In the combustion zone of industrial- and aero- gas turbines, thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) is the dominant damage mechanism. Thermomechanical fatigue is a coupling of independent creep, fatigue, and oxidation damage mechanisms that interact and accelerate microstructural degradation. A mixture of intergranular cracking due to creep, transgranular cracking due to fatigue, and surface embrittlement due to oxidation is often observed in gas turbine components removed from service. The current maintenance scheme for gas turbines is to remove components from service when any criteria (elongation, stress-rupture, crack length, etc.) exceed the designed maximum allowable. Experimental, theoretical, and numerical analyses are performed to determine the state of the component as it relates to each criterion (a time consuming process). While calculating these metrics individually has been successful in the past, a better approach would be to develop a unified mechanical modeling that incorporates the constitutive response, microstructural degradation, and rupture of the subject material via a damage variable used to predict the cumulative “damage state” within a component. This would allow for a priori predictions of microstructural degradation, crack propagation/arrest, and component-level lifing. In this study, a unified mechanical model for creep-fatigue (deformation, cracking, and rupture) is proposed. It is hypothesized that damage quantification techniques can be used to develop accurate creep, fatigue, and plastic/ductile cumulative- nonlinear- damage laws within the continuum damage mechanics principle. These damage laws when coupled with appropriate constitutive equations and a degrading stiffness tensor can be used to predict the mechanical state of a component. A series of monotonic, creep, fatigue, and tensile-hold creepfatigue tests are obtained from literature for 304 stainless steel at 600°C (1112°F) in an air. iv Cumulative- nonlinear- creep, fatigue, and a coupled creep-fatigue damage laws are developed. The individual damage variables are incorporated as an internal state variable within a novel unified viscoplasticity constitutive model (zero yield surface) and degrading stiffness tensor. These equations are implemented as a custom material model within a custom FORTRAN onedimensional finite element code. The radial return mapping technique is used with the updated stress vector solved by Newton-Raphson iteration. A consistent tangent stiffness matrix is derived based on the inelastic strain increment. All available experimental data is compared to finite element results to determine the ability of the unified mechanical model to predict deformation, damage evolution, crack growth, and rupture under a creep-fatigue environment.

No description available.

Every moment of every day, at least hundreds of thousands of tires roll across a surface throughout the world. Tires are indisputably important in our daily life. The tire's primary component is rubber, which consumes energy when it rotates on a substrate due to the viscoelastic material's internal friction: a phenomenon referred to as rolling resistance. The interaction between the tire and the road surface is one of the most intricate and crucial phenomena in an automobile, because it is responsible for creating forces, moments, and deformation in the tire. Additionally, the road's roughness interacts with the tire and contributes significantly to its performance. This dissertation aims to develop a comprehensive physics-based model for predicting the rolling resistance of a viscoelastic material due to dynamic deformations caused by tire rotation using an analytical approach. The model was developed by proposing a Gaussian wave function propagating across a tire circumference's viscoelastic medium. The wave function was selected to describe the displacement field produced by tire-road interaction. Additionally, by adopting a multi-scale modeling technique, the model was upgraded to estimate rolling resistance while taking into account surface roughness at all length scales, from macroscopic to microscopic. Additionally, another mathematical model was developed using the Fourier series approach to evaluate the steady-state stress response and energy dissipation for any harmonic and non-harmonic periodic strain signals. Additionally, the dissertation strove to build a continuum damage mathematical model using a combined testing/modeling methodology to predict the aging of Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) after continuous exposure to the atmosphere. The obtained model was developed through the implementation of optimization techniques while formulating a mathematical model, which was then combined with a physics-based model to predict rolling resistance while taking into account rubber aging. Calibration of hyperelastic and viscoelastic material models with testing data was performed using an optimization technique that yielded sufficient results. The results of all mathematical models obtained in this dissertation are reported subsequently. The stress response of a viscoelastic material under harmonic and non-harmonic strain input yielded good agreement with the FEA model obtained