The increasing use of composite materials in many industries such as aerospace, automotive, and civil industries has increased the need for the development of effective techniques to detect defects in the bondlines of adhesive joints in composite structures. Currently, composite structures used in commercial applications such as modern aircraft use mechanical fasteners in redundancy to adhesive bonds to ensure structural integrity due to a lack of methods to reliably detect defects in the bondline of composite structure. As such, this thesis facilitates the development of nondestructive evaluation techniques for detecting bondline defects by using finite element (FE) modeling to simulate the effects of disbond defects caused by contamination of the bondline. These models were developed for single-lap joint specimens made of metal, composite, and dissimilar materials (metal bonded with composite) with contamination induced disbonds. The created FE models were used to generate whole-field strain data for single-lap joints under tensile loading. This generated strain data was then used to provide a model for evaluating and interpreting experimental strain measurements captured by digital image correlation (DIC). Finally, conclusions were drawn outlining the observed capability of strain measurement in the evaluation of bondline contamination in single-lap joints.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:28:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-12-15Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:57:54Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 arbex_aa_me_guara.pdf: 3130393 bytes, checksum: e1c62358ab112fd781ed4b9dfabf900d (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Juntas rebitadas sobrepostas representam elementos críticos na construção de estruturas aeronáuticas quando projetadas à fadiga. Por serem elementos de fixação largamente utilizados na indústria aeronáutica, o estudo de suas propriedades e variáveis à fadiga tem sido cada vez mais amplo. A variável que tem mostrado possuir alta influência na resistência à fadiga de juntas rebitadas é a força de aperto aplicada no processo de rebitagem. A vida da peça tende a ser maior quando o valor dessa força é aumentado. O método dos elementos finitos, que é uma ferramenta de cálculo aplicada nos mais diversos campos de atuação e tem se tornado parte indispensável de projetos mecânicos, é utilizado nesta dissertação para a análise de uma junta rebitada sobreposta de uso aeronáutico. A junta é simulada levando em conta as etapas do processo de fabricação e aplicação, a fim de realizar a análise de seu comportamento mecânico e calcular sua vida em fadiga. Através de um teste experimental de tração monotônica foram obtidos valores de deformação com extensômetros, e é feita a correlação desses dados com o modelo numérico a fim de validar a modelagem. Em seguida são feitas mais duas análises com diferentes forças de aperto, com o objetivo de verificar a influência dessa variação na vida em fadiga da peça. / Riveted lap joints represent a critical element in metallic airframe construction when designing against fatigue. These elements are widely used in the aerospace industry, so the study of the fatigue’s properties and variables has been increasingly broad. The variable that has shown to have a high influence on the fatigue strength of riveted joints is the clamping force applied to the riveting process. The life of the part tends to be higher when the clamping force applied is increased. The finite element method, which is a calculation tool applied in various fields of activity and has become an indispensable step of mechanical design, is used in this dissertation for the analysis of a riveted lap joint of aeronautic use. The joint is simulated considering the stages of the manufacturing process and application, in order to perform analysis of mechanical behavior and calculate the fatigue life. Through an experimental test of monotonic tensile, strain values were obtained with strain-gauges, and is made the correlation of these data with the numerical model to validate the modeling. Finally two more tests are made with different clamping forces, in order to check the influence of this variation in fatigue life of the joint.

A cold atmospheric pressure plasma source was investigated as an alternative pre-treatment for carbon fibre reinforced epoxy substrates prior to bonding. For reference, common surface pre-treatments were also investigated (peel ply, manual abrasion, and grit blasting). In the aerospace industry, the peel ply, is usually added to one side of the composite surface during manufacture and peeled off prior to bonding. Peel ply can be used independently or in combination with other techniques. The strength of the bonded joints of the different pre-treatments was assessed through tensile lap shear tests. It was found that combining peel ply with plasma increased the joint strength by 10% whereas manual abrasion or grit blasting after peel ply improved the strength of the joints by 15% and 20% respectively. The effect of pre-treating the composite substrate side without peel ply (bag side) was also investigated. The strength of the joints produced without any pre-treatment was increased by 99% for manual abrasion, 134% for grit blasting and by 146% for plasma. Comparing both surfaces of the composite substrates, it was found that using peel ply improved the performance of the joints by 91%. In order to understand better the effects of the different pre-treatments, surface characterisation of the substrates (surface roughness, surface free energy, and analysis of chemical changes) was also conducted. The effect of roughness did little to affect the strength values (for both surfaces of the composite). The adhesive used in this research was very good at wetting the surface, regardless of the roughness. However, when the adhesive was able to wet the surface, the relationship between bond strength and surface free energy was unclear. Plasma was shown to increase levels of oxygen at the surface and reduce/eliminate the concentration of fluorine at the surface on the bag side of the composite.

