The thesis entitled “Local structure-property relationship in some selected Solid State Materials” mainly focuses on two fundamental topics: (a) evaluation of some standard global structural concepts in terms of local structure to provide a unique description of the crystal structure, and (b) the role of the crystal structure at different length-scales in controlling the properties in some selected materials.

Im Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit steht die gezielte Analyse des Verbundverhaltens zwischen Bewehrungsstahl und Beton unter kombinierter Beanspruchung aus Ermüdung und Querzug. Den Hintergrund bilden Stahlbetonbauteile, wie z. B. Fahrbahnplatten von Verbundbrücken, welche einen zweiaxialen Lastabtrag unter nicht vorwiegend ruhenden Belastungen aufweisen. Die Untersuchungen für normal- und hochfesten Beton erfolgten an Ausziehkörpern mit einem durch Querzugspannungen hervorgerufenen Längsriss entlang des Bewehrungsstabes. Das Versuchsprogramm beinhaltete hochzyklische Schwellversuche mit unterschiedlichen Schwingspielen und variierenden Längsrissbreiten bis zu einer Million Lastwechseln. Anhand der Entwicklung des Schlupfes zwischen Bewehrungsstab und Beton konnte eine deutliche Abhängigkeit des Verbundwiderstandes vom Querzug beobachtet werden. Aufbauend auf der Schlupfentwicklung erfolgt die Ableitung von normierten Wöhlerlinien der Verbundermüdung. Diese Wöhlerlinien können direkt in Beziehung zu den Wöhlerlinien der Betonstahlermüdung gesetzt werden und vereinfachen die Erstellung von Dauerfestigkeitsdiagrammen für Bemessungszwecke. Es wird deutlich, dass die Ermüdungsfestigkeit des Verbundes durch das Vorhandensein eines Längsrisses gegenüber der Betonstahlermüdung verstärkt an Bedeutung gewinnt. / The main focus of the present work is the specific analysis of the bond behaviour between reinforcement and concrete under combined loading due to fatigue and transverse tension. The background is formed by reinforced concrete elements such as bridge decks of steel-concrete composite bridges, which show a biaxial load bearing behaviour under not predominantly monotonic loading. The investigations for both normal strength and high performance concrete were conducted on pull-out specimens with a longitudinal crack along the reinforcing bar caused by transverse tensile stresses. The experimental program included high cyclic tests with different stress ranges and varying longitudinal crack widths up to one million load cycles. By means of the slip development, a definite dependency of the bond strength on the transverse tension could be observed. Based on the slip development, normalised S-N curves for bond fatigue have been deduced. These S-N curves can be set in direct relation to the S-N curves for steel fatigue and simplify creating constant life diagrams for design purposes. It becomes clear that the bond fatigue strength, due to an existing longitudinal crack, gains in importance in comparison to the fatigue strength of the reinforcing steel.

The use of recommended S-N curves, presented in current literature, to analyse and determine the fatigue life of a part is common practice in, inter alia, the construction industry.However, the recommended S-N curves are generally created for larger components used in mainly the construction industry. Hence, the use of S-N curves for the evaluation of smaller parts, may result in over-dimensioning of such parts. For this reason, evaluation and designing of smaller parts could benefit from the development of an in house S-N curve specific for the part. The purpose of this thesis is to generate and validate an in-house method for creating a S-N curve, for a specific part to be compared with recommended S-N curves in the literature. The specific part used for the generating of the method is a welded steel joint with the geometry of two steel pipes, welded together in a t-formation and which has been provided by Thule AB for the purpose of the thesis. The method presented uses the results from 1) physical fatigue tests using a fatigue testing machine and 2) static FEA to derive a S-N curve for the specific part using the least squares method. A fatigue testing rig enables the gathering of data of the number of cycles to failure when the part is subject to a given cyclic load. The rig uses pneumatics to control the forces applied onto the part with the use of a cylinder. Furthermore, the fatigue testing rig was designed to be controlled by the applied force, meaning, that the rig ensured a homogeneous load cycle by measuring the force from a load cell and alternating the direction of the cylinder with an electrically controlled pressure valve. The performance of static FEA evaluations aim at locating stresses in the part. For this thesis the stresses were evaluated using the hot spot method due to the part's welded geometry. The data gathered from the physical fatigue tests and the static FEA evaluations are subsequently combined deriving S-N curves applicable to the part. From the fatigue tests and FEA evaluations for the t-shaped welded steel part, four S-N curves were derived of which two curves showed the results of a linear fitted curve whereas the other curves used the recommended slope of $-1/3$. The results showed that the S-N curves derived, using a set slope, resulted in similar curves to the recommended S-N curve provided by the literature. However, the linear fitted S-N curve showed that the part, according to the S-N curve, had a higher fatigue resistance than recommended.  Due to limitations in the thesis work, the S-N curves derived within the framework of this thesis should be regarded as theoretical and have been strictly used to identify whether the method generated is applicable for deriving of S-N curves.

