Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. Thus, I used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in urban ants—specifically, that (1) body size, (2) hydration status, and (3) preferred micro-environments influence CTmax. I further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. I manipulated water access and determined CTmax for 11 species common to cities in California's Central Valley that exhibit nearly 300-fold variation in body mass. Inter- (but not intra-) specific variation in body size influenced CTmax where larger species had higher CTmax. The sensitivity of ants’ CTmax to water availability exhibited species-specific thresholds where short-term water limitation (8 h) reduced CTmax in some species while longer-term water limitation (32 h) was required to reduce CTmax in other species. However, CTmax was not influenced by the preferred foraging temperatures of ants. Further, I did not find support for my fourth hypothesis because native species did not exhibit reduced thermal safety margins, or exhibit CTmax values that were more sensitive to water limitation relative to non-native species. In sum, understanding the links between heat tolerance and water availability will become critically important in an increasingly warm, dry, and urbanized world that may be selecting for smaller (not larger) body size.

Concrete filled steel tubular columns have been extensively used in modern construction owing to that they utilise the most favourable properties of both constituent materials. It has been recognized that concrete filled tubular columns provide excellent structural properties such as high load bearing capacity, ductility, large energy-absorption capacity and good structural fire behaviour. This paper presents the structural fire behaviour of a series of concrete filled steel tubular stub columns with four typical column sectional shapes in standard fire. The selected concrete filled steel tube stub columns are divided into three groups by equal section strength at ambient temperature, equal steel cross sectional areas and equal concrete core cross sectional areas. The temperature distribution, critical temperature and fire exposing time etc. of selected composite columns are extracted by numerical simulations using commercial FE package ABAQUS. Based on the analysis and comparison of typical parameters, the effect of column sectional shapes on member temperature distribution and structural fire behaviour are discussed. It shows concrete steel tubular column with circular section possesses the best structural fire behaviour, followed by columns with elliptical, square and rectangular sections. Based on this research study, a simplified equation for the design of concrete filled columns at elevated temperature is proposed.

En chargeant en courant une inductance supraconductrice, on stock de l’énergie magnétique. Ce principe est appelé SMES pour Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage. Ce type de dispositifs a une densité d’énergie relativement faible mais peut avoir une densité de puissance élevée. Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre du projet BOSSE, qui vise à mettre au point un démonstrateur de SMES dans la gamme du MJ. Ce SMES sera à la fois plus compacte que ses prédécesseurs et battra le record actuel d’énergie spécifique d’un bobinage supraconducteur en atteignant 20 kJ/kg. Cet objectif sera atteint grâce à l’utilisation de supraconducteurs haute température critique de seconde génération, dits conducteurs « REBCO ».Cette thèse aborde de manière générale la problématique du design de SMES et propose des éléments de réflexion et des solutions pour un pré-design rapide du bobinage d’un SMES. Le design du SMES à haute densité d’énergie du projet BOSSE est détaillé.Des éléments modulaires (galettes de ruban REBCO) du SMES ont été fabriqués et testés en champ propre et sous champ magnétique externe. Les méthodes et les résultats de détection de transition des galettes de l’état supraconducteur vers l’état normal sont présentés. Ces détections ont permis de garantir l’intégrité des galettes REBCO lors de transitions, même à très forte densité de courant (980 A/mm2 dans le conducteur nu).Ce travail est soutenu par la DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement). / Magnetic energy is stored when a superconducting inductance is fed with current. This principle is called SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage). This kind of device has a relatively low energy density but can have a high power density. This PhD work has been conducted in the frame of the BOSSE project with the objective to develop a SMES demonstrator in the MJ range. This SMES will be especially compact and will reach a specific energy of 20 kJ/kg of winding, which is 50 % over the current world record for a superconducting coil. This performance is made possible by the use of 2nd generation high critical temperature superconductors, so-called “REBCO” conductors.This work tackles the general problematic of SMES design and proposes elements of reflection and solutions for fast pre-design of a SMES winding. The design of the high specific energy SMES of the BOSSE project is presented in detail.Modular elements (pancakes of REBCO tapes) of the SMES have been manufactured and tested in self-field and under background magnetic field. During these tests, transitions from superconducting state to normal state have been detected. These early detections have prevented the pancakes to be damaged when transitions occurred, even at very high current density (980 A/mm2 in the bare conductor). The measurement method is presented, as well as the results of the tests.The BOSSE project has been funded by the DGA (French Defence Procurement Agency).

