An operating vehicle requires energy to oppose the subjected driving resistances. This energy is supplied via the fuel combustion in the engine. Decreasing the opposing driving resistances for an operating vehicle increases its fuel efficiency: an effect which is highly valued in today’s industry, both from an environmental and economical point of view. Therefore a lot of progress has been made during recent years in the area of fuel efficient vehicles, even though some driving resistances still rises perplexity. These resistances are the air drag Fd generated by the viscous air opposing the vehicles propulsion and the rolling resistance Frr generated mainly by the hysteresis caused by the deformation cycle of the viscoelastic pneumatic tires. The energy losses associated with the air drag and rolling resistance account for the majority of the driving resistances facing an operating vehicle, and depends on numerous stochastic and ambient parameters, some of which are highly correlated both within and between the two resistances. To increase the understanding of the driving mechanics behind the energy losses associated with the complexity that is rolling resistance, a set of complete vehicle tests has been carried out. These tests were carried out on the test track Malmby Fairground, using a Scania CV AB developed R440 truck equipped with various sensors connected in one measurement system. Under certain conditions, these parameters can allow for an investigation of the rolling resistance, and a separation of the rolling resistance and air drag via explicit subtraction of the air drag from the measured traction force. This method is possible since the aerodynamic property AHDVCd(β) to some extent can be generated from wind tunnel tests and CFD simulations. Two measurement series that enable the above formulated method of separation were designed and carried out, using two separate measurement methods. One which enables the investigation of the transient nature of rolling resistance as it strives for stationarity, where the vehicle is operated under constant velocities i.e. no acceleration, and one using the well established method of coastdown, where no driving torque is applied. The drive cycles spanned a range of velocities, which allowed for dynamic and stationary analyses of both the tire temperature- and the velocity dependence of rolling resistance. When analysing the results of the transient analysis, a strong dependence upon tire temperature for given constant low velocity i.e. v ≤ 60 kmh−1 was clearly visible. The indicated dependency showed that the rolling resistance decreased as the tire temperature increased over time at a given velocity, and vice versa, towards a stationary temperature and thereby rolling resistance. The tire temperature evolution from one constant velocity to another, took place well within 50 min to a somewhat stationary value. However, even though the tire temperature had reached stationarity, rolling resistance did not; there seemed to be a delay between stationary tire temperature, and rolling resistance. The results did not indicate any clear trends for v ≥ 60 kmh−1, where the results at v = 80 kmh−1 were chaotic. This suggests that some additional forces were uncompensated for, or that the compensation for air drag was somehow wrongly treated at higher velocities. Several factors ruled out any attempts at proposing a new rolling resistance model. These included: the chaotic results for v = 80 kmh−1, the delayed rolling resistance response upon tire temperature stabilization, and the lack of literature support for the observed tendency. The results from the coastdown series on the other hand, showed good agreement with a dynamical model suggested in literature. The stationary temperature behaviour for the considered velocity range at assumed constant condition is also supported in literature. Finally, an investigation of the aerodynamic property AHDVCd inspired by ongoing work in ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), was carried out assuming both zero and non-zero air drag at low velocities. The results indicated surprisingly good agreement with wind tunnel measurements, especially when neglecting air drag at low velocities: as suggested by ACEA. / För att