The master's thesis is focused on polypropylene fibres, their properties, availability, pitfalls associated with the use in practice. In the experimental part are the results of testing specimens with dispersed reinforcement fibers in varying proportions and their comparison.

This master thesis gives overview of non-destructive tests of concrete and provides detailed information concerning the acoustic and electromagnetic emission during monitoring of concrete failure. Conducted loading tests of plain concrete specimens are described in the thesis together with the performed numerical simulations of these tests in the software ATENA. The simulation results of concrete failure are analysed in detail and compared with the experimental results recording failure processes with the help of acoustic and electromagnetic emission. The majority of simulation results in software ATENA 3D show good agreement with the recorded data.

The doctoral thesis discusses the measurement of parameters of piezoelectric (PZT) materials and the influence of temperature on their stability. In the introductory sections, the author briefly explains the piezoelectric effect and its use; simultaneously, methods for the preparation of piezoelectric materials and the measurement of their properties are presented to illustrate the analyzed problem. The experimental part of the thesis describes the procedure of measuring and calculating the complete matrix of material coefficients from samples of PZT ceramics. The applied set of piezoelectric samples complying with relevant European and world standards was made in the form of thin plates, thin discs and cylinders, via gradual modification of the large disc. The NCE51 and/or the older PCM51 ceramics obtained from the company Noliac Ceramics were used in determining the complete matrix and describing the measurement method. Both these types are soft piezoceramics composed from a solid solution of lead zirconate and lead titanate with the general chemical formula of Pb(Zr1-x,Tix)O3. The real crystallographic structure and chemical composition of the samples were confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The frequency method was used for the measurement and calculation of all material coefficients. An Agilent 4294A impedance analyzer and a set of measuring tweezers marketed as “Tweezers Contact Test Fixture 16334A” were used in the process. Fast determination of the entire matrix of coefficients without any special requirement for the preparation of the samples to be measured was tested and verified. The charge coefficients of the piezoelectric material were confirmed by direct methods including the laser interferometer technique, the vibrometric method, and the procedure utilizing changes of the force applied to the sample. The advantages and disadvantages of the methods were compared and defined based on measurements and their results. The main part of thesis was focused on the behavior of piezoelectric material at high temperatures near the Curie point. Depolarization performed by means of a high temperature approaching the Curie point constitutes a significant yet hardly measurable material property of PZT ceramics. Commonly available vibrometric methods (d33-meters) do not appear to be suitable for the measurement of temperature dependencies, and for that reason the frequency technique was used. The piezoelectric charge coefficient, whose value can be effectively measured via the above-discussed frequency method, was selected as the indicator showing the depolarization state in the applied piezoelectric ceramics. The accuracy of the procedure was verified via comparison of the vibrometric method in cylinders of the NCE51 ceramics with different sizes, which are designed for the longitudinal length mode. The result is an optimized measurement methodology which facilitates accurate determination of the Curie temperature, namely phase transition to the cubic crystallographic structure. The experiment also proved the applicability of progressive, controlled depolarization of PZT ceramics via high temperature, and it also enabled us to define the temperature limits at which there occur irreversible changes of the piezoelectric properties of piezoceramics. In the measured NCE51 and PCM51 materials, the limit for the irreversible changes was equal to 95% of the Curie temperature.

Zur Untersuchung der Schädigungs- und Versagensmechanismen eines in Beton eingebetteten Multifilamentgarns im Auszugversuch wurde die Schallemissionsanalyse zur Identifizierung und Lokalisierung von Filamentbrüchen eingesetzt. Im ersten Schritt wurden dazu die Schall emittierenden Ursachen (Filamentriss, Filamentablösung und Mikroriss im Beton) für eine Differenzierung charakterisiert. Es wurden Versuche zur Erzeugung von isolierten Signalen durchgeführt, welche mit Hilfe der Signal- und Frequenzanalyse untersucht wurden. Bei dem durchgeführten Garnauszugversuch konnte eine hohe Lokalisierungsgenauigkeit der Filamentbrüche erzielt werden. Der Schädigungsverlauf des Garns während des Auszugversuchs konnte detailliert untersucht werden.

