The research presented in this work addresses open questions regarding (i) the fundamental understanding of powder compaction, and (ii) the complex mechanical response of particle-binder composites under large deformations. This work thus benefits a broad range of industries, from the pharmaceutical industry and its recent efforts on continuous manufacturing of solid tablets, to the defense and energy industries and the recurrent need to predict the performance of energetic materials. Powder compacts and particle-binder composites are essentially confined particulate systems with significant heterogeneity at the meso (particle) scale. While particle mechanics strategies for modeling evolution of mesoscale microstructure during powder compaction depend on the employed contact formulation to accurately predict macroscopic quantities like punch and die wall pressures, modeling of highly nonlinear, strain-path dependent macroscopic response without a distinctive yield surface, typical of particle-binder composites, requires proper constitutive modeling of these complex deformation mechanisms. Moreover, continued loading of particle-binder composites over their operational life may introduce significant undesirable changes to their microstructure and mechanical properties. These challenges are addressed with a combined effort on theoretical, modeling and experimental fronts, namely, (a) novel contact formulations for elasto-plastic particles under high levels of confinement, (b) a multi-scale experimental procedure for assessing changes in microstructure and mechanical behavior of particle-binder composites due to cyclic loading and time-recovery, and (c) a finite strain nonlinear elastic, endochronic plastic constitutive formulation for particle-binder composites.

Die Entwicklung und Erprobung von metallischen Implantatwerkstoffen mit biologischen Beschichtungen für den Einsatz im menschlichen Knochen verlangt, neben der Untersuchung grundlegender zellbiologischer Wechselwirkungen, eine ganzheitliche Betrachtung ihrer Wirkungsweise im lebenden Organismus. Die vorwiegend angewandte Methode zur Quantifizierung des Potentials von Biofunktionalisierungen metallischer Implantate ist dabei die histologische Auswertung. Diese stützt sich aber auf Informationen aus nur wenigen und eher zufälligen Schnittlagen im Probenvolumen, was mit einer hohen Anzahl an Tierexperimenten ausgeglichen wird. Mit der Mikrocomputertomographie steht neben der klassischen Histologie eine zerstörungsfreie Methode zur Verfügung, welche eine detaillierte dreidimensionale Darstellung des neugebildeten Knochengewebes ermöglicht. Die Abbildungsqualität des mineralischen Knochengewebes um Titanimplantate, als Grundlage für eine Vergleichbarkeit von Tomographie und Histologie, wurde anhand von drei Mikrofokus-Computertomographen und einem Synchrotron-Computertomographen am HASYLAB untersucht. Die tomographische Untersuchung von Hartgewebe einschließlich metallischer Implantate zeigte mit Hilfe von Synchrotronstrahlung die beste qualitative Übereinstimmung zur histologischen Bildgebung. Für die Quantifizierung der Knochenneubildung wurden interaktive Analysemodelle erarbeitet, welche eine vereinheitlichte Auswertung von histologischen und tomographischen Informationen erlaubt. Auf Grundlage der entwickelten Analyseprozeduren war es erstmals möglich, die statistische Belastbarkeit der Ergebnisse aus der histologischen und tomographischen Analyse zu untersuchen. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass hinsichtlich der Herausstellung von Unterschieden bei der Osseointegration modifizierter Titanimplantate mit beiden Methoden ähnliche Ergebnistrends gefunden werden. Eine Signifikanz (p < 0,01) der Unterschiede bei der Knochenneubildung konnte jedoch ausschließlich mit der mikrotomographischen Analyse herausgestellt werden. Die Ergebnisse bei der Darstellung und Analyse des mineralischen Gewebes durch die Nutzung der Synchrotrontomographie gehen weit über die Grenzen der histologischen Untersuchungen hinaus. Durch den dreidimensionalen Charakter der Informationen ergeben sich dabei neue Bewertungsmodelle zur Beurteilung der Osseointegration von biofunktionalisierten Implantaten. Die mikrotomographische Analyse führt gegenüber der histologischen Auswertung durch die geringe Irrtumswahrscheinlichkeit der Ergebnisse bei deutlich verminderter Probenanzahl zu einer erheblichen Verringerung von Tierversuchen.

