The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between leg dominance and knee mechanics to provide further information about the etiology of ACL injury. Sixteen healthy females between the ages of 18 and 22 who were NCAA Division I varsity soccer players participated in this study. Subjects were instructed to perform a cutting maneuver; where they sprinted full speed and then performed an evasive maneuver (planting on one leg and pushing off to the other leg in a new direction) at a 45° angle with their dominate leg (DL) and non-dominate leg (NDL). Subjects were required to perform five successful cuts on each side given in a random order. Bilateral kinematic and kinetic data were collected during the cutting trials. After the cutting trials, subjects performed bilateral isometric and isokinetic testing using a Cybex Norm dynamometer at a speed of 60°/sec to evaluate knee muscle strength. During the braking phase the NDL showed greater (P=0.003) power absorption, greater (P=0.01) peak internal rotation angle and greater (P=0.005) peak flexion velocity. During the propulsive phase the DL showed greater (P=0.01) power production, greater (P=0.038) peak internal adductor moment and greater (P=0.02) peak extension velocity. In addition, no differences (P>0.05) in knee extensor and flexor isometric and isokinetic torques between the two limbs were shown. The results of this study show that a difference in knee mechanics during cutting does exist between the DL and NDL. The findings of this study will increase the knowledge base of ACL injury in females and aid in the design of more appropriate neuromuscular, plyometric and strength training protocols for injury prevention. / School of Physical Education, Sport, and Exercise Science

Typical rubber compounds used to manufacture industrial products such as tyres, hoses, conveyor belts, acoustics, shock pads, and engine mountings contain up to eight classes of chemical additives· including curing agents, accelerators, activators, processing aids, and antidegradants. The cure systems in these articles often consists of primary and secondary accelerators, primary and secondary activators, and elemental sulphur. Recent legislation impacting upon the working environment, safety and health has imposed a considerable burden on the manufacturers of rubber compounds to meet various obligations. The selection of raw materials and manufacturing processes that do not harm the environment is of great importance. A novel technique for preparing rubber formulations using crosslinking nanofillers such as silanised precipitated silica has been developed in this research. The silica surfaces were pre-treated with bis[3-triethoxysilylpropyl-] tetrasulphane coupling agent (TESPT).· TESPT is a sulphur containing bifunctional organosilane which chemically adheres silica to rubber and also prevents silica from interfering with the reaction mechanism of sulphur-cure systems. The tetrasulphane groups of the TESPT are rubber reactive and react in the presence of accelerator at elevated temperatures, i.e.140 -260°C, with or without elemental sulphur being present, to form crossIinks in rubbers containing chemically active double bonds for example styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) and polybutadiene rubber (BR) .. SBR and BR rubber compounds containing 60 phr of TESPT pre-treated silica nanofiller were prepared. The silica particles were fully dispersed in the rubber, which was cured primarily by using sulphur in TESPT. The reaction between the tetrasulphane groups of TESPT and the rubbers was optimised by incorporating different accelerators and activators in the rubber. The mechanical properties of the rubber vulcanisates such as hardness, tear strength, tensile strength, elongation at break, stored' energy density at break, abrasion resistance, modulus and cyclic fatigue life were increased significantly when the treated silica filler was added. The need for the accelerator and activator was dependent on the composition of the rubber. Interestingly, the rubbers were fully cured without the use of elemental sulphur, secondary accelerator and secondary activator. As a result, a substantial reduction in the use of the curing chemicals was achieved without compromising the important properties of rubber compounds which are essential for maintaining long life and good performance of industrial rubber products in service. This approach has also helped to improve health and safety within the workplace and minimise harm to the enviromnent.Furthermore, a significant cost saving was achieved after reducing the number of curing chemicals in the rubber.