using ABAQUS. The rolling resistance behavior under various operating conditions, including texture and aging effects, was reported, and the results aligned with the experimental results found in the literature. / Doctor of Philosophy / Every moment of every day, hundreds of thousands of automobile tires roll across a surface somewhere in the world. A tire is an undeniably important part of everyday life. Rubber is the tire's main component, and when it rotates on a surface, it loses energy, resulting in a force that resists motion, known as rolling resistance force. The contact between the tire and the road is one of the most complicated and important phenomena that happens in an automobile because it is responsible for the vehicle's dynamic performance in areas such as acceleration, stopping distance, and stability. Another factor that affects tire and car performance and should be taken into account is the road's roughness. This dissertation used an analytical method to come up with an accurate physics-based model for predicting the rolling resistance force of a viscoelastic material caused by tire rotation. The model was developed by assuming a Gaussian wave function would move across the tire circumference. Additionally, using a multi-scale modeling technique, the model was improved so that it could calculate the value of rolling resistance force considering surface roughness in all lengths of scale. This project also developed an additional mathematical model using the Fourier series method to determine how the stress response and energy dissipation would behave for any harmonic and nonharmonic periodic strain signals. Additionally, the dissertation presents the developing of a continuum damage mathematical model that could predict the material property of styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) after being exposed to the air for a long time (i.e., aged). The model was developed based on experimental data and optimization techniques. This model was then combined with a physics-based model to predict rolling resistance force while taking aging into account. The material models were defined using an optimization method that yielded good results. The stress response of a viscoelastic material when it was subjected to harmonic and non-harmonic strain was in good agreement with the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model made with ABAQUS. Rolling resistance behavior was observed, and the results were consistent with those found in the literature.

Fatigue failure plays an important role in engineering applications, especially when structural components experience significant cyclic thermal loading and complex force loading simultaneously. During the last decades, several post-processing techniques have been developed based on empirical investigations of experimental evidence to predict the fatigue life of materials. The work at hand postulates a conventional continuum damage theory for thermomechanical fatigue failure modeling. In particular, an implicit gradient-enhanced approach is employed to address the ill-posedness of the partial differential equation system when the damage onsets. An internal fatigue variable is phenomenologically defined based on the accumulation of viscoplasticity. In the sequel, a regularized fatigue variable is obtained to further yield the damagesoftening function, which straightforwardly applies to the stress, material tangent, and viscoplastic dissipation. A multi-field problem, consisting of the strain field, the temperature, and the non-local variable, is taken into consideration, leading to a fully coupled system. This numerical methodology is consistently derived and implemented into the context of the finite element method. Several representative and demonstrative examples are performed, which yield good numerical stability and agreement with experimental data. Conclusive findings and further perspectives close this article.

Práce se zabývá tvárným lomem, který je výsledkem víceosého kvazi-statického monotónního namáhání doprovázeného rozsáhlými plastickými deformacemi, přičemž pro degradaci materiálu je uvažován lokální přístup. Ve výpočtech o rozvoji poškození rozhodují použité mezní podmínky tvárného lomu. Tyto byly teoreticky studovány v úvodu práce a po výběru vhodné mezní podmínky byl stanoven postup kalibrace. Dále byl rozpracován plán měření a realizovány zkoušky při pokojové teplotě na slitině hliníku 2024-T351, zahrnující tah, krut a tlak, pro studium rozvoje poškození a věrohodnou kalibraci vybraného fenomenologického modelu tvárného porušování, vyjádřeného pomocí lomového přetvoření a závislého na hydrostatickém tlaku a deviátoru tenzoru napětí. Mezní podmínka tvárného lomu byla posléze svázána s podmínkou plasticity. Plasticita byla pro zkoumaný materiál uvažována ve tvaru zohledňujícím i stav třetího invariantu deviátoru tenzoru napětí. Celý navržený přístup, plně aplikovatelný na víceosé úlohy, byl implementován pomocí uživatelské rutiny do komerčního programu založeného na explicitní variantě metody konečných prvků. V závěru práce je předložena aplikace navrženého přístupu k modelování tvárného porušování v podobě verifikace na vybraných zkušebních testech, z níž plynou závěry a doporučení pro další práci.

