The heterogeneous and anisotropic nature of wood material creates additional design challenges not present with the use of other structural materials such as steel and aluminum. The natural variation in the physical properties of wood members requires that the specified strengths and resistances used for design calculations be based on the quantities measured for the fifth percentile of all wood materials tested. The result is that design may be unnecessarily conservative and subsequently inefficient. The same properties that cause uncertainty surrounding the physical properties of biological materials also create difficulty in applying non-destructive evaluation techniques. Strain measurement is one particular technique that is extremely valuable for materials of known and consistent stress-strain relationships, but whose usefulness is diminished when applied to biological materials. To demonstrate the need for more accurate strain measurement in light-framed structures, the predictive calculations and structural modelling of a post-framed building was compared to its demonstrated performance. The analysis did not adequately reflect the actual performance of the building, and it was determined that additional monitoring of light-framed buildings through systems such as strain measurement was required to gain a better understanding of the performance characteristics in order to optimize evaluation techniques. This project aimed to develop a system that accurately measures strain in dimensional lumber of different types, which in turn will enable researchers to enhance monitoring the performance of light-frame structures and optimize design analysis and structural modelling techniques. The development of a methodology that provides a practical means by which to perform in-situ testing of post-frame buildings and decreases the complexity of post-frame building monitoring will contribute to the advancement of design and analysis techniques. In the calibration phase of the project, metal foil resistance strain gages were mounted onto wooden specimens with dimensions of 5 x 13 x 40 mm, 5 x 40 x 100 mm, and 2 x 20 x 50 mm, and acrylic specimens with dimensions of 3 x 25 x 75 mm. These specimens were then subjected to loading in an ATS universal testing machine in the Physical Properties Lab at the University of Manitoba. Stress-strain curves were developed based upon the observed stress and strain levels. These calibrated gages were then mounted on to a 38 x 89 mm specimen of S-P-F dimensional lumber which represented a typical light-framed building material. This assembly was then subjected to a similar loading procedure as the calibrated gage and stress-strain curves were generated once again. The slopes of the stress-strain curves developed from the two phases of the project were compared to determine if a consistent correlation existed. The three sizes of wood specimens did not demonstrate a consistent correlation. However, the acrylic specimen demonstrated consistent correlation amongst two groups of three with correlation coefficients within a forty percent range in one group and within a nine percent range in the other group. This suggests that further experimental refinements could produce the desired results.

The applications of elastic membrane range from determining the mechanical properties of biological cells by indentation tests to predicting the deformed shape of a large commercial tent structure. In this work, direct membrane theory and a particular Varga strain energy function are used to model the indentation and puncturing of an isotropic spherical elastic membrane containing a fluid with a rigid indenter. The balance laws are applied to obtain the governing differential equations and numerical shooting method is used to solve them. Furthermore, a global mode of failure is established by computing the energy stored at the punctured membrane and this value determines a critical value for the energy of the membrane beyond which the punctured state of the membrane is energetically preferred. An additional mode of failure is identified in which the membrane loses local convexity requirements and it corresponds to the local loss of elastic behavior of the membrane. / Graduate / 0548 / deris@Uvic.ca

-1 were achieved when testing specimens and this rate was obtained using a split Hopkinson pressure bar. A substantial number of preliminary tests were conducted in order to obtain a suitable specimen size which was then used in the temperature measurement process. Quasistatic, intermediate and high strain-rate tests were performed; the last utilised the radiometer for temperature measurement. An Eyring plot was constructed from which fundamental values for activation volumes and enthalpies were obtained. Full descriptions of the testing techniques used have been included and a brief photoelastic analysis has been carried out on a partially deformed specimen which shows molecular alignment.

This thesis is concerned with large strain soil consolidation and a large portion of the work is devoted to the theoretical development in modelling this phenomenon. An experimental programme based on a specially designed oedometer is also included. The governing equations are formulated in Chapter 2, where both the material and the space coordinates are considered. In space coordinate the problem is a moving boundary problem, and special numerical techniques for the idealized case of a thin soil layer are developed in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4 the consolidation of a normally consolidated stratum and a dredged fill are considered with a linear soil model, and the consolidation of a deposit undergoing continuous sedimentation is considered in Chapter 5. The material coordinate is used in the analysis which also includes the effect of self weight of soil. These problems are again considered in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 with a nonlinear soil model. A specially designed oedometer for testing very soft soil is described in Chapter 8, and the experimental results are discussed in Chapter 9. These are compared with the theoretical solutions developed in Chapter 3, and good agreement has been obtained.

No description available.