övervinna de motstånd som ett fordon utsätts för under drift krävs energi, vilket levereras genom förbränningen av bränsle. Genom att minska de körmotstånd som ett fordon utsätts för under drift, kan man öka dess energieffektivitet. Denna potential är idag högt värderad i fordonsindustrin, både ur ett miljömässigt och ekonomiskt perspektiv. På senare år har stora framsteg gjorts inom området energieffektiva fordon, men fortfarande råder det förvirring kring de energiförluster som förknippas med luftmotstånd Fd och rullmotstånd Frr, där luftmotståndet skapas av den omkringliggande viskösa luften, medan rullmotståndet genereras av hysteresen som uppstår när fordonets viskoelastiska pneumatiska däck utsätts för deformation. De energiförluster som förknippas med luft- och rullmotstånd motsvarar den största delen av de motstånd som ett fordon påverkas av, och beror på en mängd stokastiska och yttre parametrar, varav vissa är starkt korrelerade både inom och mellan nämnda motstånd. För att förbättra förståelsen kring dessa energiförluster, med fokus på förståelsen av rullmotstånd, har ett antal helfordonstest genomförts. Dessa genomfördes på provbanan Malmby Fairground med en R440 lastbil från Scania CV AB, utrustad med en mängd sensorer sammankopplade i ett mätsystem. Det uppbyggda mätsystemet möjliggjorde samtida mätningar av bl.a. drivande moment, motorvarv, fordonshastighet, däcktemperatur, omkringliggande lufts hastighet och dess riktning. Under specifika förhållanden kunde dessa parametrar möjliggöra analys av rullmotstånd genom en explicit subtraktion av luftmotstånd från den uppmätta drivande kraften. Denna metod är möjlig tack vare en förhållandevis bra modell av ekipagets aerodynamiska egenskap AHDVCd(β), som generats från vindtunneltest och CFD simuleringar. Två körcykler som möjliggjorde ovan formulerade separation designades och genomfördes. Dessa använder två skilda mätmetoder, varav den ena möjliggör analys av rullmotståndets övergående förlopp från dynamiskt till stationärt genom att hålla konstant hastighet. Den andra studerade det dynamiska förloppet genom den väletablerade metoden utrullning, dvs. utan något drivande moment. Dessa körcyklar genomfördes, för ett antal hastigheter, vilket möjliggjorde analys av både hastighets- och däcktemperaturberoendet hos rullmotstånd, under dynamiska såväl som stationära förlopp. Analysen av rullmotståndets dynamik i strävan mot stationära förhållanden visade på ett starkt temperaturberoende vid låga hastigheter dvs. v ≤ 60 kmh−1. Beroendet visade på att rullmotståndet avtog med ökande däcktemperatur och vice versa, tills dess att en någorlunda stationär temperatur för given hastighet uppnåtts. Däcktemperaturen stabiliserades till ett nytt stationärt värde inom 50 min från att hastigheten ändrats. Resultaten tyder dock på att även om stationär däcktemperatur uppnåtts finns det en fördröjning i rullmotståndets tidsspann innan rullmotståndet stabiliserat sig. För högre hastigheter, dvs. v ≥ 60 kmh-1, var dock inga klara trender synliga, varken i hastighet eller temperatur och resultaten vid v = 80 kmh-1 var kaotiska. Detta antyder att man missat att kompensera för någon kraft vid höga hastigheter, alternativt att man på något sätt kompenserar fel för luftmotståndet vid högre hastigheter. Flera faktorer hindrade försök att föreslå någon ny rullmotståndsmodell. Dessa faktorer inkluderar det kaotiska resultatet vid v = 80 kmh-1, tidsfördröjningen mellan stationärt rullmotstånd och däcktemperatur samt att resultatet för antagna stationära värden inte finner stöd i litteraturen. Resultatet från utrullningsprovet överstämmer dock bra med tidigare föreslagen dynamisk modell, samt att resultaten av beteendet hos stationär temperatur för olika hastigheter även de överensstämmer med och finner stöd i litteraturen. Slutligen har en studie kring den aerodynamiska egenskapen AHDVCd, inspirerad av pågående arbete inom ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association) utförts både med antagandet av ett noll- skilt och med ett försumbart luftmotstånd vid låga hastigheter. Resultatet visar på en överraskande god överensstämmelse med vindtunnelmätningar, framför allt under antagandet av försumbart luftmotstånd vid låga hastigheter i enlighet med förslagen metod från ACEA.