Adult skeletal muscles have remarkable regenerative capacity. Muscle regeneration occurs when muscle tissue experiences injury, causing a population of normally quiescent muscle-resident stem cells, called satellite cells, to become activated. The CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins known as C/EBPs are transcription factors belonging to the bZIP family. Previous work from our lab has identified C/EBPβ as an important negative regulator of myogenesis. C/EBPβ expression is localized to muscle satellite cells and is downregulated upon induction to differentiate, mirroring the loss of Pax7 expression in early myogenesis. C/EBPβ expression also negatively regulates MyoD protein expression. Leaky ribosomal scanning of the Cebpb mRNA produces three C/EBPβ isoforms: LAP*, LAP and LIP, though the individual role of each of these isoforms has not been investigated in myoblasts. This thesis focuses on determining the role of each of the C/EBPβ isoforms during skeletal muscle differentiation. Forced expression of the C/EBPβ-LIP isoform in myoblasts led to a decrease in Myf5, MyoD, and myogenin expression under differentiation conditions when compared to empty vector controls. Further, the fusion of cells was greatly reduced following differentiation. C/EBPβ-LIP expressing cells also demonstrated a growth defect, with pronounced G1 arrest and features of senescence. In contrast, myoblasts expressing the C/EBPβ-LAP isoform has impaired differentiation, though this was not as pronounced as in C/EBPβ-LIP expressing cells and proliferated normally. While LIP is not normally expressed in primary myoblasts from healthy muscle, the ratio of LIP:LAP was increased in primary myoblasts isolated from mdx mice, an animal model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. These findings suggest that the regulation of C/EBPβ isoform expression could regulate stem cell stamina and may contribute to defects in muscle regeneration in disease.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were dispersed into polyvinyl acetate (PVAc ) adhesive cured by radio frequency (RF) to investigate their loading effects on PVAc adhesive curing time and lap shear bond strength performance. Main factors are CNT loading (0.08, 0.25 and 0.41%), RF curing time (15, 30, 45, 60 seconds), and clamping pressure (100, 160, and 240 psi). Experimental results indicated that CNT loading had significant effects on PVAc curing time and lap shear bond strength. Specifically, single lap shear joints bonded with 0.41% CNT loading adhesive had significantly higher lap shear bond strengths than one with PVAc only (0% CNT loading). The curing time of PVAc dispersed with a 41% CNT loading (15 seconds) was 30 seconds shorter than the one with a 0% CNT loading (45 seconds).

The plasma environment of an active comet provides a unique setting for plasma physics research. The complex interaction of newly created cometary ions with the flowing plasma of the solar wind gives rise to a plethora of plasma physics phenomena, that can be studied over a large range of activity levels as the distance to the sun, and hence the influx of solar energy, varies. In this thesis, we have used measurements of the spacecraft potential by the Rosetta Langmuir probe instrument (LAP) to study the evolution of activity of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as it approached the sun from 3.6 AU in August 2014 to 2.1 AU in March 2015. The measurements are validated by cross-calibration to a fully independent measurement by an electrostatic analyzer, the Ion Composition Analyzer (ICA), also on board Rosetta. The spacecraft was found to be predominantly negatively charged during the time covered by our investigation, driven so by a rather high electron temperature of ~5 eV resulting from the low collision rate between electrons and the tenuous neutral gas. The spacecraft potential exhibited a clear covariation with the neutral density as measured by the ROSINA Comet Pressure Sensor (COPS) on board Rosetta. As the spacecraft potential depends on plasma density and electron temperature, this shows that the neutral gas and the plasma are closely coupled. The neutral density and negative spacecraft potential were higher in the northern hemisphere, which experienced summer conditions during the investigated period due to the nucleus spin axis being tilted toward the sun. In this hemisphere, we found a clear variation of spacecraft potential with comet longitude, exactly as seen for the neutral gas, with coincident peaks in neutral density and spacecraft potential magnitude roughly every 6 h, when sunlit parts of the neck region of the bi- lobed nucleus were in view of the spacecraft. The plasma density was estimated to have increased during the investigated time period by a factor of 8-12 in the northern hemisphere and possibly as much as a factor of 20-44 in the southern hemisphere, due to the combined effects of seasonal changes and decreasing heliocentric distance. The spacecraft potential measurements obtained by LAP generally exhibited good correlation with the estimates from ICA, confirming the accuracy of both of these instruments for measurements of the spacecraft potential. / <p>QC 20200602</p>

