Friction Bit Joining (FBJ) is a new technology that can be used to join dissimilar materials together. This ability makes it a good candidate for creating lightweight structures for the automotive industry by combining lightweight materials such as aluminum to stronger materials like advanced high-strength steels. The automotive industry is putting significant effort into interest in reducing vehicle structure weight to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Joining of dissimilar materials is a challenge they face in the light weighting the body of the vehicle. The purpose of the current research is to employ FBJ in the joining of a very challenging material combination: GA DP 1180 to AA 7085-T71. In accomplishing this purpose, the goal is to move FBJ toward a more production ready process by better understanding the effects of tooling, bit design, and process parameters on joint strength and reliability as they relate to load profiles captured during the joining process. It was found that the joint strength variation was influenced strongly by the hardness and the geometric consistency of the consumable bits. Bit hardness below 45 HRC led to joint strength that was less than the required specification (5kN in lap shear tension, and 1.5kN in cross-tension and T-peel). Variation in bit height and diameter also led to excessive scatter in joint strength values, where it was not possible to meet the standard for 10 consecutive specimens (for each of the three tests). Implementation of high-speed data acquisition (1000Hz) enabled the capture of load curve profiles generated during FBJ. Load curve profiles were correlated with destructive testing results to discover the impact of process parameter combinations. Analysis of load curve profiles led to improvements in parameter selections of spindle speeds (revolutions per minute) and spindle feed-rates (inches per minute). Process parameters of 5000 RPM and 15 IPM reduced variation in load-curve profiles and destructive testing. Satisfactory joint strength was achieved in lap shear tension, cross-tension, and T-peel testing configurations with values of 10.1 kN, 4.1 kN, and 1.8 kN, respectively. The presence of wet adhesive had little impact on joint performance. Finally, the analysis of a load-curve profiles resulted in a criterion that allowed for distinguishing "good" welds from "bad" ones, where a threshold load of 6kN, or higher, during the dwell phase of welding was required in order to meet joint strength standards.

<p dir="ltr">Reinforced concrete elements are vulnerable to sliding against each other when shear forces are transmitted between them. Shear-friction is the mechanism by which shear is transferred between concrete surfaces. It develops by aggregate interlock between the concrete interfaces while reinforcement crossing the shear interface or normal force due to external loads contributes to the shear resistance. Current design provisions used in the United States (ACI 318-19, AASHTO LRFD (2020), and the PCI Design Handbook (2017)) include design expression for shear-friction capacity. However, the value of the reinforcement yield strength input into the expressions is limited to a maximum of 60 ksi. Furthermore, the concrete strength is not incorporated into the primary design expressions. These limits cause the potential contribution of high-strength reinforcement and high-strength concrete in shear-friction applications from being considered. Therefore, a research program was developed to investigate the possibility of improving current shear-friction design practice and addressing these current limits.</p><p dir="ltr">Specifically, an experimental program was conducted to evaluate the influence of high-strength reinforcement and high-strength concrete on shear-friction strength. In addition, a statistical analysis was performed using a comprehensive shear-frication database comprised of past tests available in the literature. The experimental program consisted of two phases. Phase I included 24 push-off specimens to study the influence of the yield strength of the interface reinforcement (Grade 60 and Grade 100) and the number and size of interface reinforcing bars (6-No.4 and 4-No. 5 bars) with three different interface conditions (rough, smooth, and shear-key). Phase II included 20 push-off specimens with rough interfaces to investigate the influence of the yield strength of the interface reinforcement (Grade 60 and Grade 100) and concrete strength (target strengths of 4000 psi and 8000 psi). The influence of these two variables was observed over a range of reinforcement ratios (ρ = 0.55%, 0.83%, 1.11%, and 1.38%).</p><p dir="ltr">The test results showed that the overall shear-friction strength was the greatest for rough interface specimens, followed by specimens detailed with shear keys. The smooth interface specimens had the lowest strengths. The results of both phases of the experimental program indicated that the use of high-strength reinforcement did not improve shear-friction capacity.</p><p dir="ltr">Furthermore, the results from the Phase II tests showed that increasing the concrete compressive strength led to increased shear-friction capacity. The test results from the experimental program were analyzed and compared with current design provisions, which demonstrated room for improvement of current design practice.</p><p dir="ltr">Following the experimental program, a comprehensive shear-friction database was analyzed, and multilinear regression was used to create a model to predict shear-friction strength. Factors were then applied to the model to provide acceptable design expressions for shear-friction strength (less than 5% unconservative estimates). The database was used to evaluate the factored model and current design provisions.</p><p dir="ltr">The research outcomes, especially the expressions for shear-friction strength that were developed and that include consideration of the concrete compression strength, along with the shear-friction tests demonstrating the lack of strength gain with the use of Grade 100 reinforcement, provide valuable information for the concrete community to help direct efforts toward improving current shear-friction design practice.</p>

