the whole fatigue degradation process of materials.

Many automotive components are made of Al-Si coated ultra-high strength boron steel (UHSS) and are produced by hot stamping process. In this process, the workpiece is heated to an austenitizing temperature and is then formed and quenched simultaneously between the tools to achieve the desired shape and high strength. During hot stamping process, friction and wear occur which affect formability and maintenance intervals for tool replacement and repair. To repair worn tools, metal is deposited by fusion welding technique. The tribological behaviour of repair welded tool steel sliding against Al-Si coated UHSS has not been studied in detail and there is a need to investigate if the modified tool surface will affect friction and wear. Hot stamping, similar to many manufacturing processes, is affected by the global mega trend of digitalization and Industry 4.0. To monitor the process and optimize the control and operation are the main aims. In view of this, tribological condition monitoring is a promising approach that can allow measurement of physical properties such as vibrations, temperatures, and acoustic emission to be coupled to the tribological response of the system. The aim is to monitor the hot stamping process and enable early detection of changes in friction and wear which can be used for e.g. optimized maintenance and minimized scrap. The aim of this M.Sc. thesis was to improve the robustness of hot forming processes by studying the tribological behaviour of repair welded tool steel sliding against Al-Si coated UHSS under conditions relevant for hot stamping. Another aim was to obtain more predictable tool maintenance by the implementation of acoustic emission measurement system on a hot-strip tribometer and correlating condition monitoring signals to friction and wear phenomena. The tribological tests were carried out using a hot-strip tribometer in conditions representative of a hot stamping process of automotive components. Acoustic emission during sliding between hot work tool steel and different automotive component material surfaces was measured at room temperature in the same strip drawing tribometer and correlated to friction and wear of the surfaces to get more predictable maintenance intervals. Tool steel specimens were welded with the same material as the base material QRO90. Before conducting the tribological test, the repair welded tool steel pin cross-section was polished, etched, and observed under optical microscope and SEM to analyze the effect of Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process on the microstructure. The analysis was completed with EDS to study the elements in the microstructure. Microhardness was measured to obtain the microhardness profile from the repair welded tool steel pin surface to the bulk in order to study the effect of different microstructures on the mechanical properties. The weight and surface roughness of the pins were measured before the tribological test. After the test was finished, the weight of the pins was measured to calculate the weight difference. The sliding surface of the pins and the strips were photographed. The sliding surface of the pins was also observed and analyzed using SEM and EDS after the test to study wear characteristic of the repair welded tool steel at high temperatures. Acoustic emission signal from the sliding was studied using Toolox44 pins with surface roughness 300-400 nm and with lay direction parallel and perpendicular to sliding direction. Toolox44 pins were sliding against uncoated UHSS, as-delivered Al-Si coated UHSS, and heat-treated Al-Si coated UHSS strips. Acoustic emission was measured during the sliding at the same time as COF measurement. Weight of the pins was measured before and after the test and the wear damage on both surfaces was photographed. COF, AE signals in the time and frequency domain, and wear damage were compared and analyzed. It is found that repair welded tool steel has similar COF compared to the original hot work tool steel with the largest weight gain from the test at 700 ⁰C due to compaction galling mechanism with slower lump formation and the presence of wear particles, transfer layer, and formation of lumps. The weight gain is smaller from the test at 750 ⁰C due to faster lump formation. The weight loss from the test at 600 ⁰C is due to abrasive wear mechanism. SEM micrographs revealed that the repair welded tool steel surface and transfer layers can be found beneath a transfer layer. Wear particles adhered on the repair welded tool steel surface come from broken transfer layer or directly from Al-Si coated UHSS. A change in wear mechanism is indicated by acoustic emission burst signals or gradual amplitude change in the time domain. Frequency analysis of AE signals revealed a change in wear mechanism due to the formation of transferred material in the form of a lump causes AE signals with peaks at higher frequencies above 0.3 MHz to shorten.