Jazz and rock have been historically treated as separate musical traditions, despite having many similar musical and cultural characteristics, as well as sharing significant periods of interaction and overlap throughout popular music history. The rift between jazz and rock, and jazz and rock scholarship, is based on a set of received assumptions as to why jazz and rock are different. However, these assumptions are not naturally inherent to the two genres, but are instead the result of a discursive construction that defines them in contrast to one another. Furthermore, the roots of this discursive divide are to be found in the history of popular music journalism. In this thesis I challenge the traditional divide between jazz and rock by examining five historical case studies in American jazz and rock journalism. My underlying argument is that we cannot take for granted the fact that jazz and rock would ultimately become separate discourses: what are now represented as inevitable musical and cultural divergences between the two genres were actually constructed under very particular institutional and historical forces. There are other ways popular music history could have been written (and has been written) that call the oppositional representation of jazz and rock into question. The case studies focus on the two oldest surviving and most influential jazz and rock periodicals: Down Beat and Rolling Stone. I examine the role of critics in developing a distinction between the two genres that would eventually be reproduced in the academic scholarship of jazz and rock. I also demonstrate how the formation of jazz and rock as genres has been influenced by non-musicological factors, not least of all by music magazines as commercial institutions trying to survive and compete in the American press industry.

Das Ausmaß der Korrosion kann durch den Werkstoff- und Oberflächenzustand gesteuert werden. Wichtige Einflussgrößen sind die Rauheit, Kristallitgröße, Mikroverzerrung, Textur und Eigenspannungen. Am Beispiel von Kaltwalzprozessen werden Abhängigkeiten dieser Größen vom Umformgrad aufgezeigt, die in numerische Simulationen implementierbar sind und somit die Aussagefähigkeit der Berechnungen maßgeblich erhöhen können. Es wird in der vorliegenden Arbeit ein Modell zur qualitativen und quantitativen Erfassung der Zusammenhänge zwischen den Einflussgrößen und der Korrosionsrate vorgeschlagen. Am Beispiel eines unlegierten Stahls (DC04) kann damit die minimal mögliche Korrosionsrate in Schwefelsäure berechnet sowie ein optimierter Ablauf der Prozessroute beim Kaltwalzen abgeleitet werden, um dieses Minimum zu erreichen. Das Modell ist auf weitere Korrosionssysteme übertragbar, was am Beispiel von EN AW-1050/Schwefelsäure aufgezeigt wird. / The extent of corrosion can be controlled by the material and surface state. Important parameters are: roughness, crystallite size, microstrain, texture and residual stresses. Using the example of cold-rolling processes, the dependencies of these parameters on the plastic strain are shown that can be implemented in numerical simulations and allow increasing the information extracted from the calculations significantly. A model is proposed for determining qualitative and quantitative correlations between the corrosion-affecting parameters and the corrosion rate. Using a carbon steel (DC04), the minimal corrosion rate in sulphuric acid can be calculated and an appropriate processing route is suggested. The model can be adopted for other corrosion systems, which is shown for EN AW-1050/sulphuric acid.

