[pt] Nas últimas décadas, perfis pultrudados de polímeros reforçados com fibra (PRF) vêm despertando grande interesse na indústria civil devido a sua alta relação entre resistência e peso e sua aplicabilidade em ambientes agressivos. Apesar de apresentar grande resistência às intempéries, a degradação dos PRF foi notada após anos de exposição em campo. A utilização de ensaios não destrutivos (END) se mostra como uma boa alternativa para avaliar a integridade deste material, havendo especial interesse para controle de qualidade de baixo custo em campo. Dessa forma, este trabalho utilizou ensaios de vibração livre com duas técnicas de excitação por impulso para detectar danos em polímeros reforçados com fibra de vidro envelhecidos em câmaras com elevada temperatura, umidade e salinidade. Através da avaliação das frequências naturais e amortecimentos, foi observado o impacto das condições ambientais na integridade do material, resultado corroborado pela variação das propriedades elásticas obtidas através da resposta dinâmica acústica. / [en] In the last decades, pultruded profiles of fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) have been attracting great interest in the civil industry due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and their applicability in aggressive environments. Despite showing great resistance to weathering, the degradation of FRP was noticed after years of exposure in the field. The use of non-destructive techniques (NDT) has been shown to be a good alternative to evaluate the integrity of this material, with special interest for low-cost quality control in the field. Thus, this work used free vibration tests with two impulse excitation techniques to detect damage in glass fiber reinforced polymers aged in chambers with high temperature, humidity and salinity. Through the evaluation of natural frequencies and damping, the impact of environmental conditions on the integrity of the material was observed, a result corroborated by the variation of elastic properties obtained through the acoustic dynamic response.

The objectives of this research were to investigate the sensitivity of two-prong and fourprong resistivity measurements to certain operator-controlled variables and to conduct a direct comparison of the sensitivity of two-prong and four-prong resistivity measurements to certain concrete material variables. Four full-factorial experiments were designed for this research. In the experimentation on operator-controlled variables with two-prong resistivity testing, main effects that are both statistically significant and practically important include hole depth and surface water. In the experimentation on operator-controlled variables with four-prong resistivity testing, probe position, surface water, and prong spacing are all neither statistically significant nor practically important. This high degree of unexplained variation may be of concern to practitioners. In the experimentation on concrete material variables with two-prong and four-prong resistivity testing, main effects that are both statistically significant and practically important include chloride concentration and temperature, both of which exhibit inverse relationships with resistivity. These research findings support several important recommendations for resistivity testing. Operators of the two-prong resistivity device should use an accurately positioned drill stop to ensure that the prepared holes are consistently the correct depth, and they should expect to obtain different values depending on the presence of surface water on the deck surface. Operators considering use of the four-prong resistivity device should not expect the measurements to be sensitive to probe position with respect to rebar, presence of surface water, or prong spacing for conditions similar to those investigated in this research. Operators interested in monitoring resistivity values over time to ascertain material changes in a bridge deck should develop protocols for measuring concrete temperature in the field and subsequently normalizing resistivity measurements to a standard temperature.

<p>Non-destructive characterization of multi-layered structures that can be accessed from only a single side is important for applications such as well-bore integrity inspection. Collimated beam ultrasound systems are a technology for imaging inside multi-layered structures such as geothermal wells. These systems work by using a collimated narrow-band ultrasound transmitter that can penetrate through multiple layers of heterogeneous material. A series of measurements can then be made at multiple transmit frequencies. However, commonly used reconstruction algorithms such as Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT) tend to produce poor quality reconstructions for these systems both because they do not model collimated beam systems and  they do not jointly reconstruct the multiple frequencies.</p> <p><br></p> <p>In this thesis, we first propose a multi-frequency ultrasound model-based iterative reconstruction (UMBIR) algorithm designed for multi-frequency collimated beam ultrasound systems. The combined system targets reflective imaging of heterogeneous, multi-layered structures. For each transmitted frequency band, we introduce a physics-based forward model to accurately account for the propagation of the collimated narrow-band ultrasonic beam through the multi-layered media. We then show how the joint multi-frequency UMBIR reconstruction can be computed by modeling the direct arrival signals, detector noise, and incorporating a spatially varying image prior.</p> <p><br></p> <p>We also propose a ringing artifact reduction method for ultrasound image reconstruction that uses a multi-agent consensus equilibrium (RARE-MACE) framework. Our approach integrates a physics-based forward model that accounts for the propagation of a collimated ultrasonic beam in multi-layered media, a spatially varying image prior, and a denoiser designed to suppress the ringing artifacts that are characteristic of reconstructions from high-fractional bandwidth ultrasound sensor data.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Results using both simulated and experimental data indicate that multi-frequency UMBIR reconstruction yields much higher reconstruction quality than either single frequency UMBIR or SAFT. In addition, our results demonstrate the capability of our RARE-MACE method to suppress ringing artifacts and substantially improve the image quality over single frequency UMBIR and SAFT.</p>

