The objective of this dissertation is to develop, analyze, and implement optical fiber-based sensors for the nondestructive quantitative evaluation of advanced civil structures. Based on a comparative evaluation of optical fiber sensors that may be used to obtain quantitative information related to physical perturbations in the civil structure, the extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) optical fiber sensor is selected as the most attractive sensor. The operation of the EFPI sensor is explained using the Kirchhoff diffraction approach. As is shown in this dissertation, this approach better predicts the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of gap length than methods employed previously. The performance of the optical fiber sensor is demonstrated in three different implementations. In the first implementation, performed with researchers in the Civil Engineering Department at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, optical fiber sensors were used to obtain quantitative strain information from reinforced concrete interior and exterior column-to-beam connections. The second implementation, performed in cooperation with researchers at the United States Bureau of Mines in Spokane, Washington, used optical fiber sensors to monitor the performance of roof bolts used in mines. The last implementation, performed in cooperation with researchers at the Turner- Fairbanks Federal Highway Administration Research Center in McLean, Virginia, used optical fiber sensors, attached to composite prestressing strands used for reinforcing concrete, to obtain absolute strain information. Multiplexing techniques including time, frequency and wavelength division multiplexing are briefly discussed, whereas the principles of operation of spread spectrum and optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) are discussed in greater detail. Results demonstrating that spread spectrum and OTDR techniques can be used to multiplex optical fiber sensors are presented. Finally, practical considerations that have to be taken into account when implementing optical fiber sensors into a civil structure environment are discussed, and possible solutions to some of these problems are proposed. / Ph. D.

Statistics released in the fall 1989 showed that 238,357 (41%) of the nation's 577,710 bridges are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. New materials, such as fiber reinforced polymeric composites (FRP), are being suggested for use in bridge systems to solve some of the current problems. These materials are thought to be less affected by corrosive environmental conditions than conventional civil engineering materials. Therefore they may require less maintenance and provide longer life spans. More specifically, glass fiber reinforced vinyl ester matrix composites are considered possible replacements for deteriorating conventional bridge decks due to their durability, decreased weight, and relative affordability. In order to facilitate rapid acceptance of FRP structural components into the world of civil structural engineering, effective and efficient NDE techniques must be explored and documented in these situations. This thesis will discuss the use of Infrared Thermography (IRT) as a means of detecting debonds and voids caused by conditions encountered both in fabrication and in the field. As forced convective hot air is applied within the bridge deck, debonds between bridge deck components near the riding surface appear cold while imperfections near the bottom of the deck give rise to concentrations of heat. These variations in thermal propagation patterns are observed by the infrared camera and indicate possible structural deficiencies. Results of experimentation and thermal analyses from laboratory studies of a model bridge deck and some from in situ full-scale investigations are presented. / Master of Science

In this research, controlled Waspaloy microstructures were produced with the objective of studying microstructural evolution in this alloy via electrically-based ac/dc non-destructive techniques. Correlations were developed between electrical measurements and alternate characterization techniques such as Ultra Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) to gain a complete understanding of the microstructural transformations and the associated mechanisms. Three different sets of controlled microstructures were produced in this research. In Set I microstructures, matrix (gamma) grain sizes of 13, 52 and 89 micrometers were obtained after solution-treatments at 1045 and 176;C, 1090 and 176;C and 1145 and 176;C respectively. A vacancy stabilization treatment at 1045 and 176;C followed after which, the specimens were aged at 800 and 176;C for times ranging from 0.1 hrs to 100 hrs to vary the gamma prime precipitate size distribution. In Sets II and III, the solution-treatment was only conducted at 1145 and 176;C, with the stabilization treatment conducted only in Set II. Subsequently, aging experiments were conducted at 725 and 176;C (or 700 and 176;C in Set II), 800 and 176;C and 875 and 176;C for times up to 100 hrs. DC four-point probe resistivity of specimens increased to a maximum upon initial aging from the solution-treated condition and showed a decreasing trend thereafter with successive aging. This, in addition to complementary evidence from SEM and USAXS, led to the conclusion that gamma prime nucleation-growth was complete by the time the resistivity maximum was observed. Resistivity variations that ensued upon successive aging after the maximum were attributed to microstructural/compositional changes due to gamma prime coarsening. The height of the maximum decreased drastically with increase in aging temperature from 725 and 176;C to 800 and 176;C, while the resistivity did not increase from the solution-treated condition upon aging at 875 and 176; C. Coarsening studies based on USAXS analysis indicated an LSW type volume diffusion mechanism of coarsening in Waspaloy, with an average coarsening rate constant of 3.25x10-29 [m3/sec] for Set I specimens aged at 800 and 176;C. Analytical and Finite Element (FE) models of two-probe impedance and dc four-point probe resistivity methods were developed to gain insight into the measured response and the accurate determination of material properties. AFM-based localized electrical examination of sub-grain Waspaloy microstructures was successfully conducted using electrostatic force microscopy (EFM), scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) and current-AFM (I-AFM) electrical modes. I-AFM experiments revealed that the conductivity of the gamma prime phase was lower than that of the gamma phase.