This thesis presents a method of measuring the distribution of fiber bonding ability in mechanical pulp furnishes. The method is intended for industrial use, where today only average values are used to describe fiber bonding ability, despite the differences in morphology of the fibers entering the mill. Fiber bonding ability in this paper refers to the mechanical fiber’s flexibility and ability to form large contact areas to other fibers, characteristics required for good paper surfaces and strength. Five mechanical pulps (Pulps A-E), all produced in different processes from Norway spruce (Picea Abies) were fractionated in hydrocyclones with respect to the fiber bonding ability. Five streams were formed from the hydrocyclone fractionation, Streams 1-5. Each stream plus the feed (Stream 0) was fractionated according to fiber length in a Bauer McNett classifier to compare the fibers at equal fiber lengths (Bauer McNett screens 16, 30, 50, and 100 mesh were used). Stream 1 was found to have the highest fiber bonding ability, evaluated as tensile strength and apparent density of long fiber laboratory sheets. External fibrillation and collapse resistance index measured in FiberLabTM, an optical measurement device, also showed this result. Stream 5 was found to have the lowest fiber bonding ability, with a consecutively falling scale between Stream 1 and Stream 5. The results from acoustic emission measurements and cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy analysis concluded the same pattern. The amount of fibers in each hydrocyclone stream was also regarded as a measure of the fibers’ bonding ability in each pulp. The equation for predicted Bonding Indicator (BIN) was calculated by combining, through linear regression, the collapse resistance index and external fibrillation of the P16/R30 fractions for Pulps A and B. Predicted Bonding Indicator was found to correlate well with measured tensile strength. The BIN-equation was then applied also to the data for Pulps C-E, P16/R30, and Pulp A-E, P30/R50, and predicted Bonding Indicator showed good correlations with tensile strength also for these fibers. From the fiber raw data measured by the FiberLabTM instrument, the BIN-equation was used for each individual fiber. This made it possible to calculate a BIN-distribution of the fibers, that is, a distribution of fiber bonding ability. The thesis also shows how the BIN-distributions of fibers can be derived from FiberLabTM measurements of the entire pulp without mechanically separating the fibers by length first, for example in a Bauer McNett classifier. This is of great importance, as the method is intended for industrial use, and possibly as an online-method. Hopefully, the BIN-method will become a useful tool for process evaluations and optimizations in the future. / Den här studien presenterar en metod för att mäta fördelning av fiberbindning i mekaniska massor. Metoden hoppas kunna användas industriellt, där i dagsläget enbart medelvärden används för att mäta fiberbindnings-fördelning, trots råvarans (fibrernas) morfologiska skillnader.  Fem mekaniska massor (Massa A-E) från olika massaprocesser men från samma råvara, norsk gran (Picea Abies), har fraktionerats i hydrocykloner med avseende på fiberbindningsförmåga. Från hydrocyklon-fraktioneringen bildades fem strömmar, Ström 1-5. Varje ström plus injektet (Ström 0) fraktionerades också med avseende på fiberlängd i en Bauer McNett för att kunna jämföra fibrerna vid samma fiberlängd (Bauer McNett silplåtarna 16, 30, 50 och 100 mesh användes). Fiberbindingsförmåga i den här studien härrör till fiberns flexibilitet och förmåga att skapa stora kontaktytor med andra fibrer, vilket bidrar till papprets yt- och styrkeegenskaper. Ström 1 visade sig ha den högsta fiberbindningsförmågan, utvärderat som dragstyrka och densitet av långfiberark, samt yttre fibrillering och kollaps resistans index mätt i den optiska analysatorn FiberLabTM. Akustisk emission och tvärsnittsanalyser visade samma resultat. Ström 5 visade sig ha den lägsta fiberbindningsförmågan, med en avtagande skala från Ström 1 till Ström 5. Andelen fibrer från injektet som gick ut med varje hydrocyklon-ström ansågs också vara ett mått på fibrernas bindningsförmåga i varje massa. Genom att kombinera fiberegenskaperna kollaps resistans och yttre fibrillering från den optiska mätningen på varje fiber genom linjär regression, kunde Bindnings Indikator (BIN) predikteras. Medelvärdet av Bindnings Indikator för varje hydrocyklon-ström korrelerar med dragstyrka för långfiber-labark.  Det visade sig att predikterad Bindnings Indikator inte bara fungerade för Massa A och Massa B P16/R30 fraktionen, som var de fraktioner som användes i den linjära regressionen, utan även för Massa C-E, P16/R30, och Massa A-E P30/R50 som också visade goda korrelationer med långfiber-dragstyrka när de sattes in i BIN-formeln. BIN-formeln användes sedan för varje enskild fiber, i den rådata som levererats från FiberLabTM. Detta gjorde det möjligt att få en BIN-distribution av fibrerna, d.v.s. en fördelning av fiberbindningsförmåga. Den här rapporten visar också hur det går att få BIN-distributioner också från mätningar på hela massan, för valbara fiberlängder, utan att först mekaniskt separera massan efter fiberlängd. Det är viktigt, då metoden är tänkt att användas som en industriell metod, och eventuellt som en online-metod. Förhoppningsvis kommer BIN-metoden att bli ett användbart verktyg för processutveckling- och optimering i framtiden. / <p>FSCN – Fibre Science and Communication Network</p> / Bonding ability distribution of fibers in mechanical pulp furnishes