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El crecimiento poblacional ha generado necesidades en infraestructura, como vivienda y transporte. Para satisfacer la demanda y requerimientos técnicos, se necesita colocar concreto de alta resistencia y a edades menores. La calidad del concreto depende de varias variables que están en función de los materiales que lo componen. En el mercado existen opciones como aditivos, fibras y materiales con actividad puzolánica para mejorar sus propiedades. No obstante, su uso puede tener consecuencias negativas como pérdidas económicas, controles de calidad exhaustivos y explotación de recursos naturales. Esta investigación busca determinar si la adición de nanoplaquetas de grafeno en porcentajes de 0.27% y 0.33% mejora las propiedades físico-mecánicas y facilita la elaboración del concreto de alta resistencia mediante la aplicación de ondas ultrasónicas. Con ello, se busca aportar al campo de los nanomateriales y la innovación de los materiales de construcción, abriendo nuevas puertas para los investigadores interesados en este ámbito. La dosificación más efectiva obtenida fue la adición del 0.27% de nanoplaquetas de grafeno, tanto para las propiedades físicas como mecánicas. Además, se llevó a cabo un ensayo de durabilidad que permitió terminar de concluir que la adición de nanoplaquetas de grafeno al concreto F'c=500 kg/cm2, con la aplicación de ondas ultrasónicas, no produce cambios significativos en sus propiedades. Por lo tanto, esta solución no es viable debido a los altos costos de importación de la máquina de ultrasonidos y las nanoplaquetas de grafeno. / The population growth has generated infrastructure needs such as housing and transportation. To meet the demand and technical requirements, high-strength concrete needs to be placed at younger ages. The quality of concrete depends on various variables that are influenced by its constituent materials. In the market, there are options such as additives, fibers, and materials with pozzolanic activity to improve its properties. However, their use can have negative consequences such as economic losses, rigorous quality controls, and exploitation of natural resources. This research aims to determine whether the addition of graphene nanoplatelets at percentages f 0.27% and 0.33% enhances the physico-mechanical properties and facilitates the production of high-strength concrete using ultrasonic waves. It seeks to contribute to the field of nanomaterials and innovation in construction materials, opening new avenues for researchers interested in this area. The most effective dosage obtained was the addition of 0.27% of graphene nanoplatelets for both physical and mechanical properties. Furthermore, a durability test was conducted, which concluded that the addition of graphene nanoplatelets to concrete with a strength of F'c=500 kg/cm2, using ultrasonic waves, does not produce significant changes in its properties. Therefore, this solution is not viable due to the high costs of importing the ultrasound machine and graphene nanoplatelets.

No / The behaviour of circular concrete-filled steel tubes (CFT) with various concrete strengths under axial load is presented. The effects of steel tube thickness, the bond strength between the concrete and the steel tube, and the confinement of concrete are examined. Measured column strengths are compared with the values predicted by Eurocode 4, Australian Standards and American Codes. 15 specimens were tested with 30, 60 and 100 N/mm2 concrete strength, with a D/t ratio from 22.9 to 30.5. All the columns were 114 mm in diameter and 300 mm in length. The effect due to concrete shrinkage is critical for high-strength concrete and negligible for normal strength concrete. All three codes predicted lower values than that measured during the experiments. Eurocode 4 gives the best estimation for both CFT with normal and high-strength concrete.