The incorporation of recycled asphalt pavements (RAP) in the production of new asphalt mixtures is a useful alternative to the use of virgin materials, leading to economic and environmental savings. Pavement recycling created a sustainable cycle of reuse of nonrenewable natural resources, reducing the demand for new mineral aggregate and binder. However, the addition of RAP, especially at higher percentages, increases the stiffness of the asphalt mixture, because of the high stiffness of the aged binder. High stiffness makes the asphalt mixtures more prone to fatigue cracking. In order to overcome such limitation and allow the incorporation of higher percentages of RAP, soften binders or rejuvenating agents are added to the mixture. The former act to reduce the high stiffness of the aged binder and the latter act to restore the aged binder properties to those required by the binder specifications. The shale oil residue is one of the most used rejuvenating agents in Brazil, and, according to the literature, its performance is comparable to other commercial rejuvenating agents, with the advantage of presenting higher rejuvenating potential, what is due to its higher aromaticity. The fatigue cracking process starts as micro cracks in the fine aggregate matrix (FAM) of the full asphalt mixture. One approach to investigate the fatigue process of the asphalt mixtures is based on the viscoelastic continuum damage theory (VECD), in which the process of micro cracking of a material can be represented by internal state variables associated with the reduction of the material integrity. In this study, tests on FAM samples were performed in order to evaluate the fatigue performance, and the results were analyzed by means of the VECD theory. The objective of this research was to evaluate the fatigue performance of FAMs produced with three RAP contents (20, 40 and 100%), two binders of different performance grades (PG 64-22 and PG 58-16), and the combination of new binder (PG 64-22) and rejuvenating agent (shale oil residue) at different binder/agent rates (100/0, 50/50 and 0/100). Out of the FAMs prepared with RAP, two presented fatigue performance superior to the control mixture (compounded with only new materials): the FAM prepared with 40% of RAP and PG 64-22 and the FAM prepared with 20% of RAP and PG 58-16. The shale oil residue did not play its role of rejuvenating the aged binder for most cases, probably because of the low diffusion rate of the material into the aged binder. / A incorporação de misturas asfálticas fresadas na produção de misturas asfálticas novas é uma alternativa útil à utilização de materiais novos, gerando benefícios econômicos e ambientais. A reciclagem de pavimentos criou um ciclo sustentável de reuso de recursos naturais não-renováveis, reduzindo a demanda por agregado mineral e asfalto novos. No entanto, a adição do material fresado, especialmente em proporções altas, provoca aumento na rigidez da mistura asfáltica, causado pela alta rigidez do asfalto envelhecido. Uma elevada rigidez pode tornar a mistura asfáltica mais propensa ao trincamento por fadiga. Para contornar tal desvantagem e permitir a adição de maiores quantidades de material fresado, asfaltos de baixa consistência e agentes de rejuvenescimento podem ser adicionados à mistura. Os asfaltos de baixa consistência atuam para reduzir a rigidez do asfalto envelhecido e os agentes de rejuvenescimento atuam para restaurar as propriedades originais do asfalto envelhecido, aproximando-as das exigidas pelas especificações para asfaltos virgens. O resíduo de óleo de xisto é um dos agentes rejuvenescedores mais utilizados no Brasil e, segundo a literatura, resulta em desempenho comparável ao desempenho de outros agentes rejuvenescedores comerciais, com a vantagem de apresentar maior poder de rejuvenescimento devido à sua maior aromaticidade. O processo de trincamento por fadiga principia nas microtrincas presentes na matriz de agregado fino (MAF) da mistura asfáltica. Uma abordagem para avaliar o comportamento à fadiga das misturas asfálticas é baseada na teoria do dano contínuo em meio viscoelástico, pela qual o processo de trincamento do material é representado por variáveis de estado interno associadas à redução na integridade do material. Neste estudo, ensaios em amostras de MAF foram feitos para caracterizar o desempenho à fadiga, e os dados foram analisados utilizando a teoria do dano contínuo em meio viscoelástico. O objetivo da pesquisa foi avaliar o desempenho à fadiga de MAFs produzidas com três proporções de material fresado (20, 40 e 100%), dois asfaltos com diferentes graus de desempenho (PG 64-22 e PG 58-16), e três combinações (100/0, 50/50, 0/100) de asfalto PG 64-22 e agente de rejuvenescimento (resíduo de óleo de xisto). Dentre as MAFs preparadas com material fresado, duas apresentaram desempenho à fadiga superior à mistura de controle (composta apenas com materiais novos): a MAF composta com 40% de material fresado e PG 64-22 e a MAF composta com 20% de material fresado e PG 58-16. O resíduo de óleo de xisto não atuou como rejuvenescedor do asfalto envelhecido, para a maioria dos casos avaliados, provavelmente devido à baixa taxa de difusão do material no asfalto envelhecido.

