Blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury (BImTBI) is one of the most common causes of traumatic brain injuries. BImTBI mechanisms are not well identified, as most previous blast-related studies were focused on the visible and fatal injuries. BImTBI is a hidden lesion and long-term escalation of related complications is considered a serious health care challenging due to lack of accurate data required for early diagnosis and intervention. The experimental studies presented in this thesis were performed to investigate aspects of blast shock wave mechanisms that might lead to mild traumatic brain injury. A compressed air-driven shock tube was designed and validated using finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental investigation. Two metal diaphragm types (steel and brass) with three thicknesses (0.127, 0.76, and 0.025mm) were utilized in the shock tube calibration experiment, as a new approach to generate shock wave. The consistency of generated shock waves was confirmed using a statistical assessment of the results by evaluating the shock waves parameters. The analysis results showed that the 0.127mm steel diaphragm induces a reliable shock waveform in the range of BImTB investigations. Evaluation of the shock wave impacts on the brain was examined using two sets of experiments. The first set was conducted using a gel brain model while the second set was performed using a physical head occupied with a gel brain model and supported by a neck model. The gel brain model in both the experimental studies was generated using silicone gel (Sylgard-527). The effects of tested models locations and orientations with respect to the shock tube exit were investigated by measuring the generated pressure wave within the brain model and acceleration. The results revealed that the pressure waveform and acceleration outcomes were greatly affected by the tested model orientations and locations in relation to the path of shock wave propagation. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No description available.

Ce travail de thèse s’appuie sur une étude expérimentale en tube à choc, plus précisément, c’est une approche expérimentale de l'étude de l'interaction fluide-structure. Considérons un solide indéformable auquel on laisse un degré de liberté en rotation autour d'un axe. Cette structure ferme un espace clos. Si le contenu de l'espace clos subit le passage d'une onde de choc, ce solide va être mis mouvement et tourner autour de son axe. Concrètement, l'onde de choc va augmenter les caractéristiques physiques, en particulier sa pression, du fluide en contact avec la face impactée de cette porte. La face opposée de la porte ne subissant pas ou que très peu l'influence de l'onde de choc, une seule de ses faces est soumise à la surpression. Au moment de l'impact, le déséquilibre ainsi créé impose une action mécanique sur la porte qui va la faire accélérer et tourner autour de son axe de rotation. Jusqu'à ce stade tout est relativement simple. La difficulté intervient à l'instant où la porte commence à s'ouvrir, car les frontières du volume dans lequel le fluide évolue sont modifiées. Des fuites apparaissent et le gaz qui était maintenu dans un volume clos peut maintenant s'écouler vers un milieu libre. Une communication entre les gaz agissant de chaque coté de la porte est créée modifiant leurs propriétés et par conséquent la pression agissant sur chaque côté de la porte. Les actions mécaniques qui s'appliquent sur la porte ne sont plus les mêmes, et par conséquent l'accélération que la porte subit aussi. Au fur et à mesure que la porte change de position, le problème fluide continue d'être modifié et change en retour son action sur la porte. Cette interaction perdure soit jusqu'à ce que les limites du problème cessent d'être modifiées, la porte ne peut plus bouger, ou bien lorsque les actions mécaniques agissant sur la porte s'équilibrent, les fluides de chaque côté de la porte étant dans le même état physique. Le travail présenté ici est une étude des paramètres du fluide ou du solide en mouvement qui sont les acteurs de la loi comportementale gérant ce système complexe. Pour ce faire, nous avons réalisé une maquette expérimentale mettant en action la physique que nous venons de décrire et nous l'avons adaptée à un tube à choc. En éprouvant de nombreuses configurations expérimentales, nous avons pu déterminer comment l'écoulement interne d'un tube à choc évolue lorsqu'il est plus ou moins ouvert à son extrémité. Comment une porte fermée réagit-elle à l'impact d'une onde de choc et quelles en sont les conséquences sur l'évolution des fluides mis en jeu? Quelles sont les conséquences d'une position différente de la porte au moment de l'impact avec l'onde de choc? Ou encore, quel rôle joue l'intensité de l'onde de choc incidente ou l'inertie de la porte sur toute cette dynamique? / This thesis is based on an experimental study carried out in shock tube; in particular, this is an experimental approach to the study of fluid-structure interaction. Consider a rigid body which is allowed to rotate only around an axis and which closes a confined space. If a shock wave crosses the content of the confined space, the body will accelerate and