I present physical shear-box experiments investigating the relationship between geometrical properties of shear zones and mechanical properties of deformed rocks. Experimental methodology is also examined critically and new materials for analogue modelling of shear localization are presented. First, I tested experimentally whether meaningful rheological information can be deduced from finite geometrical shear zone data. The results predict characteristic geometrical responses for certain end-member materials. However, it will be difficult to constrain such responses in the field. In the second part physical controls on deformation in the shear box are analysed for Newtonian and power-law fluids and an elastoviscoplastic strain-softening material. Since models always represent simplifications of the natural problem, it is essential to understand fully the physics of a given simulation. I show that displacement boundary conditions, model geometry, and rheology control shear zone geometry. Practical applications of the shear box for modelling natural shear localization and limitations of isothermal physical models with displacement boundary conditions in general are discussed. In the third part, new data on the rheology of highly-filled silicone polymers are introduced. Since dynamic similarity must be satisfied in analogue models to permit scaled, quantitative simulations of deformation processes, the choice of suitable rock analogues is critical for physical experiments. In particular, we address the problem of designing power-law fluids to model rocks deforming by dislocation creep. We found that highly-filled polymers have complex rheologies. Hence, such materials must be used with care in analogue modelling and only for certain experimental stress-strain rate conditions. Finally, I investigated whether fault network geometry and topography of brittle strike-slip faults are influenced by the degree of compaction of the host rock. Analogue shear experiments with loose and dense sand imply that the degree of sediment compaction may be a governing factor in the evolution of fault network structure and topography along strike-slip faults in sedimentary basins. Therefore, models of strike-slip faults should consider potential volume changes of deformed rocks.

Fiber optic sensors are designed to measure various parameters. The distributed fiber optics sensor has been a very promising candidate for the structural health monitoring. In this thesis, we characterized LEAF (Large Effective Area Fiber) fiber’s Brillouin scattering spectrum and investigated its potentiality for the distributed Brillouin temperature and strain sensor. Optical fibers with complex refractive index profiles are applied to improve the Brillouin threshold by varying the Brillouin linewidth. As LEAF fiber has a modified refractive index profile, we investigated its Brillouin linewidth’s dependence on the square of the pump light’s frequency. We verified the Brillouin frequency’s variation with input SOP experimentally for LEAF fiber in the spontaneous regime. This sets a limitation for the frequency resolution of distributed Brillouin sensors. We also realized a simultaneous temperature and strain sensor with LEAF fiber applying the Brillouin optical time domain analysis. Based on the direct detection of LEAF beat frequencies, a simultaneous strain and temperature sensor was demonstrated.

In this study different bioactive agents were used to investigate their single and combined effects on biomechanical properties of osteoporotic bone. Estrogen, the most common hormon replacement therapy (HRT) agent, was used in single and combined with raloxifen, a well known osteoporosis drug. Despite their high clinical uses, they have not been tried before, in combination. They act as agonist of each other in bone and antagonist of each other in uterus and mammary glands. Hence it was expected to prevent HRT side effects by using combinations while enhancing the healing on osteoporotic bone. So, the study was designed to see the interaction effects of these two agents on bone and uterus, to observe the mechanical behaviour upto fracture, and to investigate the bone mechanical properties by strain gauges and bending theory with ovariectomized rat model. Second approach to osteoporosis treatment, VitK2 was chosen to be used alone or in combination with raloxifen in same model. Although recent studies mentioned the effects of VitK2 on bone, its rebuilding or repair effect was not completely established. So, VitK2-bone relation was aimed to be clarified with the project.VitK2 raloxifen combination was also a new study, that has not been carried out so far. As a result of mechanical tests, it was found that E+R combination is the most effective treatment. All treatment&amp / #8217 / s were resulted in numerically (though not statistically significant) higher values on femur mechanical properties, and significantly better on tibia compared to the untreated controls. VitK2 performs well in energy absorption upto fracture, but worse in others (PL, YL etc.) compared to other treatments indicating that it plays a specific role in modifying bone structure thus, rendering bone stronger under high stress. However, similar to estrogen case, its combination with raloxifen performs better than its individual administration. With combinations it was aimed to reduce the adverse effects of estrogen on uterus and mammary glands by using raloxifen. This idea appears to be achieved with better histological results of uterus in combinations than estrogen groups. Additionally it was observed that direct strain data obtained by strain gauge experiments can be more informative than theoretical model in calculating modulus of elasticity, and shown that shear contribution can be neglected if depth/span ratio and set up dimensions properly chosen. Biochemical analysis of the blood showed an increment in bone formation (ALP activity) compared to both controls. ALP activity was the highest in R group, which was lower in combinations. Thus existence of a different mechanism in osteoporotic bone repair in combinations was suggested.

