Road compaction is the last and important stage in road construction. Both under-compaction and over-compaction are inappropriate and may lead to road failures. Intelligent compactors has enabled data gathering and edge computing functionalities, which introduces possibilities in data-driven compaction control. Compaction physical processes are complex and are material-dependent. In the road construction industry, material physical models, together with boundary conditions, can be used for modeling effects of compacting the underlying subgrade materials and the pavement (the most widely used is asphalt) itself on site, which can be computed using Finite Element (FE) methods. However, parametrizations of these physical models require large efforts, creating difficulties in using these models to optimize real-time compaction. Our research has, for the first time, bridged the gap between data-driven compaction control and physics by introducing the parameter identification pipeline. Two use cases are investigated, corresponding to offline learning and online learning of parameters. In offline learning, a sequence of actions is learned to maximally reduce parameters uncertainties without observing responses; in online learning, the decisions of actions are made and parameters are derived while sequential observations come in. The parameter identification pipeline developed in this thesis involves compaction simulation using a simple physical model, surrogate model development using Artificial Neural Network (ANN), and online/offline optimization procedure with Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC). The developed procedure can successfully identify the parameters with low uncertainty for the case that the selected experiments supply enough information to theoretically identify the parameters. For the case of that parameters cannot be theoretically identified by certain experiments, the identified parameters have larger uncertainties. / Vägpackning är det sista och viktiga steget i vägbygget. Både under- och överkomprimering är olämpliga och kan leda till vägfel. Intelligenta komprimatorer har möjliggjort datainsamling och edge computing-funktioner som introducerar möjligheter inom datadriven komprimeringskontroll. Packningsfysiska processer är komplexa och materialberoende. Inom vägbyggnadsindustrin kan materialfysiska modeller tillsammans med randvillkor användas för att modellera effekter av att packa de underliggande underlagsmaterialen och själva beläggningen (den mest använda är asfalt) på plats. Dem kan beräknas med Finite Element (FE) metoder. Parametrisering av dessa fysiska modeller kräver dock stora ansträngningar och skapar svårigheter att använda dessa modeller för att optimera realtid vägpackning. Vår forskning har för första gången överbryggt gapet mellan datadriven komprimeringskontroll och fysik genom att introducera pipeline för parameteridentifiering. Två användningsfall undersöks motsvarande offlineinlärning och onlineinlärning av parametrar. En sekvens av åtgärder är lärd vid offlineinlärning för att maximalt reducera parametrar osäkerheter utan att observera svar. Vid onlineinlärning fattas beslut om åtgärder och parametrar härleds medan sekventiella observationer kommer in. Den pipeline för parameteridentifiering som utvecklats i denna avhandling involverar kompakteringssimulering med en enkel fysisk modell, surrogatmodellutveckling med artificiellt neuralt nätverk (ANN) och online /offline optimeringsprocedur med Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC). Den utvecklade proceduren kan framgångsrikt identifiera parametrarna med låg osäkerhet för det fall att de valda experimenten ger tillräckligt med information för att teoretiskt identifiera parametrarna. För fallet med att parametrar inte teoretiskt kan identifieras genom vissa experiment, de identifierade parametrarna har större osäkerheter.