rotate around its axis. Specifically, the shock wave will increase the physical characteristics, especially its pressure, of the fluid acting on the impacted face of the door. The opposite side of the door is not influenced by the incident shock wave, only one of its faces is subjected to overpressure. Following the first impact, the resulting imbalance imposes a mechanical action on the door that will increase its speed and make it turn around its rotation axis. The difficulty comes when the door begins to open: the volume boundaries in which the fluid is contained are modified. Leaks occur and the gas kept in this closed volume can now flow to the atmosphere. Communication between the gas acting on each side of the door is created modifying their properties and consequently the pressure acting on each side of the door.The mechanical actions that apply to the door are no more the same with time, and therefore the acceleration of the door is changing. As the door moves, the fluid problem continues to be changed and in turn it changes its action on the door. This interaction process continues until either the limits of the problem ceases to be changed, the door cannot move, or when the mechanical actions acting on the door are in equilibrium, fluids on each side of the door are in the same physical state. The presented work is a study of the parameters of the fluid or the solid motion which are main actors in the behavioral law managing this complex system. In this aim, we designed an experimental device involving the physics that we have described and we have adapted it to a shock tube. Testing many experimental configurations, we could determine how the internal flow of a shock tube evolves when the end of this shock tube is more or less open.How a closed door reacts to the impact of a shock wave and what are the implications for the evolution of the involved fluids? What are the consequences of a different position of the door at the instant of the impact with the incident shock wave? What role plays the intensity of the incident shock wave or the inertia of the door on this dynamic?

Le travail de thèse présenté dans ce manuscrit propose une analyse expérimentale du dé-veloppement spatio-temporel d’une zone de mélange (air/hélium) initiée par instabilité deRichtmyer-Meshkov (IRM). Cette étude s’appuie sur la mise en oeuvre d’un tube à chocspositionné verticalement et sur le développement d’un nouveau protocole expérimental associéà un système innovant de génération de l’interface initiale entre les deux espèces gazeuses enprésence. Ce système est basé sur un dispositif d’obturation/ouverture composé d’un rideau rigiderétractable et d’une série volets mobiles. La caractérisation de l’interface initiale et de l’évolutionspatio-temporelle de la zone de mélange ainsi obtenue est effectuée en exploitant les résultats dedifférentes techniques de mesures telles que la visualisation strioscopique (Schlieren) résolue entemps, la tomoscopie plan laser (TPL) et la Vélocimétrie par Imagerie de Particules (PIV). Enpremier lieu, différentes campagnes de mesures visant à caractériser l’interface initiale ont permisde quantifier la répétabilité du système et de démontrer ses capacités à générer une interfacepériodique faiblement diffuse. Dans un second temps, une étude du mélange gazeux obtenu pourun jeu de paramètres expérimentaux donné, est proposée. L’analyse s’intéresse en particulieraux mécanismes d’initiation et de transition a la turbulence de la zone de mélange produite parl’IRM. L’interaction entre cette zone de mélange en cours de développement et le choc réfléchisur l’extrémité supérieure du tube (phénomène de rechoc) est également étudiée dans l’optique deconfirmer la transition turbulente de la zone de mélange. / This work proposes an experimental analysis of the spatio-temporal development of an air/heliummixing zone promoted by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI). This study relies on the useof a vertical shock tube and on the development of a new experimental protocol associated with aninnovative device for the generation of an initial interface between two gazeous species. This deviceconsists a rigid retractable curtain and of a series of rotating shutters. The characterization ofthis initial interface and the spatio-temporal evolution of the RMI-induced mixing zone is carriedout by exploiting the results of various experimental methods such as time resolved Schlierenvisualizations, planar laser mie scattering and Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV). In a first step,various measurement campaigns have made it possible to quantify the repeatability of the newdevice and to demonstrate its ability to generate a periodic, weakly diffused interface. In a secondstep, a study of the gaseous mixing for a given set of experimental parameters is proposed. Theanalysis focuses on the understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving the gaseous interfaceformation and the transition to turbulence of the RMI-induced mixing. The interaction betweenthis mixing zone and the reflected shock from the upper end of the tube (re-shock phenomenon)is also studied in order to confirm the turbulent transition of the mixing zone.