Orientador: Auteliano Antunes dos Santos Junior / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T18:53:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Andrino_MarcilioHaddad_D.pdf: 2714544 bytes, checksum: e672b70a8b7d69be2cd8e546921e9f58 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Os dutos têm se tornado o principal meio de transporte para gás natural, petróleo e derivados nas últimas décadas. Diversos novos projetos, visando a extensão da malha dutoviária atual estão sendo implantados e as dimensões das redes de distribuição de países desenvolvidos mostram que este tipo de modal será cada vez mais utilizado, acompanhando o crescimento do Brasil. Dutovias com tais dimensões requerem esquemas de manutenção adequados, com técnicas otimizadas de inspeção. A falha, em muitos casos, pode levar a desastres ambientais, com conseqüências econômicas e sociais imensuráveis. Este trabalho tem como objetivo desenvolver uma nova metodologia para a medição de tensões mecânicas em dutos baseada na variação da velocidade de ondas longitudinais criticamente refratadas (ondas Lcr). Como objetivos específicos foram estudadas a influência da temperatura sobre o resultado da medição, a influência da textura do material para dutos e a determinação e validação do método matemático mais adequado para emprego na determinação das tensões. Para a determinação das tensões no duto foi construído um dispositivo especial para movimentar o conjunto de transdutores ao longo dos pontos de medição. Foram realizadas medições na direção longitudinal e transversal do duto e esses levantamentos foram comparados com medidas de tensão determinadas através de extensômetros. Os resultados finais da tese mostraram a excelente correlação entre a tensão aplicada e a resposta do sistema indicando que a técnica pode ser empregada em campo / Abstract: Pipelines have become the main transport means for natural gas, petroleum and derivatives in the last decades. Several new projects aiming the extension of the current pipeline mesh are being deployed and the size of distribution networks in developed countries show that this kind of modal will be increasingly used, following the growth of Brazil. Pipelines with such dimensions require proper schedules for maintenance, with optimized techniques of inspection. In many cases a flaw can lead to environmental disasters with economic and social consequences. This work is aimed to develop a new methodology for the measurement of mechanical stress in pipelines based in the variation of the speed of longitudinal critically refracted waves (Lcr waves). A more specific objectives, this study treats with the influence of the temperature on the measurement results, the influence of the texture of the material for pipelines and the determination and validation of the most suitable mathematical method for determination of the stress. For the determination of the stress in the pipeline a special device was constructed to move the set of transducers along the points of measurement. Measurements were performed in the longitudinal and transversal directions of the pipeline and the results were compared with stress measures determined by strain gages. The final results of the thesis showed the excellent correlation between the applied stress and the response of the system indicating that the technique can be employed in field / Doutorado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Radiation damage occurs in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel, causing microstructural changes such as point defect clusters, interstitial loops, vacancy-solute clusters, and precipitates, that cause material embrittlement. Radiation damage is a crucial concern in the nuclear industry since many nuclear plants throughout the US are entering the first period of life extension and older plants are currently undergoing assessment of technical basis to operate beyond 60 years. The result of extended operation is that the RPV and other components will be exposed to higher levels of neutron radiation than they were originally designed to withstand. There is currently no nondestructive evaluation technique that can unambiguously assess the amount of radiation damage in RPV steels. Nonlinear ultrasound (NLU) is a nondestructive evaluation technique that is sensitive to microstructural features such as dislocations, precipitates, and their interactions in metallic materials. The physical effect monitored by NLU is the generation of higher harmonic frequencies in an initially monochromatic ultrasonic wave, arising from the interaction of the ultrasonic wave with microstructural features. This effect is quantified with the measurable acoustic nonlinearity parameter, beta. In this work, nonlinear ultrasound is used to characterize radiation damage in reactor pressure vessel steels over a range of fluence levels, irradiation temperatures, and material composition. Experimental results are presented and interpreted with newly developed analytical models that combine different irradiation-induced microstructural contributions to the acoustic nonlinearity parameter.