Nanoindentation has become a widely used technique to measure the mechanical properties of materials. Due to its capability to deform materials in micro- and nano-scale, nanoindentation has found more applications in characterizing the deformation behavior and determining the mechanical properties of thin films and coatings. This research deals with the characterization of samples received from Center for Advanced Microstructures and Devices (CAMD) and Integran Technologies Inc., Toronto, Canada and the objective of this investigation was to utilize the experimental data obtained from nanoindentation to determine the deformation behavior, mechanical properties of thin films on substrates and bulk materials, and the effect of geometrically different indenters (Berkovich, cubecorner, and conical). X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis were performed on these materials to determine the crystal orientation, grain size of the material, and also to measure any substrate effects like pile-up or sin-in respectively. The results indicate that indentation size effect (ISE) strongly depends on shape of the indenter and less sensitive to penetration depth where as the hardness measurements depends on shape of indenter and depth of penetration. There is a negligible strain rate dependency of hardness at deeper depths and a significant increase in the hardness due to the decrease in grain size and results also indicate that there is no significant substrate effect on thin films for 10% and 20% of film thicknesses. Nanocrystalline material could not validate a dislocation based mechanisms deformation for indentation made by cubecorner and conical indenters in depths less than 1mm.

3D printers that precisely fuse plastic filament are enabling medical manufacturers to produce high-quality plastic medical devices and implants. However, the low-temperature fusing process implies that post-production sterilization must also occur at a low temperature or destroy the precision of the product. This study characterizes the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) vapour sterilization on ASTM-compliant tensile samples of polylactic acid, polycaprolactone, and polycarbonate. The sterilization process caused physical deformations in polycaprolactone. Additionally, increases were observed in polycaprolactone and polycarbonate sample thickness, and in polycarbonate sample width. Decreases in E were found in all three materials, while UTS decreased in polycarbonate, and strain at UTS increased in polycaprolactone. The findings demonstrate that the materials can be compatible with H2O2 vapour sterilization, but products must be designed to accommodate for changes that occur due to sterilization. / February 2017

Tungsten will be a key material for the plasma-facing components in future fusion devices. Its mechanical performance under neutron irradiation will strongly influence the lifetime of these devices. Pure tungsten has been subjected to a variety of irradiating species - tungsten ions, helium ions and fission neutrons - between 500°C and 900°C and the change in mechanical properties measured by micro-mechanical testing methods. Pure tungsten has been ion-irradiated using self-ions and helium ions at 500°C and 800°C. Nanoindentation has been performed on all specimens, and the 800°C specimens have been tested at temperatures up to 750°C using high-temperature nanoindentation. The irradiation temperature has no effect on the hardening of tungsten. Hardening from self-ion irradiation has not saturated by 4.5 dpa with an increase in hardness of 3.3 GPa. The hardening from helium implantation is only 0.73 GPa, and a comparison with literature shows that this hardening only depends on the concentration of the injected helium. The difference is likely due to the much smaller defect size of helium-vacancy clusters when compared to dislocation loops. High-temperature nanoindentation shows that helium-implanted tungsten softens rapidly, with the hardening from the radiation damage becoming negligible above 450°C. Self-ion implanted tungsten does not soften by 650°C, again likely due to the size difference of the defects. Micro-mechanical tests - namely micro-cantilever bending - have been used to investigate the plastic and fracture characteristics of tungsten before and after irradiation. Plastic behaviour is dominated by size effects due to the 3 μm depth of the implanted layers, which makes nanoindentation a better method for investigating radiation damaged layers. In fracture testing, fracture is rarely seen. Using the yield stress to calculate fracture toughness, the hardening from irradiation damage results in an increase in fracture toughness from 2.2 MPa√m to 6.0 MPa√m. The work of deformation at 1% is also increased after irradiation from 7.2 x 10^-11 Nm to 2.8 x 10^-10 Nm, implying that the implanted damage is not leading to an increase in embrittlement by reducing K^1c. Neutron irradiated tungsten also shows an increase in fracture toughness after irradiation from 6.5 MPa√m to 14.5 MPa√m. However, the BDTT increases by ∼ 100°C in poly-crystal tungsten and ∼ 500°C in single-crystal tungsten. The difference in BDTT does not exist in the unimplanted material. The change after irradiation is likely due to the fine (˜ 3 μm) grain size and 900°C irradiation temperature causing a significant amount of the displacement damage to be absorbed at the grain boundaries. The hardness of neutron irradiated and ion irradiated tungsten is very close: 10.4 GPa and 11.2 GPa respectively, demonstrating the ions are likely well-representing the neutron damage in pure tungsten.

