This thesis reports the research and industry-related works carried out from the development of a fibre-optic strain sensor system for Civil Engineering applications. A sensor system consists of a number of core components, including the sensing element, interrogation/demodulation, multiplexing, signal processing and hardware equipment. In the process of development, a number of issues have been identified and investigated, which resulted in the improvement of the system performance, as well as the proposal of new techniques for the sensor system. First, an improved demodulation technique for a type of sensor, namely the fibre Fizeau interferometer (FFI), is presented. The technique is based on the improvement of the Fourier transform peak detection method, which suffers severely from the poor resolution and accuracy of finding the sensor cavity length. The improvement over the original method has been compared and verified through simulations and experiments. Second, a simultaneous demodulation technique for multiplexed FFI and fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) is proposed. Third, a multiplexing technique using amplitude-modulated chirped FBGs and the DWT is proposed. These two proposed techniques have been demonstrated experimentally through strain measurements. The strain resolution, crosstalk and limitations are investigated. In addition, simultaneous quasi-static strain and temperature sensing of different metal plates are performed. Fibre-optic sensors have found numerous applications in different areas. In this thesis, the use of FBG sensors in Civil Engineering applications is demonstrated in four experimental studies, including: (i) long-term measurement of drying shrinkage and creep of structural grade concrete; (ii) simultaneous measurement of shrinkage and temperature of reactive powder concrete (RPC) at early-age; (iii) measurement of coefficients of thermal expansion of cement mortar and RPC; and (iv) field-trial on the strain monitoring of the world?s first RPC road bridge. In addition, the experimental and practical issues of using FBG sensors are considered.

Pressure measurement using a strain gauge bonded with epoxy adhesive to a metallic mechanical support has been, and still is, extensively employed, however, for some applications the use of an epoxy is inadequate, especially when temperatures exceed 120C. There is therefore particular interest in the use of thin film techniques to vacuum deposit strain gauges directly on metallic substrates. Such devices are highly cost effective when produced in large quantities due to the manufacturing techniques involved. This makes them ideally suited for use in large-volume products such as electronic weighing scales and pressure transducers. In this thesis, new techniques for fabricating thin film vapour deposited strain gauge transducers on metal substrates for application as novel pressure sensors in the fastener industry are developed. Clearly, for a vapour deposited strain gauge to function correctly, it is essential that it be deposited on a defect free, high quality electrically insulating film. This was a significant challenge in the present study since all available physical vapour deposition (PVD) equipment was direct current (DC) and insulators of around 4 um thick were needed to electrically isolate the strain gauges from metal. As a result, several methods of depositing insulators using DC were developed. The first involved the use of DC magnetron sputtering from an aluminium target to reactively deposit up to 4 um thick AlN. DC magnetron discharges suffer arc instability as the AlN forms on the target and this limits the maximum thickness that can be deposited. Consequently, the arc instability was suppressed manually by increasing argon gas flow at the onset of arcing. Although the deposited AlN showed a high insulating resistance, it was found that the breakdown voltage could significantly increase by (a) utilising a metallic interlayer between the thin film insulator and the metallic substrate and (b) annealing in air at 300C. A second deposition method involved the use of DC magnetron sputtering to deposit modulated thin film insulators in which an aluminium target was used to reactively deposit alternating layers of aluminium nitride and aluminium oxide. These films showed significant increases in average breakdown voltage when the number of layers within the composite film was increased. The third method involved the deposition of AlN thin film insulators using partially filtered cathodic arc evaporation with shielding. Initially, AlN was deposited under partially filtered conditions to obtain a relatively thick (~ 4 um) coating then, while still depositing under partially filtered conditions, a smooth top coating was deposited by using a shielding technique. The deposition of metal macroparticles is an inherent problem with cathodic arc deposition and shielding is one form of macroparticle filtering. Such particles are highly undesirable in this study as they are electrically conductive. A fourth coating technique for depositing insulators on steel was based on thermal spray technology. Insulating films of Al2O3 were plasma sprayed and then polished to thereby fabricate viable electrical insulators for vapour deposited strain gauges. With respect to depositing strain gauges two methods were employed. The first involved the sputter deposition of chromium through a shadow mask to form a strain gauge with gauge factor sensitivity of around 2. The second used cathodic arc evaporation to fabricate a multi-layered strain gauge composed of alternating CrN and TiAlN layers that yielded a gauge factor of around 3.5. The technique achieves better compatibility between gauge and insulator by allowing a wider selection of materials to form the gauge composition. Finally, a novel pressure sensor in the form of a load cell was developed that consisted of a chromium strain gauge on a steel washer electrically insulated with AlN thin film. The load cell showed good performance when tested under compressive load.