Le contrôle non destructif électromagnétique (CNDE) est appliqué dans des domaines variés pour l'exploration de défauts cachés affectant des structures. De façon générale, le principe peut se poser en ces termes : un objet inconnu perturbe un milieu hôte donné et illuminé par un signal électromagnétique connu, et la réponse est mesurée sur un ou plusieurs récepteurs de positions connues. Cette réponse contient des informations sur les paramètres électromagnétiques et géométriques des objets recherchés et toute la difficulté du problème traité ici consiste à extraire ces informations du signal obtenu. Plus connu sous le nom de « problèmes inverses », ces travaux s'appuient sur une résolution appropriée des équations de Maxwell. Au « problème inverse » est souvent associé le « problème direct » complémentaire, qui consiste à déterminer le champ électromagnétique perturbé connaissant l'ensemble des paramètres géométriques et électromagnétiques de la configuration, défaut inclus. En pratique, cela est effectué via une modélisation mathématique et des méthodes numériques permettant la résolution numérique de tels problèmes. Les simulateurs correspondants sont capables de fournir une grande précision sur les résultats mais à un coût numérique important. Sachant que la résolution d'un problème inverse exige souvent un grand nombre de résolution de problèmes directs successifs, cela rend l'inversion très exigeante en termes de temps de calcul et de ressources informatiques. Pour surmonter ces challenges, les « modèles de substitution » qui imitent le modèle exact peuvent être une solution alternative intéressante. Une manière de construire de tels modèles de substitution est d'effectuer un certain nombre de simulations exactes et puis d'approximer le modèle en se basant sur les données obtenues. Le choix des simulations (« prototypes ») est normalement contrôlé par une stratégie tirée des outils de méthodes de « plans d'expérience numérique ». Dans cette thèse, l'utilisation des techniques de modélisation de substitution et de plans d'expérience numérique dans le cadre d'applications en CNDE est examinée. Trois approches indépendantes sont présentées en détail : une méthode d'inversion basée sur l'optimisation d'une fonction objectif et deux approches plus générales pour construire des modèles de substitution en utilisant des échantillonnages adaptatifs. Les approches proposées dans le cadre de cette thèse sont appliquées sur des exemples en CNDE par courants de Foucault / Electromagnetic Nondestructive Evaluation (ENDE) is applied in various industrial domains for the exploration of hidden in-material defects of structural components. The principal task of ENDE can generally be formalized as follows: an unknown defect affects a given host structure, interacting with a known electromagnetic field, and the response (derived from the electromagnetic field distorted by the defect) is measured using one or more receivers at known positions. This response contains some information on the electromagnetic constitutive parameters and the geometry of the defect to be retrieved. ENDE aims at extracting this information for the characterization of the defect, i.e., at the solution of the arising “inverse problem”. To this end, one has to be able to determine the electromagnetic field distorted by a defect with known parameters affecting a given host structure, i.e., to solve the “forward problem”. Practically, this is performed via the mathematical modeling (based on the Maxwell's equations) and the numerical simulation of the studied ENDE configuration. Such simulators can provide fine precision, but at a price of computational cost. However, the solution of an inverse problem often requires several runs of these “expensive-to-evaluate” simulators, making the inversion procedure firmly demanding in terms of runtime and computational resources. To overcome this challenge, “surrogate modeling” offers an interesting alternative solution. A surrogate model imitates the true model, but as a rule, it is much less complex than the latter. A way to construct such surrogates is to perform a couple of simulations and then to approximate the model based on the obtained data. The choice of the “prototype” simulations is usually controlled by a sophisticated strategy, drawn from the tools of “design-of-experiments”. The goal of the research work presented in this Dissertation is the improvement of ENDE methods by using surrogate modeling and design-of-experiments techniques. Three self-sufficient approaches are discussed in detail: an inversion algorithm based on the optimization of an objective function and two methods for the generation of generic surrogate models, both involving a sequential sampling strategy. All approaches presented in this Dissertation are illustrated by examples drawn from eddy-current nondestructive testing.