The growing requirements to achieve hypersonic flights, as in the case of reentry vehicles, pose a serious challenge to the designers. This demands an understanding of the features of hypersonic flow and its effect on hypersonic vehicles. Hypersonic shock tunnels are one of the most widely used facilities for the purpose of obtaining valuable design data by conducting experiments on scaled down models. They are operated by conventional shock tubes by rupturing metal diaphragms placed between the driver and driven sections of the shock tube. Shock tunnels are being extensively used in spite of some of the drawbacks they possess. Due to the varying nature of metal diaphragm rupture, reproducibility of the experiment results is difficult to obtain. Damage to model and inner surface of the shock tube can happen when the diaphragm petal breaks away from the diaphragm. Lastly the time consuming diaphragm replacement process is not desired in applications which require quick loading of shock waves on the specimen. All these disadvantages call for the replacement of the diaphragm mode of operation with a diaphragmless mode of operation for the generation of shock waves. The main objective of the present study is to design and demonstrate the working of a diaphragmless hypersonic shock tunnel. The motivation for the present study comes from the fact that the diaphragmless operation of a shock tunnel has not been reported so far in the open literature. All the research works carried out deal with diaphragmless drivers operating only a shock tube. In the present work, the conventional metal diaphragm is substituted by fast acting pneumatic valves which serve the purpose of quickly opening the driven section of the shock tube to allow the driver gas to rush in, resulting in the formation of a shock wave. To design a diaphragmless driver, a detailed study of the shock formation process is accomplished which helps in understanding the effect of valve opening time on the shock formation distance. Also the theoretical basis for the design of a pneumatic cylinder is understood. Following the theoretical studies, three types of diaphragmless drivers are designed and tested. The first setup incorporates a rubber membrane, which acts as a valve. The rubber membrane when bulged closes the mouth of the driven section and on retraction the driven section is opened to the driver gas. The second and the third setups utilise two different types of double acting pneumatic cylinders. Experimental results of the three diaphragmless drivers operating a shock tube are analysed and compared with the ideal shock tube theory. Better repeatability in terms of shock Mach number is shown with all three diaphragmless shock tubes when compared with a conventionally operated shock tube. Finally, the best among the three systems is identified to operate the hypersonic shock tunnel 2 (HST2) facility of the Shock Waves laboratory, IISc. Demonstration of the working of the diaphragmless shock tunnel is shown by performing heat transfer measurements on a 3 mm backward facing step flat plate model. The experimental results are compared with those obtained in a conventional shock tunnel. CFD studies on diaphragmless shock tube model are done to have an idea on the flow in the shock tube there by identifying the shock formation distance. ANSYS-CFX package is used for this purpose. Further, results from the numerical simulation of hypersonic flow over the backward facing step model are compared with the experimental results thus validating the code.

No description available.