Effects of Nb2O5 addition on the formation and properties of the Bi-based superconductors were studied. The superconducting samples were synthesized by two different methods, the solid state reaction (SSR) and ammonium nitrate melt route (ANM) to obtain information about the growth techniques. Ten samples (five with each method) with the chemical compositions of Bi1.6Pb0.4Sr2Ca2Cu3NbxOy, with x= 0.00, 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, and 0.30 were prepared. Phase identification, structural and microstructural analysis were carried out using powder X-ray diffraction method, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The transition temperature and the critical current measurements were carried out using the electromagnetic measurement system. The critical parameters of the samples were also determined by AC susceptibility and magnetization measurements. Improvements in the formation of the Bi-2223 phase with Nb addition have been observed by both methods. The ANM method leads mixtures of Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases, but with the SSR method pure Bi-2223 phase was obtained. With small amounts of Nb addition the critical temperature, Tc, remains the same for ANM samples and it increases for the SSR samples. For both series of samples Tc decreases with further increase of Nb content. With Nb addition the critical currents of the ANM sample almost remain the same and those of the SSR samples increases. Observations based on AC susceptibility measurements showed that Nb addition improve inter-grain coupling. Inductive critical current densities obtained from magnetization measurements agree with the critical currents stated above and show that Jc increase with increase Nb content.

Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2017-09-20T19:09:51Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lucas Nunes Jorge - 2017.pdf: 5873752 bytes, checksum: 804e244800839331e5594855dcd427a8 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-09-21T10:49:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lucas Nunes Jorge - 2017.pdf: 5873752 bytes, checksum: 804e244800839331e5594855dcd427a8 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-09-21T10:49:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tese - Lucas Nunes Jorge - 2017.pdf: 5873752 bytes, checksum: 804e244800839331e5594855dcd427a8 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-04 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás - FAPEG / In this work, we used a refined entropy sampling technique based on the Wang- Landau method and finite-size scaling techniques to study variations of the Baxter-Wu model, namely: spin-$1/2$, spin-$1$, spin-$1$ with the crystal field interaction and was done a three-dimensional proposal for the model. It was also verified characteristics in the order parameter to be adopted in the simulations. The universality class and the critical temperature were calculated for the spin-$1/2$ case, and the results founded were in good agreement with the exact ones found in the literature. We sought to determine the kind of the phase transition that the model suffers for the spin-$1$ case, being carried out a detailed study for continuous and discontinuous phase transitions. The Baxter-Wu model with crystal field, $D$, had its phase diagram constructed, as well as the determination of the point at which discontinuous transitions finalizes. The critical exponent, $\nu$, was evaluated for several values of the crystal field, where we verified is variation along the critical line, with the existence of a peak, corroborating the existence of a multicritic behavior of the model. We also observed the existence of an anomaly in the specific heat, associated to the Schottky defect. This anomaly appears more clearly for values of $D \geq 1.990$. In the study of the order parameter, we verified that in the simulations one should not, when considering lattice sizes multiple of three, use the order parameter as the total magnetization of the lattice, but to consider the magnetization by sub-lattices. When working with sizes of lattices that are not multiples of three, it is not a problem to adopt the order parameter as the total magnetization of the lattice. A three-dimensional proposal was also made for the Baxter-Wu model, and its phase transition was characterized. / Neste trabalho, utilizamos uma técnica de amostragem entrópica com refinamentos baseada no método de Wang-Landau e técnicas de escala de tamanho finito para estudar variações do modelo de Baxter-Wu, a saber: spin-$1/2$, spin-$1$, spin-$1$ na presença de anisotropia de campo cristalino, onde também foi feita uma proposta tridimensional para o modelo. Foram verificadas também características no parâmetro de ordem a ser adotado nas simulações. A classe de universalidade e a temperatura crítica foram calculadas para o caso spin-$1/2$, e os resultados encontrados tiveram boa concordância com os resultados exatos que constam na literatura. Buscou-se determinar o tipo de transição de fase que o modelo descreve para o caso spin-$1$, sendo feito um detalhado estudo para transições de fases contínua e descontínua. O modelo de Baxter-Wu com interação do campo cristalino, $D$, teve o seu diagrama de fases construído, bem como a determinação do ponto em que terminam as transições descontínuas. O expoente crítico, $\nu$, foi avaliado para diversos valores do campo cristalino, onde verificamos a sua variação ao longo da linha crítica, com o aparecimento de um pico, corroborando a existência de um comportamento multicrítico do modelo. Observamos também uma anomalia no calor específico, que pode ser associada ao defeito Schottky. Essa anomalia aparece de maneira mais significativa para valores de $D\geqslant1.990$. No estudo do parâmetro de ordem, verificamos que nas simulações não se deve, ao considerar tamanhos de redes múltiplos de três, utilizar o parâmetro de ordem como a magnetização total da rede, mas tomar a magnetização por sub-redes. Ao se trabalhar com tamanhos de redes que não sejam múltiplos de três, não há problema em adotá-lo como a magnetização total da rede. Foi feita também uma proposta tridimensional para o modelo de Baxter-Wu, e foi caracterizada a sua transição de fases.

