The deregulation of the Swedish railway industry began in the late 1980s and has led to an increased number of actors operating within it, and the deregulation divided the railway industry into two areas; infrastructure and rolling stock. This thesis has investigated the main research question, How could smart contracts be applied in the Swedish rolling stock industry?, by addressing the sub-questions; Related to the implementation of contractual agreements, what current challenges are there? and How could smart contracts facilitate the challenges identified? To align the research with current concepts and changes relevant to the industry, the results have been connected to Asset Management (AM) and Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM). A case study has been conducted, and an abductive research approach has been used to be able to utilize both current literature and knowledge gained from the case study. The results from the conducted interviews showed that there are challenges related to; trust and transparency, the life length of the vehicles and the interest of actors and the interpretations of the contractual agreements. Further, it was discussed that there are benefits of applying smart contracts and that they could solve issues regarding transparency. The conclusion is that smart contracts could be used within this industry in several ways, initially between every two actors bound together by a contractual agreement, but later on in a vehicle ecosystem, or to follow up on KPIs or other critical conditions. / Avregleringen av den svenska järnvägsbranschen började i slutet av 1980-talet och har lett till ett ökat antal aktörer som verkar inom branschen. Avregleringen delade järnvägsbranschen i två områden; infrastruktur och “rolling stock”. Detta examensarbete har undersökt möjliga tillämpningsområden för smarta kontrakt inom den svenska rolling stock-industrin, genom att undersöka genomförandet av avtal, om det finns några utmaningar och om smarta kontrakt skulle kunna lösa dessa utmaningar. För att anpassa forskningen till aktuella koncept som är relevanta för branschen, och förändringar som sker, har resultatet kopplats till Asset Management (AM) och Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM). En kvalitativ fallstudie har genomförts med intervjuer. Dessutom har en abduktiv forskningsansats använts för att kunna utnyttja både aktuell litteratur och kunskap från fallstudien. Resultaten från de genomförda intervjuerna visade att det finns utmaningar relaterade till; förtroende och transparens, fordonens livslängd och aktörers intresse och tolkningarna av avtalen. Vidare diskuterades fördelarna med att tillämpa smarta kontrakt och att de skulle kunna lösa utmaningen med transparens. Slutsatsen är att smarta kontrakt skulle kunna användas inom denna bransch på flera sätt, initialt mellan varannan aktör som är bunden av ett avtal, men senare i ett fordonsekosystem, eller för att följa upp KPI:er eller andra kritiska förhållanden.

Background: Foam rolling (FR) is a promising new trend in the world of resistance training, sports and  athletics. It is often used as a warm up activity as a substitute or addition to  stretching modalities such as static stretching (SS). The proposed benefits behind FR is that it can lead to  both acute and chronic increases in performance and flexibility. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two different warm­up intervention protocols  of the hamstrings musculature on: 1) Performance in the bilateral standing long jump 2) Flexibility in a  supine active­knee­extension test. Method: The study consisted of sixteen male participants who were all healthy adult recreational athletes.  The two different interventions were, a) Static Stretching protocol (SS) and b) a Foam Rolling protocol  (FR). These were compared to a baseline warm up (BLWU). The SS consisted of 1 x 30 seconds of active  SS using the lying supine active­knee­extension position after a short warm­up. The FR consisted of 1  bout of 30 seconds of FR of the hamstrings musculature of each leg after a short warm­up. BLWU  consisted of a short warm­up (5 submaximal bilateral standing long jumps). Performance was measured  using a bilateral standing long jump test. Flexibility was measured with a goniometer using a lying supine active ­knee­ extension test. The student’s t­test was used to study differences between and within groups (BLWU, SS, FR). Results: No differences between BLWU and Post­SS (p=0.89) as well as BLWU compared to Post­FR (p=0.86) was detected for performance. However, an increase in flexibility was shown favoring Post­SS over BLWU (p=0.021) as well as Post­FR over BLWU (p=0.045). No significant difference was seen  between changes in the Post­SS and Post­FR groups in either performance or flexibility (p=0.887 and  p=0.944 respectively). Conclusion: It seems that both SS and FR are similarly viable and effective methods for acute increases  in flexibility in the active­knee­extension test without subsequent decreases in performance of the bilateral standing long jump.