Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-60). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Toledo, 2009. / Typescript. "Submitted as partial fulfillments of the requirements for The Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering." "A thesis entitled"--at head of title. Bibliography: leaves 104-110.

Dust particles in the atmosphere are a key cause of nuisance, health and other environmental problems. The mining sector is a major source of airborne particulate matter caused by operations like terrain clearing, drilling, blasting, tipping and loading and the passage of vehicles on unpaved roads. The nuisance effect of airborne dust can be measured by using dust buckets and/or directional dust deposition gauges. Dust buckets are used to determine vertical dust deposition rates and directional dust deposition gauges are used to determine the direction of the sources. Traditionally the measurement of the vertical flux of dust, or dust deposition has been used as to indicate the nuisance caused by coarse suspended particulate matter. Several countries have produced standards for permissible dust deposition rates. Although alternative deposition measurement methods have been proposed, ASTM D1739 has remained the method most often used in the South African mining and industrial sectors to measure dust deposition. In addition, a number of non-standard directional dust deposition gauges have been used. SANS 1929:2005 (South African National Standards, 2005) prescribes the use of ASTM D1739:98 for measuring dust deposition. However, for historical reasons the previous version, ASTM D1739:70 (re-approved as ASTM D1739:82) is still widely used and in the recently promulgated South African Dust Management regulations the use of this version is prescribed. In order to determine the difference in the results obtained by the two versions, ASTM D1739:82 and ASTM D1739:98 were used to measure dust deposition levels arising from a coal mining operation in the Mpumalanga Province and a gold mining operation in North-West Province. In order to determine whether a correlation exists between vertical dust flux (dust deposition) and horizontal dust flux, standard directional horizontal dust flux gauges according to BS 1747 part 5 were also set up at both sites. The measurement of dust deposition using three dust deposition gauges (i.e. ASTM D1739:82, ASTM D1739:98 and BS 1747 part 5, directional dust deposition gauges) was undertaken monthly over a period of fourteen (14) months at the two sites. The findings of the study indicate that the dust deposition rates for an opencast coal mine are generally higher than the dust deposition rates for an underground gold mine. ASTM D1739:98 was shown to be a more efficient dust deposition collection method than ASTM D1739:82, with the ratio between the mean values slightly more than 2. The addition of water to the dust bucket does not make a statistically significant difference to retention of dust in the bucket. There is a weak correlation between results for the vertical dust gauges and horizontal dust flux. It is recommended that the South African mining sector continue dust deposition monitoring and reporting using the more recent version of ASTM D1739, as high deposition levels may indicate a potential health impact from PM10 thoracic dust. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / gm2014 / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Drivers for sustainability have made it necessary for the construction industry to adapt its traditional processes to become both more efficient and produce less waste. Performance based design and specification in the UK for motorways and trunk roads permits a very flexible approach to pavement design, material selection and performance related testing aimed at utilising materials to their maximum potential. However, it is clear that within the emerging philosophy of using materials that are 'fit for purpose' there are many technical challenges for design and specification. There is a need to develop suitable methods of evaluating materials prior to their being used on site. This project was born out of this requirement, with a particular emphasis on coarse granular materials due to their common role in capping construction and also their unique difficulty for measurement under laboratory conditions due to their large range of particle size. A novel assessment test for coarse capping materials for roads that can be used to indicate their likely short-term in situ performance, under controlled laboratory conditions before construction on site, has been developed during this research programme. Key findings relating to the behaviour of coarse capping materials, the use of stiffness measuring devices and variables that influence the measurement of composite stiffness are discussed in detail. The research highlights the necessity for adequate drainage and protection of foundation materials against increase in water content. When adopting a performance specification the timing of the pavement assessment is critical, both on site and in the laboratory. The performance measured on site should perhaps only be considered as a 'snapshot' relating to the stress state in the material at the time of testing.