Improved surgical procedures and implant developments for ligament or tendon repair require an in-depth understanding of tissue load-deformation and fatigue properties. Cyclic testing will provide crucial information on the behavior of these materials under reoccurring loads and on fatigue strength. Sparse data are available describing soft tissue behavior under cyclic loading. To examine fatigue strength, a new technology was trialed deploying 3D-printing to facilitate and standardize cyclic tests aiming to determine tendon fatigue behavior. Cadaveric flexor digitorum tendons were harvested and mounted for tensile testing with no tapering being made, using 3Dprinted clamps and holder arms, while ensuring a consistent testing length. Loads ranging between 200 to 510 N were applied at a frequency of 4 Hz, and cycles to failure ranged between 8 and >260,000. S–N curves (Woehler curves) were generated based on the peak stresses and cycles to failure. Power regression yielded a combined coefficient of determination of stress and cycles to failure of R 2 = 0.65, while the individual coefficients for tissues of single donors ranged between R 2 = 0.54 and R 2 = 0.88. The here-presented results demonstrate that S–N curves of human tendons can be obtained using a standardized setting deploying 3D-printing technology

[pt] Critérios de fadiga multiaxial para vida infinita tinham por objetivo apenas avaliar a ocorrência de fratura em um componente mecânico quando submetido a carregamentos multiaxiais totalmente reversíveis. Carpinteri e Spagnoli propuseram uma modificação em seu próprio modelo, substituindo por outros parâmetros os limites de resistência à fadiga em flexão f−1 e torção t−1 para ensaios totalmente reversíveis, introduzindo na equação uma variável nf que permitiu realizar uma previsão de vida em fadiga finita. O objetivo do presente estudo é verificar experimentalmente a consistência dessa modificação. A metodologia consistiu em obter experimentalmente curvas de Wohler para tração e torção referentes ao aço DIN 42CrMo4 a fim de obter os parâmetros m e m(asterisco), que são os coeficientes angulares das mesmas em escala log-log, produzindo meios para a aplicação do critério. Como o equacionamento do modelo não apresenta solução analítica, foi desenvolvido uma solução numérica para obter junto ao critério uma previsão teórica de vida em fadiga. Adicionalmente, o estudo busca discutir acerca de uma possível relação direta entre amplitude de tensão normal, amplitude de tensão cisalhante e número de ciclos para falha. O modelo em si apresentou consistência parcial com os experimentos, tendo sido assertivo nos ensaios de torção pura, mas discrepante em ensaios de tração pura. Para carregamentos combinados, houve razoável precisão em dois casos e grande dispersão em outra, mas a avaliação final depende de mais pontos experimentais. / [en] Infinite-life multiaxial fatigue criteria had only the ability to evaluate whether or not fatigue failure is to occur to a mechanical componente once subjected to multiaxial fatigue loadings. Carpinteri e Spagnoli proposed a modification to their own model, substituting both fully reversed bending and torsion fatigue endurance limits, f1 and t−1 respectively, introducing into the equation a new variable nf, allowing the model to predict the fatigue-life of the mechanical component. The main goal of the presente study is to assess the accuracy of the modified model via experiments. The research methodology consisted in determining m and m (asterisk), which are the slopes of the S-N curves for fully reversed bending and torsion experiments on regards to DIN 42CrMo4 steel when plotted into a log-log scale, providing means to apply the model. Since there is no analytic solution to the model, the criterion s equation has to be solved numerically. Furthermore, the present study discusses the possibility of a direct relation between amplitude of normal stress, amplitude of shear stress and number of cycles to failure. The modified Carpinteri & Spagnoli s criterion proved itself to be partially consistent, presenting both accurate predictions of torsional fatigue-life and discrepant results for axial loadings. For combined loadings, the model provided two consistent results while another experimental point was proved far off. The final assessment on regards to the model s accuracy depends on more experimental points.