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Plastic foams, such as Styrofoam, protect items during transport. Recognising the recycling challenges of these foams, there's a growing interest in developing alternatives from renewable resources, particularly cellulose fibres, for packaging. A deep understanding of its structure, specifically achieving a uniform distribution of small pore sizes, is crucial to enhancing the mechanical properties of the foam. Prior works highlight the need for improvement in X-ray techniques and image-processing techniques to address challenges in data acquisition and analysis. In this study, X-ray Microtomography equipment was used to capture images of the fibre foam sample, and software like XMController and XMReconstructor obtained 2D projection images at different magnifications (2X, 4X, 10X, and 20X). ImageJ and Python algorithms were then used to distinguish pores and fibres from the obtained images and characterize the pores, which included Bilateral filtering, that helped reduce background noise and preserve fibres in the grayscale images. The Threshold Otsu method converted the grayscale image to a binary image, and the inverted binary image aided in Local thickness image formation. The Local thickness image represented fibres with pixel value zero and blown-up spheres of different intensities representing the pores and their characteristics. As the magnification of the Local thickness images increased, the Pore Area, Pore Volume, Pore Perimeter, and Total Pores decreased, indicating a shift towards a more uniform distribution of smaller pores. Histograms, scatter plots, and pore intensity distribution histograms visually represented this trend. Similarly, characteristics like pore density increased, porosity decreased, and specific surface area remained constant with increasing magnification, suggesting a more compact structure. Objective measurements of image quality metrics, such as PSNR, RMSE, SSIM, and NCC, were used. Grayscale images of different magnifications were compared, and it was noted that as the number of projections increased, the 10X vs. 20X and 2X vs. 4X pairs consistently performed well in terms of image quality. The applied methodologies, comprising Pore Analysis and Image Quality Metrics, exhibit significant strengths in characterising porous structures and evaluating image quality. / Plastskum, som frigolit, skyddar föremål under transport. Att känna igenåtervinningsutmaningar för dessa skum, finns det ett växande intresse för att utveckla alternativ frånförnybara resurser, särskilt cellulosafibrer, för förpackningar. En djup förståelse för detstruktur, specifikt att uppnå en enhetlig fördelning av små porstorlekar, är avgörande förförbättring av skummets mekaniska egenskaper. Tidigare arbeten belyser behovet avförbättring av röntgentekniker och bildbehandlingstekniker för att möta utmaningar idatainsamling och analys. I denna studie användes röntgenmikrotomografiutrustning för attta bilder av fiberskumprovet och programvara som XMController ochXMReconstructor erhöll 2D-projektionsbilder med olika förstoringar (2X, 4X, 10X,och 20X). ImageJ och Python-algoritmer användes sedan för att skilja porer och fibrer frånde erhållna bilderna och karakterisera porerna, vilket inkluderade bilateral filtrering, som hjälpteminska bakgrundsbrus och bevara fibrer i gråskalebilderna. The Threshold Otsumetoden konverterade gråskalebilden till en binär bild, och den inverterade binära bilden hjälpte tilli lokal tjocklek bildbildning. Den lokala tjockleksbilden representerade fibrer med pixelvärde noll och uppblåsta sfärer med olika intensitet som representerar porerna och derasegenskaper. När förstoringen av bilderna med lokal tjocklek ökade, ökade porområdet,Porvolym, poromkrets och totala porer minskade, vilket indikerar en förskjutning mot en merjämn fördelning av mindre porer. Histogram, spridningsdiagram och porintensitetsfördelninghistogram representerade visuellt denna trend. På liknande sätt ökade egenskaper som pordensitet,porositeten minskade och den specifika ytarean förblev konstant med ökande förstoring,föreslår en mer kompakt struktur. Objektiva mätningar av bildkvalitetsmått, t.exsom PSNR, RMSE, SSIM och NCC, användes. Gråskalebilder med olika förstoringarjämfördes, och det noterades att när antalet projektioner ökade, 10X vs. 20Xoch 2X vs. 4X par presterade konsekvent bra när det gäller bildkvalitet. Den tillämpademetoder, som omfattar poranalys och bildkvalitetsmått, uppvisar betydandestyrkor i att karakterisera porösa strukturer och utvärdera bildkvalitet.