Cold rolled carbon steel 1018C is widely used in pressurized fuel pipelines. For those structures, stress corrosion cracking (SCC) can pose a significant problem because cracks initiate late in the lifetime and often unexpectedly, but grow fast once they get started. To ensure a safe operation, it is crucial that any damage can be detected before the structural stability is reduced by large cracks. In the early stages of SCC, microstructural changes occur which increase the acoustic nonlinearity of the material. Therefore, an initially monochromatic Rayleigh wave is distorted and measurable higher harmonics are generated. Different levels of stress corrosion cracking is induced in five specimens. For each specimen, nonlinear ultrasonic measurements are performed before and after inducing the damage. For the measurements, oil coupled wedge transducers are used to generate and detect tone burst Rayleigh wave signals. The amplitudes of the received fundamental and second harmonic waves are measured at varying propagation distances to obtain a measure for the acoustic nonlinearity of the material. The results show a damage-dependent increase in nonlinearity for early stages of damage, indicating the suitability for this nonlinear ultrasonic method to detect stress corrosion cracking before structural failure.

Comparative studies of nondestructive evaluation methods have shown that nonlinear ultrasonic techniques are more sensitive than conventional linear methods to changes in material microstructure and the associated small-scale damage. Many of the material degradation processes such as carbonation in concrete, corrosion in metals, etc., begin at the surface. In such cases, ultrasonic Rayleigh surface waves are especially appropriate for detection and characterization of damage since their energy is concentrated in the top layer of the test object. For the civil engineering infrastructure, only a limited number of field applicable nonlinear ultrasonic techniques have been introduced. In this paper a nonlinear ultrasonic measurement technique based on the use of Rayleigh waves is developed and used to characterize carbonation in concrete samples. Wedge transducer is used for the generation and an accelerometer for detection of the fundamental and modulated ultrasonic signal components. The measurements are made by varying the input voltage and along the propagation distance. The slope of the normalized modulated amplitudes is taken as the respective nonlinearity parameter. Concrete samples with two different levels of damage are examined, and the difference of the two fundamental frequencies is used to quantify damage state.

Although the study of the interaction of acoustic and elastic waves with periodic surfaces and structures has a rich history dating back to Lord Rayleigh, it has recently been attracting new research efforts due to its value in the study of phononic crystals and in methods for ultrasonic non-destructive evaluation (NDE). The objective of the research described in this thesis is to provide new numerical and experimental tools capable of capturing important features that occur due to the diffraction of ultrasound on periodic solid surfaces. This thesis is divided into four main parts. First, the Rayleigh-Fourier (R-F) method will be used to simulate diffracted fields generated by structures containing multiple periodic surfaces and/or multiple solid layers. The second part of this thesis examines diffraction effects and compares ultrasonic NDE techniques for surfaces with imperfect periodicities. The third portion of this thesis focuses on one unusual phenomenon that has been observed on periodic surfaces, namely the lateral backward displacement of a bounded ultrasonic beam along the surface. This effect is currently understood to occur due to backward propagating surface waves that result from diffraction and mode conversion on the surface. The fourth and final part of this thesis describes the diffraction of bulk ultrasonic waves that can occur on the surfaces of phononic crystals.

