The thesis describes development and optimization process of an inductively coupled coil corrosion potential sensor for long-term civil structure health monitoring remotely. This is of growing interest for decreasing the maintenance cost, reducing the deterioration significantly and increasing the safety. The thesis is organized accordingly introduction, circuit modeling of the sensor, optimization and fabrication of the sensors and the simulated and experimental results from new and existing civil structure. The two geometrical design, cylindrical shape and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) based sensor parts of this research and their encapsulation technique for long-term enduring in harsh and corrosive environment of the civil infrastructure is described in the thesis. Results of an accelerated corrosion test on an embedded cylindrical shaped sensor indicates that the corrosion potential can be monitored with less than 10 mV resolution with a sensor sensitivity of ~0.73 kHz/mV. The last part describes a novel technique for a PCB sensor to simulate the existing structure already contaminated with corrosive substances such as chlorides. Two encapsulation techniques, non-conductive epoxy sealed and PLEXIGLAS with air gap sealed embedded PCB sensors response are compared from the accelerated corrosion test on new and built-in civil structure. Finally, results from the accelerated corrosion tests using the two encapsulation techniques mentioned above demonstrate that the embedded sensor in an existing structure may take up to 60 days to see the significant corrosion with a sensor sensitivity of ~ 1.53 kHz/mV or ~ 1.63 kHz/mV respectively. Since chlorides take many years to diffuse into concrete used for civil structures these sensors will respond fast enough to be used in existing structures as well as in new structures.

According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), about 100 million rock anchors were installed in the USA mining industry during 1999 (Dolinar, 2000). The rock bolt usage in US coal mining industry fell from 85 million in the year 1988 to 68 million by 2005 (Tadolini, 2006), and is assumed to be close to that number of rock anchors consumed currently since, the tonnage from underground is almost the same. Most underground coal mines have conditions such as moisture in the atmosphere, ground water with different chemical contents that are conducive for corrosion of rock anchors and ancillaries (such as plates), and the effects of this on the performance of the anchors had been researched in the US to an extent from the past research at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC). In addition to the general corrosion like pitting and crevice, stress corrosion adds to the process a potentially serious threat and results in material failure underground due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) yet the effects are not fully understood in the USA. The results of this research therefore will have a positive and direct effect on rock related safety. During this research project in situ specific tests were conducted with bolts to try and determine the corrosion potential in a specific coal-mining region. The coal mining areas were divided into three regions and were named as East, Mid-West and West respectively. To enhance the value/importance of the field data collected from the mines, a metal mine and a salt mine (two non-coal mines) were included in the plan and the data analysis proved that the methodology developed for determining the corrosion potential underground is applicable to any underground mines. The Insitu studies include water samples collection and analysis and open circuit potential (OCP/Eoc) testing and analysis. Open Circuit Potential (OCP) data were recorded to estimate probability of active corrosion. Hypothetically, probability of active corrosion is lower if the actual OCP of roof bolts in the mine is less than the characteristic OCP of the steel grade, and vice versa. The effects of certain factors such as the roof condition, reference distance (distance between bolt and reference electrode) on the open circuit potential data during the measurements were studied to ensure its impact on the corrosion potential determination technique developed. The findings from this research helps standardize the corrosion potential determination methodology. The preliminary study of stress corrosion cracking of the subject test sample (Grade 60 rebar roof bolt) was conducted in this research work. The experimental study invloves testing a complete roof bolt in the mine simulated environment. The mine simulated environment in the test cell consists of the roof strata material collected from the mine site with continuous flow of water at slower and varaible flow rate (0 to 3 ml/minute) with pH in the range of 7.5 to 9.0. The results showed that stress corrosion could be very serious problem when it comes to long term mining applications. The stress corrosion test cell developed and tested was proved to be significant in conducting the long term stress corrosion tests. The strength results of the Grade 60 rebar roof bolt tested had a significant strength loss after 3 months of testing in the stress corrosion cell. Hence, more SCC studies are deemed necessary to evaluate the seriousness of the problem and if possible eliminate it.

Corrosion is a major factor for the failure of metallic medical implants. Testing a metal’s suseptability to corrosion prior to implantation is key to a successful implantation. Electrochemical processes were used in this study to evaluate the characteristics of corrosion of both AISI 316 stainless steel and titanium alloy Ti6Al4V, welded and non-welded. Linear, potentiodynamic, and cyclic polarization curves were produced by the PARC 2273 potentiostat showing the corrosion tendencies of the metals in four unique solutions 3.5% NaCl, 0.35% NaCl, phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS), and Butterfield phosphate buffered solution (BPS). The concentration of chloride ions in solutions affected the passivation current (Ipassive) and the passivation range of both AISI 316 and Ti6Al4V. In general, larger concentrations of the chloride ions increased the passivation current and decreased the passivation range. Both AISI 316 and Ti6Al4V exhibited passive behavior. Ti6Al4V proved to be the more corrosion resistant metal in the test solutions, showing the ability to repassivate and resist pitting.