Ce projet de recherche a été réalisé avec la collaboration de FPInnovations. Une part des travaux concernant le problème de récolte chilien a été effectuée à l'Instituto Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería (ISCI) à Santiago (Chili). / La planification de la récolte forestière comporte différents niveaux de planification selon l'horizon de temps du problème et la nature des décisions à prendre. Dans un premier temps, nous nous intéressons à un problème de planification annuelle de la récolte, à mi-chemin entre la planification tactique et opérationnelle. Ce problème appliqué à l'exploitation forestière au Québec, naît d'un besoin de l'industrie québécoise d'un outil pour la planification annuelle intégrée qui fournit aux équipes de récolte leur calendrier. L'intégration consiste à déterminer les affectations des équipes aux blocs en fonction des besoins des usines, et qui respectent les contraintes de transport, de gestion des stocks, et bien entendu les conditions d'exploitation en forêt. Plusieurs modèles de types MIP ont été formulés, des approches de résolution adaptées à la structure de chacun des modèles ont été développées. L'approche par horizon roulant est celle dont les résultats surpassent les deux autres et surtout, améliorent de façon significative les plans usuellement suivis, notamment en réduisant les volumes non livrés aux usines de moitié, ou encore en divisant entre 2 et 6 fois les volumes en stock quand la demande diminue. De plus, le développement d'une interface pour systématiser le processus de résolution et élargir le nombre d'utilisateurs, est la seconde contribution de la thèse. Cette étape du projet correspond à un transfert de technologie de l'université vers l'industrie. Le second problème de planification se situe au Chili, est une planification tactique de la récolte dirigée par les prix et demandes en produits finis, ces derniers étant considérés comme des paramètres aléatoires. Le problème stochastique formulé est résolu suivant une méthode de décomposition par scénarios dont le nombre varie entre 10 et 100. Pour chaque scénario, la solution déterministe, lorsqu'elle est réalisable, est comparée avec celle issue de la résolution du problème stochastique. La solution déterministe n'est réalisable que pour une dizaine de scénarios parmi 100, et les pertes encourues sont en moyenne de 9%. / Harvest planning has different levels according to the time horizon of the problem and the nature of the decisions to be taken. Initially, we are interested in an annual harvest scheduling problem, halfway between tactical and operational planning. This problem applied in Qu\'ebec, is motivated by a need from the industry for an integrated tool that provides annual schedules to harvest teams. The integration is to determine demand driven assignments of teams to cutblocks and to manage transportation and inventory accordingly. Several MIP models have been formulated, and three solution approaches have been developed according to the structure of each model. The rolling horizon approach performs better than the other two, by improving significantly from the traditional harvest plan, especially by reducing by half non delivered volumes or by dividing between 2 and 6 times volumes in storage when demands decrease. Another contribution of the thesis is the creation of an interface to systematize solution process and to allow other users. This is the object of a transfer project between academics and industry. The second problem is a Chilean tactical harvest planning. Harvesting decisions are driven by stochastic demands and prices of final products. The stochastic problem is solved using a heuristic based on a scenario decomposition technique. The number of scenarios considered is between 10 and 100 scenarios. For each scenario, when the deterministic solution is feasible, it is compared with the stochastic solution for the current scenario. The deterministic solution is only feasible for 10% of the scenarios, and induces losses of 9% in average.

Rolling element bearings are a vital part in many rotating machinery, including vehicles. A defective bearing can be a symptom of other problems in the machinery and is due to a high failure rate. Early detection of bearing defects can therefore help to prevent malfunction which ultimately could lead to a total collapse. The thesis is done in collaboration with Scania that wants a better understanding of how external sensors such as accelerometers, can be used for condition monitoring in their gearboxes. Defective bearings creates vibrations with specific frequencies, known as Bearing Characteristic Frequencies, BCF [23]. A key component in the proposed method is based on identification and extraction of these frequencies from vibration signals from accelerometers mounted near the monitored bearing. Three solutions are proposed for automatic bearing fault detection. Two are based on data-driven classification using a set of machine learning methods called Support Vector Machines and one method using only the computed characteristic frequencies from the considered bearing faults. Two types of features are developed as inputs to the data-driven classifiers. One is based on the extracted amplitudes of the BCF and the other on statistical properties from Intrinsic Mode Functions generated by an improved Empirical Mode Decomposition algorithm. In order to enhance the diagnostic information in the vibration signals two pre-processing steps are proposed. Separation of the bearing signal from masking noise are done with the Cepstral Editing Procedure, which removes discrete frequencies from the raw vibration signal. Enhancement of the bearing signal is achieved by band pass filtering and amplitude demodulation. The frequency band is produced by the band selection algorithms Kurtogram and Autogram. The proposed methods are evaluated on two large public data sets considering bearing fault classification using accelerometer data, and a smaller data set collected from a Scania gearbox. The produced features achieved significant separation on the public and collected data. Manual detection of the induced defect on the outer race on the bearing from the gearbox was achieved. Due to the small amount of training data the automatic solutions were only tested on the public data sets. Isolation performance of correct bearing and fault mode among multiplebearings were investigated. One of the best trade offs achieved was 76.39 % fault detection rate with 8.33 % false alarm rate. Another was 54.86 % fault detection rate with 0 % false alarm rate.

