No description available.

Factors such as water to cement ratio, moisture, mixture, presence and depth of rebar, and dimension of specimens, all of which affect apparent resistivity of concrete, were analyzed by experimental and modeling methods. Cylinder and rectangular prism concrete specimens were used in the experiments exposed in a high moisture room, laboratory room temperature, high humidity and outdoor weather environments. Single rebar and four rebar specimens were used to study the rebar effect on the apparent resistivity. Modeling analysis was employed to verify and explain the experimental results. Based on the results, concrete with fly ash showed higher resistivity than concrete with just ordinary Portland cement. Rebar presence had a significant effect on the measured apparent resistivity at some of the locations. The results could be used as a guide for field apparent resistivity measurements and provide a quick, more precise and easy way to estimate the concrete quality. / by Yanbo Liu. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2008. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The aerospace industry is constantly looking for methods to reduce the cost of flying their airplanes. These savings can come in many forms, one of them being cost savings attributed to fuel savings by either reducing the weight of the airplane or reducing the drag. Friction stir welding (FSW) was introduced as a means of joining previously unweldable Al 7075, a high-strength aluminum alloy commonly used in aerospace for its high specific strength. This eliminated the need for costly and time consuming rivets to be installed, firstly reducing the production cost of the airplane and secondly reducing the overall weight of the airplane therefore improving fuel consumption. There are many factors at play in the process of producing FSW Al 7075, but the result of this process creates a weld joint that is more susceptible to corrosion than the rest of the panel. For this reason, FSW Al 7075 panel fail prematurely and must be replaced too often. The main goal of this project is, using cold gas dynamic spray, to create a metallic layer on top of an Al 7075 FSW joint to protect it against corrosion. A series of 3 corrosion tests indicated that pure Al, among coatings of pure Al, Al 5038 and Al 7075, offered the best protection against corrosion. Al 5083 would also be a suitable material and should be used in applications where high bond strengths are required. Al 7075, although of the same alloy as the parent material, is not recommended for corrosion protection as it offered little advantage over the parent material. In order to better understand the interaction of creating a coating after a hot welding process, several analyses were performed. These included deposition at multiple substrate temperatures as well as hardness and velocity measurements. Results indicate that some aluminum alloys are very sensitive to temperature, yielding better coatings at high substrate temperatures. Individual particle deposition tests reveal that these improvements do not occur at the substrate-coating interface. Another portion of this project was dedicated to creating tensile specimens composed entirely of pure Al cold sprayed coatings. Several sets of samples were produced. Results indicate that pulling in the direction of nozzle travel direction yields UTS values 50% higher than pulling in the direction perpendicular to the direction of nozzle travel during coating deposition. Results after annealing seem to converge towards the same value. Finally, a new nozzle design was performed which should create a more efficient spraying process, resulting in cost savings for the industry.

This thesis deals with corrosion problems of underwater turbines in marine environment. The effect of a tensile stress on the uniform corrosion rate of a metal bar is studied, and an analytical model predicting the time of service of a bar under a tensile load in a corrosive environment is proposed. Stress corrosion relationships are provided for different type of alloys, and different types of relationships. Dolinskii's and Gutman's models are studied and extended to a general order polynomial, along with a Least Square and Spline Interpolation of the experimental data. In a second part, the effect of the passive film, delaying the initiation of the corrosion process, is studied. Finally, an algorithm predicting the time of service of a cracked bar is provided, using the stress corrosion assumption, along with a validation using experimental data. / by Yohann Miglis. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2012. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