La prédiction du bruit émis par les unités extérieures des pompes à chaleur, provenant en partie des batteries à ailettes, constitue un enjeu industriel important. L’obstacle majeur réside dans l’impossibilité de réaliser le calcul acoustique d’une batterie à ailettes avec les outils de simulation classiques (Éléments Finis de Frontière) à cause du trop grand nombre d’éléments nécessaires (près de 600 ailettes par mètre). Cette thèse a pour objectif d’exploiter la périodicité des batteries à ailettes afin de pouvoir calculer leur bruit rayonné à partir du rayonnement d’une seule ailette. La propagation des vibrations est décrite sous la forme d’une décomposition en ondes, autorisant la réalisation séparée des calculs pour chaque onde. Le déplacement en tout point de la structure est calculé à partir du déplacement d’un seul élément unitaire, obtenu par la Méthode des Éléments Finis (FEM). Un élément unitaire acoustique est spécialement défini, comprenant des baffles rigides destinés à représenter l’influence des autres ailettes de la structure. Le rayonnement de cet élément est calculé pour chaque onde en utilisant la méthode des Éléments Finis de Frontière (BEM), puis dupliqué spatialement en tenant compte de la nature propagative des différentes ondes. Pour chaque structure étudiée, la comparaison avec le calcul direct de la structure complète montre une très bonne concordance avec des temps de calcul fortement réduits. L’influence de plusieurs paramètres sur le comportement de la structure a également été identifiée, mettant ainsi en évidence certains phénomènes particuliers propres aux structures périodiques. Dans la dernière partie de cette thèse, une validation expérimentale de l’approche périodique est proposée. Les résultats numériques sont comparables aux mesures vibratoires et acoustiques réalisées sur les batteries à ailettes. / The prediction of noise from outdoor units of heat pumps, partly coming from finned coils, is an important industrial issue. The major obstacle to the study of finned coils lies in the inability to perform the acoustic calculation with classic simulation tools (Boundary Element Method) because of the huge number of required elements (about 600 fins per meter). The goal of this thesis is to exploit the periodicity of finned coils in order to calculate the total noise radiated from the radiation of a single fin, and thus get rid of the number of fins composing the structure. The vibrations propagation is described as a wave decomposition, allowing the realization of separate calculations for each wave. The displacement at any point of the structure is calculated from the displacement of a single unit element, obtained with the Finite Element Method (FEM). An acoustic unit element is especially defined, comprising rigid baffles representing the influence of other fins of the structure. The radiation of this component is calculated for each wave using the Boundary Element Method (BEM), then spatially duplicated taking into account the propagation of the different waves. For each considered structure, a comparison with the direct calculation of the complete structure shows very good agreement with greatly reduced computation times. The influence of several parameters on the behaviour of the structure was also identified, thus highlighting some particular phenomena specific to periodic structures. In the last part of this thesis, an experimental validation of the periodic approach is proposed. Numerical results are close to vibratory and acoustic measurements done on the finned coils.

La résistance au cisaillement des éléments en béton armé reste un sujet d'un grand intérêt pour l'ingénierie des structures civiles. En service, la plupart des éléments structuraux sont soumis à des sollicitations de cisaillement et/ou de poinçonnement avec un risque accru de rupture fragile. Différentes méthodes de calcul des résistances à l’effort tranchant existent, mais présentent des dispersions considérables notamment pour les éléments structuraux non armés transversalement. Ceci est dû principalement à la non-prise en compte de l’ensemble des mécanismes entrant dans le phénomène de cisaillement. L’objectif du présent travail de thèse est de contribuer à la compréhension des mécanismes de transfert de l’effort tranchant dans les poutres en béton armé. Pour cela, une campagne expérimentale est réalisée sur des poutres en béton armé sans armatures transversales et de différentes tailles afin d’étudier l’effet d’échelle sur l’effort tranchant. Le processus de fissuration marqué par la présence d’une fissure diagonale est analysé par deux techniques expérimentales : Corrélation d’images numériques et l’émission acoustique. Par la combinaison des résultats de la corrélation d'images et les jauges de déformations collées sur les armatures longitudinales, il est possible de distinguer la contribution du mécanisme d’engrènement des granulats et de l'action d’effet de goujon. L’influence de l’effet d’échelle sur chaque mécanisme de transfert est analysée par des modèles numériques et empiriques simplifiés en se basant sur les résultats expérimentaux à l’échelle locale. Les résultats confirment que l’engrènement des granulats joue un rôle décisif dans la contribution à la résistance de cisaillement pour les éléments en béton armé sans