<p>Smart windows that modulate solar radiation by changing their optical state in response to temperature stimulus are developing as promising solutions towards reducing the energy consumption of buildings. The market adoption of such systems has been slow due to the barriers in scalability, cost, as well as complexity in their integration into existing systems. Aiming these features, we have proposed a retrofit smart window design based on the temperature-responsive polymer Methyl Cellulose (MC). The system utilizes a sustainable, earth abundant and cost-effective cellulose based thermo-responsive material to transform existing windows to a thermally dynamic smart window system. The observed optical change of MC from transparent to opaque state is dependent on temperature and is triggered by the thermodynamic mechanism of reversible coil-globule transition, which results in a stable performance of the proposed device. Its solar modulation ability was studied using ultraviolet-visible- spectroscopy. Effect of MC concentration and various salts on the optical performance were investigated. It was found that the transition temperature the polymer can be tuned by varying MC concentration and by adding salts to the system. The tunability of transition temperature is a function of the concentration of salt and the type of anion in the salt. It was observed that the transition temperature of the window can be tuned between to , allowing a wide range of control over switching temperature. Controllable LCST, low freezing point, sustainable base material, scalable production, low cost, retrofit system makes them ideal candidates for smart window applications. </p>

A new method of in situ extraction of alcohols from fermentation broth was investigated. The extraction method exploited the latent advantages of the non-equilibrium phase interaction of the fluid system in the flash tank to effectively recover the alcohol. Carbon dioxide gas ranging from 4.2L/min to 12.6L/min was used to continuously strip 2 and 12% (v/v) ethanol solution in a fermentor with a recycle. Ethanol and water in the stripped gas was recovered by compressing and then flashing into a flash tank that was maintained at 5 to 70bar and 5 to 55oC where two immiscible phases comprising CO2-rich phase (top layer) and H2O-rich phase (bottom layer) were formed. The H2O-rich bottom layer was collected as the Bottoms. The CO2-rich phase was continuously throttled producing a condensate (Tops) as a result of the Joule-Thompson cooling effect. The total ethanol recovered from the extraction scheme was 46.0 to 80% for the fermentor containing 2% (v/v) ethanol and 57 to 89% for the fermentor containing 12% (v/v) ethanol. The concentration of ethanol in the Bottoms ranged from 8.0 to 14.9 %(v/v) for the extraction from the 2 %(v/v) ethanol solution and 40.0 to 53.8 %(v/v) for the 12% (v/v) fermentor ethanol extraction. The Bottoms concentration showed a fourfold increase compared to the feed. The ethanol concentration of the Tops were much higher with the highest at approx. 90% (v/v) ethanol, however the yields were extremely low. Compression work required ranged from 6.4 to 20.1 MJ/kg ethanol recovered from the gas stream in the case of 12% (v/v) ethanol in fermentor. The energy requirement for the 2% (v/v) extraction was 84MJ/kg recovered ethanol. The measured Joule-Thompson cooling effect for the extraction scheme was in the range of 10 to 20% the work of compressing the gas. The lowest measured throttle valve temperature was -47oC at the flash tank conditions of 70bar and 25oC. Optimization of the extraction scheme showed that increasing the temperature of the flash tank reduced the amount of ethanol recovered. Increasing the pressure of the flash tank increased the total ethanol recovered but beyond 45bar it appeared to reduce the yield. The 12.6L/min carbon dioxide flow rate favored the high pressure(70bar) extraction whiles 4.2L/min appeared to favor the low pressure(40bar) extraction. The studies showed that the extraction method could potentially be used to recover ethanol and other fermentation products. / Master of Science