The electroplating industries use soluble nickel salts in numerous applications. Over the past few years this has become problematic due to the reclassification of these salts from a harmful substance to now a toxic substance. The introduction of the legislation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of CHemicals) has meant the electroplating industry has had to use less harmful chemicals where possible, thus meaning companies are investing in research to find an alternative to the nickel deposit. In this study, alternative deposits under investigation as a potential replacement to the nickel deposit under the decorative chromium deposit has been characterised in terms of the appearance, surface topography and corrosion resistance by using spectrophotometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), linear polarisation, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and accelerated corrosion salt spray methods. Spectrophotometry identified that a white Cu-Sn alloy gave a bluer appearance in comparison to the nickel deposit, when the chromium deposit was plated on top this modified the colour slightly giving the white Cu-Sn alloy with chromium a similar appearance to the nickel and chromium deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy was yellow in colour with a visibly dull appearance, but when chromium was plated on top of the yellow Cu-Sn alloy the colour was improved but still remained dull. The SEM and AFM results identified that the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit had similar nodulated topography to the nickel deposit and when the chromium was plated on top the topography changed only slightly. While the yellow Cu-Sn alloy deposits showed a more crystalline structure and increased roughness in comparison to the nickel deposit, the chromium deposit plated on top did not change the structure of the underlying deposit but it did reduce the roughness slightly. Electrochemical corrosion tests showed the white Cu-Sn alloy to have a higher polarisation resistance compared to the nickel deposit, thus suggesting it would provide similar corrosion protection to the nickel deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy proved to have a faster corrosion rate in comparison to the nickel deposit. Accelerated corrosion tests proved the white Cu-Sn alloy to be more corrosive than the nickel despite the electrochemical test results, it was concluded that the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit was porous and therefore provided less corrosion protection to the substrate in comparison to the nickel deposit. The yellow Cu-Sn alloy had a lower corrosion protection than the nickel deposit and when combined as a duplex Cu-Sn alloy with the white Cu-Sn alloy deposit there was no improvement in corrosion performance. The plated chromium deposit did improve the corrosion protection for most deposits but none of the alternatives could match the corrosion protection offered by the standard nickel with chromium deposit. This study concluded that the white Cu-Sn alloy with chromium deposit was found to be a potential alternative to the nickel with chromium deposit for applications where appearance is primary, no alternative could be found to match the corrosion protection provided by the standard nickel and chromium process.

This investigation presents results of the temperature effect on durability properties (resistivity and diffusivity) and compressive strength of concrete with pozzolans, and the effect of pozzolanic admixtures on microstructure and chemical compositions of concrete pore solution. ... Temperature dependence of electrical resistivity and chloride diffusivity was studied by dynamic temperature tests. Accelerated curing regimes involving curing concrete specimens in 35À C lime water with different durations were tested. Compressive strength test, resisivity measurement and rapid chloride migration (RCM) tests were performed. A leaching method was used to measure pH and conductivity of concrete pore solution. ... The accelerated curing regimes were found to increase the compressive strength and resistance to chloride ion penetration at short-term and long-term. With the developed correlation between resistivity and migration coefficients, it is possible to employ the resistivity measurement as an alternative or replacement of the RCM test to evaluate resistance of chloride ion penetration of concrete. Pozzolanic admixtures were found to decrease both pH and conductivity of concrete pore solution as the replacement ratio increased. Moreover, the migration coefficients were found to be greatly correlated to the microstructure properties of concrete, such as porosity, formation factor and tortuosity. / by Yanbo Liu. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Prevention of the corrosion of steel reinforcement embedded in concrete is a constant challenge in engineering. A study of concrete surface resistivity versus elevation of partially immersed reinforced concrete structures in a marine splash zone has been developed and correlations made between concrete quality and chloride diffusion, i.e., aggressive ion permeability. A conditioning procedure was developed in which the concrete moisture content is increased by direct contact with fresh water for several days. The electrical resistivity of concrete is known to be primarily a function of the degree of water saturation. Correlations between field obtained concrete surface resistivity values versus chloride diffusivity, and between normalized resistivity measured on cores obtained from the field versus chloride diffusivity has been established. The resistivity values were measured on structures with different concrete mixes and various ages. / by Andres M. Suarez-Solano. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This research is aimed at investigating the corrosion durability of polyolefin fiber-reinforced fly ash-based geopolymer structural concrete (hereafter referred to as GPC, in contradistinction to unreinforced geopolymer concrete referred to as simply geopolymer concrete), where cement is completely replaced by fly ash, that is activated by alkalis, sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate. The durability in a marine environment is tested through an electrochemical method for accelerated corrosion. The GPC achieved compressive strengths in excess of 6,000 psi. Fiber reinforced beams contained polyolefin fibers in the amounts of 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% by volume. After being subjected to corrosion damage, the GPC beams were analyzed through a method of crack scoring, steel mass loss, and residual flexural strength testing. Fiber reinforced GPC beams showed greater resistance to corrosion damage with higher residual flexural strength. This makes GPC an attractive material for use in submerged marine structures. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