Deux nouveaux alliages à base de TiAl (le Ti-46Al-8Nb et le Ti-46Al-8Ta) développés dans le cadre du projet européen IMPRESS pour des applications dans les turbines aéronautiques de Rolls Royce plc. ont été étudiés au cours de ce travail de thèse. Ils ont été caractérisés du point de vue de leur microstructure, leur résistance à l'oxydation et leurs propriétés mécaniques en traction. La microstructure dite convolutée mise en œuvre lors des traitements thermiques effectués par différents partenaires du projet a été caractérisée par microscopie optique, microscopie électronique à balayage et en transmission. A la différence de la microstructure lamellaire classique dont les lamelles d'un même grain sont orientées dans la même direction, les grains convolutés possèdent plusieurs orientations des colonies de lamelles. Ces orientations multiples ont été attribuées aux orientations possibles des plans de la phase gamma (obtenue après transformation massive) sur lesquelles la phase a2 est susceptible de précipiter et de croître. Le comportement à l'oxydation isotherme de ces alliages a été étudié à 700°C sous air et il a été montré que les cinétiques d'oxydation de l'alliage au Nb sont inférieures à celles de l'alliage au tantale, traduisant ainsi le fait que le Nb confère d'avantage plus de résistance à l'oxydation que le Ta. La structure de la couche d'oxyde au bout de 50 h est faite de deux sous-couches dans le cas de l'alliage au Nb : une sous-couche externe riche en alumine amorphe et une sous-couche interne constituée d'alumine amorphe renfermant de nombreuses petites cristallites de rutile. Dans le cas de l'alliage au tantale, la couche d'oxyde après 50 h d'oxydation est constituée d'une monocouche d'oxyde amorphe riche en aluminium renfermant des cristallites de rutile. L'alliage au Nb présente 2 sous couches : une sous couche externe d'oxyde amorphe riche en aluminium et une sous couche interne d'oxyde amorphe renfermant des cristallites de rutile. Au bout de 1000 h d'oxydation, la composition et la structure des couches d'oxyde ont complètement changé. L'oxyde est complètement cristallisé et se présente sous forme de deux sous-couches dans le cas de l'alliage au Nb. Une sous-couche externe d'alumine gamma et une sous-couche interne de rutile. Quant à l'alliage au tantale, l'on a 3 ou 4 sous couches selon que l'oxyde se soit formé à partir des lamelles de la phase g ou de la phase a2. La sous-couche externe reste continue et uniforme, et est constituée par de l'alumine gamma. En suite l'on a une sous-couche également continue de rutile. Les deux sous-couches se mélangent sur une épaisseur d'environ 20 à 30 nm et forment ainsi une zone d'oxydes mixtes de rutile et d'alumine. Cette sous-couche d'oxydes mixte se prolonge jusqu'à l'interface dans le cas de l'oxydation des lamelles de la phase gamma. En revanche, dans le cas de l'oxydation des lamelles de la phase a2, une quatrième couche de rutile est présente en dessous de la couche d'oxyde mixte. Dans tous les cas, l'interface entre l'oxyde et le substrat est faite d'une couche continue de nitrures de titane après 1000 h d'oxydation. Ces nitrures sont très localisés après les temps d'oxydation courts (50 h). L'influence de la température et de la vitesse de déformation sur les propriétés mécaniques en traction a été étudiée, et il a été relevé que plusieurs modes de rupture présents dans la plage de température étudiée (25-900°C). Pour la vitesse de 10-4s-1, en dessous de 750°C la rupture est fragile et à partir de 800°C elle est ductile. Le domaine de transition ductile fragile a été donc établi entre 750 et 800°C pour cette gamme de vitesse de déformation. A vitesse de déformation plus faible (10-5s-1), les ductilités obtenues sont accrues et l'on atteint près de 1% de déformation à température ambiante. Les essais de fragilisation de l'alliage au Ta ont été réalisés par des essais de fluage interrompus et des recuits à 700°C sous différents environnements, suivis de la traction à froid. Il a été montré qu'indépendant du pré-traitement subi, la déformation plastique est complètement perdue. Cette perte de ductilité a été attribuée à la formation des précipités riches en Ta présents aux joints de grains et aux joints de lamelles des deux phases en présence. Lesdits précipités se forment par décomposition de la phase a2 et du rejet du Ta aux joints de grains et aux interfaces inter-lamellaires