armatures transversales. Cette contribution dépend essentiellement des variables cinématiques(ouverture de fissure et glissement) et l’angle d’inclinaison de la fissure diagonale. Ce mécanisme est très dépendant de la taille de l’élément et de la forme de la fissure. / The shear strength of reinforced concrete elements remains a subject of great interest for the civil engineering structures. During service,most structural elements are subjected to shear and /or punching stresses with an increased risk of brittle failure. Different methods of calculation of shear strengths exist but have considerable discrepancy especially for the structural elements without transverse reinforcement. It is mainly by not taking into consideration all the mechanisms which are involved in the shear behavior. The objective of thisdoctoral thesis is to contribute towards the understanding of the shear force transfer mechanisms in reinforced concrete beams. For this,an experimental campaign is carried out on reinforced concrete beams without transverse reinforcement and of different geometrically similar sizes in order to investigate the size effect on the shear force. The cracking process manifested by thepresence of a diagonal crack is analyzed by two experimental techniques: Digital Image Correlation and Acoustic Emission. By combining the results of the digital image correlation and the strain gauges glued on the longitudinal reinforcement, it is possible to distinguish the contribution of the aggregate interlocking mechanism and the dowel action on the transfer of shear forces. The influence of size effect on each transfer mechanism is analysed by simplified numerical and empirical models based on experimental results at the local scale. The results confirm that the aggregate interlocking mechanism plays a critical role in the contribution to shear strength for reinforced concrete elements without transverse reinforcement. This contribution depends essentially on the kinematic variables (crack opening and sliding) and the angle of inclination of the diagonal crack. This mechanism is strongly dependent on the size of the element and the shape of the crack.

Estudos experimentais realizados por alguns autores abordaram os mecanismos de deformação nas gipsitas, tais como o fluxo plástico e a dissolução por pressão. Ainda assim, é pequeno o conhecimento do comportamento mecânico das rochas de gipso. Nesta tese foram estudados os mecanismos de deformação lenta em gipsitas bandadas da Formação Santana da Chapada de Araripe com uso da técnica de emissão acústica. Adotou-se este procedimento como técnica indireta de detecção do processo de microfissuramento, para evitar mudanças que ocorrem na microestrutura durante seu descarregamento e preparação de amostras para sua observação por técnicas diretas. Realizaram-se ensaios de fluência de curto e longo prazo numa prensa hidráulica servocontrolada MTS 815 e em conjunto modulares (torres individuais) em um laboratório de fluência especialmente equipado. Encontrou-se que o mecanismo do microfissuramento está fortemente influenciado por processos de cicatrização durante ensaios de fluência de longo prazo. Devido ao processo de cicatrização da microfissura, a fluência terciaria nunca foi alcançada, mesmo em corpos de prova carregados com até 95% da resistência à compressão uniaxial. Nesta tese outros resultados importantes foram alcançados como: identificar que o fenômeno de microfissuramento para a rocha em questão é detectado por fenômenos de emissão acústica de freqüências intermediárias (de 100 a 400 kHz) e constatar que o efeito Kaiser se manifesta neste tipo de rochas de modo inequívoco para solicitações rápidas, enquanto após ensaios de fluência de longa duração, não mais se manifesta, por causa da cicatrização. Ou seja, corpos de prova submetidos mais uma vez à compressão uniaxial após o descarregamento, voltam a apresentar eventos de emissão acústica e, conseqüentemente, a geração de novas microfissuras. Este fato somente pode ser explicado por um processo de cicatrização da microfissura durante a fluência de longo prazo. Esta cicatrização, devido a fenômenos físico-químicos, apresentou outros indícios como um aumento no módulo de elasticidade após ensaios de fluência, quando comparado aos valores antes do ensaio, e mesmo um endurecimento (aumento da resistência à compressão uniaxial) também após a fluência. Esclareceu-se também de modo inequívoco que o descarregamento provoca o progresso do microfissuramento. Além dos sinais característicos do microfissuramento, constatou-se que o módulo de elasticidade, medido nos mesmos níveis de tensão, é mais alto antes que depois do descarregamento. O decréscimo de rigidez é indício do processo de dano por microfissuramento. / Experimental studies by several authors have shown some of the key deformation mechanisms in gypsum, such as plastic flow and pressure dissolution. Even so, there is still sparse knowledge about the mechanical behavior of natural gypsum rocks. Creep mechanisms of the banded gypsum rock of Santana Formation from the Chapada do Araripe (Santana Formation) in creep tests were studied with acoustic emission technique correlating the stress levels related to microcracking to the energy release associated with these mechanisms. This procedure was adopted as an indirect