Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:28:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1478030 bytes, checksum: 7ae901bf72afabae9de2beeb38c4248b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-06-24 / With the propose of determining and evaluating the lateral strength in excavated piles, without the usage of Bentonite mud, submitted to a traction effort. A number of field tests (PMT, DMT, SPT and SPT-T) and laboratory tests (triaxial compression, particle size analysis , consistency limits, density of soil particles), with what was possible to identify the composition of a matured residual soil composed by 64% of clay, 33% of sand and 3% silt. It was performed, in the Experimental Field II , localized at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa campus, axel pull tests in four piles with 6 m of length and 0,25 m in diameter, obtaining values of lateral strength that where used as reference values for the theatrical and semi-empirical methods values. These results where also compared with values of compression tests made with other four piles of the same diameter and length located in the same test field, in another recent research. This made possible identify the existence or not of a gap between the lateral strength of pull effort and the lateral strength of a compression effort. / Com a finalidade de determinar e avaliar a resistência lateral em estacas escavadas com trado sem o uso de lama bentonítica solicitadas à tração, foi executado neste trabalho uma série de ensaios de campo (PMT, DMT, SPT e SPT-T) e laboratório (granulometria conjunta, limites de consistência, massa específica dos sólidos e ensaios triaxiais), através dos quais foi possível identificar a composição de um solo residual maduro variando em torno de 64% de argila, 33% de areia e 3% de silte. Foram realizadas provas de carga estáticas à tração com esforço axial em quatro estacas com comprimento de 6 m e diâmetros de 0,25 m no campo experimental II localizado nas dependências da fábrica de manilhas no campus da Universidade Federal de Viçosa, obtendo valores de resistência lateral os quais serviram de referência quando da avaliação dos valores obtidos através de métodos teóricos e semi-empíricos. Foram comparados também os resultados obtidos nas provas de carga com os já existentes de provas de carga à compressão, de outro trabalho de mestrado que utilizou outras quatro estacas com as mesmas dimensões e no mesmo campo experimental das ensaiadas neste trabalho. Esta comparação possibilitou identificar a existência ou não de uma defasagem da resistência lateral à tração em relação à resistência lateral à compressão.

Models (both physical and numerical) of the friction stir (FS) welding process are used to develop a greater understanding of the influence of independent process parameters on dependent process output variables, such as torque, power, specific weld energy, peak temperature, cooling rates and various metallurgical factors (e.g., grain size and precipitates). An understanding of how the independent process parameters influence output variables and ultimately their effect on resultant properties (e.g., strength, hardness, etc..) is desirable. Most models developed have been validated primarily for aluminum alloys with relatively small amounts of experimental data. Fewer models have been validated for steels or stainless steels, particularly since steels and stainless steels have proven more challenging to friction stir than aluminum alloys. The Gleeble system is also a powerful tool with the capability to perform thermomechanical simulations in a known and controlled environment and provide physical representation of resultant microstructure and hardness values. The coupling of experimental data and physical simulated data can be extremely useful in assessing the capabilities of friction stir numerical process models. The overall approach is to evaluate Isaiah an existing three-dimensional finite element code developed at Cornell University by comparing against experimental and physically-simulated data to determine how well the code output relates to real FS data over a range of nine processing conditions. Physical simulations replicating select thermomechanical streamline histories were conducted to provide a physical representation of resultant metallurgy and hardness. Isaiah shows promise in predicting qualitative trends over a limited range of parameters and is not recommended for use as a predictive tool but rather a complimentary tool, Once properly calibrated, the Isaiah code can be a powerful tool to gain insight into the process, strength evolution during the process and coupled with a texture evolution model may also provide insight into microstructural and texture evolution over a range for which it is calibrated.