The objectives of this thesis were to investigate some physiological, cellular and molecular changes from genetic selection, flock age and egg storage on embryonic metabolism, cell viability and gene expression in poultry species. Embryonic heat production (EHP), the parameter used to evaluate metabolic status of two turkey genetic strains (Nicholas and Hybrid) and four flock ages (30 wk, 34 wk, 55 wk, 60 wk) were determined. The results showed that embryos of older flocks had higher EHP than all other flock ages. The higher metabolism can cause overheating in embryos from older flocks during the later part of incubation. The EHP values can assist incubator manufacturers and hatchery managers to manage incubation temperatures to increase embryo survival. The EHP was also determined in two Ross 308 broiler breeder egg storage durations (4 d and 14 d) to assess the impact of long-term egg storage on embryonic metabolism. The embryos from 4 d stored eggs had higher body weight and EHP than embryos from 14 d stored eggs. To investigate what could be the fundamental reasons for the metabolic differences, blastoderms from eggs in these egg storage treatments were isolated, dissociated into single cells, stained with fluorescent dyes and subjected to flow cytometry analysis to differentiate between viable (live), apoptotic and necrotic cell populations. Quantitative real time PCR analysis was then used to compare the expression of selected apoptotic genes (Bak, Bax, Bok, Bcl-2, Bcl-xL) in blastoderms and embryos from 6 d incubated eggs. While percentage of viable cells decreased significantly, an unregulated amount of apoptosis increased with egg storage duration (p < 0.0001). Expression of pro-apoptotic genes (Bak, Bax, and Bok) were up regulated as storage duration increased at the blastodermal level but all genes were down regulated after 6 d of incubation. This suggests that an increment in egg storage duration can cause activation of apoptotic cell death mechanisms at the blastodermal level, which can be one of the molecular mechanisms that led to the reduced daily embryonic growth and metabolism observed in 14 d stored eggs. The thesis suggests there are molecular and cellular implications of egg storage. / Animal Science

In this work, the effect of reversible elastic lattice strain on the electronic properties of a) (Pr1−y Lay )0.7 Ca0.3 MnO3 (PLCMO) thin films and b) the interface layer of La0.7 Sr0.3 MnO3 (LSMO) with SrTiO3 (STO) has been determined using piezoelectric substrates. Lattice strain is known to effectively alter the electronic structure of compounds from the manganite family, since it shifts the balance of competing electronic interactions by changing bond angles and bond lengths.The PLCMO films have been repared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) from a La0.7 Ca0.3 MnO3 (LCMO) and a Pr0.7 Ca0.3 MnO3 (PCMO) target. The metal- insulator phase boundary has been established to lie around y = 0.6. In films with y = 0.6, the piezoelectric release of tensile strain in the film plane induces a drastic reduction of the resistance, or a “colossal” elastoresistance. Resistive gauge factors as high as Γ = 1000 have been found. Consistent with the transport results, the release of tensile strain leads to an increase in both the Curie temperature and the magnetisation. The coexistence of the ferromagnetic metallic (FMM) and charge ordered insulating (COI) phases in PLCMO has been found to be strongly affected by the reversible substrate strain. Both the magnetisation and the resistance data in controlled strain states demonstrate a strong suppression of the ferromagnetic double exchange interaction by tensile strain. [La0.7 Sr0.3 MnO/SrTiO3 ] superlattices have been deposited on STO and piezoelectric PMN-PT (001) (PbMg1/3 Nb2/3 O3 )0.72 (PbTiO3 )0.28 substrates by PLD. X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements show clear Kiessig fringes as well as the larger interference maxima caused by the superlattice, giving qualitative proof of a well defined superlattice structure with sharp interfaces on both substrates. With decreasing LSMO layer thickness d, the samples show a sharp decrease of the Curie temperature, accompanied by a decrease of the saturation magnetisation and an increase of the coercive field around d = 5 nm. Reversible strain measurements on thicker superlattices (d = 16.7 nm) reveal a behaviour of the magnetisation similar to that of single thick films of LSMO. When d is decreased, the strain induced relative change in magnetisation ∆M/M0 shows a behaviour comparable to PLCMO thin films. This has been attributed to the increased volume fraction of the LSMO inter- face layer with STO, which displays a reduced magnetic order and phase-separated tendencies. From the absolute change in magnetisation per interface, the thickness of the so-called magnetically “dead” layer of the LSMO has been estimated to lie between 1.3 nm and 1.7 nm in the superlattices grown on PMN-PT.