Reducing the weight of the truck vehicle conveys more cargo to be carried by thetrailer. This has a significant impact on the efficiency of the transport lowering both the total cost of cargo moved and the total carbon dioxide emitted. Half of the body in-white weight of a truck is comprised out of panels made out of thin mild forming steel which cannot be made thinner to reduce weight due to the lowered stiffness it would entail. Sandwich materials have a high stiffness to weight ratio and would for the same panel thickness as regular forming steel have a comparable bending stiffness but lowered weight. This master thesis is intended to be a preliminary study for Scania CV AB on sandwich materials and its potential use as lightweight panels in their trucks. With the intention of investigating whether a commercial sandwich material is capable of filling the role as outer panels of a truck, comparative tests regarding significant matters such as forming and painting was made on identically manufactured demonstrators comparing a sandwich material and a regular forming steel material. The tests identified weaknesses in the current manufacturing process for parts of a sandwich material. Such limitations are problems with painting and joining due to isolated cover sheets, forming problems revealing sink marks likely due to different spring back of the material and hemming flaws due to inadequately optimized hemming technique and anisotropy. Now that more knowledge of sandwich materials has been gained, counter measures for these findings can be made in order to take another step towards lowering the weight of the truck and a more efficient way of transporting goods. / Genom att minska vikten på lastbilen frigörs mer last att bäras av släpvagnen. Detta har en betydande inverkan på effektiviteten hos transporten som sänker både den totala kostnaden för transporterad last och de totala koldioxidutsläppen. Hälften aven lastbils rena karossvikt består av paneler gjorda av tunt mjukt formningsstål vilke tinte kan bli tunnare för att minska vikten på grund av den sänkta styvheten som detskulle medföra. Sandwichmaterial har en hög styvhet till viktförhållande och skulle församma paneltjocklek som vanligt formningsstål ha en jämförbar böjstyvhet men sänkt vikt. Denna uppsats är avsedd att vara en preliminär studie för Scania CV AB om sandwichmaterial och dess potentiella användning av lättvitkspaneler i lastbilar.Med avsikt att undersöka huruvida ett kommersiellt sandwichmaterial kan fylla rollen som lastbilens ytterpaneler utfördes jämförande tester med avseende på signifikanta frågor såsom formning och målning på identiskt tillverkade demonstratorer som jämförde ett sandwichmaterial och ett vanligt formningsstål. Testerna identifierade svagheter med materialet samt hur processen behöver anpassas för att kunna använda sandwichmaterialet i rådande tillverkningsprocess. Identifierade problem var bland annat problem med målning och sammanfogning på grund av isolerade ytterskickt i sandwichmaterialet, problem med formning som gav upphov till limdragningar som troligen beror på materialets olika återfjädring samt falsningsfel på grund av otillräckligt optimerad falsteknik och anisotropi. Nu när mer kunskap om sandwichmaterial erhållits kan motåtgärder för de funna resultaten undersökas för att ta ytterligare ett steg mot att sänka lastbilens vikt och därmed få ett effektivare transportmedel.

<p dir="ltr">This thesis explores the intricate mechanisms governing paracellular permeability, a process vital for maintaining homeostasis and barrier integrity in epithelial and endothelial tissues. Central to this exploration are tight junctions (TJs), multi-protein complexes that regulate substance movement between cells. The thesis begins with a comprehensive literature review synthesizing current research on how bacterial and viral proteins can enhance paracellular permeability or modulate TJs, highlighting their significance in both scientific and medical fields.</p><p dir="ltr">A focal point of the thesis is the detailed study of the <i>Listeria</i> adhesion protein (LAP), an epithelial TJ modulator (TJM). LAP’s interaction with the epithelial receptor, Hsp60, facilitates the translocation of <i>Listeria monocytogenes </i>across the epithelial barrier, presenting a novel approach for drug delivery. Addressing the limitations of current TJMs, such as poor bioavailability and toxic side effects, the thesis provides an in-depth analysis of LAP as an alternative biologics’ delivery vehicle. Utilizing a multidisciplinary research approach, the study reveals the cryo-EM structure of LAP at 2.9 Å resolution, elucidating its multimeric formation and interaction with Hsp60 through electrostatic forces, as supported by computational modeling.</p><p dir="ltr">The functional efficacy of LAP is further established through experiments demonstrating its capability to transport drug analogs across epithelial cell monolayers comparably to established TJMs. Moreover, <i>in vivo</i> studies using a mouse oral gavage model show that LAP significantly enhances the blood levels of peptide drugs without triggering inflammatory responses or harming tight junction architecture. This thesis ultimately positions the LAP-Hsp60 complex as a promising TJM candidate, offering an innovative means for enhancing oral drug delivery and maintaining epithelial barrier integrity.</p>