Electrochemical techniques have potential for use in conservation, both to evaluate the protectiveness of existing coatings on metal artefacts and to evaluate potential new conservation coatings. Three electrochemical methods have been examined in this study for their applicability to conservation problems. Corrosion Potential Measurement is simple but provides only minimal information on the corrosion processes occurring in an electrochemical system. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy provides both mechanistic and predictive information on coating performance, but the data are complex to interpret and measurements require equipment that is at present too bulky for effective on-site use and beyond the budget of most conservation laboratories. Electrochemical Noise Measurement can be performed using cheap, portable instrumentation and theoretically requires relatively simple statistical processing and interpretation, making it attractive for conservation applications. This project looks at the development of a simple, low cost electrochemical noise measurement system for conservation needs, and uses it to compare Electrochemical Noise Measurement with the other two techniques.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a confecção de concretos estruturais com baixo consumo de cimento Portland e avalia algumas das suas propriedades no estado fresco e endurecido, tanto em termos mecânicos como de durabilidade. O uso de concretos de baixo consumo de cimento Portland tem por objetivo possibilitar maior sustentabilidade da indústria da construção baseada no concreto, como maior longevidade de jazidas, reduções na emissão de \'CO IND.2\' e no consumo de energia e menores custos de transporte. Possibilita também diversas melhorias técnicas, como menor retração, fissuração e calor de hidratação. Com base em conceitos de empacotamento e dispersão de partículas, uso de adições minerais e fílers e escolha adequada dos materiais, obtiveram-se concretos com baixo consumo de cimento e alta resistência, com consumo relativo de materiais aglomerantes inferior a 5 kg/\'M POT.3\' para produzir 1 MPa de resistência à compressão. Avaliaram-se diversos parâmetros relacionados à durabilidade destes concretos com base em ensaios de absorção de água por imersão, absorção de água por capilaridade, permeabilidade, abrasão, carbonatação e potencial de corrosão. Os resultados obtidos indicam que os concretos de baixo consumo de cimento obtidos podem ter durabilidade comparável ou até superior a concretos usualmente considerados como de bom desempenho. Observou-se que a durabilidade é dependente do tipo de cimento empregado e que deve ser avaliada especificamente com relação ao tipo de ação agressiva a que o concreto estará exposto. / This dissertation presents a study on the development of structural concrete with low Portland cement consumption and evaluates some of its fresh and hardened properties, in mechanical and durability terms. The use of low concrete Portland cement consumption is intended to enable greater sustainability of the construction industry based on concrete, as increased longevity of deposits, reductions in \'CO IND.2\' emissions and energy consumption and lower transportation costs. It also allows several technical improvements, such as reduced shrinkage, cracking and hydration heat. Based on particle packaging and dispersion, use of mineral additives and fillers and appropriate choice of material, concrete with low cement content and high strength was obtained, with relative consumption of binder materials below 5 kg/\'M POT.3\' to produce 1 MPa compressive strength. Various durability parameters were evaluated based on tests such water absorption by immersion, water absorption by capillarity, permeability, abrasion, corrosion potential and carbonation. The results indicate that the low cement consumption concretes may have achieved comparable or superior durability to concrete usually regarded as good performance. It was observed that the durability is dependent on the type of cement used and that durability should be assessed specifically with regard to the type of aggressive action that the concrete will be exposed.

The thesis describes development and application of coupled resonant coil sensors, which is of growing interest for remote monitoring applications. An interrogation technique, which improves the accuracy and interrogation range of coupled resonant coil sensors, is introduced. The method uses time-domain gating to produce measurements that are dominated by the response of the sensor coil and are immune to surrounding object interference. For application in structural health monitoring a low cost embeddable coupled coil sensor, which is able to monitor the corrosion potential of reinforcement steel is presented. Results of an accelerated corrosion test using the sensor indicate that corrosion potential can be monitored with a resolution less than 10 mV and a sensitivity of 0.76 kHz/mV. The last part describes a coupled-coil pH sensor based on pH electrode potential measurement. A linear response over a 4 to 10 pH dynamic range and 50 kHz/pH sensitivity are achieved with a 0.1 pH resolution and 30 s response time.

