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Polymer matrix composites are seeing increasing use in structural systems (e.g. ships, bridges) and require a quantitative basis for describing their performance under combined mechanical load and fire. Although much work has been performed to characterize the flammability, fire resistance and toxicity of these composite systems, an understanding of the structural response of sandwich type structures and laminate panels under combined mechanical and thermal loads (simulating fire conditions) is still largely unavailable. Therefore a research effort to develop a model to describe the structural response of these glass/vinyl esters systems under fire loading conditions is relevant to the continuing and future application of polymer matrix composites aboard naval ships. The main goal of the effort presented here is to develop analytical models and finite element analysis methods and tools to predict limit states such as local compression failures due to micro-buckling, residual strength and times to failure for composite laminates at temperatures in the vicinity of the glass transition where failure is controlled by viscoelastic effects. Given the importance of compression loading to a structure subject to fire exposure, the goals of this work are succinctly stated as the:(a)Characterization of the non-linear viscoelastic and viscoplastic response of the E-glass/vinyl ester composite above Tg. (b)Description of the laminate compression mechanics as a function of stress and temperature including viscoelasticity.(c)Viscoelastic stress analysis of a laminated panel ([0/+45/90/-45/0]S) using classical lamination theory (CLT). Three manuscripts constitute this dissertation which is representative of the three steps listed above. First, a detailed characterization of the nonlinear thermoviscoelastic response of Vetrotex 324/Derakane 510A - 40 through Tg was conducted using the Time - Temperature - Stress - Superposition Principle (TTSSP) and Zapas - Crissman model. Second, the modeling approach and viscoelastic relaxation mechanism is validated by substituting the shear relaxation modulus into a compression strength model to predict lifetimes for isothermal and one sided heating of unidirectional laminates. Finally, viscoelastic stress analysis using CLT is performed for a general laminated panel to predict lifetimes under one sided heating. Results indicate that when temperatures remain in the vicinity of Tg, the laminate behavior is controlled by thermoviscoelasticity. / Ph. D.

To date there are no long-term creep models or practical methods to investigate the effect of creep on the safety and serviceability of modem wood structures and structural wood composites. Long-term creep models were developed for wood in tension and compression using the Time-Temperature Superposition Principle (TTSP). The principle states that the long-term response of a polymer at lower temperature is equivalent to the short-term response at a higher temperature. Accelerated creep tests were conducted in tension and compression using small clear specimens of Douglas-fir, southern pine and yellow-poplar. The specimens were tested at moisture contents of 6 %, 9 %, and 12 %, and at temperatures between 20°C and 80°C. The strain was measured using bonded strain gages. The individual creep compliance for each temperature was shifted along the log-time axis to obtain a "master" curve that describes the creep response of the specimens. All compliance curves also required vertical shifting. The experimental horizontal shift factors followed the Arrhenius formulation that describes the shift factor relation for polymers in the glassy region. / Master of Science

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Animal Sciences and Industry / Michael D. Tokach / Five experiments were performed to determine the influence of creep feeding on individual consumption characteristics and growth performance of neonatal and weanling pigs. These evaluated the effects of lactation feed intake and creep feeding (n = 84 litters; Exp. 1), creep feeding duration (n = 54 litters; Exp. 2), creep feeder design and feed accessibility (n = 54 litters; Exp. 3), organoleptic properties of the creep feed (n = 50 litters; Exp. 4) and creep diet complexity (n = 96 litters; Exp. 5). In summary, creep feeding did not affect preweaning gains and weaning weights of pigs weaned at 3 weeks of age. Creep feeding for 18 d did not influence sow performance. However, creep feeding tended to improve litter weaning weights due to improved survivability. Creep feed consumption was related to piglet maturity rather than the induction of creep feeding. In both experimental and field conditions, pigs that consumed creep feed (eaters) had greater post-weaning feed intake and daily gains compared to non-eaters (pigs that did not consume creep feed) and non-creep fed pigs. This led to improvements in pig weight uniformity and reduction of the severity of post-weaning lag. These benefits were achieved regardless of weaning weight, the complexity of the creep diet, and the duration of creep feeding. The proportion of eaters of creep feed in whole litters can be manipulated. Longer duration of creep feeding increased the proportion of eaters. A rotary creep feeder with a hopper created the most eaters with the lowest creep feed disappearance. Creep diet complexity had the greatest effect in increasing the proportion of pigs consuming creep feed. On the other hand, low feed intake of lactating sows and adding feed flavors to the creep feed did not affect creep feed consumption and the proportion of pigs consuming creep feed. Therefore, creep feeding that focuses in encouraging more suckling piglets to eat is beneficial in producing weanling pigs that are better adapted to weaning, which improves post-weaning performance.