The primary reinforcement used for construction of structural concrete members has a yield strength of 60 ksi. This reinforcement grade was incorporated into construction over 50 years ago and remains the standard. Recent advances in material technology have led to the development of commercially available reinforcing steel with yield strengths of 100 ksi. While greater yield strengths can be utilized in design, it is essential that the bars can be properly anchored and spliced to fully develop their strength. Although design expressions are available for this purpose, they were established considering 60 ksi reinforcement. Therefore, the objective of this research program is to evaluate the development of high-strength reinforcing steel and establish a design expression for the development and splicing of this steel. Two phases of experimental tests were conducted. Phase I was performed by Glucksman (2018) and investigated the influence of splice length and transverse reinforcement on bond strength over four series of beam tests. This study (Phase II) was conducted following Phase I and consisted of reinforced concrete slab and beam testing over three series. An investigation was conducted on reinforcement development with a focus on the effect of splice length, concrete compressive strength, stress-strain relationships of the steel (ASTM A615 vs. ASTM A1035), and transverse reinforcement. Based on the results, the influences of test variables were identified, and a new confinement model was developed that estimates the transverse reinforcement contribution to bond strength. Finally, a design expression is provided for calculating the development and splice lengths of high-strength reinforcement.

Aujourd’hui, la technologie du béton ayant fortement évolué, il est, sous certaines conditions, réaliste de construire des éléments structuraux en béton ayant à la compression une résistance de 90N/mm² voire nettement plus. En conséquence, l’ingénieur concepteur peut être amené dans le cadre du dimensionnement des colonnes à en diminuer les dimensions transversales pour des raisons esthétiques ou d’encombrement. Inévitablement, cette diminution de la section transversale induit une augmentation de l’élancement et augmente ainsi les risques des instabilités de flambement. A cette question de flambement, il faut adjoindre l’influence d’une préconception qui veut qu’une structure en béton à haute résistance soit moins ductile qu’une structure construite avec un béton normal ! De ceci résulte la question à la base de ce travail : « Peut-on arriver à diminuer la section transversale d’une colonne en utilisant des résistances de béton plus élevées tout en imposant la même valeur de capacité portante et en ne réduisant pas leur ductilité ? » Afin de répondre à cette question, le travail s’est articulé autour de deux axes essentiels qui sont d’une part une campagne d’essais (afin d’obtenir des résultats fiables) sur 12 colonnes en béton armé à haute résistance (90N/mm²) d’élancement 74 et 82 dont l’excentricité de la charge est une variable, et d’autre part l’implémen- tation de deux programmes informa- tiques utilisant le principe de l’analyse au second ordre en vue de réaliser une étude paramétrique dont l’excentricité, la hauteur des colonnes, la proportion d’acier, la résistance du béton sont les variables. Trop souvent encore, les ingénieurs de bureau d’études hésitent à effectuer un calcul au second ordre et placés devant la question des dimensions de section à donner à une colonne de hauteur et de capacité portante imposées, déterminent celles-ci pour se satisfaire d’un calcul au 1er ordre. Au terme de notre étude, nous avons montré que cette approche est loin d’être optimale, qu’il est possible, au prix d’un calcul au second ordre (mais il est fait à l’ordinateur), de tirer profit d’une augmentation de la résistance du béton pour réduire les dimensions des sections et aboutir en toute sécurité à un dimensionnement plus économique en consommation de matériaux (acier, béton, ciment).