technique of detection of the microcracking process, to prevent changes that occur in the microstructure during unloading and in sample preparation for its observations with direct techniques. Short and long-term creep tests were carried out in an MTS 815 servo-controlled testing system and in modular sets (single towers) in a specially equipped creep laboratory. It was found that the microcrack mechanism is strongly influenced by healing processes during long-term creep. Due to the microcrack healing process, tertiary creep was never reached, even in specimens loaded with up to 95% of the uniaxial compressive strength. In this thesis other important results were reached as: to identify that the microcracking phenomenon for the rock in question is detected by acoustic emission phenomena of intermediate frequencies (from 100 to 400 kHz) and to evidence that the Kaiser effect unequivocally manifests in this type of rock when subjected to quick loads, while after long-term creep tests, it is no longer evidenced on account of healing. In other words, the specimens subjected once again to uniaxial compression after unloading, again show acoustic emission events and therefore the generation of new microcracks. This fact can only be explained by a microcrack healing process during long-term creep. This healing, due to physical-chemical phenomena, presented other indications as an increase in the modulus of elasticity after creep tests, when compared to the values before the test, and even a hardening (increase of the uniaxial compressive strength) also after the creep. It was also clarified in unequivocal way that the unloading provokes microcracking progress. In addition to the microcracking characteristic indications, it was found that the modulus of elasticity, when measured at the same stress levels, is higher before unloading than after the unloading. The stiffness decrease is indication of the microcracking damage process.

O presente trabalho trata da análise experimental de um sistema de monitoramento baseado na técnica de fusão de sensores, aplicado em uma retificadora cilíndrica externa. A fusão é realizada entre os sinais de potência e emissão acústica para obtenção do parâmetro FAP (Fast Abrasive Power) através do método desenvolvido por Valente (2003). Através da simulação de problemas encontrados nos processos de retificação (falha de sobremetal, colisão, desbalanceamento e vibração), foram captados os sinais de potência e emissão acústica e a partir destes gerado o parâmetro FAP, comparando seu desempenho, na detecção dos problemas, com os outros dois sinais. Para a análise foram construídos os gráficos das variações dos sinais em relação ao tempo de execução do processo e os mapas do FAP e acústico. O sistema de monitoramento avaliado tem como característica baixa complexidade de instalação e execução. Os dados experimentais revelam que o FAP apresenta uma velocidade de resposta maior que a potência e levemente amortecida em relação à emissão acústica. O nível do seu sinal é igual ao da potência mantendo-se homogêneo durante o processo, ao contrário da emissão acústica que pode ser influenciada por diversos outros parâmetros, tais como geometria da peça, distância do sensor, montagem do sensor, entre outros, que independem da interação ferramenta-peça. O resultado é uma resposta dinâmica e confiável, associada à energia do sistema. Estas características são interessantes para o monitoramento de processos de retificação (excluindo a dressagem) sendo superiores àquelas apresentadas isoladamente pelos sinais de potência e emissão acústica. / The present study deals with an experimental analysis of a monitoring system based on a sensor fusion strategy applied to a cylindrical grinding machine. It comprises a fusion of the power and acoustic emission signals and has as main goal to obtain the FAP (Fast Abrasive Power) using the method developed by Valente (2003). Initially, the power and acoustic emission signals were captured under operational dysfunction conditions during the grinding process (stock imperfection, collision, unbalancing e vibration). Then, based on these signals, the FAP parameter was generated and its capability in characterizing operational dysfunctions evaluated against the performance of an individual analysis of the power and acoustic emission signals. For this analysis, FAP and acoustic maps plus plots showing the FAP signals vs. working time were implemented. The experimental data revealed that the FAP presents a faster response than the power signal and a slightly dumped response when compared against the acoustic signal. The signal level of the FAP is similar to the power signal and is homogenous during the machining process. On contrary to the FAP, the acoustic emission signal may be affected by parameters that are not related to the tool-workpiece interactions, workpiece geometry and sensor positioning. The dynamic response of FAP is reliable and linked to the energy of the system. Finally, it should be highlightened that the monitoring system based on the FAP parameter presents low complexity in both implementation and execution. Such characteristics are superior to those observed when using either the power or acoustic emission signals and highly valuable in a system designed to monitor grinding processes.