The dissertation thesis deals with the study of non-destructive acoustic methods as instruments for monitoring and analysing corrosion of reinforcing steel in reinforced concrete elements. Four acoustic methods were selected for this task - the impact-echo method, the nonlinear acoustic spectroscopy method, the acoustic emission method, and the ultrasonic pulse velocity method. To verify the functionality of these methods, testing was carried out on three sets of reinforced concrete samples that had been exposed to the effects of sodium chloride, which corroded the embedded steel reinforcement in these samples. Suitable parameters were proposed for individual acoustic methods to monitor corrosion of the reinforcements. In addition, experiments were designed to demonstrate the ability of the selected acoustic methods to reveal the corrosion of steel reinforcement and its influence on the concrete matrix and to assess the condition of the degraded elements and structures. The analysis of the measurement results based on their comparison shows the advantages and disadvantages of the individual methods and of their practical applications. To verify the results, correlation with common methods that are currently used for the study of corrosion was carried out and included for example the electrical resistivity measurement of the reinforcement and simultaneous monitoring of the sample surface using a confocal microscope to record the development of microcracks during the degradation.

The subject of this dissertation is a theoretical and experimental study of electromagnetic and acoustic emission generated in the course of crack formation in solid dielectric materials. Theoretical part of this work is focused on the electromagnetic emission method, because it is related to a number of unsolved problems in the field of generated emission signals measurement, as well as in the field of the correct interpretation of obtained experimental data. Consequently, issues of emission signals detection by capacitance sensors and the transformation of crack primary parameters on the measured variables within the proposed transfer system have been dealt with. The results in this area were an extension of application range of the electromagnetic emission method on composite materials (especially on fiber reinforced polymer composites), identification and evaluation of the most significant emission sources in investigated composites and developing a methodology for evaluating of the crack primary parameters based on the measured emission signals waveforms in time and frequency domain. The experimental part of this dissertation was focused on a complex methodology for emission signals (including data from additional sensors) continual recording, processing and evaluation and for monitoring the response of stressed material to an applied mechanical load in real-time. Partial results from different research areas were also implemented into this methodology. This included the detection of emission signals, design and implementation of the appropriate measuring apparatus, analysis of measured signals in the time and frequency domain and advanced methods for processing and evaluation of measured data.