Deliberate and accidental explosions along with the heightened risk of loss of life and property damage during such events have highlighted the need for research in the behaviour of materials under high strain rates. Where an extensive body of research is available on steel and concrete structures, little to no details on how to address the design or retrofitting of wood structures subjected to a blast threat are available. Studies reported in the literature that focused on full scale light-frame wood structures did not quantify the increase in capacity due to the dynamic loading while the studies that did quantify the increase mostly stems from small clear specimens that are not representative of the behaviour of structural size members with defects. Tests on larger-scale specimens have mostly focused on the material properties and not the structural behaviour of subsystems. Advancements in design and construction techniques have greatly contributed to the emergence of taller and safer wood structures which increase potential for blast threat. This thesis presents results on the flexural behaviour of light-frame wood stud walls subjected to shock wave loading using the University of Ottawa shock tube. The emphasis is on the overall behaviour of the wall subsystem, especially the interaction between the sheathing and the studs through the nailed connection. The approach employed in this experimental program was holistic, where the specimens were investigated at the component and the subsystem levels. Twenty walls consisting of 38 mm x 140 mm machine stress-rated (MSR) studs spaced 406 mm on center and sheathed with two different types and sheathing thicknesses were tested to failure under static and dynamic loads. The experimental results were used to determine dynamic increase factors (DIFs) and a material predictive model was validated using experimental data. The implications of the code are also discussed and compared to the experimental data. Once validated, an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model incorporating partial composite action was used to evaluate current analysis and design assumptions. The results showed that a shock tube can effectively be used to generate high strain-rate flexural response in wood members and that the material predictive model was found suitable to effectively predict the displacement resulting from shock wave loading. Furthermore, it was found that current analysis and design approaches overestimated the wall displacements.

Ce travail s’intéresse à l’analyse expérimentale du développement de la zone de mélange turbulente (ZMT) produite par une instabilité de Richtmyer-Meshkov (IRM). Les expériences sont réalisées au sein d’un tube à chocs vertical, et l’analyse s’appuie sur des mesures simultanées mettant en œuvre des techniques expérimentales de type capteurs de pression pariétaux, visualisations strioscopiques résolues en temps et mesures de vitesse par Vélocimétrie Laser Doppler (LDV). Une caractérisation de l’installation expérimentale est tout d’abord effectuée en situation homogène (air pur, sans mélange), afin de déterminer la qualité de l’écoulement de base et connaître le niveau de turbulence de fond du tube à chocs. Les configurations de mélange, principalement entre de l’air et de l’hexafluorure de soufre (SF6), sont ensuite abordées. On s’intéresse dans un premier temps aux caractéristiques globales de la zone de mélange : en particulier à l’évolution de son épaisseur et à son taux de croissance. Plusieurs configurations de mélange sont étudiées en faisant varier différents paramètres expérimentaux tels que la hauteur de la veine d’essais du tube à chocs, la forme de la perturbation initiale de l’interface entre les deux gaz et le nombre d’Atwood, dans le but de déterminer leur influence sur le développement de la ZMT. On montre ainsi une sensibilité du taux de croissance post-rechoc à plusieurs de ces paramètres. Des comparaisons avec des simulations numériques réalisées par nos partenaires du Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique (CEA) montrent des tendances similaires entre expériences et simulations sur ce point. L’étude est ensuite complétée par une caractérisation plus locale de la ZMT, en mesurant les niveaux de turbulence en différents points de la veine d’essais à l’aide de la LDV. Après avoir quantifié les contraintes de convergence statistique imposées par l’expérience pour ce type de mesures, on donne une estimation des intensités turbulentes produites par l’écoulement de mélange à différents stades de son développement. / This experimental study sheds some light on the development of the turbulent mixing zone (TMZ) arising from a Richtmyer-Meshkov instability (RMI). The experiments are conducted in a vertical shock tube, and the analysis relies on simultaneous measurements involving pressuretransducers, time-resolved Schlieren visualizations and Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). In a first step, a thorough characterization of the experimental apparatus is conducted in order to qualify the basic flow configuration corresponding to homogeneous situations (pure air withoutmixing), and to evaluate the « background » turbulence level of the shock tube. Mixing configurations (mainly between air and sulfur hexafluoride, SF6) are then investigated. We first focus on a global description of the mixing zone such as the time evolution of its thickness and the corresponding growth rate. We consider several mixing configurations, varying the length of the test section, the shape of the initial interface between the two gases and the Atwood number. A clear influence of some of these parameters is shown on the the post-reshock increasing rate of the mixing zone, in good accordance with numerical results obtained from the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA, french atomic energy commission). A more local description of the flow is then obtained in a second step by measuring the turbulence levels at different locations inside the test section thanks to the LDV technique. After quantifying the issues linked to the statistical convergence of the turbulent quantities in such specific configurations, we provide an estimation of the turbulent intensities produced by the mixing at various stages of its development.