Este trabalho propõe uma técnica de modelagem multiescala concorrente do concreto considerando duas escalas distintas: a mesoescala, onde o concreto é modelado como um material heterogêneo, e a macroescala, na qual o concreto é tratado como um material homogêneo. A heterogeneidade da estrutura mesoscópica do concreto é idealizada considerando três fases distintas, compostas pelos agregados graúdos e argamassa (matriz), estes considerados materiais homogêneos, e zona de transição interfacial (ZTI), tratada como a parte mais fraca entre as três fases. O agregado graúdo é gerado a partir de uma curva granulométrica e posicionado na matriz de forma aleatória. Seu comportamento mecânico é descrito por um modelo constitutivo elástico-linear, devido a sua maior resistência quando comparado com as outras duas fases do concreto. Elementos finitos contínuos com alta relação de aspecto em conjunto com um modelo constitutivo de dano são usados para representar o comportamento não linear do concreto, decorrente da iniciação de fissuras na ZTI e posterior propagação para a matriz, dando lugar à formação de macrofissuras. Os elementos finitos de interface com alta relação de aspecto são inseridos entre todos os elementos regulares da matriz e entre os da matriz e agregados, representando a ZTI, tornando-se potenciais caminhos de propagação de fissuras. No estado limite, quando a espessura do elemento de interface tende a zero (h ?0) e, consequentemente, a relação de aspecto tende a infinito, estes elementos apresentam a mesma cinemática da aproximação contínua de descontinuidades fortes (ACDF), sendo apropriados para representar a formação de descontinuidades associados a fissuras, similar aos modelos coesivos. Um modelo de dano à tração é proposto para representar o comportamento mecânico não linear das interfaces, associado à formação de fissuras, ou até mesmo ao eventual fechamento destas. A fim de contornar os problemas causados pela malha de elementos finitos de transição entre as malhas da macro e da mesoescala, que, em geral, apresentam diferenças expressivas 5 de refinamento, utiliza-se uma técnica recente de acoplamento de malhas não conformes. Esta técnica é baseada na definição de elementos finitos de acoplamento (EFAs), os quais são capazes de estabelecer a continuidade de deslocamento entre malhas geradas de forma completamente independentes, sem aumentar a quantidade total de graus de liberdade do problema, podendo ser utilizados tanto para acoplar malhas não sobrepostas quanto sobrepostas. Para tornar possível a análise em multiescala em casos nos quais a região de localização de deformações não pode ser definida a priori, propõe-se uma técnica multiescala adaptativa. Nesta abordagem, usa-se a distribuição de tensões da escala macroscópica como um indicador para alterar a modelagem das regiões críticas, substituindo-se a macroescala pela mesoescala durante a análise. Consequentemente, a malha macroscópica é automaticamente substituída por uma malha mesoscópica, onde o comportamento não linear está na iminência de ocorrer. Testes numéricos são desenvolvidos para mostrar a capacidade do modelo proposto de representar o processo de iniciação e propagação de fissuras na região tracionada do concreto. Os resultados numéricos são comparados com os resultados experimentais ou com aqueles obtidos através da simulação direta em mesoescala (SDM). / A concurrent multiscale analysis of concrete is presented, in which two distinct scales are considered: the mesoscale, where the concrete is modeled as a heterogeneous material and the macroscale that treats the concrete as a homogeneous material. The mesostructure heterogeneities are idealized as three phase materials composed of the coarse aggregates, mortar matrix and the interfacial transition zone (ITZ). The coarse aggregates are generated from a grading curve and placed into the mortar matrix randomly. Their behavior is described using an elastic-linear constitutive model due to their significant higher strength when compared with the other two phases of the concrete. Special continuum finite elements with a high aspect ratio and a damage constitutive model are used to describe the nonlinear behavior associated to the propagation of cracks, which initiates in the ITZ and then propagates to the mortar matrix given place to a macro-crack formation. These interface elements with a high aspect ratio are inserted in between all regular finite elements of the mortar matrix and in between the mortar matrix and aggregate elements, representing the ITZ. In the limit case, when the thickness of interface elements tends to zero (h ?0) and consequently the aspect ratio tends to infinite, these elements present the same kinematics as the continuous strong discontinuity approach (CSDA), so that they are suitable to represent the formation of discontinuities associated to cracks, similar to cohesive models. A tensile damage model is proposed to model the nonlinear mechanical behavior of the interfaces, associated to the crack formation and also to the possible crack closure. To avoid transition meshes between the macro and the mesoscale meshes, a new technique for coupling non-matching meshes is used. This technique is based on the definition of coupling finite elements (CFEs), which can ensure the continuity of displacement between independent meshes, without increasing the total number of degrees of freedom of the problem. This technique can be used to couple non-overlapping and overlapping meshes.To make possible the concurrent multiscale analysis, where the strain localization region cannot be defined a priori, an adaptive multiscale model is proposed. In this approach the macroscale stress distribution is used as an indicator to properly change from the macroscale to the mesoscale modeling in the critical regions during the analysis. Consequently, the macroscopic mesh is automatically replaced by a mesoscopic mesh where the nonlinear behavior is imminent. A variety of tests are performed to show the ability of the proposed methodology in predicting the behavior of initiation and propagation of cracks in the tensile region of the concrete. The numerical results are compared with the experimental ones or with those obtained by the direct simulation in mesoscale (DSM).