<p>Vi arbetar idag mindre tid än vad den arbetande människan gjort under tidigare årtionden, och många hävdar att vi måste arbeta mer för att vi ska kunna bibehålla vår standard. Men sammantaget, betalt och obetalt arbete, sett ur en familjs perspektiv arbetar många väldigt mycket idag, och med högt ställda krav både på jobbet och i hemmet.Ett antal försök med förkortad arbetstid har gjorts på olika arbetsplatser i landet, de flesta inom kommun och landsting, men få har genomförts med både för- och efterstudie. Vi har i vår studie utgått från den arbetstidsförkortning som genomfördes på Radiumhemmet 2003 där vi genomförde en förstudie där alla som skulle delta i försöket fick svara på en enkät innan projektet påbörjades. När projektet pågått tre månader skickade vi ut ytterligare en enkät till deltagarna. Utöver de som deltagit i projektet med arbetstidsförkortning har vi även genomfört motsvarande studie med en kontrollgrupp bestående av sjuksköterskor som arbetade med normal arbetstid. Vi har i vår undersökning fokuserat på Karaseks krav- och kontrollmodell och deltagarnas välbefinnande före och efter införandet av arbetstids-förkortningen. Frågorna vi har använt oss av utgår från samma som i undersökningarna av levnadsförhållanden (ULF). Eftersom vi också tror att, hur vi använder vår fritid påverkar hur vi mår på vårt arbete, har vi utöver Karaseks krav/kontrollmodell, också använt oss av The role strain theory då vi har studerat hur deltagarna har använt sin nyvunna fria tid och ställt dessa svar i relation till hur nöjda de var med sina nya arbetstider.Resultaten av vår studie visade att arbetstidsförkortningen inneburit ökade krav såsom att arbetet blivit mer jäktigt och att den psykiska stressen hade ökat samtidigt som kontrollen hade minskat då det blivit svårare att hinna med sina arbetsuppgifter. Trots detta visade resultaten att den kortare arbetstiden kan lätta den totala arbetsbördan genom att frigöra tid till annat än betalt arbete, såsom hushålls- och hemarbete samt fritidssysselsättningar och på så sätt öka individens välbefinnande.</p>

<p>The pumping performance of the heart is affected by the mechanical properties of the muscle fibre part of the cardiac wall, the myocardium. The myocardium has a complex structure, where muscle fibres have different orientations at different locations, and during the cardiac cycle, the myocardium undergoes large elastic deformations. Hence, myocardial strain pattern is complex. In this thesis work, a computation method for myocardial strain and a detailed map of myocardial transmural strain during the cardiac cycle are found by the use of surgically implanted metallic markers and beads. The strain is characterized in a local cardiac coordinate system. Thereafter, non-invasive phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (PC-MRI) is used to compare strain at different myocardial regions. The difference in resolution between marker data and PC-MRI data is elucidated and some of the problems associated with the low resolution of PC-MRI are given.</p>

<p>The heart is a complex three-dimensional structure with mechanical properties that are inhomogeneous, non-linear, time-variant and anisotropic. These properties affect major physiological factors within the heart, such as the pumping performance of the ventricles, the oxygen demand in the tissue and the distribution of coronary blood flow.</p><p>During the cardiac cycle the heart muscle tissue is deformed as a consequence of the active contraction of the muscle fibers and their relaxation respectively. A mapping of this deformation would give increased understanding of the mechanical properties of the heart. The deformation induces strain and stress in the tissue which are both mechanical properties and can be described with a mathematical tensor object.</p><p>The aim of this master's thesis is to develop a visualization tool for the strain tensor objects that can aid a user to see and/or understand various differences between different hearts and spatial and temporal differences within the same heart. Preferably should the tool be general enough for use with different types of data.</p>

<p>The project has been done in cooperation with Schenker Åkeri AB in Sweden, Halmstad. The</p><p>project is based on an inspection made by Arbetsmiljöverket, where they found minor</p><p>shortcomings with distribution of goods for the employees. The project is an investigation of</p><p>the drivers’ working environment.</p><p>Schenker Logistics is one of the world's leading providers of integrated logistics services.</p><p>Schenker Åkeri AB is a subsidiary to Schenker Logistics and transports 2.4 million tons of</p><p>goods yearly.</p><p>The project started with a background study to evaluate drivers working environment. We</p><p>have studied goods receptions, the working environment, strain injury and injury mechanisms.</p><p>Methods used was observations, tests, questionnaire surveys and ergonomic and</p><p>biomechanical calculations.</p><p>One result of the study is a working model, which gives recommendations for the maximum</p><p>weight a driver should push and pull. A truck evaluation was done to exam the need for new</p><p>technical equipment. An ergonomic investigation was done to investigate the drivers’ working</p><p>tasks. A questionnaire was given to the drivers to evaluate their working environment and</p><p>tasks. The questionnaire involved questions about stress, handling of goods and technical</p><p>equipment.</p><p>Together with Schenker Åkeri AB in Halmstad, an action plan was made. This action plan</p><p>will be handed over to Arbetsmiljöverket by Schenker.</p>