[pt] entendimento do macro comportamento dos materiais, este trabalho apresenta soluções inovadoras para a análise de imagens 3D obtidas por microtomografia computadorizada de raios-X (microCT). O material estudado conhecido pelo termo em inglês “strain-hardening cement-based composites” ou pela abreviação SHCC é um compósito cimentício reforçado com fibras que atinge deformações significativas através da formação de múltiplas fissuras, estabelecendo um material cimentício com característica pseudo-dúctil. O primeiro desafio deste trabalho foi reconhecer e quantificar as fases constituintes nas imagens 3D de SHCC obtidas por microCT. Materiais com estruturas complexas podem apresentar imagens em que as fases internas não podem ser distinguidas pela técnica de limiarização clássica, exigindo o uso de outra técnica como a segmentação por Deep Learning (DL). Portanto, este trabalho utilizou DL como solução para esta tarefa. Desta forma, as características de cada fases puderam ser correlacionadas ao comportamento mecânico macro do material em ensaios de microCT in-situ. Outro método moderno de análise de imagens 3D utilizado foi a correlação digital de volume (em inglês, digital volume correlation - DVC). O DVC é uma técnica que estima o campo de deformação sobre todo o volume da amostra, correlacionando as imagens 3D nos estados descarregado e carregado. Assim, as imagens obtidas nos ensaios de tração e compressão in-situ puderam ter seus deslocamentos internos medidos e deformações calculadas. Em síntese, este trabalho trouxe avanços ao campo do processamento digital e análise de imagens 3D, aplicadas a materiais cimentícios, mas que também podem se adaptar à análise de diversos materiais. / [en] Considering the importance of micro and mesoscale analyses to understand the macro behavior of materials, this work brings innovative solutions for analyzing 3D images obtained by X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT). The studied material was the strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC), a fiber reinforced cementitious composite that achieves significant deformations through multiple cracks formation, resulting in a cementitious material with pseudo ductile features. The first challenge of this work was to recognize and quantify the constituent phases in the 3D images of SHCC obtained by microCT. Materials with complex structures may present images in which the internal phases cannot be distinguished by the classical thresholding technique, requiring the use of another technique such as segmentation by Deep Learning (DL). Therefore, this work used DL as a solution for this task. Then, the features of each phase could be correlated to the macro mechanical behavior of the material in in-situ microCT tests. Another modern method for analyzing 3D images used was the digital volume correlation (DVC). DVC is a technique that estimates full-field strain in 3D over the entire volume of the specimen by correlating imaging volumes of the specimen in unloaded and loaded states. Thus, the images obtained from tensile and compression in-situ tests could have their internal displacements measured and strain calculated. In summary, this work brought advances to the 3D image processing and analysis field, applied to cementitious materials, but which could also adapt for the analysis of various materials.