One of the major health problems in western societies is back pain, with a prevalence rate of 49%–80%. In many cases, the back pain is due to degenerated discs. The gold standard to treat a severely degenerated disc is spinal fusion, where the vertebral disc is replaced with a cage structure. However, fusion cages have a failure rate of 30%, hence the need for further development. The focus of this thesis is to evaluate the combination of calcium phosphate cement with titanium, for a spinal application. Mechanical tests in the form of tensile, compression and 4-point-bending were performed to study the different material properties. The obtained results was applied as material parameters for isotropic linear elastic material models, using ANSYS. This was then used to develop a cage design through topology optimisation which was further evaluated by using Finite Element Analysis. From the tensile testing of the titanium, isotropic behaviour was found. It was also found that a longer mixing time of the cement resulted in poorer mechanical properties of the calcium phosphate, however, no conclusive results were obtained from the 4-point-bending tests. The final cage geometry filled with calcium phosphate was tested under compression to see whether the cage could protect the calcium phosphate or not. MicroCT after the test confirmed that no larger cracks developed during the testing, suggesting that the cage is strong enough to protect the calcium phosphate from mechanical failure.

As estruturas de solo reforçado tornaram-se uma alternativa eficiente para a construção de aterros e muros de contenção. No entanto, o seu uso é limitado pelas especificações técnicas, que recomendam apenas materiais granulares, por apresentarem alta resistência e capacidade de livre drenagem. Todavia, nem sempre se dispõem deste tipo de material nas proximidades das obras, o que pode torná-las onerosas, devido aos custos de transporte. Os solos não convencionais, definidos como solos de granulometria fina (caracterizados como argilas, siltes, e solos areno-siltosos), merecem atenção, pois são encontrados em abundância em muitos locais do nosso território. Casos históricos brasileiros de obras instrumentadas revelam a eficiência destes materiais na composição de aterros de estruturas de solo reforçado, devido ao bom desempenho técnico ao longo de sua vida útil. Acredita-se que o uso de inclusões permeáveis possa contribuir na aceleração da drenagem da água das camadas de maciços construídos com solos finos, permitindo a dissipação mais rápida do excesso de pressões neutras. Para elucidar estas questões foram realizados ensaios de compressão triaxial rápidos (UU) e adensados rápidos (CU), com o intuito de avaliar o desempenho de solos não convencionais reforçados com inclusões permeáveis e impermeáveis. Utilizaram-se como reforços papel alumínio (reforço inextensível e impermeável) e geotêxtil (reforço extensível e permeável), o que permitiu comparações dos resultados obtidos dos ensaios com corpos de prova reforçados com os obtidos de corpos de prova não reforçados. Os solos utilizados foram duas argilas silto-arenosas, uma de comportamento laterítico e a outra não laterítico e uma areia fina com aproximadamente 40% de finos (material com diâmetro inferior à peneira 200), com comportamento não laterítico. Verificou-se que a combinação de solos finos com reforços permeáveis resultou num ganho de resistência ora em termos de ângulo de atrito interno, ora em relação à coesão, apenas a areia fina obteve ganho de resistência ao ser reforçada com o papel alumínio. Observou-se que a argila silto-arenosa, com comportamento laterítico, e a areia fina apresentaram uma interação mais eficiente com os reforços de geotêxtil. Constatou-se ainda que os reforços permeáveis promoveram a drenagem da água dos corpos de prova / The reinforced soil structures became an efficient alternative for the construction of embankments and retaining walls. However, the use of these structures are limited by design specifications which recommend the use of granular materials that present high shearing strength and free drainage capacity. Some granular soils are not always available in the proximities of works, in these cases, costs of transportation can be high. The marginal soils, defined as fine grain-size (characterized as clays, silts, and sandy-silty) soils, deserve attention because they are found in abundance in many places on our territory, besides that, brazilian historical cases of instrumented structures have shown their efficiency when used as backfill of reinforced soil structures. It is also believed that the use of permeable inclusions can contribute to the acceleration of water drainage, which allows faster dissipation of pore pressure. To contribute to