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-09-24T14:02:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Letícia Franciele Rossa_.pdf: 1939380 bytes, checksum: 5d2497f270ff7b418517264a6611d534 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-24T14:02:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Letícia Franciele Rossa_.pdf: 1939380 bytes, checksum: 5d2497f270ff7b418517264a6611d534 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-05 / Nenhuma / A cultura pop e seus produtos midiáticos provocam sensações e inferências sobre o mundo comum. As celebridades se encaixam neste cenário a partir do momento em que aparecem em performances – e, assim, passam a afetar os sentidos da sociedade. No Brasil, a revista Rolling Stone apresenta a cada mês estes artistas da cultura pop e suas produções – por meio de notícias, listas, entrevistas e colunas opinativas. O espaço de maior evidência destas publicações são suas capas, que mensalmente trazem uma celebridade nacional ou estrangeira, em forma de perfil, para incorporar uma temática nas páginas da revista. Para compreender quais são os valores identitários relativos ao Brasil traçados a partir destes perfis, foram selecionados 12 textos com o protagonismo de celebridades brasileiras – todos aqueles que são capa de Rolling Stone Brasil entre janeiro de 2012 e dezembro de 2015. Para viabilizar esta pesquisa, um estudo cartográfico foi desenvolvido a fim de concretizar a investigação. Após a pesquisa teórica e empírica, se averiguou que cada perfil publicado em Rolling Stone Brasil contribui para a construção de valores identitários relativos à respectiva celebridade entrevistada: a mulher, a atriz, o esportista, o cantor, o negro, e o homossexual. Ou seja, os valores de identidades publicados no conteúdo da revista repercutem na sociedade a partir do momento em que são veiculados. / The pop culture and the media products cause sensations and inferences about the common world. Celebrities fit into this scenario from the moment they appear in performances - and then begin to affect the senses of the society. In Brazil, Rolling Stone presents each month these pop culture artists and their productions - through news, lists, interviews and opinion columns. The most evident space of these publications are their covers, which monthly bring a national or foreign celebrity, in profile format, to incorporate a theme in the pages of the magazine. To understand which are the identity values related to Brazil made from these profiles, 12 texts were selected with the protagonism of Brazilian celebrities - all those who are the cover of Rolling Stone Brazil between January 2012 and December 2015. To do this research, a cartographic study was developed in order to materialize this research. After the theoretical and empirical research, it was verified that each profile published in Rolling Stone Brazil contributes to the construction of identity values related to the celebrity interviewed: the woman, the actress, the sportsman, the singer, the black man, and the homosexual. In other words, the values of identities published in the content of the magazine have repercussions in society from the moment they are transmitted.

De nombreuses caméras CMOS modernes sont équipées de capteurs Rolling Shutter (RS). Ces caméras à bas coût et basse consommation permettent d’atteindre de très hautes fréquences d’acquisition. Dans ce mode d’acquisition, les lignes de pixels sont exposées séquentiellement du haut vers le bas de l'image. Par conséquent, les images capturées alors que la caméra et/ou la scène est en mouvement présentent des distorsions qui rendent les algorithmes classiques au mieux moins précis, au pire inutilisables en raison de singularités ou de configurations dégénérées. Le but de cette thèse est de revisiter la géométrie de la vision 3D avec des caméras RS en proposant des solutions pour chaque sous-tâche du pipe-line de Structure-from-Motion (SfM).Le chapitre II présente une nouvelle méthode de correction du RS en utilisant les droites. Contrairement aux méthodes existantes, qui sont itératives et font l’hypothèse dite Manhattan World (MW), notre solution est linéaire et n’impose aucune contrainte sur l’orientation des droites 3D. De plus, la méthode est intégrée dans un processus de type RANSAC permettant de distinguer les courbes qui sont des projections de segments droits de celles qui correspondent à de vraies courbes 3D. La méthode de correction