The fatigue cracking process occurs by the repeated dynamic loading from the traffic of heavy vehicle. This phenomenon initiates as microcracks and develops under two circumstances: (i) after adhesive failure, when the crack occurs at the interface aggregate-mortar, and/or (ii) after cohesive failure, when the crack develops within the mortar. Based on such interpretation of the cracking phenomenon in asphalt concrete mixtures, researchers have been using the fine aggregate matrices (FAMs) to estimate the fatigue behavior of the asphalt concrete. Good agreement is observed between the properties of the FAM and asphalt concrete properties in studies related to moisture damage, fatigue cracking and permanent deformation. Regarding the fatigue resistance of the flexible pavements, it is important to investigate the effect of the use of modified binders and the binder aging on the fatigue properties of the asphalt concrete, once that the modified binder can enhance the fatigue behavior of the asphalt concrete, and the binder aging hardens the asphalt binder and turns it into a fragile material, with negative effects on the fatigue life of the asphalt concrete. Based on these evidences, this study has the objective of evaluating the effect of modified binders and aging level on the fatigue life of the FAMs, asphalt mastics and asphalt binders. The three scales are comprised of four asphalt binders (neat, AC+PPA, AC+SBS and AC+rubber) aged in short- and long-term. The fatigue properties of the three scales were evaluated by means of the viscoelastic continuum damage (VECD) concepts, once that this theory is able to predict the asphalt concrete behavior independent of loading mode (uniaxial or torsional), control mode (stress-control or strain-control), and amplitude loading applied to induce the damage. The overall results indicate that the addition of modified binder enhances the fatigue behavior and that extended aging is capable of compromise the fatigue performance. At the scales of the binder and the mastic, the AC+rubber presented the best fatigue performance, occupying the first position in the final rank order, and the AC+SBS presented the worst performance, occupying the last position. However, at the FAM scale, the FAMs prepared with the AC+SBS presented the best fatigue performance, occupying the first position in the final rank order, and the FAMs prepared with the neat binder presented the worst behavior, occupying the last position. The best correlation between the three scales regarding the short- and long-term aging was obtained between binder and mastics aged in the PAV with the FAMs aged in long-term for 30 days. / O processo de trincamento por fadiga ocorre devido ao carregamento dinâmico repetido do tráfego de veículos pesados. Este fenômeno tem o início por meio de microtrincas e se propaga por meio de duas condições: (i) após a ruptura adesiva, quando a trinca ocorre na interface entre agregado e mástique, e/ou (ii) após a ruptura coesiva, quando o processo de trincamento ocorre no mástique. Com base nesta interpretação para o trincamento por fadiga em mistura asfáltica, pesquisadores vêm usando matrizes de agregado fino (MAFs) para estimar o comportamento da mistura asfáltica completa quanto ao dano por fadiga. Boa correlação é observada entre as propriedades da MAF e da mistura asfáltica completa (MAC) em estudos relacionados ao dano por umidade, fadiga e deformação permanente. Com relação a resistência de pavimentos flexíveis, é importante avaliar o efeito do uso de ligantes asfálticos modificados e do envelhecimento do ligante nas propriedades da mistura asfáltica, uma vez que ligantes modificados podem melhorar o comportamento da mistura asfáltica quanto ao dano por fadiga, e o envelhecimento do ligante asfáltico pode enrijecer o material tornando-o mais frágil, reduzindo a vida de fadiga das misturas asfálticas. Levando em consideração as evidências apresentadas, este estudo tem por objetivo avaliar o efeito de ligantes asfálticos modificados e o nível de envelhecimento na vida de fadiga das MAFs, mástiques e ligantes asfálticos. Estas três escalas da mistura asfáltica completa foram compostas por quatro ligantes asfálticos (CAP 50/70, CAP+PPA, CAP+SBS e CAP+borracha) envelhecidos a curto e a longo prazo. As propriedades das três escalas quanto ao dano por fadiga foram avaliadas por meio dos conceitos da teoria do dano contínuo em