the understanding of these aspects of reinforced soil behavior, triaxial compression tests, unconsolidated-undrained (UU) and consolidated-undrained (CU), were carried out in order to check the performance of reinforced marginal soil when reinforced with permeable and impermeable inclusions. Aluminum foil (inextensible and impermeable reinforcement) and geotextile (extensible and permeable reinforcement) were used as reinforcement, allowing the comparison of results of tests using reinforced and non-reinforced samples. The soils used were two sandy silty clays - a lateritic and a non-lateritic soil - and fine sand with 40% of fines, presenting non-lateritic behavior. It was verified that the combination of cohesive soil and permeable reinforcements resulted on an increase of resistance parameters, angle of internal friction and cohesion. It was observed that the lateritic sandy silty clay and the fine sand presented more efficient interaction with the geotextile reinforcements. Also, it was verified that the permeable reinforcements promoted faster water drainage

O estudo da resistência à compressão e da deformabilidade de paredes de alvenaria de blocos de concreto é de fundamental importância para a caracterização desse material e o desenvolvimento de análises de estruturas compostas por esse tipo de painel. Este trabalho trata desse tema, objetivando prever com maior acuidade os principais parâmetros de deformação e de resistência de paredes de alvenaria de blocos de concreto, a saber: resistência à compressão e módulo de elasticidade longitudinal nas direções paralela e perpendicular à junta de assentamento. Foi desenvolvido um trabalho experimental para estimar a influência da resistência dos blocos, da resistência da argamassa e da direção de aplicação de forças no comportamento mecânico da alvenaria de blocos de concreto não-grauteada, quando submetida a esforços de compressão. Para tanto, realizaram-se ensaios de laboratório em blocos, argamassas, prismas de três blocos e paredinhas com dimensões de 80 cm x 80 cm. Por inferência estatística não foram obtidas correlações aceitáveis entre as variáveis estudadas. Porém, obtiveram-se tendências de comportamento dos corpos de prova estudados, confirmando a influência das características da argamassa e do bloco no comportamento estrutural da alvenaria quando submetida a esforços de compressão / The study of strength and the curved stress/strain relationship of blockwork masonry walls is basic for the material characterization and the development of structural analysis of blockwork walls. This work deals with that subject, aiming at the evaluation of the main elastic parameters and the strength of concrete blockwork walls: the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity for masonry in two orthogonal directions, parallel and perpendicular to bed joints. An experimental program was developed to evaluate the influence of the strength of blocks and mortar, and the load application direction on the mechanical behavior of ungrouted concrete block masonry under compression. A series of laboratory tests was carried out with blocks, mortar, prisms of three blocks and wallets (80 cm x 80 cm). It was impossible to obtain acceptable correlations of the defined variables, using statistical inference. However, tendencies of the specimens behavior were obtained, confirming the influence of mortar and block properties on the structural behavior of concrete blockwork walls under compression

Les structures composites sont de plus en plus présentes dans le domaine aéronautique. Le perçage, procédé qui permet le montage de fixations pour assembler ces structures, peut induire des défauts tels que délaminages, écaillages, arrachements de fibres ou surchauffes au niveau de l’alésage.Dans la littérature les auteurs s’intéressent principalement aux défauts créés en entrée et en sortie de trou. Aussi, cette recherche s’est focalisée sur les défauts de paroi crées par l’opération de perçage. Une caractérisation qualitative et quantitative a été proposée et le lien entre ces défauts et la tenue mécanique a été évalué.L’état de surface des parois est quantifié via sa rugosité qui mesure globalement les défauts générés lors du perçage. Jusqu’à présent, la qualité de la surface est estimée par un critère de rugosité géométrique Ra issu de la culture métallique. Il présente un certain nombre d’incohérences pour les perçages des composites. Dans ce travail de thèse, les relations entre les paramètres de perçage, le matériau de l’outil, sa géométrie et la qualité des alésages mesurée par les critères normalisés d’état de surface ont été établies. Un critère de qualité des parois de trou pour les matériaux composites autre que les critères normalisés a été proposé.La nature intime de la