This essay investigates how realized variance affects the GARCH-models (GARCH, EGARCH, GJRGARCH) when added as an external regressor. The GARCH models are estimated with three different distributions; Normal-, Student’s t- and Normal inverse gaussian distribution. The results are ambiguous - the models with realized variance improves the model fit, but when applied to forecasting, the models with realized variance are performing similar Value at Risk predictions compared to the models without realized variance.

La fatigue de contact est un des modes de défaillance prédominants des composants tels que les engrenages ou les roulements. Les mécanismes d’initiation de fissures associés à ce mode de défaillance sont fortement liés à la microstructure du matériau. Cependant, la plupart des modèles utilisés pour prédire la durée de vie se situent à l’échelle macroscopique. Un modèle basé sur une représentation de type Voronoi des grains (échelle mésoscopique) est développé afin d’analyser les mécanismes d’initiation. Le concept d’endommagement est appliqué aux joints de grain modélisés par la méthode des zones cohésives. L’objectif de ce modèle est (i) de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de l’influence de paramètres tels que ceux liés aux conditions de contact (rugosité, lubrification) ou aux matériaux (présence d’inclusions ou gradients de propriétés et contraintes résiduelles générés par les traitements de surface…) sur les mécanismes d’initiation et (ii) de fournir une estimation de la durée de vie jusqu’à cette initiation. Un premier modèle 2D isotrope a permis de mettre en place l’approche proposée et d’analyser le comportement numérique des éléments cohésifs : influence de la valeur des raideurs cohésives et apparition de singularités aux jonctions triples. Cette singularité semble inévitable, mais l’approche consistant à considérer le joint de grain comme une unique entité, et donc à utiliser des valeurs moyennes le long du joint de grain permet de s’affranchir de cette singularité. La représentativité du modèle a ensuite été améliorée par la modélisation de l’anisotropie cristalline. Un modèle de type élasticité cubique a été utilisé pour modéliser le comportement des grains. Enfin, une analyse approfondie de l’application du concept d’endommagement aux joints de grains a permis de proposer une nouvelle formulation entraînant une influence plus réaliste de cet endommagement sur le cisaillement intergranulaire et conduisant à une durée de vie estimée (apparition des premières micro-fissures) d’un ordre de grandeur comparable à celles données par l’expérience. / Contact fatigue is the predominant mode of failure of components subjected to a repeated contact pressure, like rolling element bearings or gears. This phenomenon is known as rolling contact fatigue (RCF). A large number of models have been developed to predict RCF, but there is today no complete predictive life model, and understanding RCF failure mechanism remains a significant challenge. RCF failure mechanisms are known to be very sensitive to a large number of parameters linked to contact conditions (roughness, lubrication) or materials (inclusions, gradients properties, residual stresses…). To improve knowledge about the influence of these parameters on failure mechanisms and life, a numerical model is developed to simulate the progressive damage of a component subject to rolling contact fatigue. Mechanisms associated with the initiation stage of failure process are located at a scale lower than the macroscopic scale. The proposed approach is to develop a grain level model (mesoscopic scale) in order to focus on initiation mechanisms. A Voronoi tessellation is used to represent the material microstructure. The progressive deterioration is simulated by applying the concept of damage mechanics at grain boundaries represented by cohesive elements. This approach has been first applied to a 2D isotropic model. The numerical behaviour of cohesive elements has been investigated: the influence of cohesive stiffness has been analysed and singularities at the triple junctions has been highlighted. The representativeness of the original model was improved by modelling crystal anisotropy. A cubic elasticity model was used to represent the behaviour of grains. Finally, a thorough analysis of the application of the damage concept at grain boundaries highlighted that the initial formulation results in a very low influence of the damage on the intergranular shear stress. A new formulation leading to a direct influence of the damage on the intergranular shear stress has been proposed. This new formulation has resulted in (i) a change in the distribution of micro-cracks, with coalescence between the different micro-cracks, and (ii) a large increase in the RCF life estimated by the model. The order of magnitude of the number of cycles corresponding to the first micro-cracks is comparable to that given by experiments.