Sverige har som många länder runt om i världen en åldrande infrastruktur och behovet av underhåll stiger. I en artikel i Svenska Dagbladet från 21/9–2018 redovisar analys- och teknikkonsultföretaget WSP en grov uppskattning att 300 miljarder kronor behöver investeras för att rusta upp existerande infrastruktur. Efter upprustningen skulle det krävas ca 25 miljarder kronor årligen för att utföra löpande tillståndsbedömning och underhåll av Sveriges väg- och järnvägsnät. Idag används inspektioner för att bedöma broars tillstånd. Det finns tre olika inspektionstyper; huvudinspektion, allmäninspektion och särskild inspektion. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) är en teknik som globalt används mer och mer som en metod vid tillståndsbedömning av broar. SHM siktar mot att i realtid utföra automatisk bedömning av hela konstruktionens och de enskilda skadornas tillstånd. SHM använder sig av sensorer placerade på kritiska positioner för att samla in mätdata som jämförs med i förtid definierade gränsvärden. I Sverige används SHM sparsamt idag där kunskapen ligger på akademisk nivå och det råder en osäkerhet om hur SHM ska implementeras i praktiken. Genom att implementera SHM, kan skador upptäckas i ett tidigt skede och minimeras genom att snabbt utföra reparationer på konstruktionen innan skadorna blivit kritiska. Studien syftar till att producera en rapport som kan användas som en guide för hur SHM kan implementeras samt visa på hur SHM-systemen har implementerats på tidigare projekt. Rapporten skall ge läsaren en helhetsbild över hur tillståndsbedömning går till idag, vilka skador som är vanligt förekommande samt hur SHM kan användas som ett verktyg vid tillståndsbedömning. Rapporten syftar också till att ge en övergripande förklaring på svenska av SHM-tekniken och vad som behövs för implementering. Öppna ostrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med forskare inom SHM och skador på betongkonstruktioner samt sakkunniga inom tillståndsbedömning. Intervjuerna användes som utgångspunkt för vidare studier av vanligt förekommande skador och SHM-tekniker. I litteraturstudien användes olika vetenskapliga databaser såsom Diva och ScienceDirect, samt KTH:s bibliotek för att få fram tidigare material om betongskador på broar, deras skademekanismer och om SHM-tekniken. Vidare hämtades information från ett antal doktorsavhandlingar, artiklar och tidigare examensarbeten. Genom litteraturstudie och intervjuer med sakkunniga kom studien fram till att armeringskorrosion och sprickor i betongen är skador som är vanligt förekommande i betongbroar. Skadornas skademekanismer beskrivs i rapporten. Studien identifierade tre olika system som kan användas för detektering och övervakning av armeringskorrosion och sprickor, de systemen är akustisk emission, SOFO-system (SOFO är en förkortning för Surveillance d'Ouvrage par Fibers Optics) och MuST-system (MuST är ett kommersiellt namn). Rapporten ger exempel på hur systemen kan användas för detektering och övervakning av skadorna genom att presentera fyra fallstudier där systemen har använts. Två av fallstudierna presenterar hur akustisk emission har implementeras och två av fallstudierna presenterar hur SOFO-systemet har implementerats. Studien kunde inte identifiera någon fallstudie för MuST-systemet och hur systemet har implementerats. Slutsatsen av studien är att SHM kan användas som ett komplement vid tillståndsbedömningar men man kan inte utföra automatiserade tillståndsbedömningar idag. / Like many countries around the world, Sweden has an aging infrastructure and the need for maintenance is increasing. In an article in Svenska Dagbladet from 21 / 9–2018, the analysis and engineering consulting company WSP reports a rough estimate that SEK 300 billion needs to be invested to upgrade existing infrastructure. After the upgrade, it would require approximately SEK 25 billion annually to carry out ongoing condition assessment and maintenance of Sweden's road and railway networks. Today, inspections are used to assess the condition of bridges. There are three types of inspection; main inspection, general inspection and special inspection. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a technology that is globally more used as a method for condition assessment of bridges. SHM aims to perform automatic assessment of the state of the entire construction and individual damages in real time. SHM uses sensors placed at critical positions to collect measurement data compared to pre-defined limit values. In Sweden, SHM is used sparingly today, where knowledge is at an academic level and there is uncertainty about how SHM should be implemented in practice. By implementing SHM, damage can be detected at an early stage and minimized by quickly performing repairs on the design before the damage becomes critical. The study aims to produce a report that can be used as a guide on how SHM can be implemented and show how the SHM systems have been implemented on previous projects. The report should give the reader an overall picture of how condition assessment is performed today, which damages are common and how SHM can be used as a tool when assessing the condition. The report also aims to provide an overall explanation in Swedish of the SHM technology and what is needed for implementation. Open unstructured interviews were conducted with researchers within SHM and damages to concrete structures as well as experts in condition assessment. The interviews were used as a starting point for further studies of commonly occurring damages and SHM techniques. In the literature study, various scientific databases were used, such as Diva and ScienceDirect, as well as KTH's library to obtain earlier material on concrete damage to bridges, its damage mechanisms and about SHM technology. Furthermore, information was obtained from a number of doctoral dissertations, articles and previous degree projects. Through literature study and interviews with experts, the study concluded that reinforcement corrosion and cracks in the concrete are damages that are commonly found in concrete bridges. The damage mechanisms are described in the report. The study identified three different systems that can be used for detection and monitoring of reinforcement corrosion and cracks, those systems are acoustic emission, SOFO system (SOFO is an abbreviation for Surveillance d'Ouvrage pair of Fiber's Optics) and MuST system (MuST is a commercial name). The report gives examples of how the systems can be used for the detection and monitoring of the damages by presenting four case studies where the systems have been used. Two of the case studies present how acoustic emission has been implemented and two of the case studies present how the SOFO-system has been implemented. The study could not identify any case study for the MuST-system and how the system was implemented. The conclusion of the study is that SHM can be used as a supplement to condition assessments but cannot for the time being used for performing automated condition assessments today.