L’apparition ces dernières années de supraconducteurs réalisés industriellement utilisant des composés à haute température de transition offre la possibilité de nouveaux développements en magnétisme supraconducteur. En effet ils permettent d’augmenter le champ magnétique généré en conservant une cryogénie classique à 4,2K d’une part, et ils ouvrent la voie à des développements d’aimants supraconducteurs fonctionnant entre 10 et 30K d’autre part. Les matériaux supraconducteurs à haute température critique sont alors indispensables pour dépasser les inductions magnétiques de 16 T (cas de l’insert dipolaire HTc pour le Large Hadron Collider du CERN) ou augmenter la densité spécifique d’énergie stockée dans un SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, cas du projet ANR SuperSMES).Les atouts incontestables (température critique, champ magnétique critique, résistance mécanique) apportés par l’utilisation des matériaux supraconducteurs à haute température critique tels que l’YBaCuO dans les aimants supraconducteurs demandent de relever quelques défis. Leur comportement est encore mal compris, surtout lors des transitions résistives. Arriver à protéger ces conducteurs requiert une réflexion nouvelle sur les systèmes de protection destinés à éviter les dégradations thermiques et mécaniques. La réponse à la question « peut-on utiliser ces matériaux de manière pérenne dans les aimants supraconducteurs ? » est incontournable.Des éléments de réponse sont donnés ici. L’utilisation des conducteurs est abordée à travers différentes études expérimentales permettant de mieux connaître le conducteur (caractérisation électrique et modélisation de la surface critique) d’une part et de définir les étapes clés de la fabrication des aimants supraconducteurs à haute température de transition (étude des jonctions entre conducteurs ou entre galettes) d’autre part. Cette étude a abouti à la réalisation de deux prototypes d’aimants ayant permis d’identifier les difficultés liées à l’utilisation des rubans d’YBaCuO. Un modèle thermoélectrique des supraconducteurs à haute température de transition est développé et un code numérique basé sur le logiciel de calcul par Eléments Finis CASTEM permet d’étudier le phénomène de transition résistive, ou quench, dans un conducteur et dans un aimant. Le code a été validé sur des essais réalisés au Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses de Grenoble. Les résultats obtenus ont permis la définition des conducteurs pour les deux projets liés à la thèse et la validation de la protection. / The new industrial superconductors using high critical temperature compounds offer new possibilities for superconducting magnetism. Indeed they allow higher magnetic field with the same classical cryogenics at 4.2 K on one hand, and on the other hand they also pave the way for superconducting magnets working between 10 K and 30 K. The high temperature superconductors are then needed in order to produce magnetic fields higher than 16 T (case of HTS dipole insert for Large Hadron Collider at CERN) or to increase the specific density stored in one SMES (Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, in the case of the SuperSMES ANR Project).Nevertheless the indisputable assets (critical temperature, critical magnetic field, mechanical stresses) brought by the use of High critical temperature superconductors like YBCO, used in superconducting magnets, require to solve some challenges. Their behavior is still badly understood, especially during the resistive transitions. To succeed in protecting these conductors we need a new reflection on protection schemes designed to avoid the thermal and mechanical damages. The answer to the question: “Can we use those materials in the long run inside superconducting magnets?” is now inescapable.Some answers are given here. The use of the conductors is approached through various experimental studies to understand the material (electrical characterization and modeling of the critical surface) and to define the key stages of high critical temperature superconducting magnets manufacturing (work on the junctions between conductors and pancakes). This study led to the creation of two coils in order to identify the issues related to the use of YBCO tapes. A numerical thermo-electrical model of the high critical temperature superconductor has been developed and a numerical code based on the CEA software CASTEM (Finish Elements Model) allowed to study the resistive transition (or quench) behavior of those conductor and coil. The code has been confirmed by comparison with some experimental data obtained by the Laboratoire National des Champs Magnétiques Intenses in Grenoble. The results have allowed to define the conductors for the two projects of this thesis and to validate the feasibility of the protection of those conductors.

Due to its hardness, martensite, perhaps, is the most desirable structure, but at the same time, martensite is very brittle. Balancing between hardness and brittleness is a challenge that steel manufacturers must deal with it. To decrease brittleness and to solve this problem, designers purposely temper the steel. Heat treatment, e.g., slowing down the quenching quota/rate, will form a procedure of martensite formation incomplete phase and consequently a mixture of austenite-martensite. Tempering is another alternative to operate on martensite and make it malleable without losing hardness and preventing brittleness. As its seen, the heat treatment for controlling the mechanical chemical property is crucial. Managing the critical temperature, A1, A3, and Ms) during martensite formation, which influences the transformation process, must be considered. The Prior Austenite Grain Size also has been measured.  This project has examined the critical temperature for three wire steel specimens to determine the martensite start temperature (Ms), microstructure, and hardness. The project has mainly used dilatometry. Besides that, light optical microscopy (LOM), hardness measurement of specimens, and empirical equations for determining the critical temperatures have been used. This work has been made up of two main parts: literature review and experimental work/ project procedure.