meio viscoelástico (VECD), uma vez que esta teoria é capaz de prever o comportamento da mistura asfáltica independentemente do modo de carregamento (uniaxial ou torsional, tensão ou deformação controlada) e da amplitude do carregamento aplicado ao material para induzir o dano. De modo geral, os resultados indicaram que o uso de ligantes asfálticos modificados melhoram o comportamento das MAFs quanto ao dano por fadiga e o envelhecimento é capaz de comprometer o desempenho das MAFs quanto ao trincamento por fadiga. Na escala do ligante e do mástique asfáltico, o CAP+borracha apresentou o melhor desempenho à fadiga, ocupando o primeiro lugar no ordenamento final, e o CAP+SBS o pior desempenho, ocupando a última posição. Entretanto, na escala da MAF, as MAFs preparadas com CAP+SBS apresentaram o melhor desempenho à fadiga, ocupando o primeiro lugar no ordenamento final, e as MAFs preparadas com CAP 50/70 apresentaram o pior desempenho, ocupando o último lugar no ordenamento final. A melhor correlação entre as três escalas com relação ao envelhecimento a curto e a longo prazo, foi obtido entre os ligantes asfálticos e mástiques envelhecidos no PAV com as MAFs envelhecidas a longo prazo por 30 dias.

Pour étendre l'utilisation des composites dans des applications plus variées (applications intelligentes et multifonctionnelles), l'une des barrières est leur faible conductivité électrique et thermique. Dans le cas de composites renforcés par des fibres de carbone, la matrice organique est responsable des propriétés isolantes du composite résultant. L'une des solutions pour améliorer les conductivités des matériaux est l'utilisation des nanocharges conductrices. L'amélioration des propriétés électriques et thermiques des polymères nanochargés est une problématique récurrente dans la littérature. Cependant, étudier les propriétés des composites à fibre de carbone continue et nanochargés est moins abordée. Ce travail porte sur la fabrication et la caractérisation des composites nanochargés par du noir de carbone et des nanotubes de carbone. Tout d'abord, un intérêt particulier a été accordé à la phase délicate de la fabrication. Comme mentionné ci-dessus, la mise en œuvre des composites à renfort continu et matrice nanochargée implique des problèmes liés à l'agglomération et à la dispersion inhomogène des nanocharges dans le composite final. Pour résoudre ces problèmes, le choix de la matrice thermoplastique (Polyamide 6) était judicieux. En fait, la dispersion des nanocharges a été faite par extrusion bi-vis qui est connue comme l'une des voies les plus efficaces de séparation d'agglomérats. De plus, la méthode de fabrication à base de films de Polyamide 6, appelée film stacking, assure une partition homogène dès le début du processus. Des observations MEB ont été effectuées pour localiser les nanoparticules. Ceux-là ont montré que les particules pénétraient dans la zone des fibres. En effet, en atteignant le cœur des torons, les nano-charges ont créé un réseau de connectivité entre les fibres pour le passage de courant. Ceci explique l'amélioration constatée de la conductivité électrique des composites en présence de noir de carbone et des nanotubes de carbone. Ces essais ont été réalisés avec la méthode à 4 points. La conductivité électrique du composite à matrice « pure » est passée de 20S / cm à 80S / cm en ajoutant 8% en poids de noir de carbone et à 15S / cm en ajoutant 18% en poids de la même charge nanométrique. Pour les nanotubes de carbone, avec 2,5% en poids, la conductivité était d'environ 150S / cm. Pour les propriétés thermiques, des tests basés sur l'effet Joule ont été réalisés. L'augmentation de la température a été enregistrée en utilisant une caméra IR. Les résultats obtenus sont en accord avec ceux de la conductivité électrique, montrant une amélioration du comportement thermique en présence de nanocharges. Grâce à ces résultats, l'utilisation de ces composites comme outil de suivi d’endommagement était possible. Par ailleurs, la méthode de variation de la résistance électrique a été effectuée. Les matériaux nanochargés ont montré une meilleure sensibilité aux endommagements. Les résultats ont été comparés aux outils classiques de suivi d’endommagement. A la fin, plusieurs applications « intelligentes » ont été testées telles que : le composite à gradients de propriétés et des matériaux nanochargés cousus. / To extend the use of composites in