est ainsi plus robuste et entièrement automatisée.Le chapitre III revient sur l'ajustement faisceaux ou bundle adjustment (BA). Nous proposons un nouvel algorithme basé sur une erreur de projection dans laquelle l’index de ligne des points projetés varie pendant l’optimisation afin de garder une cohérence géométrique contrairement aux méthodes existantes qui considère un index fixe (celui mesurés dans l’image). Nous montrons que cela permet de lever la dégénérescence dans le cas où les directions de scan des images sont trop proches (cas très communs avec des caméras embraquées sur un véhicule par exemple). Dans le chapitre VI nous étendons le concept d'homographie aux cas d’images RS en démontrant que la relation point-à-point entre deux images d’un nuage de points coplanaires pouvait s’exprimer sous la forme de 3 à 7 matrices de taille 3X3 en fonction du modèle de mouvement utilisé. Nous proposons une méthode linéaire pour le calcul de ces matrices. Ces dernières sont ensuite utilisées pour résoudre deux problèmes classiques en vision par ordinateur à savoir le calcul du mouvement relatif et le « mosaïcing » dans le cas RS.Dans le chapitre V nous traitons le problème de calcul de pose et de reconstruction multi-vues en établissant une analogie avec les méthodes utilisées pour les surfaces déformables telles que SfT (Structure-from-Template) et NRSfM (Non Rigid Structure-from-Motion). Nous montrons qu’une image RS d’une scène rigide en mouvement peut être interprétée comme une image Global Shutter (GS) d’une surface virtuellement déformée (par l’effet RS). La solution proposée pour estimer la pose et la structure 3D de la scène est ainsi composée de deux étapes. D’abord les déformations virtuelles sont d’abord calculées grâce à SfT ou NRSfM en assumant un modèle GS classique (relaxation du modèle RS). Ensuite, ces déformations sont réinterprétées comme étant le résultat du mouvement durant l’acquisition (réintroduction du modèle RS). L’approche proposée présente ainsi de meilleures propriétés de convergence que les approches existantes. / Many modern CMOS cameras are equipped with Rolling Shutter (RS) sensors which are considered as low cost, low consumption and fast cameras. In this acquisition mode, the pixel rows are exposed sequentially from the top to the bottom of the image. Therefore, images captured by moving RS cameras produce distortions (e.g. wobble and skew) which make the classic algorithms at best less precise, at worst unusable due to singularities or degeneracies. The goal of this thesis is to propose a general framework for modelling and solving structure from motion (SfM) with RS cameras. Our approach consists in addressing each sub-task of the SfM pipe-line (namely image correction, absolute and relative pose estimation and bundle adjustment) and proposing improvements.The first part of this manuscript presents a novel RS correction method which uses line features. Unlike existing methods, which uses iterative solutions and make Manhattan World (MW) assumption, our method R4C computes linearly the camera instantaneous-motion using few image features. Besides, the method was integrated into a RANSAC-like framework which enables us to detect curves that correspond to actual 3D straight lines and reject outlier curves making image correction more robust and fully automated.The second part revisits Bundle Adjustment (BA) for RS images. It deals with a limitation of existing RS bundle adjustment methods in case of close read-out directions among RS views which is a common configuration in many real-life applications. In contrast, we propose a novel camera-based RS projection algorithm and incorporate it into RSBA to calculate reprojection errors. We found out that this new algorithm makes SfM survive the degenerate configuration mentioned above.The third part proposes a new RS Homography matrix based on point correspondences from an RS pair. Linear solvers for the computation of this matrix are also presented. Specifically, a practical solver with 13 point correspondences is proposed. In addition, we present two essential applications in computer vision that use RS homography: plane-based RS relative pose estimation and RS image stitching. The last part of this thesis studies absolute camera pose problem (PnP) and SfM which handle RS effects by drawing analogies with non-rigid vision, namely Shape-from-Template (SfT) and Non-rigid SfM (NRSfM) respectively. Unlike all existing methods which perform 3D-2D registration after augmenting the Global Shutter (GS) projection model with the velocity parameters under various kinematic models, we propose to use local differential constraints. The proposed methods outperform stat-of-the-art and handles configurations that are critical for existing methods.