Deliberate and accidental explosions along with the heightened risk of loss of life and property damage during such events have highlighted the need for research in the behaviour of materials under high strain rates. Where an extensive body of research is available on steel and concrete structures, little to no details on how to address the design or retrofitting of wood structures subjected to a blast threat are available. Studies reported in the literature that focused on full scale light-frame wood structures did not quantify the increase in capacity due to the dynamic loading while the studies that did quantify the increase mostly stems from small clear specimens that are not representative of the behaviour of structural size members with defects. Tests on larger-scale specimens have mostly focused on the material properties and not the structural behaviour of subsystems. Advancements in design and construction techniques have greatly contributed to the emergence of taller and safer wood structures which increase potential for blast threat. This thesis presents results on the flexural behaviour of light-frame wood stud walls subjected to shock wave loading using the University of Ottawa shock tube. The emphasis is on the overall behaviour of the wall subsystem, especially the interaction between the sheathing and the studs through the nailed connection. The approach employed in this experimental program was holistic, where the specimens were investigated at the component and the subsystem levels. Twenty walls consisting of 38 mm x 140 mm machine stress-rated (MSR) studs spaced 406 mm on center and sheathed with two different types and sheathing thicknesses were tested to failure under static and dynamic loads. The experimental results were used to determine dynamic increase factors (DIFs) and a material predictive model was validated using experimental data. The implications of the code are also discussed and compared to the experimental data. Once validated, an equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model incorporating partial composite action was used to evaluate current analysis and design assumptions. The results showed that a shock tube can effectively be used to generate high strain-rate flexural response in wood members and that the material predictive model was found suitable to effectively predict the displacement resulting from shock wave loading. Furthermore, it was found that current analysis and design approaches overestimated the wall displacements.

Wood structural elements are more vulnerable to blast loading due to the inherent brittle nature and low density of the material, as demonstrated by recent significant research efforts on the behaviour of timber elements subjected to the effect of blast loading. These studies showed that wood performs poorly under blast loading. A way of improving this performance is to provide additional ductility or energy absorption capabilities to wooden elements. Recently, there was interest in investigating and developing energy-absorbing connections (EAC) to improve timber assemblies’ ductility and energy absorption capabilities. Although some research effort has been made to investigate the use of EACs to enhance the ductility of reinforced concrete or structural steel members, only limited work is available on this topic about timber elements. The current study aims to systematically investigate the use of various shapes of EACs to be used to enhance the post-peak performance of timber assemblies. Preliminary finite element analysis led to selecting nine steel EACs with varying geometries for further experimental investigation. A total of eighteen specimens were tested statically. In comparison, a total of eighteen specimens were tested dynamically in the shock tube facility of the University of Ottawa to simulate the effects of far-field blast explosions. The experimental results showed that decreasing the leg length or increasing the thickness of EACs manufactured with steel angles and reducing the diameter of EACs manufactured with circular HSS caused an increase in yield load and elastic stiffness while reducing the densification displacement. Connections with angles and a centre weld, and connections with 90-degree arcs from circular HSS, were identified as unsuitable for the application of EACs. The experimental program also showed that EACs manufactured from angles offer a well-defined plateau able to absorb a large quantity of energy, making them particularly suitable for blast mitigation. EACs manufactured from multiple circular HSS were shown to achieve multiple load-displacement plateaus and present an interesting option for systems with multiple failure modes occurring at different levels. SDOF analysis and FEA were conducted to predict the experimental behaviour with some success. The importance of the weld type was also highlighted from both the analytical and experimental results. A methodology for developing idealized load-displacement curves from experimental results of EACs was also proposed and evaluated.