Corrosion fatigue is a common failure mechanism in rock drilling components and many othermechanical parts subjected to cyclic loads in corrosive environments. A crucial part in the design ofsuch components resides in the selection of the right materials for the application, which ideallyinvolves testing and comparison of their performance under working conditions. The present work was performed with the purpose of designing a corrosion-fatigue testing methodthat would allow the designer to compare the performance of different materials exposed to corrosionfatigue, permitting also the comparison with results from dry fatigue testing. The method was designedfor rotating-bending machines. Two different steel grades were used during the work, one throughhardened and one case hardened. The effect of these heat treatments and of shot peening overcorrosion-fatigue behaviour were studied using the proposed method. It was proven that the testing speed has a strong impact on the fatigue life of steel. It was found that,at a fixed stress level, the case hardened and shot peened steel reached 3X10^6 cycles at 2300 rpm,while it failed at only 5X10^5 cycles with a testing speed of 500 rpm. A large beneficial influence of theshot peening was demonstrated. It was also observed that, at fixed testing speed, the shot peening onthe through hardened steel can increase its fatigue strength from 190 MPa to 600 MPa under corrosionfatigue. Many cracks were found at the surface of the shot peened parts, which are arrested near thesurface by the compressive stress layer from the shot peening. It was also found that, for the non-shotpeened parts, case hardening had a slightly higher corrosion-fatigue strength than the throughhardened. This might be a result of the compressive stresses from carburization, or due to the highercore toughness of this steel grade.

La spectroscopie électronique basée sur l'effet tunnel donne accès à la densité d'états des électrons (DoS) dans les matériaux conducteurs, et renseigne ainsi en détail sur leurs propriétés électroniques. <br />Au cours de cette thèse, nous avons développé un microscope permettant d'effectuer la spectroscopie tunnel résolue spatialement (10 nm) de nanocircuits individuels, avec une résolution en énergie inégalée (10 µeV). Cet appareil combine les fonctions de Microscopie par Force Atomique (mode AFM) et de spectroscopie Tunnel locale (mode STM), et fonctionne à 30 mK. Dans le mode AFM, la topographie de l'échantillon est imagée grâce à un diapason en quartz piézoélectrique, ce qui permet de repérer les circuits. La spectroscopie tunnel peut ensuite être faite sur les zones conductrices. <br />Avec ce microscope, nous avons mesuré la DoS locale dans une structure hybride Supraconducteur-métal Normal-Supraconducteur (S-N-S). Dans un tel circuit, les propriétés électroniques de N et de S sont modifiées par l'effet de proximité supraconducteur. Notamment, pour des fils N courts, nous avons pu observer -comme prédit- la présence d'un gap dans sa DoS, indépendant de la position dans la structure : le “minigap”. De plus, en modulant la phase supraconductrice entre les deux S, nous avons mesuré la modification de ce gap, et sa disparition lorsque la différence de phase vaut π. <br />Nos résultats expérimentaux pour la DoS, ainsi que ses dépendances en phase, en position, et en longueur de N sont en accord quantitatif avec les prédictions de la théorie quasiclassique de la supraconductivité. Certaines de ces prédictions sont observées pour la première fois.