Neural networks were applied to the analysis of electrochemical noise data. Electrochemical noise is defined as the fluctuations in either current or potential with time for a metal which is immersed in a conductive solution. This data is of interest because of its relationship to particular corrosion processes. Specifically, a system which is experiencing uniform corrosion will produce a different noise signal than one which is experiencing localized (perforation) corrosion. The economic effects of corrosion are significant and methods which improve the ability to detect, measure and predict corrosion would be extremely valuable.Two series of experiments were conducted. The data for both series were collected from aluminum samples immersed in various aqueous solutions. The series differed from each other in the configuration and programming of the potentiostat which collected the data. The first series only dealt with potential noise while the second series dealt with both potential and current noise. Auxiliary parameters, such as the pH and chloride concentration of the solutions were used in the second series. The first series studied data from only two solutions, while the second series included six solutions.It was possible for neural networks to correctly categorize systems in Series 1 according to the class of corrosion being observed (uniform or perforating). Appropriate data transformation steps were required to effect these classifications and it was also observed that many of these data transformations would lead directly to categorization without the use of a neural network.The additional data collected in Series 2 allowed a more complex analysis. Neural networks were able to simultaneously predict both the propensity towards localized corrosion and the metal dissolution rate. This application demonstrated the power of neural networks.Several types of neural networks and learning algorithms were included in this study. The two systems used most were a backpropagation (multi-layer perceptron) and a radial basis system. Comparisons of the various network systems with regard to speed and accuracy were made. / Department of Mathematical Sciences

O concreto armado era tido, quando da sua concepção inicial, como um material que teria boa durabilidade e uma vida útil elevada, praticamente dispensando reparos. Com a intensificação de seu uso, todavia, começaram a serem observados diversos processos de deterioração que resultaram, nos casos mais críticos, em severos comprometimentos de desempenho ou falhas prematuras. Dentre as manifestações patológicas que mais transtorno e prejuízos causam às estruturas civis, destaca-se a corrosão de armaduras, por sua elevada incidência e potencial de dano. Embora já exista um considerável número de pesquisas acerca deste tema, percebe-se que a ênfase atual se encontra no estudo do processo de iniciação da corrosão, e poucos estudos se voltam para a caracterização da fase de propagação, onde os danos se intensificam. Assim, esta pesquisa tem a finalidade, pela realização de experimentos conjugados com uma análise numérica, de contribuir para que sejam entendidos os efeitos, em termos de prejuízo do desempenho estrutural, da propagação da corrosão em estruturas civis. Para fins desta pesquisa, consideraram-se como efeitos significativos nas propriedades estruturais: a perda da aderência entre o aço e o concreto; a diminuição da área de seção transversal da armadura; a diminuição da resistência à tração do aço; e o aparecimento de tensões de tração devido ao acúmulo dos produtos de corrosão junto às barras. Foi estimulado o desenvolvimento de processos de corrosão em corpos-de-prova de concreto contendo barras de aço, que usa aplicação de corrente constante e exposição a uma solução de cloretos, e os graus de corrosão estudados foram equivalentes a perdas de massa de 0, 2, 5, 10 e 20%. Os resultados obtidos nesta fase experimental foram empregados como referência para uma análise numérica, cuja validação foi feita pela avaliação de vigas moldadas e deterioradas em laboratório pelo processo de corrosão induzido. Os resultados da pesquisa mostram, em suma, que os corpos-de-prova de concreto afetados pela corrosão de armaduras, devido ao ataque por cloretos, com pequenas perdas de massa (da ordem de 2 e 5%) não apresentam danos significativos nas propriedades estruturais, enquanto que nos corpos-de-prova contaminados com graus de corrosão maiores que 10% estes danos são mais evidenciados, e neste caso as estruturas devem ser obrigatoriamente tratadas ou recuperadas nos casos mais críticos. / When reinforced concrete was designed, it was believed to be a material with good durability and great life-cycle, with almost no repairs necessary. With its use intensification, however, it started to be noticed several deterioration processes and, in the most critical cases, these deterioration processes severely compromised the structure performance or leaded to early fails. Among the pathological manifestations which cause more damages to civil structures, it is possible to highlight the reinforcement corrosion due to its great incidence and damage potential. Despite the great amount of researches concerning this issue, the up-to-date emphasis is based on the corrosion initiation process study, and fewer studies focus on the propagation phase characterization, in which damages are intensified. This research aims, trough experimental and numerical analysis, to contribute for a better understanding of the effects, regarding structural performance damage, of corrosion propagation in civil structures. In this research it is considered as important effects on structural proprieties: losses of bond between steel and concrete; the bar cross section reduction; the bar tensile strength reduction; and the development of tension efforts due to rust near the bars. It was stimulated the development of corrosion process in concrete specimens with rebars, which uses constant current impression and chloride solution exposition to accelerate the corrosive process, and the corrosion levels studied were equivalent to bar weight losses of 0, 2, 5, 10 and 20%. The results from this experimental phase were used as reference to numerical analysis, and validated by beams which were cast and deteriorated in laboratory due to inducted corrosion process. The research results show, in a few words, that concrete specimens affected by reinforcement corrosion, due to chloride attack, with low levels of mass losses (approximately 2 and 5%) do not present significant structural properties damages, while in the specimens with corrosion levels higher then 10% these damages are more exposed, and in this case the structures should be obligatory treated or recovered in the most critical cases.