abstract: Materials have been the backbone of every major invention in the history of mankind, e.g. satellites and space shuttles would not exist without advancement in materials development. Integral to this, is the development of nanocrystalline (NC) materials that promise multitude of properties for advanced applications. However, they do not tend to preserve structural integrity under intense cyclic loading or long-term temperature exposures. Therefore, it is imperative to understand factors that alter the sub-features controlling both structural and functional properties under extreme conditions, particularly fatigue and creep. Thus, this dissertation systematically studies the tensile creep and fatigue behaviour of a chemically optimized and microstructurally stable bulk NC copper (Cu)-3at.% tantalum (Ta) alloy. Strategic engineering of nanometer sized clusters of Ta into the alloy’s microstructure were found to suppress the microstructure instability and render remarkable improvement in the high temperature tensile creep resistance up to 0.64 times the melting temperature of Cu. Primary creep in this alloy was found to be governed by the relaxation of the microstructure under the applied stress. Further, during the secondary creep, short circuit diffusion of grain boundary atoms resulted in the negligible steady-state creep rate in the alloy. Under fatigue loading, the alloy showed higher resistance for crack nucleation owing to the inherent microstructural stability, and the interaction of the dislocations with the Ta nanoclusters. The underlying mechanism was found to be related to the diffused damage accumulation, i.e., during cyclic loading many grains participate in the plasticity process (nucleation of discrete grain boundary dislocations) resulting in homogenous accumulation rather than localized one as typically observed in coarse-grained materials. Overall, the engineered Ta nanoclusters were responsible for governing the underlying anomalous high temperature creep and fatigue deformation mechanisms in the alloy. Finally, this study presents a design approach that involves alloying of pure metals in order to impart stability in NC materials and significantly enhance their structural properties, especially those at higher temperatures. Moreover, this design approach can be easily translated to other multicomponent systems for developing advanced high-performance structural materials. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 2019

The user programmable features (UPF) of the finite element code ANSYS® are used to generate a customized ANSYS-executable including a more general creep behaviour of materials and a damage module. The numerical approach for the creep behaviour is not restricted to a single creep law (e.g. strain hardening model) with parameters evaluated from a limited stress and temperature range. Instead of this strain rate - strain relations can be read from external creep data files for different temperature and stress levels. The damage module accumulates a damage measure based on the creep strain increment and plastic strain increment of the load step and the current fracture strains for creep and plasticity (depending on temperature and stress level). If the damage measure of an element exceeds a critical value this element is deactivated. Examples are given for illustration and verification of the new program modules.

Permanent deformation in the form of creep is added to a one-dimensional model of a radio-frequency micro-electro-mechanical system (RF-MEMS). Due to uncertainty in the material property values, calibration under uncertainty is carried out through comparison to experiments in order to determine appropriate boundary conditions and material property values. Further uncertainty in the input parameters, in the form of probability distribution functions of geometric device properties, is included in simulations and propagated to the device performance as a function of time. The effect of realistic power-law grain size distributions on the creep response of thin RF-MEMS films is examined through the use of a finite volume software suite designed for the computational modelling of MEMS. It is seen that the use of a realistic height-dependent power-law distribution of grain sizes in the film in place of a uniform grain size has the effect of increasing the simulated creep rate and the uncertainty in its value. The effect is seen to be the result of the difference between the model with a homogeneous grain size and the model with a non-homogeneous grain size. Realistic variations in the grain size distribution for a given film are seen to have a smaller effect. Finally, in order to incorporate variations in thickness in manufactured devices, variation in the thickness of the membrane across the length and width is considered in a 3D finite element model, and variation of thickness along the length is added to the earlier one-dimensional RF-MEMS model. Estimated uncertainty in the film profile is propagated to selected device performance metrics. The effect of film thickness variation along the length of the film is seen to be greater than the effect of variation across the width.

The amorphous fraction of semicrystalline polymers has long been thought to be a significant contributor to creep deformation. In polyethylene (PE) nanocomposites, the semicrystalline nature of the maleated PE compatibilizer leads to a limited ability to separate the role of the PE in the nanocomposite properties. This dissertation investigates blown films of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and its nanocomposites with montmorillonite-layered silicate (MLS). Addition of an amorphous ethylene propylene copolymer grafted maleic anhydride (amEP) was utilized to enhance the interaction between the PE and the MLS. The amorphous nature of the compatibilizer was used to differentiate the effect of the different components of the nanocomposites; namely the matrix, the filler, and the compatibilizer on the overall properties. Tensile test results of the nanocomposites indicate that the addition of amEP and MLS separately and together produces a synergistic effect on the mechanical properties of the neat PE Thermal transitions were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to determine if the observed improvement in mechanical properties is related to changes in crystallinity. The effect of dispersion of the MLS in the matrix was investigated by using a combination of X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Mechanical measurements were correlated to the dispersion of the layered silicate particles in the matrix. The nonlinear time dependent creep of the material was analyzed by examining creep and recovery of the films with a Burger model and the Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) relation. The effect of stress on the nonlinear behavior of the nanocomposites was investigated by analyzing creep-recovery at different stress levels. Stress-related creep constants and shift factors were determined for the material by using the Schapery nonlinear viscoelastic equation at room temperature. The effect of temperature on the tensile and creep properties of the nanocomposites was analyzed by examining tensile and creep-recovery behavior of the films at temperatures in the range of 25 to -100 oC. Within the measured temperature range, the materials showed a nonlinear temperature dependent response. The time-temperature superposition principle was successfully used to predict the long term behavior of LLDPE nanocomposites.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil Engineering, 1981. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ENGINEERING. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 420-431. / by John Mei-Ming Ting. / Sc.D.