Ductility is a measure of the ability of a material, section, structural element or structural system to sustain deformations prior to collapse without substantial loss of resistance. The Australian design standard, AS 3600, imposes minimum ductility requirements on structural concrete members to try to prevent premature non-ductile failure and hence to ensure adequate strength and ductile-type collapse with large deflections. The requirements also enable members to resist imposed deformation due to differential settlement, time effects on the concrete and temperature effects, whilst ensuring sufficient carrying capacity and a safe design. Current AS 3600 requirements allow a limited increase or reduction in elastically determined bending moments in critical regions of indeterminate beams, accommodating their ability to redistribute moment from highly stressed regions to other parts of the beam. Design moment redistribution limits and ductility requirements in AS 3600 for bonded partially prestressed beams are a simple extension of the requirements for reinforced members. The possibility of premature non-ductile failure occurring by fracture of the reinforcement or prestressing steel in partially prestressed members has not adequately addressed. The aim of this research is to investigate the overload behaviour and deformation capacity of bonded post-tensioned beams. The current ductility requirements and design moment redistribution limits according to AS 3600 are tested to ensure designs are both safe and economical. A local flexural deformation model based on the discrete cracked block approach is developed to predict the deformation capacity of high moment regions. The model predicts behaviour from an initial uncracked state through progressive crack development into yielding and collapse. Local deformations are considered in the model using non-linear material laws and local slip behaviour between steel and concrete interfaces, with rigorous definition of compatibility in the compression and tension zones. The model overcomes limitations of past discrete cracked block models by ensuring compatibility of deformation, rather than strain compatibility. This improvement allows the modeling of members with multiple layers of tensile reinforcement and variable depth prestressing tendons having separate material and bond properties. An analysis method for simple and indeterminate reinforced and partially prestressed members was developed, based on the proposed deformation model. To account for the effect of shear in regions of high moment and shear present over the interior supports of a continuous beam, a modification to the treatment of local steel deformation in the flexural model, based on the truss analogy, was undertaken. Secondary reactions and moments due to prestress and continuity are also accounted for in the analysis. A comparison of past beam test data and predictions by the analysis shows the cracking pattern and deformation capacity at ultimate of flexural regions in reinforced and partially prestressed members to be predicted with high accuracy. The analysis method accurately predicts local steel behaviour over a cracked region and deformation capacity for a wide range of beams which fail either by fracture of steel or crushing of the concrete. A parametric study is used to investigate the influence of different parameters on the deformation capacity of a typical negative moment region in a continuous beam. The structural system consists of a bonded post-tensioned, partially prestressed band beam. The primary parameters investigated are the member height and span-to-depth ratio; relative quantity of reinforcing and prestressing steel; material properties and bond capacity of the steels; and lastly the compression zone properties. Results show that the effects of the various parameters on the overload behaviour of partially prestressed beams follow the same trends as reinforced beams. A new insight into the local steel behaviour between cracks is attained. The deformation behaviour displays different trends for parametric variations of the local bond capacity, bar diameter and crack spacing, when compared to past analytical predictions from comparable studies. The discrepancy in findings is traced back to the definition of the plastic rotation capacity and the sequencing of the yielding of the steels. Compared to the other local deformation models, the current model does not assume a linear distribution of strain at a crack. The current findings highlight an important difference between predicted behaviours from different deformation compatibility requirements in local deformation models which has not yet been discussed in the literature. The local deformation model evaluates the relationship between maximum steel strain at a crack and average steel deformation over a crack spacing for the entire loading history. The total steel percentage, hardening properties of the steel and concrete strength are shown by the model to have the greatest effect on these steel strain localisation factors. Section analysis, as currently used in design, can be improved with the proposed simplification of the relationships to identify and quantify the effects of steel fracture on deformation capacity and strength. The numerical effort required to simulate the overload behaviour of practical beam designs with multiple reinforcement elements and a prestressing tendon are currently too great to be used in an extensive numerical study. The numerically more efficient smeared block approach is shown to accurately predict the ultimate carrying capacity of prestressed beams failing by crushing of the concrete. Consequently, this method is adopted to study the allowable limits of moment redistribution in the present investigation, Simplified relationships of the steel strain localisation factors evaluated in the parametric study of deformation capacity is used to predict maximum steel strains and premature failure. The limits of moment redistribution in bonded, post-tensioned partially prestressed band beams are explored by comparing the design load and predicted carrying capacity, for different section ductilities and design moment redistribution. In addition, the effects of different concrete strengths, up to 85 MPa, along with as three reinforcing and prestressing steel ductilities are quantified and compared to current Australian and international design requirements. Limitations in the carrying capacity are investigated for different reinforcement and prestress uniform elongation capacities. More than one thousand beam simulations produce results showing that current design moment redistribution and ductility requirements in the Australian design code for concrete structures (AS 3600) are sufficient for normal strength concretes (less than 50 MPa). A suggestion for design moment redistribution limits, section ductility requirements and steel ductility limits is made for members constructed from higher strength concretes. A special high steel ductility class is proposed for both the reinforcement and prestressing steel to allow moment redistribution in higher strength concrete. No moment redistribution is proposed for members reinforced with low ductility (Class L) steel. An increase of the current elongation limit of Class L steel from 1.5 % to 2.5% is suggested to ensure strength and safety. An increase in the current ductility requirements from fsu/ fsy=1.03 and elongation equal to 1.5% to fsu/fsy=1.05 and 2.5% elongation for low ductility Class L steel is suggested to ensure strength and safety. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2004.