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-06T20:50:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMOS.pdf: 8901062 bytes, checksum: 08b58e3ccf045cae12fa956cafaba68c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T19:37:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMOS.pdf: 8901062 bytes, checksum: 08b58e3ccf045cae12fa956cafaba68c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-20T19:38:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMOS.pdf: 8901062 bytes, checksum: 08b58e3ccf045cae12fa956cafaba68c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-20T19:38:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMOS.pdf: 8901062 bytes, checksum: 08b58e3ccf045cae12fa956cafaba68c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-02 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / The present study delas with nondestructive evaluation of modern masonry built with hollow concrete blocks, through the flatjack technique. The technique is already used to evaluate masonry structures with solid bricks and stones and it is considered as efficient to obtain in situ mechanical properties, without any permanent damages. The tests in solid unit masonry using flatjack is included in international standards and recommendations as: ASTM C 1196 e 1197-09 e RILEM MDT.D.4 e MDT.D.5-04. The current standards and the practical applications deal with masonry with brick or stones elements only. Nondestructive evaluation in modern hollow block masonry is demanded and the flatjack can be used in these cases. However, the current available jack can be used only on solid units, due to its geometrical limitations. Therefore, this research proposes to adapt the flatjack technique for nondestructive evaluation in modern masonry built with hollow concrete blocks. The analyzed test is the deformability one, which the modulus of elasticity and an estimative of the compressive strength is wanted. In this research, a new flatjack equipment was developed to allow its application on hollow blocks and it was tested in modern masonry samples. The new equipment was successfully developed and it was used in flatjack tests on hollow concrete block masonry. As main results, masonry properties obtained from the flatjack technique was close to the expected ones, indicating the great potentiality of the technique for hollow blocks also. / O presente trabalho trata da avaliação não destrutiva em alvenarias estruturais de blocos de concreto, através da técnica de macacos planos. A técnica já é utilizada em análises de estruturas de alvenaria de tijolos maciços e de pedras, sendo considerada bastante eficiente para a obtenção de propriedades mecânicas, no próprio local, sem causar danos permanentes. Os testes com macacos planos em alvenarias de unidades maciças já fazem parte de normas e recomendações internacionais como: ASTM C 1196 e 1197-09 e RILEM MDT.D.4 e MDT.D.5-04. As normas e as aplicações práticas já realizadas tratam apenas de alvenarias com elementos de tijolos ou pedras. Existe uma demanda para avaliação estrutural não destrutiva em alvenarias modernas, na maioria compostas por blocos vazados, de maneira que a técnica poderia ser utilizada. Entretanto, os macacos atualmente disponíveis podem ser aplicados em unidades maciças apenas, devido a limitações geométricas. Portanto, este estudo visa adaptar a técnica de macacos planos para análise não destrutiva em alvenarias modernas, compostas por blocos vazados de concreto. O teste adaptado é o teste de deformabilidade, em que se visa obter o módulo de elasticidade e uma estimativa da resistência à compressão. Para a realização deste trabalho, um novo modelo de macaco foi desenvolvido, possibilitando sua aplicação em blocos vazados, sendo testado em amostras de paredes. O equipamento foi desenvolvido com sucesso e utilizado em testes de deformabilidade em paredes com blocos de concreto. Como resultado, propriedades foram obtidas com boa proximidade com os valores esperados, indicando potencialidade da técnica para esse tipo de aplicação. Palavras-chave: Macacos planos; teste de deformabilidade; avaliação não destrutiva; blocos vazados de concreto.