Currently, the design of high temperature mechanical components is limited by material performance at elevated temperatures. Rocket nozzle materials, for example, need to survive exhaust gas temperatures up to 3000 ºC under high stresses for short periods of time. Additionally, one of the current challenges in hypersonic flight is the development of materials that will withstand the leading edge temperatures which exceed 2700 ºC. In these severe environments, the characterization of materials’ creep properties is essential. Conventional creep testing methods are limited to 1700°C. Using ESL, a group of researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst developed a non-contact creep method, which is not subject to such temperature limits. Using the non-contact method a spherical sample is rotated rapidly, and the driving load is applied by centripetal acceleration, which causes deformation. During previous creep tests, a laser supplied both the heating and driving rotational force to the sample. Since the rotation is controlled by the photon pressure emitted from the heating laser, the applied stress is coupled to the testing temperature. By developing an independent rotation control, non-contact creep tests could be conducted on a wider range of materials. A specialized high-speed induction motor was developed for use in high-temperature creep tests. In addition to creep behavior, the understanding of thermophysical properties is important for the emerging class of high temperature material. Using a previously developed method, non-contact density measurements were taken concurrently on the same materials as X-ray diffraction measurements. Over 35 materials were successfully processed including, aluminum, copper, hafnium, palladium, nickel, titanium and zirconium based alloys. Besides contributing to high temperature material databases, density measurements provide an understanding of solidus formation and short-range order in the liquid state.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to develop a theory for clay deformation that models the behavior represented by Bjerrum's time lines (Bjerrum (1961). The theory models time-dependent compression (secondary compression) and the "aging" effect, or increase in preconsolidation pressure with time under sustained load. The theory appears to be consistent with many aspects of the consolidation behavior of real clays, including: (1) secondary compression, (2) aging, (3) different values of Cv determined by Casagrande's method and Taylor's method, and (4) faster settlement in the field than expected on the basis of conventional theory. It thus appears to have considerable potential for use in interpreting laboratory tests and predicting field settlements more accurately than has been possible up to the present time. In addition to development of the new theory, the study involved an extensive review of previous work and suggestions for possible future studies." 14. The results of this study lead to the conclusion that the OWL model did prepare the Shawsville children for first grade experiences and that their achievement would be at least as good as those children who participated in a traditional kindergarten program. / Ph. D.

The problem of predicting the stresses and strains in a plain concrete member subject to sustained non-uniform stress is investigated. Two theoretical methods of solving this problem are presented. Both were used to predict the strains and stresses of four eccentrically-loaded plain concrete prisms which formed a part of an experimental program. The experimental program also furnished data necessary for both of the theoretical approaches. It is concluded that the two methods are useful, and that they may be easily modified to deal with problems involving the sustained load characteristics of reinforced concrete members. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)

The compressive creep behaviour of a high purity silicon nitride ceramic with and without the addition of Ba was studied at 1400°C. Two distinct creep stages were observed during high temperature deformation of these materials. The stress exponents for creep of the two materials indicate that they have different creep mechanisms during the second stage of creep. Cavitation during creep was determined by measuring the density change before and after creep using a water­-displacement method. The Ba doped material exhibited an obvious density decrease, indicating cavitation during creep, whereas the undoped material exhibited no cavitation. This is consistent with TEM observations. The microstructure of the materials, especially the amorphous grain-boundary phase was investigated for both as-sintered and crept specimans by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Statistical analysis of a number of grain-­boundary films indicates that the film thickness is confined to a narrow range (standard deviation less than 0.15 nm) in the as-sintered materials. The average film thickness depends on film chemistry, increasing from 1.0 nm to 1.4 nm when Ba is added. The standard deviation of the film thickness of a given material after creep, however, is considerably larger than before (0.30 nm ~ 0.59 nm). This suggests that the grain-boundary glass phase is redistributed during creep. Viscous flow of the glass phase is proposed as die mechanism responsible for the first stage of creep. The data are compared with a model for viscous creep, yielding good correlation. / Thesis / Master of Engineering (ME)