Entre otras aplicaciones, el Grupo de Tratamiento de Señal (GTS) de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia ha trabajado tradicionalmente en el campo de los ensayos no destructivos por ultrasonidos. el GTS ha desarrollado sofisticados algoritmos de procesado de señal para la detección y caracterización en materiales dispersivos. El procedimiento de inspección ultrasónica de materiales implica la obtención de un registro o señal mediante un equipo emisor-receptor de ultrasonidos. Este registro será posteriormente procesado para obterner información del material. La extracción de características puede realizarse calculando parámetros temporales y/o frecuenciales de los registros en cuestión. Estos parámetros contienen información que está relacionada con propiedades físicas de los materiales y que podrán ser empleados en definitiva para clasificar y caracterizar el material. El objetivo de la tesis es el de ampliar el conjunto de parémetros que se han venido usando de manera tradicional en el grupo. Los nuevos parámetros proponen un cambio de perspectiva mediante el uso de técnicas basadas en el tratamiento digital de imagen. Se presenta una colección de descriptores geométricos y de forma que serán aplicados a las imágenes obtenidas a partir de los diagramas tiempo-frecuencia. Los citados parámetros se aplicarán junto con los parámetros que componen el modelo tradicional, o versiones modificadas de éstos, a la caracterización ultrasónica de materiales dispersivos blandos. En la tesis se presenta un modelo matemático afín a los tipos de materiales que han sido evaluados en este trabajo. Se define así un esquema que modela en el dominio de la frecuencia el registro de señal procedente de la inspección ultrasónica del material. Se proponen y estudian además diferentes métodos con el objetivo de llevar a cabo el análisis espectral de la señal ultrasónica y se discuten diferentes alternativas para la obtención y mejora de los diagramas tiempo-frecuencia. / Gómez García, S. (2010). Descriptores Geométricos y de Forma: Aplicación a la caracterización ultrasónica de materiales [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/8722 / Palancia

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / During biodiesel production, crude biodiesel and glycerin are separated in resting tanks due to gravity and differences in density, glycerin accumulates at the base of the contender; such operation is called decantation. The decantation stage, within the production of biodiesel based on recycled oil, takes from 8 to 24 h to complete. Therefore, the development of an automatic biodiesel decanting system is presented in order to optimize the production time in the line of this bio-fuel. The process consists of applying an electric field through two electrodes at 9 kV and simultaneously applying temperature. The results of the implementation showed that the production time was reduced by up to 99% without affecting the quality of biodiesel, according to the parameters of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). / Revisión por pares