Background: Destructive leadership seeks to explain how leaders create harmful outcomes in an organizational setting – and why do they choose to do so. However, as with most leadership theories, process models are designed with a traditional office setting in mind which has its own distinct characteristics. Remote working has surged in prevalence in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and features multiple key differences, including increased social isolation and a decrease in communication quality. The combination of this novel and different context with a high likelihood of employees experiencing destructive leadership during their career, it is of high relevance to critically examine destructive leadership processes in a remote setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to adapt the proposed framework of destructive leadership by Krasikova et al. (2013) in a remote working environment, and to provide a greater understanding of destructive leadership processes in a less familiar context. Through exploring a new working context, this research aims to expand the understanding of destructive leadership, its situational factors, processes, and possible destructive outcomes in the ‘modern’ workplace. Method: Our methods were built on the choices of inductive qualitative research. Ten semi-structured interviews with leaders and followers were conducted by utilizing the casemethod, and more precisely, the case-oriented research design. The use of case-oriented research design and thematic analysis allowed us to engage in within- and cross-case comparisons and enabled us to generate new insights and to further develop remote working specific factors in the destructive leadership processes. Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrate that remote working environment influences three main areas of destructive leadership: the organizational context behind the process of choosing to engage in destructive leadership, the process of discovery and organizational response, and by establishing feedback loops from existing destructive leadership that leads to further resource shortages.

As applications for thermoplastic composites increase, the understanding of their properties become more important. Fabrication methods for thermoplastic composites continually improve to match designs specifications. These advanced thermoplastics have begun to show an improvement in mechanical properties over those found in thermoset composites commonly used in industry. Polyaryletherketones (PEK) have high service temperatures, good mechanical properties, and improved processing capabilities compared to thermoplastics used in the past making them important to the aerospace industry. The wide range of types of PEK make them suitable for a variety of applications, but selection of specific chemistries, processing parameters, and composite stack-ups determine the mechanical properties produced. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to determine crystallinity and chemical properties of several polyaryletherketones. Tensile, compressive, and Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness tests were conducted to analyze mechanical properties of these advanced thermoplastics. Several fabrication processes were also tested to determine optimal consolidation and aesthetic appearance of structural members. All testing was conducted at The Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington. Because all testing and conclusions are proprietary a general synopsis of the experience will be presented.

The goal of the research conducted for this master's thesis is to understand if active thermography is a suitable technique to detect (identify) and measure (approximate depth and or size) defects in additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Although other non-destructive measurement techniques exist, active thermography is an attractive option for AM applications because of the short measurement times that could be implemented between each layer of a print, and because of the relatively inexpensive equipment required. However, pulse thermography is typically applied to detect larger defects (>1 mm) in materials with high thermal conductivity. It was uncertain if active thermography was sensitive enough to detect the small defects (μm) commonly introduced during AM. Defects of this size are common in AM, and their presence significantly impacts the mechanical properties of the final part. For this reason, the detection limits of active thermography in common AM materials were investigated. Numerical models were created to simulate the heat transfer during active thermography in AM structures (polymer and stainless steel) with defects of varying size. The models included non-ideal conditions such as spectral in-depth absorption of the irradiative pulse and free convection from the object's surface. The spectral properties of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), and polyamide 12 (PA 12) were measured (see chapter 2) and used in the numerical models. The numerical data indicates that active thermography is sensitive enough to detect the existence of defects smaller than 100 μm in AM materials (see chapter 3). Furthermore, it demonstrates that the defect aspect ratio (defect diameter divided by defect depth) for which traditional 1D thermography models may be used to approximate the depth of defects in 3D systems is approximately 6 (see chapter 4). In addition, the depth of defects with lower aspect ratios (~4) may also be approximated with relatively low error (~10% error). Non-ideal systems (those with convection and spectral in-depth absorption) were simulated, and figures are provided which facilitate the approximation of defect depth using simple, ideal thermography models. Active thermography has shown potential as being an efficient technique for detecting and measuring small defects common in AM.

