The thesis studies the relationship between inter-fiber forces present within a cellulose fiber web under varying external conditions. It particularly concentrates on the degree of fiber to fiber bonding and fiber entanglement as a function of moisture content. Finite element analysis of the fiber bonding is used in conjunction with the experimental results to analyze and explain the inter-fiber behaviors taking place within a sheet.

Most engineering as well as pavement materials are composites composed of two or more components to obtain a variety of solid properties to support internal and external loading. The composite materials rely on physical or chemical properties and volume fraction of each component. While the properties can be identified easily, the volume fraction is hard to be estimated due to the volumetric variation during the performance in the field. Various test procedures have been developed to measure the volume fractions; however, they depend on subjective determination and judgment. As an alternative, electromagnetic technique using dielectric constant was developed to estimate the volume fraction. Empirical and mechanistic approaches were used to relate the dielectric constant and volume fraction. While the empirical models are not very accurate in all cases, the mechanistic models require assumptions of constituent dielectric constants. For those reasons, the existing approaches might produce less accurate estimate of volume fraction. In this study, a mechanistic-based approach using the self consistent scheme was developed to be applied to multiphase materials. The new approach was based on calibrated dielectric constant of components to improve results without any assumptions. Also, the system identification was used iteratively to solve for dielectric parameters and volume fraction at each step. As the validation performed to verify the viability of the new approach using soil mixture and portland cement concrete, it was found that the approach has produced a significant improvement in the accuracy of the estimated volume fraction.

Fatigue cracking and moisture damage are two important modes of distresses in asphalt pavements. Recently, the Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) was used to characterize fatigue cracking and evaluate the effects of moisture damage on the Fine Aggregate Matrix (FAM) portion of asphalt mixtures. The FAM specimens should be properly fabricated to represent the composition and structure of the fine portion of the mixture. The objective of the first phase of this study was to develop a standard test procedure for preparing FAM specimens such that it is representative of the mixture. The method consists of preparing loose full asphalt mixtures and sieving through different sizes. Then, the ignition oven was used to determine the binder content associated with the small size materials (passing on sieve #16). Sieve #16 is used to separate fine aggregates from the coarse aggregates. The applicability of this new method will be evaluated using a number of asphalt mixtures. The objective of the second phase of this study was to develop software to analyze the data from DMA test. Such software will enable engineers and researchers to perform the complex analysis in very short time. This is Microsoft Windows ® based software, executable in any hardware configuration under this operational system.

Field compaction of asphalt mixtures is an important process that influences performance of asphalt pavements; however there is very little effort devoted to evaluate the influence of compaction on the uniformity and properties of asphalt mixtures. The first part of this study evaluated relationships between different field compaction patterns and the uniformity of air void distribution in asphalt pavements. A number of projects with different asphalt mixture types were compacted, and cores were taken at different locations from these projects. The X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) system was used to capture the air void distributions in these cores. The analysis results have revealed that the uniformity of air void distribution is highly related to the compaction pattern and the sequence of different compaction equipment. More importantly, the efficiency of compaction (reducing air voids) at a point was found to be a function of the location of this point with respect to the compaction roller width. The results in this study supported the development of the "Compaction Index (CI)," which quantifies the degree of field compaction. The CI is a function of the number of passes at a point and the position of the point with respect to the compaction roller width. This index was found to correlate reasonably well with percent air voids in the pavement. The CI calculated from field compaction was also related to the slope of the compaction curve obtained from the Superpave gyratory compactor. This relationship offers the opportunity to predict field compactability based on laboratory measurements. The compaction of longitudinal joints was investigated, and recommendations were put forward to improve joint compaction. The air void distributions in gyratory specimens were related to the mixture mechanical properties measured using the Overlay and Hamburg tests. The second part of this study focused on studying the relationship between air void distribution and moisture diffusion. A laboratory test protocol was developed to measure the diffusion coefficient of asphalt mixtures. This important property has not measured before. The results revealed that the air void phase within the asphalt mixtures controls the rate of moisture diffusion. The measured diffusion coefficients correlated well with the percent and size of connected air voids. The measured diffusion coefficient is a necessary parameter in modeling moisture transport and predicting moisture damage in asphalt mixtures. The last part of this study investigated the resistance of asphalt mixtures with different percent air voids to moisture damage by using experimental methods and a fracture mechanics approach that accounts for fundamental material properties.