surface de contact influence clairement la qualité du transfert de charge par contact localisé. Dans un premier temps, l’influence des défauts de paroi sur la tenue en matage quasi-statique a été établie, ensuite, la tenue en compression quasi-statique des stratifiés C/E liée à la présence de défauts de paroi a été étudiée. Une analyse de la tenue en fatigue des stratifiés percés liée à la présence des défauts d’état de surface a aussi été réalisée. Enfin, une analyse numérique originale par éléments finis incluant une représentation géométrique des défauts observés, a permis de mieux cerner la cinétique d’endommagement des stratifiés percés liés à la présence de défauts de paroi / Composite materials are finding an increasing number of applications in the aerospace industry. The drilling is the process that allows the fasteners installation. The drilling operation can induce defects such as delamination, fibers and matrix pull-out and matrix burning.Previous studies focused mainly on the defects created at the hole entry and exit. Only few of these studies concern the hole wall drilling defects. In this study, we focused on the hole wall defects created by the drilling operation. A qualitative and quantitative characterization of defects was proposed and the relationship between these defects and the mechanical strength was evaluated.The hole surface finish is quantified by the roughness criterion Ra, that comes from metallic culture. Because of their heterogeneous nature, composite materials do not present the same defects patterns as metallic materials. The question that arises is whether the roughness may have an influence on the mechanical behavior of composite materials. In this study, the relation between the drilling parameters, the drill material, its geometry and the hole quality quantified with normalized parameters has been established. A criterion used to quantify the hole surface finish of composites have been proposed.The inner nature of the contact surface clearly influences the load transfer quality. As a first step, the influence of the hole wall defects on the quasi-static bearing behavior has been established, then the compressive behavior linked to the presence of hole wall defects have been studied. An analysis of the fatigue behavior of drilled laminates due to the presence of hole wall defects have been conducted.Finally, a numerical analysis by finite elements including an original geometric representation of the defects observed, has allowed to further clarify the damage kinetics of drilled laminates linked to the presence of drilling defects.

Le comportement mécanique de matériaux granulaires est intrinsèquement lié aux propriétés individuelles des grains constitutifs ainsi qu’à leur assemblage (texture, distribution des vides, contact entre grains…). Soumis à un chargement extérieur, cet assemblage se déforme incluant le déplacement relatif entre les particules mais également la déformation propre des grains jusqu’à leur rupture si elle se produit. Pour étudier la rupture d'une seule particule, des études expérimentales et numériques ont été réalisées. Quatre particules sphériques formées de billes d’argile expansée légère ont été testées en compression à déplacement contrôlé jusqu’à la rupture (essai brésilien). Des photos ont été prises avec une fréquence d’acquisition de 4 images par seconde pour suivre la déformation des grains durant l’essai. La structure interne d'une particule a une influence significative sur l'initiation de la fissure. Pour approfondir cet effet, une micro-tomographie par rayons X a été utilisé pour scanner une particule afin d'obtenir la structure géométrique réelle en 3D. Ensuite, un modèle numérique 3D basé sur la géométrie des particules incluant la porosité interne a été construit avec Abaqus pour les mêmes conditions de chargement. Une comparaison des résultats des tests de laboratoire et des simulations a été faite. Sur la base des résultats, l’initiation des fissures, leur localisation dans le grain et la classification des ruptures de particules ont été établies. Afin d’étudier le rôle de l’anisotropie et en particulier de la fabrique d’un matériau granulaire soumis à un chargement externe, cinq essais de compression biaxiaux ont été réalisé sur un assemblage de grains quasi-sphériques placés dans une chambre confinée. Des photos ont été prises pendant les tests et ont été enregistrées selon une fréquence définie. Un programme écrit sous Matlab a été utilisé pour traiter les photos, obtenir le champ de déplacement et analyser les résultats. Un intérêt particulier a concerné l’orientation des contacts, le tenseur de fabrique et son évolution durant le chargement. L'impact de certains facteurs clés tels que la densité de compactage, la pression de