Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / 100 m/s). Low voltage electrical contact was not maintained for some experimental shots and non-parallel rails were the suspected cause. In this thesis, we used a non-contact capacitive sensor to determine rail spacing to within 2/kAcm10mael, so that the rails will be parallel within small tolerances. Several rails were used in these experiments: 75-25 copper-tungsten, chromium-plated 75-25 Cu-W, and chromium-plated pure copper rails. Improving the control of rail spacing and parallelity did not ensure low-voltage electrical contact for our configurations. The largest damage was observed for chromium-plated copper rails and the least damage occurred for chromium-plated 75-25 Cu-W rails. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The present work analyzed the tribological behavior of surface modifications often used in cold rolling mill rolls. Different surface modifications were carried out on samples produced from a fragment of the rolling mill roll: i) texturing; ii) chromium plating; iii) texturing with subsequent hard chrome plating; iv) and hard chrome plating with subsequent texturing. The roll samples were subsequently heat treated and ground on both faces resulting in dimensions of approximately 30 x 30 mm. The wear tests were performed using a reciprocating movement of a ball over flat configuration under a load of 9.8 N. The results showed that surface texturing increased the topographic parameters whereas hard chrome coating decreased them. It was observed that there was no significant change in the coefficient of friction as a function of surface modification. Surface texturing increased the wear of the counter body, while the hard chromium coating reduced it. The addition of the hard chromium coating promoted the formation of a tribolayer on the counter body consisting of chromium and oxygen. On the other hand, for the samples without hard chrome coating the tribolayer consisted of iron and oxygen. As a consequence of the low applied load and the short duration of the tests it became impossible to quantify the wear on the bodies using various techniques. Additionally seven different materials used in replicates. Were investigated using quantitative and qualitative analysis via laser interferometry and scanning electron microscopy. Amongst materials tested, the material Facsimile presented best capacity of replication. / O presente trabalho analisou o comportamento tribológico de modificações, geralmente utilizado em cilindros para laminação a frio. Iniciou‐se o processo com a produção das amostras a partir de um fragmento de cilindro de laminação que foi cortado, originando amostras de aproximadamente 30 x 30 mm, em que se fez tratamento térmico, retificação de ambas as faces e modificações superficiais de cromagem, texturização, cromagem com posterior texturização e texturização com posterior cromagem. Os testes de desgaste foram realizados em modo alternado de deslizamento, com configuração de esfera sobre um plano utilizando‐se carga de 9,8 N. Os resultados permitiram concluir que a texturização elevou os parâmetros topográficos, enquanto o revestimento de cromo duro diminuiu os mesmos. Observou‐se que não houve alteração significativa do coeficiente de atrito em função das modificações superficiais e que a texturização promoveu um aumento significativo no desgaste do contracorpo, enquanto o revestimento de cromo duro promoveu uma redução do mesmo. A adição do revestimento de cromo duro promoveu a formação de uma tribocamada no contracorpo constituída de cromo e oxigênio, em contrapartida, em corpos sem o recobrimento de cromo duro ocorreu a formação de uma tribocamada constituída de ferro e oxigênio nas amostras. Em função da combinação da baixa carga aplicada e do curto intervalo de tempo, tornou‐se impossível a quantificação do desgaste nos corpos pelas diferentes técnicas empregadas. Adicionalmente, estudaram‐se sete diferentes materiais utilizados em réplicas, sendo executadas análises quantitativas e qualitativas via interferometria a laser e microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Dos materiais analisados, o material Facsimile apresentou melhores qualidades de replicação. / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

The growing demand in the industry towards sustainability and the globalization of manufacturing lead to an industrial climate of constant development and improvements, and automotive interior design is not excluded. In 2017 the European Union declared that the material used to generate the bright chrome surfaces of car interiors (CR VI) is toxic and carcinogenic. This implies that Volvo will ban the use of Chrome VI for decorative parts from September 2024.  Finding a more eco-friendly alternative to replace CR VI not only functionally but also in terms of perceived quality and user experience will be an urgent and decisive action.  In this project, the parameters of gloss, haze, color temperature, and metallic depth are investigated in order to figure out which elements ensure the perceived quality of chrome surfaces.  For this purpose, a user study based on different sensory tests and soft metrology was carried out with 48 people, as well as seven samples, five of them more eco-friendly alternatives. This project aims to introduce a set of tools to assess and guarantee the perception of quality by supporting the development of "chrome-look" surfaces in the automotive interior with new sustainable materials. Through this study, correlating soft and hard metrology, it is observed what makes a surface perceived as "high-quality" and which of the more eco-friendly alternatives could be the most optimal to replace Chrome VI in Volvo's car interiors.