A reação álcali-agregado - RAA é uma patologia de ação lenta que tem sido observada em construções de concreto capaz de comprometer suas estruturas. Sabe-se que a reação álcali-agregado é um fenômeno bastante complexo em virtude da grande variedade de rochas na natureza que são empregadas como agregados no preparo do concreto, podendo cada mineral utilizado afetar de forma distinta a reação ocorrida. Em função dos tipos de estrutura, das suas condições de exposição e dos materiais empregados, a RAA não se comporta sempre da mesma forma, em virtude disto a pesquisa constante neste tema é necessária para o meio técnico e a sociedade. Pesquisas laboratoriais, empíricas e experimentais tem sido rotina em muitos dos estudos da RAA dada ainda à carência de certas definições mais precisas a respeito dos métodos de ensaio, mas também em função da necessidade do melhor conhecimento dos materiais de uso em concretos como os agregados, cimentos, adições, aditivos entre outros e do comportamento da estrutura. Embora técnicas de prevenção possam reduzir significativamente a incidência da RAA, muitas estruturas foram construídas antes que tais medidas fossem conhecidas, havendo no Brasil vários casos de estruturas afetadas, sendo custosos os reparos dessas estruturas. Em estudos recentes sobre o tamanho das partículas de álcali-agregado e sua distribuição foi concluído que o tamanho do agregado está relacionado com o potencial danoso da RAA. Existem ainda indícios de que o tamanho e a distribuição dos poros do concreto também sejam capazes de influenciar o potencial reativo do concreto. Neste trabalho desenvolvemos um Sistema de Visão Artificial (SVA) que, com o uso de técnicas de Processamento de Imagens, é capaz de identificar em imagens de concreto, agregado e poros que atendam em sua forma, às especificações do usuário, possibilitando o cálculo da porosidade e produzindo imagens segmentadas à partir das quais será possível extrair dados relativos à geometria desses elementos. Serão feitas duas abordagens para a obtenção das imagens, uma por Escâner Comercial, que possui vantagens relacionadas à facilidade de aquisição do equipamento, e outra por micro tomógrafo. Uma vez obtidas informações sobre as amostras de concreto, estas podem ser utilizadas para pesquisar a RAA, comparar estruturas de risco com estruturas antigas de forma a melhorar a previsão de risco de ocorrência, bem como serem aplicadas a outras no estudo de outras patologias do concreto menos comuns no nosso país, como o efeito gelo/degelo. / The alkali-aggregate reaction - RAA is a condition of slow action that has been observed in concrete constructions that could affect their structures. It is known that the alkali-aggregate reaction is a very complex phenomenon because of the great variety of rocks in nature that are used as aggregates for concrete, and each mineral used differently affects the reaction occurred. Depending on the type of structure, its exposure conditions and the materials used, this phenomenon does not always behaves the same way, because of this, constant research in this area is needed for the technical means and the society. Laboratory, empirical and experimental research has been routine in many of the RAA studies still given the lack of certain more precise definitions concerning the testing methods, but also because of the need for better understanding of the use of materials in concrete as aggregate, cement, additions, additives etc. and structure behavior. Prevention techniques could significantly reduce the incidence of RAA. Still, many structures were built before such measures were known, several cases of affected structures were discovered in Brazil, all with large spending on repairs of the affected structures. In recent studies on the particle size of the alkaliaggregate and its distribution was concluded that the aggregate size is related to the damaging potential of the RAA. There are also indications that the size and distribution of concrete pores are also capable of influencing the reactive potential of the concrete. In the present work we developed an Artificial Vision System ( VAS ) that uses image processing techniques to identify aggregate and pores in hardened concrete images, enabling the calculation of porosity and producing segmented images that can be used to investigate data about the geometry of these elements. Were made two approaches for obtaining the images, one by Scanner Commercial, which has related advantages will ease the acquisition of equipment, and other micro CT scanner. Once obtained information on the concrete samples, these can be used to search the AAR compared risk structures with old structures so as to enhance the occurrence of risk prediction, as well as be applied to other concrete in the study of other pathologies less common in our country, as ice effect / thaw.

A reação álcali-agregado - RAA é uma patologia de ação lenta que tem sido observada em construções de concreto capaz de comprometer suas estruturas. Sabe-se que a reação álcali-agregado é um fenômeno bastante complexo em virtude da grande variedade de rochas na natureza que são empregadas como agregados no preparo do concreto, podendo cada mineral utilizado afetar de forma distinta a reação ocorrida. Em função dos tipos de estrutura, das suas condições de exposição e dos materiais empregados, a RAA não se comporta sempre da mesma forma, em virtude disto a pesquisa constante neste tema é necessária para o meio técnico e a sociedade. Pesquisas laboratoriais, empíricas e experimentais tem sido rotina em muitos dos estudos da RAA dada ainda à carência de certas definições mais precisas a respeito dos métodos de ensaio, mas também em função da necessidade do melhor