confinement, la taille des plateaux de chargement, la taille des particules et l’épaisseur des échantillons sur la déformation des échantillons ont été étudiés. Une attention particulière s’est portée sur les grains subissant une rupture. Nous avons déterminé le nombre de contact sur ces grains et les avons reproduits, dans le modèle numérique (grain 3D) soumis à un chargement diamétral, par le biais de contraintes cinématiques / The mechanical behaviour of granular materials is deeply related to both the individual particle properties and to the assembly of grains (fabric, void distribution …). Subjected to an external loading, the assembly deforms which is not only dependent on relative grain displacements but also on the grain deformation and to grain breakage when occurring. Experimental and numerical studies of single particles were performed. Four approximately spherical particles of light expanded clay were tested to investigate the breakage phenomenon under diametric displacement-controlled compression load. Photos were taken with a frame rate of 4 images per second during the testing. Since the interior of a heterogeneous particle has significant influence on the failure initiation, an X-Ray micro tomography system was used to scan particles. Moreover, the post-processing enables us to obtain the real 3D volumetric structure. Then a 3D numerical model including pore structure was built in Abaqus for the same loading conditions. A comparison of results from laboratory tests and simulations was made. Based on the results, the crack initiation process, its location and classification of particle failures were set. For purpose of understanding the anisotropy and in particular fabric of packing of granular material when disturbed under external loading, five biaxial compression tests were performed on an assembly of approximately spherical particles settled in a chamber under confining pressure. During the test, photos were taken by the camera and saved to a computer at periodic intervals. Software written with Matlab codes was used to process the photos, determine the displacement field and analyse the results. Focus on contact orientation, fabric tensor and its evolution during testing were put on. Impact of some key factors such as packing density, confining pressure, sizes of the covers, sizes of the particles and thickness of samples on the packing characteristic were analysed. In order to understand mechanical behaviour and kinematic of multiple particles under external load considering particle breakage, six biaxial compression tests were performed on an assembly of approximately spherical particles. Photos were taken to record the location of each particle during the tests. Software written with of Matlab codes was used to process the photos and trace the displacement of all particles in order to analyze kinematical behaviour of the particles. A particular attention was payed to given particles subjected grain breakage within the assembly. Their contacts and relative displacements were introduced in the numerical model of single grain breakage and conclusions were derived

O estudo da resistência à compressão e da deformabilidade de paredes de alvenaria de blocos de concreto é de fundamental importância para a caracterização desse material e o desenvolvimento de análises de estruturas compostas por esse tipo de painel. Este trabalho trata desse tema, objetivando prever com maior acuidade os principais parâmetros de deformação e de resistência de paredes de alvenaria de blocos de concreto, a saber: resistência à compressão e módulo de elasticidade longitudinal nas direções paralela e perpendicular à junta de assentamento. Foi desenvolvido um trabalho experimental para estimar a influência da resistência dos blocos, da resistência da argamassa e da direção de aplicação de forças no comportamento mecânico da alvenaria de blocos de concreto não-grauteada, quando submetida a esforços de compressão. Para tanto, realizaram-se ensaios de laboratório em blocos, argamassas, prismas de três blocos e paredinhas com dimensões de 80 cm x 80 cm. Por inferência estatística não foram obtidas correlações aceitáveis entre as variáveis estudadas. Porém, obtiveram-se tendências de comportamento dos corpos de prova estudados, confirmando a influência das características da argamassa e do bloco no comportamento estrutural da alvenaria quando submetida a esforços de compressão / The study of strength and the curved stress/strain relationship of blockwork masonry walls is basic for the material characterization and the development of structural analysis of blockwork walls. This work deals with that subject, aiming at the evaluation of the main elastic parameters and the strength of concrete blockwork walls: the compressive strength