In dieser Arbeit wurde am Modell der Hydridbildung in Wasserstoff-beladenen, 5 nm bis 2000 nm dünnen Palladium-Schichten der Einfluß der Schichtdicke sowie mikrostruktureller und elastischer Zwangsbedingungen auf die Thermodynamik von Phasenübergängen 1. Ordnung untersucht. Grundlage der Untersuchungen ist eine H-induzierte Volumendehnung des Palladiums, die infolge eines Konzentrationshubs ∆c_H bei der Hydridbildung sprunghaft erfolgt. Aus der Volumendehnung resultieren an der Schicht-Substrat-Grenzfläche und an inneren Grenzflächen wie Phasen- und Korngrenzen hohe mechanische Spannungsgradienten, die additiv zum chemischen Potential μ_H des Wasserstoffs beitragen und die Stabilität der Hydridphase verändern. Der Einfluß mechanischer Spannungen auf das chemische Potential wird durch die Mikrostruktur der Schichten modifiziert, die unterschiedliche H-Einlagerungsplätze im Palladium-Gitter mit einem Spektrum unterschiedlicher Platzenergien bereitstellt und die Kanäle eines möglichen Spannungsabbaus durch plastische Deformation der Schichten bestimmt. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die sich überlagernden Einflüsse der Mikrostruktur und mechanischer Spannungen auf die Thermodynamik der Hydridbildung experimentell zu separieren und aus ihnen resultierende Abweichungen von der Thermodynamik des massiven Pd-H-Systems unter Bezugnahme auf thermodynamische Modellvorstellungen zu quantifizieren. Durch gezielte Wahl der Herstellungsbedingungen präparierte Pd-Schichten texturiert nanokristalliner, multi-orientiert polykristalliner und epitaktischer Mikrostruktur wurden schrittweise mit Wasserstoff beladen. H-induzierte Änderungen des Spannungszustands, die Hydridbildung und plastische Änderungen der Schichten wurden in-situ insbesondere mit Methoden der Röntgendiffraktometrie, durch die Messung der Substratverbiegung, des elektrischen Widerstandes, der akustischen Emission der Schichten sowie mittels STM und Proton-Proton-Streuung untersucht. Hinsichtlich mikrostruktureller Änderungen der Schichten bei H-Beladung wurden Kaskaden kritischer Schichtdicken und Spannungszustände des Einsetzens plastischer Deformation gefunden. Bereits im Bereich der elastischen Schichtdehnung wurden diskrete Relaxations-Ereignisse beobachtet, die auf die Bewegung intrinsischer Defekte zurückgeführt wurden. Für Schichtdicken unterhalb von 22-34 nm wurde ein neuer Typ eines partiell kohärenten Phasenübergangs belegt, bei dem die Phasengrenzflächen während des gesamten Phasenübergangs kohärent verbleiben. Unter dem Einfluß der unterschiedlichen Mikrostrukturen und Spannungszustände der Schichten wurde eine signifikante Reduktion der elastischen H-H-Wechselwirkung – der Triebkraft der Hydridbildung – um 20-50 % gegenüber dem massiven System belegt. Für die Schichten beträgt E_HH 15-30 kJ/mol_H, während im massiven System E_HH = 36.8 kJ/mol_H. Der elastische Beitrag zur Reduktion der H-H-Wechselwirkung beträgt 2-5 kJ/mol_H. Er wächst für partiell kohärente Entmischung rasch an. Die entsprechenden Hydridbildungsenthalpien sind in Schichten um bis zu 3 kJ/mol_H erhöht. In lokal durch Faltenbildung relaxierten Schichten kann dies das räumliche Nebeneinander der α-Phase in haftenden Schichtbereichen und der Hydridphase in den Falten erzwingen. Darüber hinaus wurde gezeigt, daß die Druck-Konzentrations-Isothermen dünner Pd-H-Schichten im Bereich des Phasenübergangs unter dem Einfluß nicht-linearer mechanischer Spannungen eine stetige Steigung aufweisen können. Dies macht eine Modifikation der Grenzbedingung zur Bestimmung der kritischen Temperatur der Hydridbildung erforderlich, bei der die Steigung ∂μ_H/∂c_H | T=T_c explizit ausgewertet wird. Die resultierenden kritischen Temperaturen der Pd-H-Schichten sind bis zu 40 % gegenüber dem massiven System reduziert. T_c ist 340-490 K für die Schichten, während T_c = 563 K für das massive System. In allen Schichten wurde bei 300 K noch immer ein Phasenübergang gefunden. Insgesamt ließen sich die beobachteten Änderungen der Thermodynamik zumeist direkt an die Mikrostruktur und den Spannungszustand der Schichten koppeln, während allein an die Schichtdicke gebundene Finite-Size-Effekte bei den untersuchten Schichten von untergeordneter Bedeutung sind.