Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2001. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 212-218).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Atlas Copco is interested in investigating the friction in the top-hammer drilling tool threads thatcauses the steel to heat up, leading to a phase transformation and a softer steel in the threads. Theaim of this project is to find a steel alloy or surface finishing that will retain its hardness atelevated temperatures better than the presently used threads material. The solution is intended tobe used as a replacement material for the threads. The potential material is meant to combat thepremature breakdowns of the threads and thus minimizing the economical losses. To achieve ourproject goal, literature studies and an experimental parts were employed.Hardening methods are discussed thoroughly in the thesis, such as carbides/nitrides,precipitation, solid solution, grain size, and martensitic transformation. Alloying elements andtheir effects on steels properties were also discussed. C, Cr, Co, Mn, Mo, Ni, W, and V werefound to increase the steel's hardness at elevated temperature, high temperature strength andabrasion wear resistance.Nitration can be applied to most of the steels that Atlas Copco uses today, and will give a harder,and more wear resistant surface at elevated temperatures. A problem with nitration is that thenitrided layer is generally thinner than the martensitic hardening used today.Three tool steels samples (ASP 2030, ASP 2053 and ASP 2060) were acquired from Erasteel.These were used in the experimental part and compared to reference steels that Atlas Copcocurrently are using (R1-R6). The experiments were conducted in 400 and 600°C and the sampleswere tempered for 1, 10 and 100 hours before the hardness were measured with a Vickershardness test. The conclusion from the experiments was that ASP 2060 and ASP 2053 fromErasteel are the steels that have a much higher hardness at elevated temperature than the othersteels tested in the experiment. The results indicate that the tool steels will probably notexperience the same premature breakdown as the threads used today. R1 and ASP 2053 have thegreatest heat resistance.The suggested tool steels are all quite expensive, and to minimize the material needed only thethreads and not the rod can be in the new alloy. Lowering the cost could also be achieved byhardfacing where a layer of the new expensive alloy is welded onto a cheaper steel.