Composite structures are commonly joined using adhesive or mechanical joints, withmechanical joints being preferred when components need to be removable for maintenancepurposes. However, the presence of mechanical joints introduces a discontinuity in theload path, which can serve as an initiation point for failure and needs to be taken intoaccount in the design of the joint. Additionally, delaminations may occur around thefastener hole during the manufacturing and assembly processes, further impacting thestrength of the laminate under compressive loading. While some studies have assessedthe residual strength of open-hole specimens, limited information exists regarding theresidual bearing strength in delaminated composite joints. This study aims to assessthe significance of delaminations of varying sizes on the bearing strength of single-bolt,single-lap shear joints under static loading using numerical analysis methods. The effectsof countersinking and bolt size are also examined. Stress and progressive failure analysisare utilized to evaluate different parameters and account for the nonlinear behavior of thematerials. The study reveals that the presence of delamination leads to degradation ofthe bearing strength of approximately five percent when bolt pretension is applied and15 percent in the absence of pretension. Countersinking increases maximum and averagestresses on the cylindrical section of the hole, while a larger bolt size enhances bearingstrength by reducing bolt bending in single-lap shear joints. / Kompositstrukturer sammanfogas vanligtvis med hjälp av lim eller mekaniska fogar,där mekaniska fogar är att föredra när komponenter måste kunna demonteras förunderhållsändamål. Mekaniska fogar introducerar dock en diskontinuitet i lastvägen, somkan fungera som en startpunkt för strukturella fel och måste beaktas vid utformningenav fogen. Dessutom kan delaminering uppstå runt fästelementhålet under tillverkningsochmonteringsprocesserna, vilket ytterligare påverkar laminatets tryckhållfasthet. Någrastudier har utvärderat resthållfastheten hos prov med öppna hål, men det finns begränsadinformation om den resterande tryckhållfastheten vid hålkanten hos delamineradekompositfogar. Denna studie syftar till att bedöma påverkan av delamineringar avvarierande storlek på tryckhållfastheten vid hålkanten hos enskärsförband med ettfästelement under statisk belastning med hjälp av numeriska analysmetoder. Ävenpåverkan av försänkning och bultstorlek undersöks. Analyser av spänning och progressivskada används för att utvärdera olika parametrar och ta materialens olinjära beteendetill hänsyn. Studien ställer fast att förekomsten av delaminering leder till en försämringav tryckhållfastheten vid hålkanten med cirka fem procent när fästelementet är underförspänning och 15 procent utan förspänning. Försänkning av fästelementets huvud ökarmaximala och genomsnittliga spänningar på den cylindriska delen av hålet, medan enstörre bultstorlek höjer tryckhållfastheten vid hålkanten genom att minska bultböjningen ienskärsförband.

The ASTM E119 is a large-scale test used to qualify assemblies for fire resistance, including heat transmission and structural integrity. The test requires specialized furnaces and full-scale assemblies that are 3.0 m (10 ft) or more on each side, making it very expensive to perform. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of the scaling methodology for a reduced-scale fire resistance test on different types of wood-based structures, specifically commercially available intumescent coating applied onto wood and bolted lap joints in wood. We build upon a previously developed scaling methodology for wood and gypsum boards, which integrated geometric scaling, Fourier number time scaling, and furnace boundary condition matching. Intumescent coating presents a particular challenge in scaling in that it expands when exposed to fire conditions. To account for this expansion, we identified a relationship between initial dry film thickness and final expanded thickness through cone calorimeter tests and integrated it into a modified scaling methodology. This approach was then validated through fire exposure tests in furnace on wood samples painted with intumescent coating at full, half, and quarter scales. Finally, we demonstrated the scaling laws for joints under combined thermo-structural loading, by subjecting wood-based half-lap joint samples to combined bending and thermal loading at half and quarter scale. The samples were subjected to static three-point bending with the load scaled to achieve structural similitude, while simultaneously being exposed to a scaled fire exposure on the bottom surface. Our study provides insights into the practical application of scaling methodology for testing the fire resistance of joints and fire-resistant coated wood, paving the way for more cost-effective and quicker fire testing for the wood-based composite industry. / Master of Science / The ASTM E119 is a critical test standard that evaluates the fire resistance of various building materials, including wood-based structures. However, the standard tests are quite expensive due to the need for specialized equipment and large-scale samples. In this study, we explored the potential of using a scaled-down fire resistance test on different types of wood-based materials, including commercially available fire-resistant coated wood and joints. We built on existing scaling methods for wood and gypsum boards and adapted it to account for the unique properties of intumescent coating - a fire-resistant material that expands when exposed to high temperatures. By conducting a series of tests, we developed a modified scaling approach to accommodate the expansion of the coating. We then validated this new method by performing fire exposure tests at various scales on wood samples coated with intumescent coating. Finally, we adapted the scaling methods to account for wood based bolted joints. We tested the fire resistance of wood-based half-lap joints under combined heat and structural stress at smaller scales. Our study offers valuable insights into a more cost-effective and efficient method for testing fire resistance in wood-based structures. By providing a reliable scaling approach for fire-resistant coated wood and joints, our work has the potential to make fire testing more accessible for the wood composite industry, ultimately leading to safer and better-performing buildings.