lors du maintient à 700°C. / This study was performed within the frame-work of the European integrated IMPRESS project and two different new TiAl based alloys (namely Ti-46Al-8Nb and Ti-46Al-8Ta) were studied as potential materials for applications in low pressure turbine blades. They were characterized in terms of their microstructure, their oxidation resistance at service temperature (namely 700°C) and their tensile properties. The so-called convoluted microstructure (obtained during heat treatments performed by different project partners) has been characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Unlike the classical lamellar microstructure in which the lamellae of a given grain are oriented in the same direction, the convoluted microstructure shows different orientations of lamellae colonies and these were attributed to the possible orientations of the (111) planes of the “gamma phase” (g-TiAl) obtained after massive transformation, on which the basal plane of the « alpha 2 phase” (a2-Ti3Al) is likely to precipitate and grow during heat treatments. Isothermal oxidation of these alloys was studied in air at 700°C and it was shown that the oxidation kinetics of the Nb-alloy is lower compared to that of the Ta-alloy, suggesting that niobium provides greater oxidation resistance compared to tantalum. The structure of the oxide layer after 50 h oxidation is made of two sub-layers in the case of the Nb-alloy, with an outer amorphous aluminum enriched oxide layer and an inner sub-layer made of amorphous aluminum enriched oxide containing many small crystallites of rutile. In the case of the Ta-alloy, after the same oxidation period of time, the oxide layer is made of a unique amorphous aluminum enriched oxide layer containing crystallites of rutile. After 1000 h of oxidation, the composition and structure of the oxide have completely changed. The oxide layer is now completely crystallized and is made of two sub-layers in the case of the niobium alloy, with an outermost gamma alumina (g-Al2O3) layer and an inner layer made exclusively of rutile (TiO2) crystallites. As for the alloy with tantalum, 3 or 4 sub-layers could be found depending on the initial phase of the substrate (g or a2) from which the oxide is formed. The same as for the previous alloy, the two external sub-layers are continuous with an outermost uniform g-Al2O3 and an inner sub-layer made of rutile crystallites. These two sub-layers are interconnected within a 20 to 30 nm thick sub-layer made of mixed oxides of gamma alumina and rutile. This sub-layer of mixed oxides extends to the interface with the substrate in front of “gamma phase” lamellae. When the oxidized lamellae are the ones of the “alpha 2 phase”, a fourth sub-layer of rutile is present below the mixed oxide layer. For the two alloys, a continuous layer of titanium nitride (TiN) is present at the interface between the oxide and substrate after 1000 h oxidation, while isolated nitrides are observed at the interface after shorter oxidation time (50 h). The influence of temperature and strain rate on tensile properties was investigated, and it was noted that within the temperature domain explored (25-900°C), several failure modes occur with increasing temperature. For a strain rate of 10-4s-1 the failure mode is brittle below 750°C and is ductile above 800°C. The brittle to ductile transition domain was then established between 750 and 800°C for this strain rate. At much lower strain rate (10-5s-1), the ductility increases significantly and reaches nearly 1% strain at room temperature. Embrittlement testing of the alloy with tantalum was also performed by doing interrupted creep tests and pre-annealed tests under different environments at 700°C. These tests where then followed by straining the samples to failure at room temperature. Regardless of pre-treatment, all the tested samples show a total loose of their ductility and the tensile tests resulted in their early failure in the elastic domain. This loose of ductility was attributed to the formation of tantalum enriched precipitates which are present at grain boundaries and also at the interface between the lamellae of the different phases of the substrate. Such precipitates are formed by decomposition of the "alpha 2 phase" and the rejection of tantalum at grain boundaries and at inter-lamellar interfaces during elevated temperature holding (700°C).