The present study employs a standardized progressive load scratch test (ASTM D7027/ISO 19252) to investigate the fundamental physical and mechanistic origins of scratch deformation in styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) random copolymers. Previous findings from numerical simulation using finite element methods are used to establish correlation between mechanical properties and key scratch deformation mechanisms of the SAN model systems. For SAN, the acrylonitrile (AN) content and molecular weight (MW) can be changed to alter mechanical properties such as tensile strength and ductility. The key scratch deformation mechanisms are identified as: scratch groove formation, scratch visibility, periodic micro-cracking and plowing. Groove formation has been correlated to the secant modulus at the compressive yield point while micro-cracking and plowing are related to the tensile strength of the material. The fundamentals and physical origins of scratch visibility are discussed. It is explained how unbiased evaluation is accomplished by means of an automatic digital image analysis software package (ASV®). Frictional behavior and the effects of scratch speed and moisture absorption are also addressed. Increasing the AN content and/or the MW of the SAN random copolymers generally enhances the scratch resistance of the material with regard to the onset of the key deformation mechanisms. Increasing the scratch speed increases the brittleness of the material, resulting in failure at lower applied loads. Moisture absorption increases with AN content and imparts a degree of plasticization as the moisture diffuses into the sub-surface. This plasticization initially results in a degradation of scratch resistance with respect to the key deformation mechanisms, but then, after saturation, the moisture on the surface provides lubrication and improves the scratch resistance. It is important to note that polymers are fundamentally different in nature, but the findings of this study serve as an important stepping stone down the path to a deeper understanding of polymer scratch behavior.

This thesis employs a finite element (FE) method for numerically simulating the mechanical response of constituents in a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite to indentation. Indentation refers to a procedure that subsumes a rigid indenter of specific geometry to impress the surface of a relatively softer material, with a view of estimating its mechanical properties. FE analyses are performed on a two-dimensional simplified microstructure of the FRP composite comprising perfectly bonded fiber, interphase and matrix sections. Indentation response of the constituents is first examined within the context of linearized elasticity. Time-dependent response of the polymer matrix is invoked by modeling the respective constituent section as a linear isotropic viscoelastic material. Furthermore, indentation responses to non-mechanical stimulus, like moisture absorption, is also simulated through a sequentially coupled analysis. A linear relationship describing the degradation of elastic moduli of the individual constituents with increasing moisture content has been assumed. The simulations subsume a point load idealization for the indentation load eventually substituted by indenter tips with conical and spherical profiles. Results from FE analyses in the form of load-displacement curves, displacement contours and stress contours are presented and discussed. With the application of concentrated load on linearly elastic constituents for a given/known degree of heterogenity in the FRP, simulations indicated the potential of indentation technique for determining interphase properties in addition to estimating the matrix-fiber interphase bond strength. Even with stiffer surrounding constituents, matrix characterization was rendered difficult. However, fiber properties were found to be determinable using the FE load-displacement data, when the load-displacement data from experimentation is made available. In the presence of a polymer (viscoelastic) matrix, the surrounding elastic constituents could be characterized for faster loading rates when viscoelastic effects are insignificant. Displacements were found to be greater in the presence of a polymer matrix and moisture content in comparison with a linearly elastic matrix and dry state. As one would expect, the use of different indenter tips resulted in varying responses. Conical tips resulted in greater displacements while concentrated load produced greater stresses. Further it was found that, despite the insignificant effects due to surrounding constituents, analytical (Flamant) solution for concentrated, normal force on a homogeneous, elastic half-plane becomes inapplicable in back calculating the elastic moduli of individual FRP constituents. This can be attributed to the finite domain and the associated boundary conditions in the problem of interest.

It is an important issue for manufacturing and operation to formulate reliability about the effects of the moisture absorption and IR reflow parameters on IC packages. Two problems, the warpage of the thin IC package, and characterizing the adhesion features of IC package¡¦s interface, are studied in this dissertation. In a thin IC package, the CTE and CHE mismatch between materials are primarily attributed to the warpage which occurs when the package is being mounted on a PCB. The existence of defects in the corresponding interfaces can gradually degrade the interfacial adhesion when IC package is exposed to the high temperature and humidity. In this dissertation, the stability equations for the warpage in a thin IC package without the solder balls being subjected to hygrothermal loading, by modeling it as an initially perfect/imperfect composite plate, is developed. The analytical closed-form solutions are found and used to compute not only the critical moisture content but also the warpage occurrence before the critical loads are reached. The hygrothermal buckling phenomenon is checked by shadow moiré whole-field maps with different moisture content. The results indirectly indicate that the thin PBGA package has little imperfection. For characterizing the adhesion features of IC package¡¦s interface, the fuzzy controller is used to stabilize multiple performance characteristics, i.e., the moisture weight gain and adhesion strength, for the button shear test specimen. Parameters design, although based on the Taguchi method, can optimize the performance characteristic through the setting of process parameters and can reduce the sensitivity of the system performance to sources of variation. The control rules of the fuzzy controller were formed using the author¡¦s experience and knowledge of IC packaging process. The control parameters to be tuned were the membership functions. Therefore, the controller¡¦s performance depended on the membership functions. The fuzzy controller combined Taguchi parameter design, which makes the control performance insensitive to the operating condition change and noise, was used to determine the membership functions.