Brake materials represent an important source of air pollution, especially in urban areas, where they can contribute to approx. 21 % of the traffic-related particulate matter emission. For this reason, the design of new brake materials with low emissions is a topical issue. In addition to low emissions, the design of new friction materials has to ensure excellent performance with stable coefficients of friction and low wear rate. Due to the several requirements that these materials need to fulfill, their development and testing are complex and intercorrelated. Good performance and low emission strongly depend on the mechanisms acting at the disc-pad interfaces. In this thesis, a brake dynamometer testing protocol is developed to better understand the relationships of the braking parameters with the brake performance and emission behavior, correlating them with the surface characteristics. The surface characteristics were investigated with a-posteriori analysis, in terms of extension of the contact area, degree of compaction of the wear particles and relevant composition. The work is focused on the bedding process and the influence of the braking parameters on the frictional, wear and emission behaviors. Regarding the bedding process, run-in, transition stage and steady states were identified as concerns the frictional, wear and emission behaviors. The frictional behavior gets stabilized by the extension of the secondary plateaus, whereas the wear and emission behaviors are stabilized as their degree of compaction increases. The influence of pressure and velocity under mild sliding conditions were studied for a low-met and NAO material, the two most common types of friction materials. The low-met material featured a more stable and higher friction coefficient and lower wear and emissions than the NAO material. The wear behavior is strongly affected by pressure for the NAO material, and for the low-met material, velocity is very influential. Emissions follow a cube relationship with velocity for both materials. The significant differences in the observed behaviors are explained in terms of the different features of the surfaces. The NAO material featured a smooth and uniform surface, with higher coverage than the low-met material, on which steel fibers play important adhesive and abrasive actions. From tests under mild sliding conditions of several friction materials sliding against cast-iron discs, a linear relationship is found between the specific wear rate and the emission factor. This relationship identifies a wear rate below 2.5 10-14 m2/N complying with the Euro 7 limitation of 3 mg/km/vehicle after 2034. Among the friction materials sliding against cast iron discs, the NAO material and only one friction material displayed an emission factor below the limit of 3 mg/km/vehicle. In addition, the emission factor of low-met material sliding against a cermet-coated disc was lower than this limit. These observations confirm that the NAO materials and coated discs are effective systems to mitigate emissions, whereas further efforts are required to improve the emission behavior of low-met materials. Interestingly, the low-met materials with a reduced presence of secondary plateaus featured higher wear and emissions. Regarding the brake performance, under severe sliding conditions, the NAO material displayed worse frictional and wear behaviors than the reference low-met material. For high-pressure ranges, the effect of pressure is to cause a monotonic decrease in the friction coefficient. The effect of temperature on the friction coefficient causes an increase in the friction coefficient when the tribo-oxidative processes are contained up to 300 °C. For combinations of high velocity and temperature, the tribo-oxidative processes are high enough to form a thick glaze layer on the surfaces. The glaze layers were correlated to a lubricating effect, or fade effect, at disc temperatures above 400 °C, especially when their extension covered the steel fibers. The cermet-coated disc displayed the same fade behavior at high velocity-temperature values, although at low velocities and high temperatures, friction instability was observed and related to larger but fewer patches originating to a significant extent from material transfer from the disc. The friction instability in the coated disc was ascribed to the different tribo-oxidative behavior in the formation of ‘glazes’ due to the low source of iron in the disc material.

Amorphous and polycrystalline microwires cast from ferromagnetic Fe-based or Co-based alloys in glass envelope demonstrate unique magneto-anisotropic and high frequency impedance properties that make them very attractive for sensor applications. Magnetic anisotropies of different types result from the inverse magnetostriction effect (positive or negative) at the interface between the glass shell and the metal core, in the presence of the residual stresses induced during the Taylor-Ulitovski casting method. Therefore, the glass shell is not just isolation, but also is one of most important factors that defines the physical properties of microwires. In particular, magnetic anisotropy allows high frequency impedance to be tuned by external stimuli such as magnetic field, tensile stress, or temperature. In the project, these effects are explored for the creation of low density microwire inclusions that might introduce tuneable microwave properties to polymer composite materials. The project aims to study high frequency impedance effects in ferromagnetic wires in the presence of tensile stress, temperature, and magnetic field. The integration of microwave equipment with mechanical and thermal measurement facilities is a very challenging task. In the project, we develop new experimental techniques allowing comprehensive study of composite materials with electromagnetic functionalities. The wire surface impedance recovered from such measurements can then be used to model the microwave response from wire-filled composites in free space. The obtained results significantly expand the horizon of potential applications of ferromagnetic wires for structural health monitoring.

Alcali – silica reaction often causes destruction of a concrete.constructions. In the theoretical part is described creation and causes of the ASR including assessment of individual components of concrete and their testing. The practical part is devoted to the results of some control tests of the concrete cover in the section 18 of the highway D1 (Měřín - Velké Meziříčí) and section D1-20 (Velké Meziříčí - Lhotka), the mechanical properties of the upper and the lower layer of the concrete cover and measuring the resistance of concrete against chemical deicing agents.