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published_or_final_version / abstract / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The main objective of this study was the application of strength, fracture and creep/relaxation tests to plain and fibre-reinforced high-strength concretes. Initially, five grades of concrete were developed and evaluated. Target 28 day compressive strengths were 40,60,80 100 and 120 N/mm2, the latter three being high-strength concretes (HSCs) containing a süperplasticiser and 10% silica fume. The others were normal-strength mixes used for comparison purposes. Each grade was made with 10 mm maximum-sized crushed limestone and gravel coarse aggregates making ten mixes in total. All were required to have sufficiently high workability and stability to accept reasonable amounts of fibre reinforcement. The data reported allows estimates of mix proportions for a range of HSC mixes to be determined. Various amounts of steel and polypropylene fibres were then added to the ten mixes to determine their optimum and maximum practical concentrations. The traditional type of toughness test based on un-notched beams in four-point loading was not employed. Instead, notched beams in three-point loading (equivalent to the RILEM work-of-fracture arrangement) and compact compression specimens were used. Both were tested under closed-loop conditions using crack-mouth opening displacement (CMOD) control. Post-cracking toughness was determined by means of the 15a nd 110to ughness indices given in ASTM C 1018. It was found that though fracture-based tests under CMOD control were an improvement on more traditional techniques, 15 and 110 were too insensitive to allow fibre type and volume to be differentiated. Next, work-of-fracture tests to measure the fracture energy, GF, were carried out on the plain concretes, initially under quasi-static loading. Both load/deflection and load/CMOD curves were recorded. GF showed little change with strength for a given aggregate type. Even though similar grades of crushed limestone and gravel HSCs had different GF values, the measure was still considered unsuitable for characterising the fracture properties of concrete. Similar experiments were then carried out on all ten mixes at five orders of magnitude of test duration (30 seconds to 2 days). GF appeared to be independent of strain rate. Both types of test highlighted the greater suitability of load/CMOD rather than load/deflection curves when evaluating GF. Finally, combined fracture and relaxation tests were undertaken in an attempt to obtain medium term fracture parameters. Though the CMOD was locked at 90,70 and 50% of the peak load in the strain-softening region, the deflection, when measured, showed a noticeable reduction over the seven days of each experiment, suggesting that significant cracking and stress redistribution within the fracture process zone was taking place. This finding has opened up a major area of important future research by confirming that the use of quasi-static fracture parameters in finite element studies is suspect.

A study has been made of creep damge accumulation in two casts of l%.Cr-1/2%i.Mo low alloy steel. Creep tests and creep crack growth tests have been carried out at 823K to determine the nature of the damage accumulation and to attempt to relate microscopic damage mechanisms to the macroscopic fracture parameters. Four types of specimen were tested and failure of all occurred by the continuous nucleation. growth and coalescence of grain boundary cavities. A mechanism for the growth of cavities is suggested. based on grain boundary diffusion coupled with geometric constraint. The influence of continuous cavity nucleation has also been considered and it is suggested that this phenomenon initially increases the rate of diffusive cavity growth. However continuous nucleation decreases the growth rate once the latter becomes constrained. The effect of stress-state is also considered and increasing triaxiality is shown to have little effect on the unconstrained diffusive growth but it decreases the constrained growth rate by increasing the overall constraint in the specimen. Predicted growth rates give good agreement to those observed experimentally for both notched and un-notched creep specimens. Reasonable agreement is also observed to the predicted rupture lives although the predictions suggest notch strengthening whilst experimentally notch weakening is observed. This is thought to be due to non-uniform damage formation on loading. Based on the above concepts of cavity growth, constitutive equations are presented to predict the time dependence of creep strain. These are found to give good agreement to the experimentally determined strain rates, lending further support for the development of continuum damage mechanics as a means of assessing creep crack growth behaviour.