The object of this study was to investigate the micro-structural response of DP 600 subjected to high strain rate, ballistic impact tests. The ballistic tests were conducted using normal impact of a hardened steel penetrator into a 2 mm thick sheet of DP 600. The average strain rates produced from this test method are on the order of 10^5 s-1. Multiple methods were used to investigate the micro-structure before and after high strain rate deformation including optical microscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction. A large variation in material response was observed between tests conducted at 0.8 x 10^5 and 2.5 x 10^5 s-1.

From its discovery, crack closure was recognized as a key aspect in understanding the fatigue crack growth process. Considering the condition of plane stress, a vast amount of research has been conducted experimentally, analytically, and numerically to understand the complex process of fatigue crack growth and crack closure. Nonzero crack opening stress values are routinely observed, and it seems that there is a general agreement regarding the incidence of the phenomenon under plane stress. However, investigations regarding crack closure under plane strain conditions are less abundant. Moreover, the existence of crack closure under the plane strain state of the stress has been questioned. The importance of accurate measurements of closure to predict adequately fatigue crack growth rates should not be underestimated. Models employed to predict fatigue crack growth rates rely on plasticity-induced crack closure concepts, and the validity of plasticity-induced crack closure depends on crack closure measurements. Crack closure measurements can be performed with Elber’s Method, the ASTM standard(Compliance offset method), or it may be done alternatively by the compliance ratio (CR) or the adjusted compliance ratio method (ACR). In this research, a small scale yielding two-parameter modified boundary layer analysis is performed to study the occurrence of plasticity-induced fatigue crack closure under constant amplitude loading and plane strain conditions. A wide range of T-stresses and KI levels are considered in the finite element analysis with the purpose of exploring the behavior of the crack opening stress. Crack closure was observed for some values of T-stress. Other values of T-stress resulted in an absence of closure under steady state conditions. In addition, an elastic-plastic finite element model was used to simulate a growing fatigue crack with WARP3D software. The computed displacements were used to determine the effective stress intensity factor range ΔKeff with the ASTM standard compliance offset approach, the (CR) method, and the (ACR) method. Finally, measurement location effects on ACR and the ability of ACR method to remove residuals stresses were investigated.

Accommodative microfluctuations (AMFs) are temporal variations in the accommodative response. AMFs can be divided into two categories, the low frequency component (LFC) measuring below 0.6 Hz and the high frequency component (HFC) measuring between 1.0 and 2.3 Hz. This thesis examined occupational factors that may affect AMFs comprising of cognitive demand, visual fatigue and the type of digital display used. These effects were measured by assessing changes in the LFC, mid frequency component (MFC), HFC, and RMS accommodation. Analysis of chaos and the overall accommodative response (AR) was also used. Furthermore, an investigation into inter- and intra-participant variability was completed. The HFC was shown to increase in line with increasing cognitive demand. A significant effect for task duration was found at higher accommodative demands for the overall AR, LFC and MFC. There was a significant effect on the LFC and AR depending on the type of display used during near work. The HFC and MFC were found to be less repeatable in the same participant relative to LFC, RMS accommodation and AR measurements. AMFs appear to have an effect on occupational factors, however more research is required to assess how much of an effect they may have relative to other ocular factors that affect occupational settings.

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