more varied application (smart applications, multifunctional issues), one of the actual barrier is their poor electrical and thermal conductivities. In the case of carbon fiber reinforced composites, organic matrix are in charge of the insulating properties of the resulting composite. One of the solutions to enhance conductivities of materials is the use of conductive nanofillers. Improving the electrical and thermal properties of nanofilled polymers has been investigated in several studies. However, studiing the properties of continuous carbon fiber nano-filled composites is less approached. This work tends to fabricate and characterize carbon black and carbon nanotubes nano-filled composites. First of all, special interest was given to the delicate phase of manufacturing. As mentioned before, processing continuous fiber reinforced nanofilled polymers implies issues related to nanofillers agglomeration and inhomogeneous dispersion in the final composite. To resolve these problems, the choice of the thermoplastic (Polyamide6) matrix seemed preferable. In fact, the dispersion of nanofillers was made by twin screw extrusion which is known as one of the most effective agglomeration separation ways. Adding to this, the fabrication method based on Polyamide 6 shects called film stacking, ensure a homogeneous partition at the beginning of the process. SEM observations were performed to localize the nano-particles. It showed that particles penetrated on the fiber zone. In fact, by reaching the fiber zone, the nano-fillers created network connectivity between fibers which means an easy pathway for the current. It explains the noticed improvement of the electrical conductivity of the composites by adding carbon black and carbon nanotube. This test was performed with the 4 points electrical circuit. It shows that electrical conductivity of 'neat' matrix composite passed from 20S/cm to 80S/cm by adding 8wt% of carbon black and to 15S/cm by adding 18wt% of the same nano-filler. For carbon nanotubes, with '2.5wt% the conductivity was around 150S/cm. For the thermal properties, tests based on Joule's effect were performed. The rise of temperature was recorded using IR camera. Results obtained are in agreement with the electrical conductivity ones, showing enhancement of the thermal behavior in presence of nanofillers. Thanks to these results, the use of these composites as a damage-monitoring tool was possible. By the way, the electrical resistance change method was performed. Nanofilled materials showed better sensitivity to damage. Results were compared with classical damage monitoring tools. At the end, several 'smart' applications were tested such as graded functionalities composite and stitched nanofilled materials.

The Thesis deals with Strain-Space Plasticity and its implementation in Nonlinear Finite Element frame-work coupled with damage. Conventional Stress-Space Plasticity, though very popular amongst commercial nonlinear FEM software package, has severe limitations especially in dealing with perfect-plasticity situations and also for softening behaviour. Strain-Space Plasticity, when fully evolved, has the potential to replace the Stress-space Plasticity. The thesis is a welcome addition in furthering the understanding of Strain-Space Plasticity and its illustration to analyze practical engineering problems. Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) is an evolving area of Solid Mechanics with great potential for application in failure and integrity analyses. Research activities have been initiated by several research groups world-wide, thus demonstrating its acceptance as an area of mechanics in its own right .This thesis further demonstrates coupling of Continuum Damage Mechanics with Strain-Space Plasticity. The thesis has been organized into 11 chapters with a good review of Plasticity (Stress-Space as well as Strain-Space), CDM, Stainless-steel Plasticity as well as Adhesive Plasticity. Main research contributions include: Formulation, FEM implementation and benchmarking of Strain Space Plasticity for Plane-Stress, Plane Strain, Axi-symmetric as well as 3-D case. Both isotropic and kinematic hardening models have been implemented. Further, these implementations have been extended by coupling with Damage. Special illustrations have been made to practical situations involving constitutive modeling of Stainless-steel and structural-adhesive.