<p>In the first part of this thesis, the FE program MSC.Marc is applied for coupled thermomechanical simulations of wire-rod rolling. In order to predict material behaviour of an AISI 302 stainless steel at high strain rates generated during wire-rod rolling, a material model based on dislocation density is applied. Then, the evolution of temperature, strain rate and flow stress is predicted in the first four rolling passes of a wire block.</p><p>In the second part of the thesis, an alternative approach to simulation of shape rolling is evaluated. The approach is applied in order to save the computational time in cases where many shape-rolling passes are to be simulated. The approach is a combination of the slab method and a 2D FEM with a generalized plane-strain formulation. A number of various isothermal shape-rolling passes are simulated applying the simplified approach. The simulations are carried out using an in-house 2D FE code implemented in Matlab. The results are compared to fully 3D FE analyses. The comparison shows that the simplified approach can predict roll forces and roll torques with a fair accuracy, but the predicted area reductions are a bit underestimated. The reasons for the deviations between the simplified approach and the 3D FEM are discussed.</p>

<p>Very often defects are present in rolled products. For wire rods, defects are very deleterious since the wire rods are generally used directly in various applications. For this reason, the market nowadays requires wire rods to be completely defect-free. Any wire with defects must be rejected as scrap which is very costly for the production mill. Thus, it is very important to study the formation and evolution of defects during wire rod rolling in order to better understand and minimize the problem, at the same time improving quality of the wire rods and reducing production costs.</p><p>The present work is focused on the evolution of artificial defects during rolling. Longitudinal surface defects are studied during shape rolling of an AISI M2 high speed steel and a longitudinal central inner defect is studied in an AISI 304L austenitic stainless steel during ultra-high-speed wire rod rolling. Experimental studies are carried out by rolling short rods prepared with arteficial defects. The evolution of the defects is characterised and compared to numerical analyses. The comparison shows that surface defects generally reduce quicker in the experiments than predicted by the simulations whereas a good agreement is generally obtained for the central defect.</p>

A Rolling Dynamic Deflectometer (RDD) is a nondestructive testing device for determining continuous deflection profiles of pavements. Theses deflection profiles can be used more effectively when combined with other data such as pavement thickness, variability in moisture and other subsurface conditions, void detection and pavement right-of-way conditions. Therefore, a new, multi-function pavement testing device has been developed by a joint effort between the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) at Texas A&M University. This new device is called the Total Pavement Acceptance Device (TPAD). The objective of TPAD testing is to nondestructively and nonintrusively investigate the structural adequacy of the total pavement system. The multiple functions of the TPAD presently include the following measurement capabilities: (1) rolling dynamic deflectometer (RDD), (2) ground penetrating radar (GPR), (3) global positioning (GPS), (4) pavement surface temperature, (5) digital video imaging of pavement and right-of-way conditions and (6) longitudinal survey offsets from known points through distance measurement (DMI). The TPAD is currently designed to perform continuous measurements at speeds around 2 to 3 mph. The effort in this dissertation is directed at: (1) developing the fourth-generation rolling sensors for faster testing speeds with the TPAD, (2) developing the Jointed Concrete Pavement (JCP) testbed with known and well-documented conditions (3) developing and evaluating the TPAD mobile platform, (4) evaluating the performance of the fourth-generation rolling sensors and refining a field calibration procedure and (5) studying the influence of the longitudinal and transverse joints in Jointed Concrete Pavement on TPAD deflection profile measurements. The first part involved the study of previous research and preliminary testing using the second-generation rolling sensor. Key benefits of the fourth-generation rolling sensor are: (1) reduced rolling noise during the testing, (2) higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and (3) better tracking of the sensor. The second part of this work involved the development of the JCP testbed at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Flight Services Facility (FSF) adjacent to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA). The JCP testbed was developed to establish a pavement facility with known and well-documented conditions for use in future research dealing with rigid pavement testing. The third part of this work involved the acceptance testing of the TPAD mobile platform for the RDD deflection measurements. The mobile platform was the one of the key components to develop the new moving pavement testing device. The TPAD mobile platform was developed by modifying a small, off-road