Esta Dissertação tem por objetivo estudar o comportamento de diferentes materiais sob a ação de desgaste micro-abrasivo. Como parte do trabalho, foi projetada e construída uma máquina de ensaio desgaste por micro-abrasão por esfera rotativa fixa, com configuração mecânica com diferenças em relação às observadas na literatura (Gee et al., 2005). Como corpos-de-prova, foram utilizadas pastilhas intercambiáveis de metal duro (classe P20) e aço ferramenta M2. As esferas foram de aço AISI 1010 cementado e aço AISI 52100 temperado e revenido. Durante os ensaios, foi inserida entre a esfera e o corpo-de-prova uma pasta abrasiva preparada com carbeto de silício preto, com tamanho médio de partícula de 5 µm. Inicialmente, foram realizados ensaios preliminares, com a finalidade de analisar não só o comportamento do equipamento, mas também estudar a transição entre os modos de desgaste que podem ocorrer durante o desgaste micro-abrasivo. A transição entre os modos de desgaste foi estudada em função da carga normal e dos materiais utilizados durante o ensaio. Os resultados obtidos indicaram boa reprodutibilidade do equipamento e coerência com resultados da literatura. Em seguida, em ensaios denominados definitivos, foram pesquisadas as atuações dos modos de desgaste abrasivo e a obtenção do regime permanente de desgaste. Os resultados mostraram que, com a variação da distância de deslizamento, houve alterações nas ocorrências dos modos de desgaste abrasivo. Por outro lado, em alguns ensaios, o coeficiente de desgaste tendeu a permanecer constante, o que caracteriza a obtenção do regime permanente de desgaste. Entretanto, em outros, o coeficiente de desgaste teve uma evolução aleatória com a distância de deslizamento, fornecendo indicativos de que o desgaste não entrou em regime. / This work presents a study on the behavior of different materials under the action of micro-abrasive wear. A micro-abrasive wear testing machine with fixed sphere was designed and constructed, presenting a mechanical configuration with differences with respect to those found in the literature (Gee et al., 2005). M2 tool steel and WC-Co P20 were used as testing specimen materials. Ball materials were cemented AISI 1010 steel and quenched and tempered AISI 52100 steel. During the tests, an abrasive slurry, prepared with black silicon carbide (SiC) particles (average particle size of 5 µm), was supplied to the contact between the specimen and the ball. Initially, preliminary tests were conducted to study the wear mode transitions that can occur during the micro-abrasive wear and to analyze the operational conditions of the equipment. The wear mode transitions were evaluated as a function of the applied normal load and of the materials used. The results indicated good reproducibility and qualitative agreement with those found in the litarature. Later, a new set of tests was conducted, which analyzed the evolution of the abrasive wear modes and the achievement of steady state wear as a function of sliding distance. The results indicated a continuous variation in the abrasive wear modes with sliding distance. Additionally, in some tests, the wear coefficient tended to stabilize in constant value, which characterizes the achievement of steady state regime. However, in other tests, the wear coefficient presented a non constant evolution of wear coefficient with the sliding distance, which denotes that the constant regime of wear was not obtained.