and modulus of elasticity for masonry in two orthogonal directions, parallel and perpendicular to bed joints. An experimental program was developed to evaluate the influence of the strength of blocks and mortar, and the load application direction on the mechanical behavior of ungrouted concrete block masonry under compression. A series of laboratory tests was carried out with blocks, mortar, prisms of three blocks and wallets (80 cm x 80 cm). It was impossible to obtain acceptable correlations of the defined variables, using statistical inference. However, tendencies of the specimens behavior were obtained, confirming the influence of mortar and block properties on the structural behavior of concrete blockwork walls under compression

As estruturas de solo reforçado tornaram-se uma alternativa eficiente para a construção de aterros e muros de contenção. No entanto, o seu uso é limitado pelas especificações técnicas, que recomendam apenas materiais granulares, por apresentarem alta resistência e capacidade de livre drenagem. Todavia, nem sempre se dispõem deste tipo de material nas proximidades das obras, o que pode torná-las onerosas, devido aos custos de transporte. Os solos não convencionais, definidos como solos de granulometria fina (caracterizados como argilas, siltes, e solos areno-siltosos), merecem atenção, pois são encontrados em abundância em muitos locais do nosso território. Casos históricos brasileiros de obras instrumentadas revelam a eficiência destes materiais na composição de aterros de estruturas de solo reforçado, devido ao bom desempenho técnico ao longo de sua vida útil. Acredita-se que o uso de inclusões permeáveis possa contribuir na aceleração da drenagem da água das camadas de maciços construídos com solos finos, permitindo a dissipação mais rápida do excesso de pressões neutras. Para elucidar estas questões foram realizados ensaios de compressão triaxial rápidos (UU) e adensados rápidos (CU), com o intuito de avaliar o desempenho de solos não convencionais reforçados com inclusões permeáveis e impermeáveis. Utilizaram-se como reforços papel alumínio (reforço inextensível e impermeável) e geotêxtil (reforço extensível e permeável), o que permitiu comparações dos resultados obtidos dos ensaios com corpos de prova reforçados com os obtidos de corpos de prova não reforçados. Os solos utilizados foram duas argilas silto-arenosas, uma de comportamento laterítico e a outra não laterítico e uma areia fina com aproximadamente 40% de finos (material com diâmetro inferior à peneira 200), com comportamento não laterítico. Verificou-se que a combinação de solos finos com reforços permeáveis resultou num ganho de resistência ora em termos de ângulo de atrito interno, ora em relação à coesão, apenas a areia fina obteve ganho de resistência ao ser reforçada com o papel alumínio. Observou-se que a argila silto-arenosa, com comportamento laterítico, e a areia fina apresentaram uma interação mais eficiente com os reforços de geotêxtil. Constatou-se ainda que os reforços permeáveis promoveram a drenagem da água dos corpos de prova / The reinforced soil structures became an efficient alternative for the construction of embankments and retaining walls. However, the use of these structures are limited by design specifications which recommend the use of granular materials that present high shearing strength and free drainage capacity. Some granular soils are not always available in the proximities of works, in these cases, costs of transportation can be high. The marginal soils, defined as fine grain-size (characterized as clays, silts, and sandy-silty) soils, deserve attention because they are found in abundance in many places on our territory, besides that, brazilian historical cases of instrumented structures have shown their efficiency when used as backfill of reinforced soil structures. It is also believed that the use of permeable inclusions can contribute to the acceleration of water drainage, which allows faster dissipation of pore pressure. To contribute to the understanding of these aspects of reinforced soil behavior, triaxial compression tests, unconsolidated-undrained (UU) and consolidated-undrained (CU), were carried out in order to check the performance of reinforced marginal soil when reinforced with permeable and impermeable inclusions. Aluminum foil (inextensible and impermeable reinforcement) and geotextile (extensible and permeable reinforcement) were used as reinforcement, allowing the comparison of results of tests using reinforced and non-reinforced samples. The soils used were two sandy silty clays - a lateritic and a non-lateritic soil - and fine sand with 40% of fines, presenting non-lateritic behavior. It was verified that the combination of cohesive soil and permeable reinforcements resulted on an increase of resistance parameters, angle of internal friction and cohesion. It was observed that the lateritic sandy silty clay and the fine sand presented more efficient interaction with the geotextile reinforcements. Also, it was verified that the permeable reinforcements promoted faster water drainage