The railroad industry is pivotal in the United States to ensure that the supply chain does not shut down for the American people. Non-Destruction Evaluation (NDE) approaches are preferred and performed on the railways to ensure the safety of the population that is exposed to the railway industry. When damage occurs on the rail base, there is an increased risk derailment of the train cars. Due to the nature of the railroad industry, there are challenges with developing a quick and reliable inspection method, along with the improvement of current NDE methods. The load, speed, and cycles of trains have increased the load that track sections endure over time. Some railways that were originally built in the early 20th century are still utilized today, designed for trains that are not nearly as heavy or fast as used today. Defects and damage on the railways lead to the need of development of an NDE approach utilizing Line Scan Thermography approaches. One of the most common defects that are formed are on the rail base is known as “base nicks” and “half-moon cracks”, these types of defects can occur over time. This research aims to study the feasibility of applying this NDE technique to detect defects that can occur on a rail base, both internal and external. For this research, a heat source up to 6000 W and tested velocities up to 447.1 mm/s (1.0 mph) are used to study the effects of line scanning thermography on various samples. In total, 10 samples are employed to test for feasibility: each one having a unique set of defects. Some defects fabricated on these samples are internal, such as bottom drilled holes (BDH) and side drilled holes (SDH); some of these samples are fabricated from actual rail samples. From tests conducted for internal defects, it can be concluded that defects with diameters of 6.35 mm (0.25”) can be detected at a remaining thickness from the observation surface of 6.35 mm. Along with internal defects, there are also external defects employed on the samples; these defects include simulated base nicks, fractures, and half-moon cracks. For surface defects tests from this research, it is found that the anomalies can be detected visually. The results from the experimental studies provide insight and limitations of LST for the possibility of a future commercial application.

Melon (Cucumis melo L.) and watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum and Nakai) belong to the family Cucurbitaceae. Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) disease of cucurbits is an economically devastating plant disease that has caused an estimated loss of up to $450M on watermelon crops and $75M (worldwide) to the seed and transplant industries since 1996. Disease symptoms include water-soaked cotyledons, leaf necrosis, and internal fruit rot. Current commercial management strategies are very limited and include: seed production field sanitation, greenhouse transplant sanitation, copper-based bactericide sprays, crop rotation, disease-free healthy seeds, isolating diseased plants, and peroxyacetic acid seed treatments. The seedborne disease is usually spread by contaminated seeds, and there is a zero-tolerance policy in the seed industry for infected seeds. No nondestructive assays are commercially available to detect BFB in seeds. This research investigated several different aspects of BFB disease such as non-destructive seed detection, green tea seed treatment, candidate NB-LRR genes for disease resistance, and optimization of virus induced gene silencing for melon and watermelon crops. The potential application of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and high-resolution X-ray analysis methods for detection of BFB on seeds were evaluated. It was possible to detect BFB in seeds that were pistil inoculated via x-ray imaging and pericarp inoculated via ATR FT-IR. In vitro and in vivo experiments evaluated the potential of tea (Camellia sinensis) and tea polyphenols as seed treatments to sanitize seeds infected with A. citrulli. Green tea unlike black tea inhibited growth of A. citrulli because of polyphenols. Eighty one melon and forty four watermelon NB-LRR genes were reidentified, and genes that have potential resistance against A. citrulli on melon plants were screened based on host selectivity of the pathogen. Finally, the virus-induced, gene-silencing method was optimized for melon and watermelon for further analysis of potential disease resistance genes. BFB can be nondestructively identified in seeds and green tea may be an effective seed treatment with further development. Promising candidate R genes were identified that might confer stable resistance in the right genetic background. / Doctor of Philosophy / Melon and watermelon crops both belong to the gourd family. Bacterial fruit blotch (BFB) disease of cucurbits is an economically devastating plant disease that has caused an estimated loss of up to $450M on watermelon crops and $75M (worldwide) to the seed and transplant industries since 1996. Disease symptoms include water-soaked cotyledons, leaf necrosis, and internal fruit rot. Current commercial management strategies and detection methods are very limited. The seedborne disease is usually spread by contaminated seeds, and there is a zero-tolerance policy in the seed industry for infected seeds. This research investigated several different aspects of BFB disease such as non-destructive seed detection, green tea seed treatment, candidate disease resistance genes, and optimization of virus induced gene silencing methodology for melon and watermelon crops. There are currently no nondestructive assays available to detect BFB in seeds. We evaluated the potential application of attenuated total reflectance (ATR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and high-resolution X-ray analysis methods for detection of BFB on seeds. It was possible to detect BFB inside layers of seeds that were naturally inoculated through the flowers via x-ray imaging and seedcoat inoculated via ATR FT-IR. In vitro and in vivo experiments evaluated the potential of tea and tea constituents as seed treatments to sanitize seeds infected with BFB. Green tea unlike black tea inhibited growth of BFB. Eighty one melon and forty four watermelon disease resistance genes were reidentified and genes that have potential resistance against BFB on melon plants were screened based on host selectivity of the pathogen. Finally, the virus induced gene silencing method was optimized for melon and watermelon plants for further analysis of potential disease resistance genes. BFB can be nondestructively identified in seeds and green tea may be an effective seed treatment with further development. Promising candidate resistance genes were identified that might confer stable resistance in the right genetic background.

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