O ensaio de desgaste micro-abrasivo por esfera rotativa vem conquistando elevada aceitação em universidades e centros de pesquisa, sendo amplamente adotado em estudos envolvendo desgaste abrasivo de materiais. Dois modos de desgaste abrasivo podem ser observados neste tipo de ensaio: rolamento resulta quando as partículas abrasivas rolam sobre a superfície do corpo-de-prova, enquanto riscamento é observado quando as partículas abrasivas deslizam sobre o mesmo; o tipo do modo de desgaste abrasivo apresenta uma significante influência sobre o comportamento de um sistema tribológico. Diversos trabalhos envolvendo coeficiente de atrito durante ensaios de desgaste abrasivo estão disponíveis na literatura, mas somente uma pequena parcela dedicaram-se ao estudo do coeficiente de atrito desenvolvido em ensaios de desgaste micro-abrasivo conduzidos por esfera rotativa. Adicionalmente, pesquisas preliminares reportaram que os resultados são dependentes da variação de pressão, ocasionada pela condução de ensaios sob condições de força normal constante. Logo, o propósito desta Tese de Doutorado é pesquisar a relação entre coeficiente de atrito e modos de desgaste abrasivo em ensaios desgaste micro-abrasivo por esfera rotativa, em condições de força normal constante e pressão constante. Ensaios ball-cratering foram conduzidos com esferas de aço AISI 52100 e um corpo-de-prova de aço-ferramenta AISI H10. A pasta abrasiva foi preparada com partículas de carbeto de silício (SiC) preto (tamanho médio de partícula de 3 m) e água destilada. Diferentes valores de força normal constante e pressão constante foram definidos para os experimentos. As forças normal (N) e tangencial (T) foram monitoradas continuamente durante os ensaios e a relação entre T/N foi calculada para fornecer uma indicação do coeficiente de atrito atuante no sistema tribológico esfera / partículas abrasivas / corpo-de-prova. Em todos os casos, análises por Microscopia Óptica das crateras de desgaste revelaram somente a presença de desgaste abrasivo por riscamento. Entretanto, observações mais detalhadas, conduzidas por Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura, indicaram que diferentes níveis desgaste abrasivo por rolamento atuaram ao longo dos riscos, fenômeno nomeado de micro-rolling abrasion (microrolamento). Além disso, os resultados obtidos mostraram, também, que: i) a distância de deslizamento apresenta significante influência sobre a transição entre os modos de desgaste abrasivo, ii) para os valores de força normal constante e pressão constante adotados, o coeficiente de atrito manteve-se, aproximadamente, na mesma faixa de valores e iii) o coeficiente de atrito é independente da taxa de desgaste. / The micro-scale abrasive wear test by rotative ball has gained large acceptance in universities and research centers, being widely used in studies on the abrasive wear of materials. Two wear modes are usually observed in this type of test: rolling abrasion results when the abrasive particles roll on the surface of the tested specimen, while grooving abrasion is observed when the abrasive particles slide; the type of wear mode has a significant effect on the overall behaviour of a tribological system. Several works on the friction coefficient during abrasive wear tests are available in the literature, but only a few were dedicated to the friction coefficient in micro-abrasive wear tests conducted with rotating ball. Additionally, recent works have identified that results may also be affected by the change in contact pressure that occurs when tests are conducted with constant applied force. Thus, the purpose of this work is to study the relationship between friction coefficient and abrasive wear modes in ball-cratering wear tests conducted at constant normal force and constant pressure. Micro-scale abrasive wear tests were conducted with a ball of AISI 52100 steel and a specimen of AISI H10 tool steel. The abrasive slurry was prepared with black silicon carbide (SiC) particles (average particle size of 3 m) and distilled water. Two constant normal force values and two constant pressure values were selected for the tests. The tangential and normal loads were monitored throughout the tests and their ratio was calculated to provide an indication of the friction coefficient. In all cases, optical microscopy analysis of the worn craters revelated only the presence of grooving abrasion. However, a more detailed analysis conducted by SEM has indicated that different degrees of rolling abrasion have also occurred along the grooves. The results have also shown that: i) the sliding distance presents an important role on the wear mode transition, ii) for the selected values of constant normal force and constant pressure, the friction coefficient presented, approximately, the same range of values and ii) the friction coefficient was independent of the wear rate.