vibroseies built by Industrial Vehicle International, Inc. (IVI). Acceptance testing of each of the following components was performed: (1) automated speed control, (2) static loading system and (3) dynamic loading system. The fourth part of this work involved the TPAD deflection measurements at the testbed at the TxDOT FSF. The deflection profiles using the fourth-generation rolling sensors and TPAD were performed at the established testbed. During the performance evaluation testing, the new sensor positioning, towing and raising/lowering system was developed and installed in the TPAD. The fifth part of this study involved the deflection measurement using the TPAD-RDD system on the jointed concrete pavement. This study includes the repeatability of the TPAD deflection measurements, the influence of the proximity to the longitudinal and transverse joints in JCP on TPAD deflection measurements, deflection measurements under different pavement surface temperature, the characteristic of the TPAD-RDD deflections and the comparison between the Falling Weight Deflectometer and TPAD deflection measurement testing. / text

Le galetage est une opération de finition et de traitement mécanique de surface, particulièrement utilisée dans le secteur du décolletage. Afin de valoriser pleinement l'opération, les industriels ont besoin d'estimer les caractéristiques des pièces traitées; il s'agit de la rugosité, de la dureté superficielle et de la distribution des contraintes résiduelles. Pour répondre à cette problématique, différentes modélisations ont été construites par le passé. Les deux plus abouties s'appuient principalement sur l'hypothèse d'équivalence entre la sollicitation de galetage et la sollicitation d'indentation. Dans ce rapport, une nouvelle approche de la modélisation de l'opération de galetage est proposée. Elle repose sur une étude fine des phénomènes physiques mis en jeu par la sollicitation de galetage. Dans un premier temps, le problème mécanique posé par la modélisation de l'opération de galetage est résolu sous l'hypothèse de comportement purement élastique. Dans ce cas, l'équivalence entre la sollicitation de galetage et la sollicitation d'indentation est bien re-démontrée. Dans un second temps, l'effet de la plasticité sur cette équivalence est étudié. Un phénomène de formation et écoulement de bourrelet, particulièrement influent sur la sollicitation de galetage, est alors mis en évidence. Ce constat invalide totalement l'hypothèse d'équivalence galetage - indentation formulée précédemment. Ainsi, il est démontré que pour modéliser fidèlement les phénomènes induits par l'opération, il est indispensable de considérer le contact roulant libre du galet sur un solide en trois dimensions. En tirant partie de cette étude, une nouvelle méthode de modélisation de l'opération de galetage par la technique des Éléments Finis est alors proposée. Une attention particulière est portée sur la définition d'une méthode de caractérisation mécanique préalable du matériau, notamment adaptée à la problématique par l'utilisation d'un essai de compression spécifique. En ce qui concerne l'état géométrique de la surface, les résultats numériques sont en bon accord avec les mesures expérimentales. De plus, pour les grandeurs mécaniques (dureté superficielle et contraintes résiduelles), une correspondance qualitative est obtenue. Finalement, il apparaît que ce modèle apporte une contribution notable à la compréhension de l'opération, ouvrant la voie à une modélisation plus fidèle. / Roller burnishing is a cost effective surface enhancement process. To value this process, industry needs a tool to estimate the roughness, the hardness and the residual stress distribution of a burnished workpiece. To achieve this goal, different models have been built in the past. The two most comprehensive are based on the hypothesis of equivalence between normal contact and rolling contact. In this study, a new approach of the modeling of roller burnishing is proposed. For this, physical phenomena that occur around the contact area have been precisely studied. Firstly, the mechanical problem that is posed is solved analytically assuming a perfectly elastic behavior. In this case, equivalence between normal contact and rolling contact is proved. Secondly, the effect of plasticity on that result is studied. A phenomenon of accumulation and flow of material, which effect appears to be particularly important on the mechanical and geometrical characteristics of the burnished surface is highlighted. This observation imposes to reject the hypothesis of equivalence between normal contact and rolling contact. Consequently, it is conclude that any model can't be reliable until it considers the rolling contact of the roller on the workpiece. On this basis, a new finite element model of roller burnishing is established. Finally, numerical results are compared to experimental measurements. Concerning geometrical state, a quantitatively good correlation is observed while a qualitatively agreement is obtained for the two mechanical indicators. It can be concluded that this new EF model give a better understanding of the mechanics of roller burnishing process and will give the opportunity to improve parameters process or to adapt parameters according to the wished mechanical and geometrical characteristics of the workpiece.