The aim of the thesis is the understanding of the thermal, mechanical and metallurgical phenomena occurring during friction stir welding of a 6005A aluminum alloy and the determination of the mechanical properties of the welded joints. The forces and the torque needed for welding as well as the thermal cycles were measured in the various zones of the joint. A first model predicts the influence of the welding parameters on the thermal cycles, and especially on the asymmetry of the temperature evolution with respect to the weld centerline. A second model links the local microstructural evolutions, and in particular the precipitation kinetics, to the thermomechanical cycles. A third model relates the local microstructures to the local mechanical properties, based on a novel physics-based strain hardening model. Finally, the link between the mechanical properties of the joint in service, the local mechanical properties and the microstructures is modeled using a multi-scale approach including a micro-mechanics damage constitutive model. The models are calibrated and validated through in-depth microstructure characterization and mechanical tests on the base material, on heat treated samples and on the friction stir welds.

Compaction of soil is essential in the construction of highways, airports, buildings, and bridges. Typically compaction is controlled by measuring the dry density and the water content of the compacted soil and checking that target values have been achieved. There is a current trend towards measuring the soil modulus instead or in addition to density. The reasons are that the density measurements are made using nuclear density meter, an undesirable tool in today??s political environment and that pavement design uses moduli as an input parameter. Although there are many apparatus available to measure soil modulus in the field such as Falling Weight Deflectometer, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer and Seismic Pavement Analyzer, a light weight and easy to use device which can measure the soil modulus fast and accurately is in great need. Briaud Compaction Device (BCD) is a portable device which can measure a soil modulus in several seconds. The principle of the BCD is to use the bending of a plate resting on the ground surface as an indicator of the modulus of the soil below. Numerical simulations show that within a certain range, the soil modulus is simply related to the plate bending. Strain gauges are glued on the top of the plate of BCD and a double half Wheatstone bridge is used to measure the strain. BCD tests were done in parallel with plate tests of the same size. A good correlation was found between the ratio of the plate pressure over the bending strain measured with a BCD and the reload soil modulus obtained from the plate test. This correlation can be incorporated into the BCD processor to display the soil modulus directly. To transit from dry density based compaction control to modulus based compaction control, BCD tests were also performed in the laboratory on top of a soil sample compacted inside the Proctor mold followed by plate tests. That way, a soil modulus versus water content curve is developed which parallels the approach for the dry density versus water content. The soil modulus versus water content curve can be used to provide the target values for compaction control in the field.

The Strain Index (SI) has repeatedly shown high levels of validity for differentiating between safe and hazardous tasks for the distal upper extremity (DUE). One limitation of the SI is the lack of reliability data. This study was designed to evaluate the test-retest repeatability of the SI. Fifteen raters, divided into five teams of three, were asked to use the SI to analyze 73 video AVI files of different job tasks; initially as individuals and then as teams. Several months later, raters were asked to repeat individual and team job task assessments. Raters were instructed to analyze tasks using five of six SI task variables, while the sixth was held constant. For three of these task variables, additional data was collected such as peak force and duration of job cycle. Test-retest repeatability was measured using Pearson's R, Spearman's rho, and tetrachoric correlation according to the nature of the variable. Spearman's rho values for individual and team task variable ratings ranged from 0.68 to 0.96 (0.88 average). Pearson's R for task variable data ranged from 0.76 to 0.99 for both teams and individuals with an average of 0.91. The Strain Index's rho values for individuals and teams were 0.70 and 0.84, respectively. For hazard classification, the tetrachoric correlation for individuals was 0.81 and 0.88 for teams. Results of this study support the conclusion that the Strain Index is repeatable when used by teams as well as individuals.

Mounting evidence suggests that the normal biomechanical state of arteries may include a nearly equibiaxial intramural stress, and that arteries tend to undergo rapid and dramatic remodeling when perturbed from this normal state. Technical developments in the early 1980s and late 1990s enabled in vitro and ex vivo studies, respectively, of isolated perfused microvessels, and it is clear that they share many similarities in behavior with arteries. To date, however, there has been no systematic study of the effects of biaxial loading on the biomechanical behavior of arterioles. In this project, we describe a modification to a prior in vitro arteriole test system that allowed us to investigate the role of altered axial stretch on the passive, myogenic, and fully contracted biaxial behavior of isolated rat cremaster arterioles. We show that axial stretches from 85% to 110% of normal values induce modest changes in the measured circumferential and axial stress-stretch behavior and similarly in traditional measures of distensibility and myogenic index. Nevertheless, altered axial stretch has a dramatic affect on the biaxial state of stress and it appears that near equibiaxial stress occur at axial stretches larger than those used previously. Whereas this finding will not affect prior estimates of material and functional behavior, it may have important implications for the design of long-term ex vivo and in vivo studies wherein vessel growth and remodeling are critical.