Nenhuma / Neste trabalho foi realizada a modelagem geométrica computacional das Cetapas de prensagem e sinterização da pastilha e da laminação da placa de combustível nuclear contendo microesferas de (Th,25%U)O2 dispersas em matriz de aço inoxidável com o objetivo de avaliar a distribuição destas microesferas nas diversas etapas do processamento. As regras de modelagem foram desenvolvidas baseadas nos parâmetros de cada etapa da fabricação da placa combustível. Para isto foram obtidas placas através do processamento por laminação de molduras de chapas de aço inoxidável, contendo pastilha fabricadas com microesferas de (Th,25%U)O2 com carregamentos de 10, 20 e 40% em peso de combustível disperso em matriz de aço inoxidável. Os dados das placas com carregamentos de 30 e 50% foram obtidos por interpolação da curva. As microesferas, obtidas pelo processo sol-gel, foram previamente secas, reduzidas e sinterizadas a 1700oC, durante 2 horas, sob atmosferas de hidrogênio. As microesferas sinterizadas alcançaram uma densidade de cerca de 98% da densidade teórica, e possuem um diâmetro médio de cerca de 300 mm e uma elevada resistência à fratura, de aproximadamente 40 N/microesfera. As regras implementadas neste modelo foram aplicadas nas coordenadas dos centros das esferas virtuais, que simulam as microesferas combustíveis de (Th,25%U)O2, obtendo-se novas coordenadas espaciais para cada uma delas nas etapas de prensagem e sinterização da pastilha e da laminação da placa combustível. Este modelo foi projetado com o uso de técnicas de análise de sistema estruturada, implementado utilizando a linguagem de programação Delphi e os resultados visualizados através do programa AutoCAD. Os resultados do modelo foram validados comparando-se as frações volumétricas experimentais em cada um dos carregamentos estudados com as frações simuladas. Este trabalho será de grande valia para o estudo do carregamento de microesferas na placa combustível, permitindo obter um combustível de elevado desempenho mecânico, térmico e neutrônico mesmo em mais alto carregamento. / The computational geometric modeling of the pressing, sintering and lamination stages for nuclear fuel plates composed by (Th,25%U)O2, microspheres dispersed into stainless steel matrix has been done in order to investigate the microspheres distribution in the various processing stages. The modeling standards were based on the parameters related to each fuel plate manufacturing stage. Accordingly, the plates were obtained through lamination processing of stainless steel plate frames comprising (Th,25%U)O2 microspheres pellets dispersed into stainless steel powder with loading of 10, 20 and 40% of microspheres dispersed into stainless steel matrix. The data for plates with loading of 30 and 50% have been obtained by linear interpolation. The microspheres produced by the sol-gel method were previously reduced and sintered at 1700 0C during 2 hours at hydrogen atmosphere. These sintered microspheres have reached about 98% of the theoretical density, with a mean diameter of 300 mm and a high resistance to fracture, near to 40 N/microsphere. The implemented standards in this model were applied at the virtual spheres center coordinates, which simulate the (Th,25%U)O2 fuel microspheres, and generate the new spatial coordinates to each of them in the pressing, sintering and lamination stages. This model was developed using structured system analysis techniques and it has been implemented using the Delphi programming language. The results were displayed through the AutoCAD program and validated comparing the experimental volumetric fractions in each of the studied loading, with the simulated fractions. The results indicate that this work could be a powerful tool in the investigation of microspheres loading in the fuel plate, allowing the attainment of a high mechanical and neutronic performance fuel, even for higher level loading.