This master thesis is the result of a collaborative work between EMBRAER and the Escola Politécnica da USP for the study of structural health monitoring (SHM) techniques using sensors applied to aircraft structures. The goal was to develop classification techniques to discriminate between different events arising in the aircraft structure during tests; in the short term, improving the current SHM system used by EMBRAER, based on acoustic emission and, in the long term, fostering the development of a fully distributed system. As a result of studying classification methods for immediate use, we developed two techniques: the Spectral Similarity and a Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier. Both are unsupervised solutions, due to the unlabeled nature of the data provided. The two solutions were delivered as a final product to EMBRAER for prompt use in the existing SHM system. By studying distributed solutions for future implementations, we developed a detection algorithm based on adaptive techniques. The main result was a special initialization for a maximum likelihood (ML) detector that yields an exponential decay rate in the error probability to a nonzero steady state, using adaptive diffusion estimation in a distributed sensor network. The nodes that compose the network must decide, locally, between two concurrent hypotheses concerning the environment state where they are inserted, using local measurements and shared estimates coming from their neighbors. The exponential performance does not depend on the adaptation step size value, provided it is sufficiently small. The results concerning this distributed detector were published in the journal IEEE Signal Processing Letters. / Esta dissertação de mestrado é o resultado de um trabalho colaborativo entre a EMBRAER e a Escola Politécnica da USP no estudo de técnicas de monitoramento do estado de saúde de estruturas (Structural Health Monitoring - SHM) utilizando sensores em estruturas aeronáuticas. O objetivo foi desenvolver técnicas de classificação para discriminar entre diferentes eventos que surgem em estruturas aeronáuticas durante testes; para o curto prazo, aperfeiçoando o atual sistema de SHM utilizado pela EMBRAER, baseado em emissão acústica e, no longo prazo, fomentando o desenvolvimento de um sistema completamente distribuído. Como resultado do estudo de métodos de classificação para uso imediato, desenvolvemos duas técnicas: a Similaridade Espectral e um classificador que utiliza Support Vector Machines (SMV). Ambas as técnicas são soluções não-supervisionadas, devido a natureza não rotulada dos dados fornecidos. As duas soluções foram entregues como um produto final para a EMBRAER para pronta utilização em seu atual sistema de SHM. Ao estudar soluções completamente distribuídas para futuras implementações, desenvolvemos um algoritmo de detecção baseado em técnicas adaptativas. O principal resultado foi uma inicialização especial para um detector de máxima verossimilhança (maximum likelihood - ML) que possui uma taxa de decaimento exponencial na probabilidade de erro até um valor não nulo em regime estacionário, utilizando estimação adaptativa em uma rede distribuída. Os nós que compõem a rede devem decidir, localmente, entre duas hipóteses concorrentes com relação ao estado do ambiente onde eles estão inseridos, utilizando medidas locais e estimativas compartilhadas vindas de nós vizinhos. O desempenho exponencial não depende do valor do passo de adaptação, se este for suficientemente pequeno. Os resultas referentes a este detector distribuído foram publicados na revista internacional IEEE Signal Processing Letters.