Fiber-reinforced composites comprise an important class of lightweight materials which are finding increasing applications in engineering structures including body components of automobiles and aircraft. Traditionally, synthetic fibers made of glass, carbon, etc. along with a polymeric resin have constituted the most common composites. However, due to environmental concern, occupational health safety considerations, higher cost, etc., research has been focused on substituting synthetic fibers, especially glass fibers with safer, economic and biodegradable natural fibers. Due to the ease of availability and affordability in terms of cost, woven jute mats, among a wide variety of natural fiber-based reinforcements, offer a good choice in combination with a suitable resin such as polyester or epoxy for fabrication of composite laminates. In structural applications, joining of parts made of jute fiber-reinforced composites (JFRCs) would be a natural requirement. Alternatives to joining processes for metals such as welding, riveting, etc. are required for composites. A joining process of high potential is adhesive bonding which has the advantages of reducing stress concentration, permitting fastening of dissimilar materials, etc. In the present study, adhesively bonded joints of JFRCs and their mechanical behavior are investigated under quasi-static and cyclic loading conditions. Initially, characterization of substrates is carried out under monotonic loading. This is followed by determination of stress- Strain curves, failure load and mean shear strength of bonded joints as functions of joint curing temperature and overlap length using a two-part structural epoxy adhesive. All tests are carried out according to relevant ASTM standards. It has been observed that higher curing temperatures give rise to only marginally high failure load and mean shear stress at failure compared to curing at room temperature. For a given curing temperature, failure load increases while mean shear strength decreases with respect to overlap length in both types of joints. As fatigue failure is a crucial consideration in design, the behavior of adhesively bonded JFRC joints is studied for the first time under cyclic loading conditions leading to the commonly-used S-N curve for characterization of failure of materials at different loading-unloading cycles. Interestingly, the fatigue strength for infinite life of adhesively bonded JFRC joints turns out to be approximately 30% of the quasi-static strength, a correlation which usually applies to materials in general. The effect of joint overlap length on fatigue life is studied and it is observed that the above relation between fatigue and quasi static strength is retained for different overlap lengths. Additionally, insights are provided into failure modes of joints under different loading conditions and for varying overlap lengths. Various empirical predictors such as exponent, power and hybrid models fitting the S-N curve are obtained and their relative efficacy (in terms of Coefficient of Determination R2, Adjusted-R2, Akaike’s Information Criterion and Residual Sum of Squares) enumerated in prediction of failure load including quasi-static failure load. As numerical simulation is an indispensable tool in designing geometrically complex structures under nonlinear conditions including failure and contact, finite element modeling of JFRC substrates, bulk adhesive and adhesively bonded joints has been investigated using implicit and explicit LS-DYNA solvers. In this context, the effects of various modeling parameters (mesh size and loading rate) and details of constitutive models capable of capturing plasticity and failure in an orthotropic composite and isotropic adhesive are discussed. Mesh size has been found to be an important parameter affecting computed results. Finally, a good correlation within ~(4% - 7%) was found between the predicted and experimental results for JFRC substrates, bulk adhesive and adhesively bonded single lap joints.

Hydropower is the most important power balancing resource in the Swedish electrical power system, regulating the power supply to match the load. Consequently, several hydropower plants have periods of stand-by operation where the power production is absent but where several devices within a plant are still active. Such a device is the step-up power transformer, which during stand-by operation still generates no-load energy losses. These losses can accumulate to a considerable amount of energy and costs during the long technical lifetime of the apparatus. One option to minimize these no-load energy losses is by turning the transformer off when its generating unit is in stand-by operation. However, when this transformer operational change has been explained to experts in the field, the most common response has been that a more frequent reenergizing of a transformer leads to higher risks for errors or transformer breakdowns. This study aimed to analytically investigate three effects from this operational change. First, the potential of fatigue failure for the windings due to the increased sequences of inrush current. Secondly, the thermal cycling as a consequence of change in present losses. Lastly, the energy and economic saving potentials for hydropower plants where this operational adjustment is applied. The study used both established as well as analytical tools explicitly created for this study. These were then applied on currently active transformers in different plant categories in Fortum’s hydropower fleet. The study primarily showed three things. Firstly, risk of fatigue failure due to the increased presence of inrush currents did not affect the transformer’s technical lifetime. Secondly, the thermal cycling changes were slightly larger with absent no-load losses during stand-by operation. The average temperature for the transformer decreased, which in general is seen as a positive indicator for a longer insulation lifetime and thus the transformer’s technical lifetime. Finally, the created frameworks showed the potential of saving energy and money for all plant categories, where the potential grew with the installed production capacity and the stand-by operation timeshare. Despite the simplifications made to describe the complex reality of a transformer operating in a hydropower plant, this thesis contributes to lay a foundation for future investigation of an easy adjustment to avoid unnecessary energy losses and costs for transformers in hydropower plants