The main objective of this thesis was to improve the understanding of some aspects on wood and fibre mechanics related to conditions in the thermomechanical pulping process. Another objective was to measure the power distribution between the rotating plates in a refiner.   The thesis comprises the following parts: –A literature review aimed at describing fracture in wood and fibres as related to the thermomechanical pulping process –An experimental study of fracture in wood under compression, at conditions similar to those in feeding of chips into preheaters and chip refiners –An experimental study of the effect of impact velocity on the fracture of wood, related to conditions of fibre separation in the breaker bar zone in a chip refiner –A micromechanical model of the deterioration of wood fibres, related to the development of fibre properties during the intense treatment in the small gap in the refining zone –Measurements of the power distribution in a refiner.   The fracture in wood under compression was investigated by use of acoustic emission monitoring. The wood was compressed in both lateral and longitudinal directions to predict preferred modes of deformation in order to achieve desired irreversible changes in the wood structure. It was concluded that the most efficient compression direction in this respect is longitudinal. Preferable temperature at which the compression should be carried out and specific energy input needed in order to achieve substantial changes in the wood structure were also given.   The fibre separation step and specifically the effect of impact velocity on the fracture energy were studied by use of a falling weight impact tester. The fracture surfaces were also examined under a microscope. An increase in impact velocity resulted in an increase in fracture energy. In the thermomechanical pulping process the fibres are subjected to lateral compression, tension and shear which causes the creation of microcracks in the fibre wall. This damage reduces the fibre wall stiffness. A simplified analytical model is presented for the prediction of the stiffness degradation due to the damage state in a wood fibre, loaded in uni-axial tension or shear. The model was based on an assumed displacement field together with the minimum total potential energy theorem. For the damage development an energy criterion was employed. The model was applied to calculate the relevant stiffness coefficients as a function of the damage state. The energy consumption in order to achieve a certain damage state in a softwood fibre by uniaxial tension or shear load was also calculated. The energy consumption was found to be dependent on the microfibril angle in the middle secondary wall, the loading case, the thicknesses of the fibre cell wall layers, and conditions such as moisture content and temperature. At conditions, prevailing at the entrance of the gap between the plates in a refiner and at relative high damage states, more energy was needed to create cracks at higher microfibril angles. The energy consumption was lower for earlywood compared to latewood fibres. For low microfibril angles, the energy consumption was lower for loading in shear compared to tension for both earlywood and latewood fibres. Material parameters, such as initial damage state and specific fracture energy, were determined by fitting of input parameters to experimental data. Only a part of the electrical energy demand in the thermomechanical pulping process is considered to be effective in fibre separation and developing fibre properties. Therefore it is important to improve the understanding of how this energy is distributed along the refining zone. Investigations have been carried out in a laboratory single-disc refiner. It was found that a new developed force sensor is an effective way of measuring the power distribution within the refining zone. The collected data show that the tangential force per area and consequently also the power per unit area increased with radial position. The results in this thesis improve the understanding of the influence of some process parameters in thermomechanical pulping related wood and fibre mechanics such as loading rate, loading direction, moisture content and temperature to separate the fibres from the wood and to achieve desired irreversible changes in the fibre structure. Further, the thesis gives an insight of the spatial energy distribution in a refiner during thermomechanical pulping.