Due to the problem of obtaining the predicted mechanical properties for Al-Si alloys, especially after heat treatment, trial batches of sodium, strontium and unmodified alloys were cast. The alloys were cast using a standard test bar design. The material was solution treated, quenched and aged (at both increasing time and temperature) to obtain the best properties possible. Initial background information and theory was obtained at libraries to obtain a better working knowledge of the alloy...

Empirical tests developed for an objective evaluation of noodle texture as well as sensory methods provide no information about the rheological parameters responsible for differences in the texture of Asian noodles. Therefore, there is a need for a technique to evaluate the rheological properties of Asian noodles that is fast, easy and inexpensive. Promising results from ultrasonic assessments of the rheological properties of wheat flour doughs and preliminary noodle studies were an encouragement to use ultrasound to address such need in this thesis. Using ultrasound at a relatively high frequency (1.4 MHz), the rheological properties of raw noodles made with three Canadian wheat varieties at various barley β-glucan (BBG) contents, sheeting work input levels and salt to kansui ratios (formulas) were evaluated. Conventional rheological, i.e., stress relaxation (SR) and uniaxial extension (Kieffer), measurements were employed for comparison purposes. The capability of ultrasound for evaluating the effects of BBG addition and sheeting work input on the rheological properties of raw wheat noodles of this study was confirmed. A greater sensitivity of ultrasound to microscopic changes in noodle dough structure, compared to SR and Kieffer tests, was reflected in differences between the results of ultrasound and those of the SR and Kieffer tests with respect to the influences of flour variety and formula on noodle rheology. Investigations of the density of raw noodles showed that air bubbles were present in the noodle dough matrix. A simple, fast and low-cost method, based on the measurement of noodle dough dimensions during the sheeting process, was proposed for a quick evaluation of noodle dough rheology. The results of the proposed method were in agreement with those of conventional rheological measurements on the effects of flour variety and sheeting work input on noodle texture. The time-dependent effect of kansui on noodle dough structure was confirmed by comparing the results of this new method with those of SR and Kieffer tests with respect to the effect of formula on noodle rheology. Further investigations are proposed to establish this method for quick assessment of Asian wheat noodle rheology. / February 2017

Background: The ligaments in coherence with the capsule of the hip joint are known to contribute to hip stability. Nevertheless, the contribution of the mechanical properties of the ligaments and gender- or side-specific differences are still not completely clear. To date, comparisons of the hip capsule ligaments to other tissues stabilizing the pelvis and hip joint, e.g. the iliotibial tract, were not performed. Materials & Methods: Hip capsule ligaments were obtained from 17 human cadavers (9 females, 7 males, 13 left and 8 right sides, mean age 83.65 ± 10.54 years). 18 iliofemoral, 9 ischiofemoral and 17 pubofemoral ligaments were prepared. Uniaxial stress-strain properties were obtained from the load-deformation curves before the secant elastic modulus was computed. Strain, elastic modulus and cross sections were compared. Results: Strain and elastic modulus revealed no significant differences between the iliofemoral (strain 129.8 ± 11.1%, elastic modulus 48.8 ± 21.4 N/mm2), ischiofemoral (strain 128.7 ± 13.7%, elastic modulus 37.5 ± 20.4 N/mm2) and pubofemoral (strain 133.2 ± 23.7%, elastic modulus 49.0 ± 32.1 N/mm2) ligaments. The iliofemoral ligament (53.5 ± 15.1 mm2) yielded a significantly higher cross section compared to the ischiofemoral (19.2 ± 13.2 mm2) and pubofemoral (15.2 ± 7.2 mm2) ligament. No significant gender- or side-specific differences were determined. A comparison to the published data on the iliotibial tract revealed lower elasticity and less variation in the ligaments of the hip joint.

No description available.