Im vorliegenden Bericht wurde untersucht, wie Spanndrahtbrüche in einem Brückenträger sowohl mittels Schallemissionsanalyse (SEA) als auch mit (eingebetteter) verteilter faseroptischer akustischer Sensorik (DAS) zu erkennen sind. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Bruchsignale anhand beider Messverfahren detektiert werden können. Die jeweils detektierten Drahtbrüche werden miteinander verglichen. Durch eine Gegenüberstellung werden SEA und DAS detailliert dargestellt.

Grease is among the most widely used lubricants in rolling element bearings. Proper understanding of the effect of lubrication due to grease aging can provide a significant increase in the life of the engineering systems. However, at present, there is no sufficient understanding of the grease aging effect in rolling elements bearing. This restricts the optimal usage of the bearing and timely monitoring of the grease. The current research work tries to address this issue with an experimental investigation. This project studies the behavior of 4 types of greases in rolling elements bearings for various operating conditions by recording the temperature and acoustic emission data. The aged samples were prepared to keep in the oven at 150 °C for a series of time duration letting it go through the chemical changes and thermal degradation. Tests were carried out in a test rig with the different levels of oxidized greases for 5 hrs time. And the effects in bearing temperature, acoustic emission were recorded. This is an investigation to analyze the effects of grease composition and aging in rolling elements lubrication by means of acoustic emission and bearing temperature. The IR spectroscopy was carried from the samples collected from the oven in order to understand the change in lubricant composition. The results show that the grease with di-urea thickener and base oil of synthetic ether and polyolester gives the best bearing temperature and acoustic emission behavior compared to the other grease type. The possibility of using the acoustic emission and temperature data to monitor the grease aging is also presented. Along with this, the possibility of using the AE statistical methods, AE count method, and energy plot were also explored to relate with the degree of aging.