Cette étude portait sur l’évaluation des performances mécaniques et des mécanismes de défaillance des composites cousus dans différentes conditions de chargement. Des plaques stratifiées et des raidisseurs renforcés par tufting ont été fabriqués avec différents paramètres de couture afin d'évaluer leur effet sur les propriétés des composites. L'investigation a été assistée par une caractérisation multi-instrumentée pendant les tests. Les plaques cousues soumises à des tests de cisaillement à poutre courte sont utilisées dans l'analyse du comportement de la densité et de l'angle de couture dans des conditions de chargement en mode II, tandis que des tests d'impact et de compression après impact (CAI) sur la tolérance aux dommages. Des tests de fatigue en éprouvettes trouées ont également été réalisés afin d’évaluer la réponse des coutures, en particulier leur position par rapport au trou central, à la concentration de déformation générée par le trou. La suite de ce travail a consisté en des tests mécaniques sur panneau raidi oméga renforcé par tufting. La procédure a optimisé les paramètres de touffetage utilisés pour renforcer les structures du lot précédent d'échantillons jusqu'à atteindre un point optimal où les propriétés principales, principalement trouvées dans les tests d'arrachement, sont égales ou supérieures à celles des échantillons témoins. Cette amélioration tenait également compte des modifications de la forme des raidisseurs. En outre, une nouvelle approche basée sur l’effet piézorésistif des coutures en fibres de carbone lors du chargement des éprouvettes composites est réalisée. Cela peut faciliter la surveillance de l’état de santé des fils cousus et donc du composite en raison de la nature structurelle des coutures. Les résultats ont montré que les renforts par tufting sont capables d'augmenter considérablement la ténacité entre les composites et la tolérance aux endommagements des composites, principalement en raison de leurs phénomènes de pontage des fissures. Les paramètres de tufting sont des facteurs décisifs pour obtenir les meilleures propriétés mécaniques. Cependant, ces travaux ont montré que les fils de coutures sont également responsables de la création de fissures dues à la concentration de contrainte et aux défauts causés par leur insertion et, par conséquent, à la diminution de la résistance des composites. L'enquête conclut que l'insertion aléatoire des touffes n'est pas idéale pour la performance du matériau et doit donc être évitée. Le développement de l'insertion des coutures dans les raidisseurs oméga a été soutenu par la caractérisation multi-instrumentée qui a permis d'optimiser le renforcement de la structure. Bien que l’étude ait permis d’obtenir des propriétés mécaniques nettement supérieures à celles des panneaux oméga renforcés par touffetage, il est évident que la procédure employée n’est pas optimale. Le présent travail propose également un modèle préliminaire d'éléments finis pour surmonter le coût et la perte de temps des tests expérimentaux. Il vise principalement à optimiser les paramètres de tufting dans la structure. Le modèle développé était capable de prédire les mêmes endommagements que ceux observés expérimentalement, mais encore éloignés des prévisions quantitatives des résultats. Le contrôle de l’état structurel des stratifiés composites cousus par les fils de carbone semble prometteur et pourrait aider à l’avenir à fournir des informations sur l’état de santé des coutures sous chargement qui ne sont pas atteintes par les méthodes de caractérisation classiques utilisées dans ce travail. / This study focused mainly on the assessment of the mechanical performance and the failure mechanisms of tufted composites under divers loading conditions. Laminated plates and stiffened panels reinforced by tufting was manufactured with different tufting parameters to evaluate their effect in the properties of the composites. Multi-instrumented characterization carried out during the tests assisted the investigation. The tufted plates subjected to short-beam shear tests aided especially in the behavior analysis of tufting density and angle in mode Il loading condition, while impact and compression after impact (CAI) tests on the damage tolerance. Open-hole fatigue tests were also performed to evaluate the tufts response, especially regarding their position to the center hole, to the strain concentration factor generated by the hole. The following part of this work consisted of the mechanical tests on omega stiffened panel reinforced by tufting. The procedure optimized the tufting parameters employed for reinforcing the structures from the previous batch of specimens until reaching an optimal point that the main properties, primarily found in pull-off tests, are equal or superior to those of the control specimens. This improvement also considered the modifications in the shape of the stiffeners. Furthermore, a novel approach based on the piezoresistive effect of carbon tufts under loading of the composite specimens is performed. This may support the monitoring of the health status on the tufted threads and therefore of the composite because of the structural nature of the tufts. The results showed that tufting reinforcements are capable of increasing the interlaminar fracture toughness and damage tolerance of the composites considerably owing mainly to their crack bridging phenomena. The tufting parameters are decisive factors for achieving the best mechanical properties. However, this work reported that tuft threads are also responsible for generating cracks due to the strain concentration and defects caused by their insertion and consequently, can decrease the strength of the composites. The investigation concludes that the random insertion of the tufts is not ideal for the performance of the material and thus must be avoided. The development of the tufting insertion in the omega stiffeners was supported by the multi-instrumented characterization that led to optimizing reinforcement in the structure. Although the study achieved the goal of obtaining mechanical properties significantly superior to the omega panels reinforced by tufting, it is noticeable that the procedure employed is not optimal. The present work also proposes a preliminary finite element model to overcome the costly and time consuming of the experimental tests. It intends primarily optimizing the tufting parameters in the structure. The model developed was capable of predicting the same damage events as observed experimentally, but it still distant from the quantitative predictions of the results. The structural health monitoring of the tufted composite laminates by the carbon threads seems promising and could help in the future for supplying data about the tufts health status under loading that are not achieved by the conventional characterization methods employed in this work.