In Hong Kong and other Asian metropolitan cites, high-rise residential buildings become very common. They are highly wind-sensitive, subjected to enormous wind loads at high wind speeds and may exhibit aeroelastic behavior at normal wind speeds. Many residential buildings often have an irregular shape with apartments arranged as wing sections extending from a central core so that all apartments on the floor can enjoy views. Between adjacent building wings are deeply recessed cavities. Most wind loading codes and guidelines assume stagnant flow inside the recessed cavities and wind loads are calculated based on the simplified enveloping building shape. This research studies how the static and dynamic wind loads on a tall building are modified by the presence of recessed cavities. The H-section tall building, with square enveloping shape, is selected to represent a building with two recessed cavities. A number of these building models with a systematic variation of breadths and depths of the recessed cavities are tested in the wind tunnel. Fluctuating wind forces and moments on the building models are measured and the dynamic building responses are investigated by the HFFB technique. The results show significant reductions in across-wind load fluctuations on the H-section buildings at wind incidence normal to building face with a cavity. Greater reductions are found on the fluctuation levels and the spectral energies at the vortex excitation frequency when the width/depth of the recessed cavities becomes larger. A resonant across-wind response modification factor (RMF) is adopted to quantify the effect on wind-induced dynamic building responses. For the across-wind response at critical wind incidence, the presence of recessed cavities can lead the value of RMF to as low as 0.67, that is reduction of building responses by 33%. To understand the mechanism of wind load modification caused by the presence of recessed cavities, wind pressure on all faces of the H-section tall buildings including the cavity faces are measured. Correlations of across-wind forces contributed by different building faces are analyzed. A clear quasi-periodic fluctuating component is found on the forces from the two building side faces and they act in phase in the across-wind direction. The across-wind force contributions from side faces of the windward or leeward recessed cavity are generally out-of-phase. As a result, the overall excitation levels of the total across-wind force on the building are reduced due to the presence of recessed cavities. To complement the wind tunnel study, computational fluid dynamics modeling using large-eddy simulation (LES) is carried out to study the unsteady wind flow around and wind loads on the H-section tall building with the widest and deepest recessed cavities. Furthermore, the two-dimensional (2D) case of smooth flow past 2D H-section cylinders is investigated. Both the LES and 2D experimental results give consistent observations and mechanisms of the effects of recessed cavities on the modification of dynamic wind loads on the tall building as the wind tunnel results. The thesis also reports studies on the effects of upstream terrain types, building heights and building shapes on the wind effects of H-section tall buildings. / published_or_final_version / Civil Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Emerging multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is one of the most urgent global public health issues. Recent advances in molecular techniques should enable the development of different rapid detection tests for drug-resistant TB. Large-scale comparative studies on the diagnostic accuracy and turn-around-time (TAT) of these novel assays may promote their smooth implementation as routine tests for TB in diagnostic laboratories. In a pilot evaluation of 30 clinical isolates and 202 sputum specimens, diagnostic performance of a novel in-house assay for MTB identification (IS6110 qPCR) was compared to a commercial COBAS TaqMan MTB test (Roche Diagnostics). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of IS6110 qPCR were 100%, 94.6%, 85.2% and 100%, respectively, compared to 94.7%, 100%, 100% and 98.6% for COBAS TaqMan MTB. Large-scale validation using 2,350 sputum specimens revealed the optimal cut-off crossing point (Cp) value of IS6110 qPCR was 29.61 with 97.3% sensitivity and 98.3% specificity determined by receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. The median TAT for IS6110 qPCR and COBAS TaqMan MTB test to the reporting of results was 0.9 and 1.2 days, respectively. Among the IS6110 qPCR-positive specimens in the large-scale validation, 287 samples were tested in-house by katG MAS-PCR and rpoB PCR sequencing assays and 159 samples were tested by GenoType® MTBDRplus assay (Hain LifeScience). The sensitivity and specificity of katG MAS-PCR for isoniazid (INH) resistance detection were 71.4% and 99.5%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of rpoB PCR sequencing for rifampicin (RIF) resistance detection were 100% and 99.6%, respectively. Commercial GenoType® MTBDRplus assay reached 100% sensitivity for both INH and RIF resistance detection at a specificity of 99.3% and 100%, respectively. The median TAT for the in-house assays and GenoType® MTBDRplus assay to the reporting of the results was 4.7 and 1.4 days, respectively. The findings from this study provide different implementation strategies for diagnostic test combinations. The most cost-effective drug-resistant TB diagnosis cascade was IS6110 qPCR followed by GenoType® MTBDRplus assay. The TAT for results is 2.3 days at a cost of US$49.7. Despite an additional cost of US$24.6, COBAS TaqMan MTB test should replace IS6110 qPCR in populations with high prevalence of IS6110-negative strains. The in-house katG MAS-PCR and rpoB PCR sequencing assays should be used in developing countries instead of the expensive GenoType® MTBDRplus assay. Subsequently, accurate diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis can be achieved in 4.5 days with a reasonable reagent cost of US$9.3. In conclusion, excellent diagnostic accuracy and shorter TAT of the molecular diagnostic cascade for drug-resistant TB, in particular IS6110 qPCR, can serve to guide physicians in the prompt choice of chemotherapy. This leads to timely delivery of anti-TB treatments to patients and holds the promise of easing the MDR-TB burden. / published_or_final_version / Microbiology / Master / Master of Philosophy

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External sulfate attack is a complex process that can result in concrete structures deteriorating prematurely. This dissertation describes a comprehensive evaluation of factors influencing external sulfate attack and includes both laboratory and field investigations. Significant emphasis was placed on evaluating the sulfate resistance of mortar and concrete containing high-calcium fly ash (Class C fly ash as per ASTM C 618). This investigation showed that these fly ashes generally reduced the sulfate resistance of mortar and concrete, but that sulfate resistance was possible through the incorporation of other supplementary cementing materials (silica fume and ultra fine fly ash) into these mixtures. Another key area of emphasis in this project was the correlation between accelerated laboratory tests and outdoor exposure site performance. The behavior of concrete exposed to various sulfate salts (sodium, magnesium, and calcium) was evaluated, both in static immersion tests and in outdoor sulfate trenches. It was found that the distress outdoors was exacerbated by physical sulfate attack, especially when concrete was exposed to sodium sulfate. It was found that lowering the water-tocementitious ratio (w/cm) and incorporating appropriate dosages of suitable supplementary cementing materials improved resistance to both chemical and physical forms of sulfate attack. Lastly, a comprehensive study of bridges throughout Texas discovered concrete structures suffering from possible external sulfate attack. The use of analytical techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used throughout the study to determine the presence of hydration products that may form with mortars and concrete specimens. Findings from this research will be implemented in specifications in Texas for the use of Class C fly ash use in concrete in areas that may have sulfate soils and groundwater.

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