conhecimento dos materiais de uso em concretos como os agregados, cimentos, adições, aditivos entre outros e do comportamento da estrutura. Embora técnicas de prevenção possam reduzir significativamente a incidência da RAA, muitas estruturas foram construídas antes que tais medidas fossem conhecidas, havendo no Brasil vários casos de estruturas afetadas, sendo custosos os reparos dessas estruturas. Em estudos recentes sobre o tamanho das partículas de álcali-agregado e sua distribuição foi concluído que o tamanho do agregado está relacionado com o potencial danoso da RAA. Existem ainda indícios de que o tamanho e a distribuição dos poros do concreto também sejam capazes de influenciar o potencial reativo do concreto. Neste trabalho desenvolvemos um Sistema de Visão Artificial (SVA) que, com o uso de técnicas de Processamento de Imagens, é capaz de identificar em imagens de concreto, agregado e poros que atendam em sua forma, às especificações do usuário, possibilitando o cálculo da porosidade e produzindo imagens segmentadas à partir das quais será possível extrair dados relativos à geometria desses elementos. Serão feitas duas abordagens para a obtenção das imagens, uma por Escâner Comercial, que possui vantagens relacionadas à facilidade de aquisição do equipamento, e outra por micro tomógrafo. Uma vez obtidas informações sobre as amostras de concreto, estas podem ser utilizadas para pesquisar a RAA, comparar estruturas de risco com estruturas antigas de forma a melhorar a previsão de risco de ocorrência, bem como serem aplicadas a outras no estudo de outras patologias do concreto menos comuns no nosso país, como o efeito gelo/degelo. / The alkali-aggregate reaction - RAA is a condition of slow action that has been observed in concrete constructions that could affect their structures. It is known that the alkali-aggregate reaction is a very complex phenomenon because of the great variety of rocks in nature that are used as aggregates for concrete, and each mineral used differently affects the reaction occurred. Depending on the type of structure, its exposure conditions and the materials used, this phenomenon does not always behaves the same way, because of this, constant research in this area is needed for the technical means and the society. Laboratory, empirical and experimental research has been routine in many of the RAA studies still given the lack of certain more precise definitions concerning the testing methods, but also because of the need for better understanding of the use of materials in concrete as aggregate, cement, additions, additives etc. and structure behavior. Prevention techniques could significantly reduce the incidence of RAA. Still, many structures were built before such measures were known, several cases of affected structures were discovered in Brazil, all with large spending on repairs of the affected structures. In recent studies on the particle size of the alkaliaggregate and its distribution was concluded that the aggregate size is related to the damaging potential of the RAA. There are also indications that the size and distribution of concrete pores are also capable of influencing the reactive potential of the concrete. In the present work we developed an Artificial Vision System ( VAS ) that uses image processing techniques to identify aggregate and pores in hardened concrete images, enabling the calculation of porosity and producing segmented images that can be used to investigate data about the geometry of these elements. Were made two approaches for obtaining the images, one by Scanner Commercial, which has related advantages will ease the acquisition of equipment, and other micro CT scanner. Once obtained information on the concrete samples, these can be used to search the AAR compared risk structures with old structures so as to enhance the occurrence of risk prediction, as well as be applied to other concrete in the study of other pathologies less common in our country, as ice effect / thaw.

The dissertation deals with the image processing in digital holographic microscopy and X-ray computed tomography. The focus of the work lies in the proposal of data processing techniques to meet the needs of the biological experiments. Transmitted light holographic microscopy is particularly used for quantitative phase imaging of transparent microscopic objects such as living cells. The phase images are affected by the phase aberrations that make the analysis particularly difficult. Here, we present a novel algorithm for dynamical processing of living cells phase images in a time-lapse sequence. The algorithm compensates for the deformation of a phase image using weighted least squares surface fitting. Moreover, it identifies and segments the individual cells in the phase image. This property of the algorithm is important for real-time cell quantitative phase imaging and instantaneous control of the course of the experiment. The efficiency of the propounded algorithm is demonstrated on images of rat fibrosarcoma cells using an off-axis holographic microscope. High resolution X-ray computed tomography is increasingly used technique for the study of the small rodent bones micro-structure. In this part of the work, the trabecular and cortical bone morphology is assessed in the distal half of rat femur. We developed new method for mapping the cortical position and dimensions from a central longitudinal axis with one degree angular resolution. This method was used to examine differences between experimental groups. The bone position in tomographic slices is aligned before the mapping using the propound standardization procedure. The activity of remodelling process of the long bone is studied on the system of cortical canals.