Diversos materiais de interesse tecnológico podem ser considerados como materiais heterogêneos, onde sua natureza aleatória deve ser considerada para representar corretamente o comportamento não-linear. A avaliação quantitativa do dano em materiais sujeitos a estados de tensão ou deformação tem grande importância devido ao caráter crítico desse fenômeno, que pode crescer de forma abrupta e resultar em uma falha catastrófica da estrutura. Em estudos anteriores, Carpinteri e seus colaboradores apresentaram diferentes aspectos relacionados à caracterização do dano em materiais heterogêneos. Três desses aspectos são discutidos neste trabalho: (i) a proposta do número de fragilidade como medida da fragilidade da estrutura em análise; (ii) a evolução da dimensão fractal em que o processo de dano é desenvolvido; (iii) e os índices globais obtidos pela análise de Emissão Acústica (EA). Neste trabalho, uma versão do método dos elementos discretos formado por barras é utilizada para explorar esses aspectos. Espécimes de material quase-frágil são simulados e, quando possível, os resultados numéricos são comparados com resultados experimentais. Além disso, a discussão dos resultados obtidos é realizada visando compreender o comportamento desse tipo de material, como por exemplo, o fato de que estruturas com diferentes dimensões, porém com o mesmo número de fragilidade, têm comportamentos similares. Ademais, o método numérico empregado é apresentado como uma ferramenta viável para complementar a informação obtida em ensaios experimentais na avaliação do processo de dano. Pelo sinal de EA obtido através do método numérico empregado, obtiveram-se parâmetros para a classificação do tipo de falha e para o cálculo do tensor momento, onde comparando os resultados obtidos pelo modelo numérico e pela EA se observam comportamentos coerentes. / Several materials with technological interest can be considered as heterogeneous materials, where their random nature must be accounted to correctly represent the nonlinear behavior. The quantitative evaluation of damage in materials subjected to stress or strain states have great importance due to the critical nature of this phenomenon, which abruptly can rise to catastrophic failure. In previous studies, Carpinteri and his coworkers have presented different aspects of the damage process characterization in heterogeneous materials. Three of these aspects are discussed in this work: (i) the brittleness number proposal to measure the brittleness level of the analyzed structure, (ii) the relationship of the fractal dimension in which the damage process is developed, (iii) and the global indexes obtained by the Acoustic Emission (AE) analysis. In the present work, a version of discrete element method formed by bars is used to explore these concepts. A set of quasi-brittle material specimen is simulated and, when possible, the numerical results are compared with experimental ones. Moreover, a discussion of the obtained results is carried out aiming to understand the behavior of this kind of material, for instance, the fact that structures with different dimensions, but with the same brittleness number, have similar behavior. In addition, the numerical method is presented as a viable tool to complement information from experimental test on the damage process. From the AE signal obtained by the numerical method, parameters to classify the type of crack and for calculating the moment tensor were obtained, where consistent behaviors are observed by comparing the results of the numerical model and the AE.