Orientador: Sergio Tonini Button / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-11T13:27:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_MarioLuizNunesda_D.pdf: 5214131 bytes, checksum: d3b65bf8a08ad05e43b1a4cb009f56b7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Resumo: O processo Laminação Transversal com Cunha (conhecido em inglês como cross wedge rolling ou CWR) consiste na conformação plástica de produtos por meio de ferramentas em forma de cunhas fixadas em placas planas, côncavas ou convexas ou ainda em rolos de equipamentos de laminação. Apesar das vantagens desse processo associadas à elevada produtividade e minimização das perdas de matéria-prima, o surgimento do defeito interno denominado Mannesmann exige uma inspeção cuidadosa das peças produzidas. Esse defeito tem sua origem no centro das peças laminadas e suas causas ainda não estão totalmente identificadas. Baseando-se no método de elementos finitos, simulações numéricas em três dimensões do processo CWR foram estudadas utilizando-se o programa de simulação MSC Superform para analisar-se a influência das variáveis geométricas (ângulos de conformação e de estiramento e redução relativa) e de processo (temperatura de pré-aquecimento e velocidade de laminação) no aparecimento desse que é considerado o principal defeito do processo. Ensaios experimentais em equipamento existente no Laboratório de Conformação Mecânica da Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica também foram realizados abrangendo as mesmas variáveis citadas para a simulação. Os dados obtidos nestes ensaios foram confrontados com os das simulações para se estudar as possíveis causas do defeito e também para se avaliar o grau de representatividade do processo pelo programa de simulação. Concluiu-se que sob o critério de análise da deformação máxima equivalente, à medida que se aumenta a redução relativa e diminuem-se o ângulo de conformação e a velocidade de processo aumenta-se a probabilidade de ocorrência dos defeitos internos. Tanto nas simulações como nos ensaios práticos, não se notou uma tendência definida para a variável temperatura com relação à sua influência na formação dos defeitos internos / Abstract: Cross-wedge rolling (CWR) is a metal forming process in which wedge shaped tools are assembled to rollers, and concave or convex plates. Despite the advantages of this process associated with high productivity and reduction of raw materials, the formation of an internal defect, called Mannesmann, requires a careful inspection of the rolled parts. This defect has its origin in the center of the rolled pieces and its causes are not yet fully identified. Based on the finite element method, numerical simulations of the CWR process in three dimensions were studied using the simulation software MSC Superform, in order to analyze the influence of some geometric (forming and stretching angles and relative reduction) and process (initial temperature and speed process) variables on the formation of this that is considered the main defect of the process. Tests were also performed in an experimental equipment available in the Mechanical Forming Laboratory of the School of Mechanical Engineering covering the same variables cited for the simulation. The data from these tests were confronted with simulation results to determine the possible causes of the defect and also to evaluate the agreement of these results. From the analysis of the maximum equivalent strain, the higher relative reduction and smaller forming angle and process speed values the higher probability that the internal defects occur. It was not noticed a good trend about the influence of the initial temperature on the formation of the internal defects / Doutorado / Materiais e Processos de Fabricação / Doutor em Engenharia Mecânica

Malgré les innovations technologiques, les éoliennes restent sujettes à des défaillances prématurées de composants mécaniques imposants, ayant des conséquences considérables sur le coût de l’énergie. Parmi les défaillances majeures au sein des roulements d’éoliennes, un mode de fatigue de contact atypique se caractérise par de vastes réseaux de fissures ramifiées avec des phases microstructurales adjacentes d’apparence blanche à l’origine de la dénomination White Etching Cracks (WEC). Contrairement à la fatigue de contact classique, les WEC apparaissent pour un nombre de cycles et des charges relativement faibles, menant à une défaillance du composant imprévisible selon les modèles de durée de vie actuels. Les WEC ont été observés chez tous les roulementiers, dans diverses applications industrielles et pour différents types de roulements, éléments, lubrifiants, aciers et traitements thermiques. Ce manque de dénominateur commun rend les WEC difficilement reproductibles sur bancs d’essai sans