Natural soils in work-sites are sometimes detrimental to the construction of engineering projects. Problematic soils such as soft and expansive soils are a real source of concern to the long-term stability of structures if care is not taken. Expansive soils could generate immense distress due to their volume change in response to a slight change in their water content. On the other hand, soft soils are characterised by their low shear strength and poor workability. In earthwork, replacing these soils is sometimes economically and sustainably unjustifiable in particular if they can be stabilised to improve their behaviour. Several techniques have evolved to enable construction on problematic soils such as reinforcement using fibre and planar layers and piled reinforced embankments. Chemical treatment using, e.g. lime and/or cement is an alternative method to seize the volume change of swelling clays. The use of lime as a binding agent is becoming a popular method due to its abundant availability and cost-effectiveness. When mixed with swelling clays, lime enhances the mechanical properties, workability and reduces sensitivity to absorption and release of water. There is a consensus in the literature about the primary mechanisms, namely cation exchange, flocculation and pozzolanic reaction, which cause the changes in the soil characteristics after adding lime in the presence of water. The dispute is about whether these mechanisms occur in a sequential or synchronous manner. More precisely, the controversy concerns the formation of cementitious compounds in the pozzolanic reaction, whether it starts directly or after the cation exchange and flocculation are completed. The current study aims to monitor the signs of the formation of such compounds using a geotechnical approach. In this context, the effect of delayed compaction, lime content, mineralogy composition, curing time and environmental temperature on the properties of lime-treated clays were investigated. The compaction, swelling and permeability, and unconfind compression strength tests were chosen to evaluate such effect. In general, the results of the geotechnical approach have been characterised by their scattering. The sources of this dispersion are numerous and include sampling methods, pulverisation degree, mixing times and delay of compaction process, a pre-test temperature and humidity, differences in dry unit weight values, and testing methods. Therefore, in the current study, several precautions have been set to reduce the scattering in the results of such tests so that they can be used efficiently to monitor the evolution in the properties that are directly related to the formation and development of cementitious compounds. Four clays with different mineralogy compositions, covering a wide range of liquid limits, were chosen. The mechanical and hydraulic behaviour of such clays that had been treated by various concentrations of lime up to 25% at two ambient temperatures of 20 and 40oC were monitored for various curing times. The results indicated that the timing of the onset of changes in mechanical and hydraulic properties that are related to the formation of cementitious compounds depends on the mineralogy composition of treated clay and ambient temperature. Moreover, at a given temperature, the continuity of such changes in the characteristics of a given lime-treated clay depends on the lime availability.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No / The mechanisms involved for compaction of pharmaceutical powders have become a crucial step in the development cycle for robust tablet design with required properties. Compressibility of pharmaceutical materials is measured by a force-displacement relationship which is commonly analysed using a well known method, the Heckel model. This model requires the true density and compacted powder mass value to determine the powder mean yield pressure. In this paper, we present a technique for shape modelling of pharmaceutical tablets based on the use of partial differential equations (PDEs). This work also presents an extended formulation of the PDE method to a higher dimensional space by increasing the number of parameters responsible for describing the surface in order to generate a solid tablet. Furthermore, the volume and the surface area of the parametric cylindrical tablet have been estimated numerically. Finally, the solution of the axisymmetric boundary value problem for a finite cylinder subject to a uniform axial load has been utilised in order to model the displacement components of a compressed PDE-based representation of a tablet. The Heckel plot obtained from the developed model shows that the model is capable of predicting the compaction behaviour of pharmaceutical materials since it fits the experimental data accurately.

yes / A comprehensive experimental programme was performed with the focus on assessing the effects of compaction delay and ambient temperature on the physical, mechanical and hydraulic properties of lime treated expansive clays. Specimens were mellowed for a period of 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h at two different temperatures of 20°C and 40°C prior to being compacted, tested and/or cured for up to 28 days for evaluating the impacts on long-term strength development. All specimens were prepared with the same dry unit weight of 12.16 kN/m3 and moisture content of 40% except for tests aimed at determining dry unit weight as a function of mellowing period. The results revealed that as the mellowing duration increased the dry unit weight declined remarkably at both temperature within the first 12 h. In addition, higher reduction rate was observed when specimens were mel-lowed at a temperature of 40°C. A 97% reduction in swelling pressure was obtained when the specimens were compacted upon mixing (zero hour mellowing period) and left to cure for 24 h prior to testing. Permeability coefficient of lime treated expansive clays was increased by up to 40 times when compaction was delayed for 24 h or when specimens were mellowed at 40°C. Specimens mellowed at a temperature of 40°C showed rela-tively stable values of permeability coefficient over the measurement period which could be attributable to accelerated pozzolanic reaction. The Unconfined Compressive Strength tests revealed that strength of lime treated expansive clays is significantly affected by compaction delay. An increase of 234% and 282% in the Unconfined Compressive Strength was achieved after 24 h of mixing with no compaction delay at 20°C and 40°C respectively. Gradual long-term gain in strength was observable within the 28 days post mixing but the rate of strength gain becomes slower and independent of temperature after the first 24 h of mixing. The results sug-gested that the four key reaction mechanisms occur concurrently with the first 12–24 h after lime addition recognized as being the most crucial period of time. Damaging the cementitious compounds by delayed com-paction is harmful to strength and restraining of swelling potential of lime treated expansive clays.

Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of applying fill soil around existing trees and mechanisms for species tolerance to soil compaction, both common site disturbances in urban forestry. Groups of 22-year-old white oak (Quercus alba) and 13-year-old sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) were subjected to one of three treatments: a control, fill (20 cm of subsoil spread over the root zones), and compacted fill (same as fill soil, but compacted). Additionally, individual trees had tree wells (fill soil pulled away from trunks), or not. After three years, treatments had no consistent effect on tree growth, chlorophyll fluorescence, or soil respiration. However, soil treatments disrupted normal soil moisture patterns at both sites. Roots of white oak grew into fill layers, although overall root growth was not significantly affected by treatment. Sweetgum roots grew very little into fill soils. However, root distribution shifted upward in the original soil under uncompacted fill. Other factors associated with raising the soil grade, such as soil trafficking and root severance, may be largely responsible for the tree decline often attributed to construction fill. Another experiment investigated the relationship between tolerance of wet soils and the ability to grow in compacted soils. It was hypothesized that tree species tolerant of wet soils would have opportunities for root growth in compacted soil when high soil moisture reduced soil strength. Seedlings of flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), a species intolerant of inundation, and silver maple (Acer saccharinum), a bottomland species, were grown in a loam soil maintained at various combinations of soil strength and soil matric potential. In moderately compacted soil (1.5 g cm-3 bulk density), maple seedlings, but not dogwoods, had greater root growth rate, root length per plant, and ratio of root length to root dry weight in the wet soil (0.006 MPa soil matric potential) than in the moist and dry soils (0.026 and 0.06 MPa, respectively). No such effect was detected in highly compacted soil (1.7 g cm-3). It can be concluded that silver maple roots can grow in moderately compacted soil when high soil water content decreases soil strength, whereas dogwood is unable to take advantage of this opportunity. / Ph. D.

Asphalt mix design includes the determination of a gradation, asphalt content, other volumetric properties, the evaluation of mechanical properties and moisture damage potentials. In this study, a computational method is developed to aid mix design. Discrete element method (DEM) was used to simulate the formation of skeleton and voids structures of asphalt concrete of different gradations of aggregates. The optimum gradation could be determined by manipulating the particle locations and orientations and placing smaller particles in the voids among larger particles. This method aims at an optimum gradation, which has been achieved through experimental methods. However, this method takes the mechanical properties or performance of the mixture into consideration, such as inter-aggregate contacts and local stability. A simple visco-elastic model was applied to model the contacts between asphalt binder and aggregates. The surface texture of an aggregate particle can be taken into consideration in the inter-particle contact model. The void content before compactions was used to judge the relative merits of a gradation. Once a gradation is selected, the Voids in Mineral Aggregate (VMA) can be determined. For a certain air void content, the mastics volume or the binder volume or the asphalt content can be determined via a digital compression test. The surface area of all the aggregates and the film thickness can be then calculated. The asphalt content can also be determined using an alternative approach that is based on modeling the inter-particle contact with an asphalt binder layer. In this study, considering the necessity of preservation of the compaction temperature, the effect of various temperatures on Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) samples properties has been evaluated. As well, to evaluate the effect of this parameter on different grading, two different grading have been used and samples were compacted at various temperatures. Air voids also influence pore water pressure and shrinkage of asphalt binder and mixture significantly. The shrinkage is measured on a digital model that represents beams in a steel mold and is defined as the linear autogenous deformation at horizontal direction. / Ph. D.

No / Physical and mechanical properties for prealloyed 6061 Al powder processed with and without additions of solid and/or liquid lubricants and sintering aids (Pb, Sn, Ag) are presented. For comparison, both vacuum and nitrogen sintering were carried out on as received (gas atomised) and degassed powder compacts pressed at 340 and 510 MPa. Vacuum degassing of the prealloyed powder provided better compressibility and thus higher green densities than those for the as received powder. Highest sintered densities of ~98-99% of theoretical were obtained for the prealloyed (and degassed) Al compacts by sintering under pure nitrogen with an addition of 0·6 wt-% paraffin wax as solid lubricant or 1·33 vol.-% liquid paraffin, or with a 0·12wt-%Pb addition as sintering aid and no lubricant. It was found that additions of solid lubricants such as lithium stearate and acrawax to both the premixed (elemental) and prealloyed powders provided reasonable green densities of ~94·5-95·5% TD, but had deleterious effect on sintered densities and microstructures, particularly under vacuum sintering. Other lubricants such as zinc stearate, stearic acid and liquid paraffin provided similar green densities, but higher sintered densities and less porous microstructures, particularly by sintering under pure nitrogen. The prealloyed compacts sintered under pure nitrogen consistently provided much higher sintered densities than elementally premixed compacts sintered under pure nitrogen or vacuum. It is therefore concluded that both lubricant type and sintering atmosphere will have a major effect on the sintered properties of the 6061 Al powder. Sintering under pure nitrogen resulted in higher sintered densities as compared with vacuum sintering for this grade of Al alloy. Tensile properties of the degassed and vacuum sintered (and T6 tempered) prealloyed powder compacts were higher than those of the equivalent alloy prepared by elemental mixing and comparable with those of the commercial (wrought) 6061 Al alloys.