Grape pomace is a valuable waste product and various end-products have been obtained after treatments. Recently, these have been commercialized due to their health-promoting effects. Drying is a crucial part of these treatments. This study aimed to analyze the drying kinetics of grape pomace parts, which are seeds and skins. Two grape types were used in this study, namely Emir and Bogazkere varieties of Vitis Vinifera species. Seeds and skins of each variety were dried in a tray dryer at an air velocity of 1 m/s with four different air temperatures / 40, 50, 55 and 60&deg / C. The drying curves showed that the drying r ate increased with the air temperature. Six different drying models were selected from the literature and the best fitted model was determined by application of appropriate statistical methods. It was found that for Bogazkere seeds / Modified Two Term Model, for Bogazkere and Emir skins / Modified Page Model and for Emir skins / Logarithmic Model gave the best fit. The effective moisture diffusivities of each type were found for each temperature and were determined by two different approaches, experimental and estimation. The values and variation of Deff / L2 with temperature were calculated and were found to be increasing with temperature and that the Deff / L2 values were larger for grape skins than grape seeds. Arrhenius type equation was used in order to explain the temperature dependency of Deff / L2.

Three experimental studies were conducted to quantify the effects of system cycling, evaporator airflow, and condenser coil fouling on the performance of residential air conditioners. For all studies, the indoor dry-bulb (db) temperature was 80°F (26.7°C) db. The cycling study consisted of twelve transient tests conducted with an outdoor temperature of 95°F (35°C) db for cycle times of 6, 10, 15, and 24 minutes. Indoor relative humidities of 40%, 50%, and 60% were also considered. The evaporator airflow study consisted of twenty-four steady-state tests conducted with an indoor condition of 67°F (19.4°C) wet-bulb (wb) for evaporator airflows ranging from 50% below to 37.5% above rated airflow. Outdoor temperatures of 85°F (29.4°C) db, 95°F (35°C) db, and 105°F (40.6°C) db were also considered. The coil fouling study used a total of six condensers that were exposed to an outdoor environment for predetermined amounts of time and tested periodically. Three of the condensers were cleaned and retested during the periodic testing cycles. Testing consisted of thirty-three steady-state tests conducted with an indoor condition of 67°F (19.4°C) wb for outdoor exposure times of 0, 2000, 4000, and 8000 hours. Outdoor temperatures of 82°F (27.8°C) db and 95°F (35°C) db were also considered.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been identified as a good candidate to provide high-resolution soil moisture information over extended areas. SAR data could be used as observations within a global Data Assimilation (DA) approach to benefit applications such as hydrology and agriculture. Prior to developing an operational DA system, one must tackle the following challenges of soil moisture estimation with SAR: (1) the dependency of the measured radar signal on both soil moisture and soil surface roughness which leads to an ill-conditioned inverse problem, and (2) the difficulty in characterizing spatially/temporally surface roughness of natural soils and its scattering contribution. The objectives of this project are (1) to develop a roughness measurement method to improve the spatial/temporal characterization of soil surface roughness, and (2) to investigate to what extent the inverse problem can be solved by combining multipolarization, multi-incidence, and/or multi-frequency radar measurements. The first objective is achieved with a measurement method based on Structure from Motion (SfM). It is tailored to monitor natural surface roughness changes which have often been assumed negligible although without evidence. The measurement method is flexible, a.ordable, straightforward and generates Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for a SAR-pixel-size plot with mm accuracy. A new processing method based on band-filtering of the DEM and its 2D Power Spectral Density (PSD) is proposed to compute the classical roughness parameters. Time series of DEMs show that non-negligible changes in surface roughness can happen within two months at scales relevant for microwave scattering. The second objective is achieved using maximum likelihood fitting of the Oh backscattering model to (1) full-polarimetric Radarsat-2 data and (2) simulated multi-polarization / multi-incidence / multi-frequency radar data. Model fitting with the Radarsat-2 images leads to poor soil moisture retrieval which is related to inaccuracy of the Oh model. Model fitting with the simulated data quantifies the amount of multilooking for di.erent combinations of measurements needed to mitigate the critical e.ect of speckle on soil moisture uncertainty. Results also suggest that dual-polarization measurements at L- and C-bands are a promising combination to achieve the observation requirements of soil moisture. In conclusion, the SfM method along with the recommended processing techniques are good candidates to improve the characterization of surface roughness. A combination of multi-polarization and multi-frequency radar measurements appears to be a robust basis for a future Data Assimilation system for global soil moisture monitoring.