chargement artificiel en hydrogène de l’acier. Ainsi, pour le moment, la formation des WEC ne fait pas l’objet d’un consensus. Une analyse des reproductions de WEC a été menée afin d’en comprendre les mécanismes tribologiques. Des protocoles expérimentaux ont été établis pour révéler les WEC, souvent situés à des positions inhabituelles par rapport au contact. Leur reproduction sur des roulements standards, chargés ou non en hydrogène, a permis de démontrer que le chargement artificiel en hydrogène, jusque-là couramment employé pour étudier la défaillance, reproduit des faciès identiques mais semble modifier l’initiation des WEC. Ainsi, des reproductions de WEC sans chargement en hydrogène et dans des configurations différentes ont été comparées afin d’appréhender les phénomènes tribologiques à l’origine des WEC. Les résultats suggèrent que l’initiation est principalement déclenchée par des phénomènes de surfaces avec l’absorption tribochimique d’hydrogène au niveau des surfaces métalliques fraîches sur la piste de roulement ou au niveau des flancs de microfissures superficielles. La propagation est ensuite assistée chimiquement par l’hydrogène concentré en pointe de fissure. Un arbre des causes étendu révèle que les WEC peuvent être associées à de multiples combinaisons de conditions opératoires qui semblent cependant conduire à des paramètres tribologiques similaires à l’échelle du contact avec, notamment, des cinématiques de glissement, des formulations de lubrifiants spécifiques et des paramètres tribochimiques catalyseurs comme la présence d’eau et/ou d’électricité. Une vaste campagne d’essai a alors été conduite sur un tribomètre bi-disques afin de simuler la fatigue de contact. Les résultats confirment que les facteurs influents identifiés ne sont pas pour autant auto-suffisants. La formation des WEC repose sur un équilibre instable entre aspects matériaux, mécaniques et tribochimiques, à maîtriser pour concevoir des solutions industrielles. / Despite constant expansion and engineering progress, wind turbines still present unexpected failures of heavy duty mechanical components drastically affecting the cost of energy. Among the most prevalent tribological failures in wind turbine rolling element bearings, a peculiar rolling contact fatigue mode has been associated to broad subsurface three-dimensional branching crack networks bordered by white etching microstructure, and thus named White Etching Cracks (WEC). Compared to conventional microstructural alterations, WECs tend to develop at moderate loads and cycles eventually leading to premature failures that remain unpredictable using fatigue life estimations. Far from being generic to specific manufacturers, WECs occur in various industrial applications, for various bearing types, components, lubricants, steels grades and heat treatments. As WEC occurrences present no common evident denominator, they remain delicate to reproduce on laboratory test rigs without prior artificial hydrogen charging, so that no consensus on WEC formation mechanisms have been confirmed yet. In this study, a thorough tribological analysis of WEC formation mechanisms has been led. Expertise protocols have been established to best reveal and observe WECs that commonly develop at unconventional locations versus the contact area. First analysis of WEC reproductions on standard rolling element bearings either hydrogen precharged or kept neutral have signified that artificial hydrogen charging, commonly employed to apprehend the failure mode, results in similar WEC morphologies but tends to alter WEC tribological initiation. In consequence, WEC reproductions in remarkably different configurations but without hydrogen charging have been compared in order to propose a better understanding of WEC surface-affected formation mechanisms: first, initiation via tribochemical hydrogen permeation at nascent steel surfaces formed either directly at the raceway or at surface microcracks flanks and second, propagation by local hydrogen embrittlement at crack tips function of the stress state. An extensive root cause analysis have then been led suggesting that WEC may be associated to various combinations of macroscopic operating conditions that often interact and come down to similar tribological parameters including high sliding energy thresholds, specific lubricant formulations and tribochemical drivers such as water contamination and/or electrical potentials. Further investigations on a minimalist twin-disc fatigue tribometer have provided additional evidence that WEC influent drivers are non-self-sufficient, supporting that WEC formation mechanisms rely on a subtle equilibrium between tribo-material, tribo-mechanical and tribo-chemical drivers that all should be mastered to design efficient and durable countermeasures.