The thesis describes development and application of coupled resonant coil sensors, which is of growing interest for remote monitoring applications. An interrogation technique, which improves the accuracy and interrogation range of coupled resonant coil sensors, is introduced. The method uses time-domain gating to produce measurements that are dominated by the response of the sensor coil and are immune to surrounding object interference. For application in structural health monitoring a low cost embeddable coupled coil sensor, which is able to monitor the corrosion potential of reinforcement steel is presented. Results of an accelerated corrosion test using the sensor indicate that corrosion potential can be monitored with a resolution less than 10 mV and a sensitivity of 0.76 kHz/mV. The last part describes a coupled-coil pH sensor based on pH electrode potential measurement. A linear response over a 4 to 10 pH dynamic range and 50 kHz/pH sensitivity are achieved with a 0.1 pH resolution and 30 s response time.

Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a confecção de concretos estruturais com baixo consumo de cimento Portland e avalia algumas das suas propriedades no estado fresco e endurecido, tanto em termos mecânicos como de durabilidade. O uso de concretos de baixo consumo de cimento Portland tem por objetivo possibilitar maior sustentabilidade da indústria da construção baseada no concreto, como maior longevidade de jazidas, reduções na emissão de \'CO IND.2\' e no consumo de energia e menores custos de transporte. Possibilita também diversas melhorias técnicas, como menor retração, fissuração e calor de hidratação. Com base em conceitos de empacotamento e dispersão de partículas, uso de adições minerais e fílers e escolha adequada dos materiais, obtiveram-se concretos com baixo consumo de cimento e alta resistência, com consumo relativo de materiais aglomerantes inferior a 5 kg/\'M POT.3\' para produzir 1 MPa de resistência à compressão. Avaliaram-se diversos parâmetros relacionados à durabilidade destes concretos com base em ensaios de absorção de água por imersão, absorção de água por capilaridade, permeabilidade, abrasão, carbonatação e potencial de corrosão. Os resultados obtidos indicam que os concretos de baixo consumo de cimento obtidos podem ter durabilidade comparável ou até superior a concretos usualmente considerados como de bom desempenho. Observou-se que a durabilidade é dependente do tipo de cimento empregado e que deve ser avaliada especificamente com relação ao tipo de ação agressiva a que o concreto estará exposto. / This dissertation presents a study on the development of structural concrete with low Portland cement consumption and evaluates some of its fresh and hardened properties, in mechanical and durability terms. The use of low concrete Portland cement consumption is intended to enable greater sustainability of the construction industry based on concrete, as increased longevity of deposits, reductions in \'CO IND.2\' emissions and energy consumption and lower transportation costs. It also allows several technical improvements, such as reduced shrinkage, cracking and hydration heat. Based on particle packaging and dispersion, use of mineral additives and fillers and appropriate choice of material, concrete with low cement content and high strength was obtained, with relative consumption of binder materials below 5 kg/\'M POT.3\' to produce 1 MPa compressive strength. Various durability parameters were evaluated based on tests such water absorption by immersion, water absorption by capillarity, permeability, abrasion, corrosion potential and carbonation. The results indicate that the low cement consumption concretes may have achieved comparable or superior durability to concrete usually regarded as good performance. It was observed that the durability is dependent on the type of cement used and that durability should be assessed specifically with regard to the type of aggressive action that the concrete will be exposed.

This master thesis is focused on producing orthopaedic implant materials and measuring their corrosion properties. It describes the bone and its structure, types, bone ossification and healing. It defines functions of orthopaedic implants and mentions the types of implants – biodegradable and non-biodegradable. The thesis interprets what corrosion is, what categories of corrosion exist and how does the corrosion influence orthopaedic implants. Preparing the solution of stimulated body fluid and manufacturing samples of different metal combinations (of iron, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, silver and zinc) is included in this thesis, together with corrosion measurements, microscopic observations, EDAX analysis, metallographic analysis, microhardness testing of samples and pH changes measurements of solutions, and the results are interpreted and explained.

In this work are discussed photovoltaic cells. There are also discussed basic concepts of radiation source for solar cells. Also mentioned the issue of semiconductors and even the history and evolution of the solar cells. A large part deals with possibilities of photovoltaic cells degradation. In one chapter is an attempt to bring some types of photovoltaic cells and a description of the production of these modules.The practical part deals with photovoltaic modules degradation and its evaluation. Following part compares measured values with the values provided by producer of photovoltaic modules.