L’allégement des véhicules est l’un des objectifs prioritaires des constructeurs automobile pour répondre aux directives environnementales d’émission de CO2. Le développement des aciers multiphasés à très haute résistance mécanique est l’une des solutions communément adoptées pour réduire l’épaisseur des tôles dans les véhicules tout en conservant leur capacité à assurer la sécurité des passagers. La présente étude porte sur l’optimisation des paramètres du procédé de production industrielle de l’une des ces familles d’aciers : les aciers Dual Phase microalliés au titane et au niobium de haut grade ; c'est-à-dire possédant une résistance à la rupture supérieure à 800MPa.A partir d’une microstructure initiale bainite + martensite laminée à froid, les différents phénomènes se produisant au cours du recuit, de la chauffe jusqu’à la fin du maintien intercritique, sont caractérisés. L’influence des paramètres du recuit comme la vitesse de chauffe, la température et le temps de maintien est étudiée. Le système d’interactions triple entre la précipitation des éléments de microalliage, la recristallisation et la formation de l’austénite est au cœur du problème. Un scénario des évolutions microstructurales a été établi à partir de la caractérisation des divers phénomènes. La finesse de la microstructure étudiée (sub-micrométrique) a nécessité l’emploi combiné de techniques de caractérisation multi-échelles : MEB, MET, sonde atomique tomographique, nano-SIMS. / Lightening the weight of vehicles is one of the main challenging objectives of the automotive industry to reach the environmental regulation in term of CO2 emissions. The development of multiphase high strength steels is a common solution to reduce the thickness of sheet steel used in vehicles while keeping the same level of passenger’s safety requirements. The present study deals with the optimization of industrial process parameters applied to obtain one of these steels: the high strength microalloyed Dual Phase steels; i.e. with ultimate tensile strength superior to 800MPa.From an initial cold rolled microstructure made of bainite + martensite, the phenomena occurring during the annealing are characterized since the heating up to the end of the intercritical holding. The influence of process parameters as the heating rate, the holding temperature and the holding time are studied. The triple interactions system between the precipitation of microalloying elements, the recrystallization and the austenite formation is the core of the problem. A scenario of microstructural evolutions has been established based on the characterized phenomena. The studied fine microstructure (sub-microns) requires the combination of multiscale characterization techniques: SEM, TEM, atom probe tomography, nano-SIMS.

Les aciers multiphasés à très haute résistance mécanique destinés à l’industrie automobile font l’objet d’importantes activités de recherche et développement dans le contexte de l’allègement des structures. L’obtention de meilleurs compromis entre résistance et ductilité nécessite de comprendre l’influence du couple composition chimique nominale – paramètres du procédé d’élaboration sur la formation des microstructures.La présente étude s’inscrit dans cette démarche de compréhension et porte en particulier sur les mécanismes se produisant lors du recuit des nuances d’aciers Dual Phase de haut grade microalliés au Ti et au Nb, dont la microstructure initiale laminée à froid est composée de bainite et de martensite. Ces mécanismes (précipitation des éléments de microalliage Ti, Nb et Mo, recristallisation de la ferrite et formation de l’austénite) présentent des interactions complexes. Le scénario des évolutions microstructurales lors du recuit est caractérisé à l’aide d’une étude expérimentale s’appuyant sur des techniques d’analyses complémentaires à différentes échelles (DRX in situ, MEB, MET, SAT). L’influence respective des éléments de microalliage Ti, Nb et Mo et des paramètres du recuit sur ce scénario est clarifiée à l’aide d’une caractérisation systématique des évolutions microstructurales couplée à la mise en œuvre d’une démarche de modélisation des mécanismes et de leurs interactions. / To meet the need for weight reductions in the automotive industry, new advanced high-strength steels are being developed. The achievement of a better balance between high strength and high formability requires a deep understanding of both the effect of chemical composition and processing parameters on the formation of microstructures. The present work contributes to such an objective and deals with the mechanisms occurring during annealing of Dual Phase steels microalloyed with Ti and Nb. Microstructural changes during this stage include precipitation of microalloying elements, ferrite recrystallization and austenite formation. These mechanisms are investigated using complementary experimental techniques at different scales such as in situ XRD, SEM, TEM and APT in various Dual Phase steel grades having the same bainite-martensite initial cold-rolled microstructure. Using combined experimental and modeling approaches, the present work clarifies the separate influence of microalloying elements Ti, Nb and Mo and heating rate on the mechanisms occurring during annealing and their interactions.