Les principaux objectifs de ces travaux de thèse sont d'une part d'optimiser le protocole d'élaboration des barrières thermiques (BT) issues de la voie sol-gel et d'autre part de caractériser l'adhérence de ces barrières thermiques mais aussi de proposer des pistes en vue d'augmenter la durée de vie de celles-ci. Tout d'abord, une première étude a porté sur le choix et la validation d'un nouvel agent dispersant pour optimiser la formulation du sol chargé permettant la mise en forme des barrières thermiques. Ainsi, ce changement de dispersant a généré une microstructure conduisant à une augmentation significative de la durée de vie du système en oxydation cyclique mais a aussi permis de simplifier le protocole d'élaboration puisque l'étape de colmatage, jusqu'alors nécessaire, a été supprimée. L'étude paramétrique de la microstructure surfacique des barrières thermiques a montré que le réseau de microfissures formé initialement restait stable en fonction du vieillissement avec la création d'un sous-réseau microfissuré. Pour comprendre les mécanismes d'endommagement des barrières thermiques sol-gel et les confronter à ceux des barrières thermiques industrielles EB-PVD, la méthode d'indentation interfaciale a été retenue pour sonder l'interface revêtement/substrat. Ainsi des valeurs de ténacités apparentes ont pu être déterminées afin de comparer les adhérences des BTSG et des BTEB-PVD. A partir de ces résultats, des modèles phénoménologiques d'endommagement ont été imaginés. Pour les BTEB-PVD, l'initiation et la propagation de fissures restent localisées à l'interface barrière thermique/sous-couche de liaison, d'un coté ou de l'autre de l'oxyde de croissance selon les conditions, alors que pour les BTSG, l'endommagement est induit par la libération d'énergie élastique stockée dans le système qui augmente en fonction du vieillissement. / The main objectives of this PhD are first to improve and optimise the elaboration protocol of thermal barrier coatings (TBC) manufactured by the sol-gel route and then to characterise their adhesion and investigate the possibility to enhance their lifetime. A preliminary study is focused on the selection and validation of a new dispersing agent to optimise the composite sol formulation before shaping TBC. Indeed, the new dispersant induced a microstructure allowing to significantly increase the cyclic oxidation lifetime of the system but also to simplify the elaboration process as the reinforcement step was suppressed. The parametric study of TBC surface microstructure proved that the initial micro-cracks network remained stable during ageing including the formation of a crack sub-network. To understand the damage mechanisms of sol-gel TBC and to compare them to those corresponding to industrial EB-PVD TBC, the method of interfacial indentation was developed to investigate the subtrate/top-coat interface. The apparent toughness values were determined to compare both BTSG and BTEB-PVD adhesions. From these results, phenomenological models for damage mechanisms were proposed. For BTEB-PVD, crack initiation and propagation are located at the top-coat/bond-coat interface, either on one side or the other side of the thermally grown oxide (TGO) depending of the conditions. For BTSG, the damage is a consequence of the release of the elastic strain energy stored in the system, increasing with the ageing temperature.

Many devices in electronics are in the form of multilayered structures. These structures can fail catastrophically if they contain defects or cracks. Enhancing their fracture properties is therefore critical to improve the reliability of the systems. The interface-dominated fracture mechanics of multilayered structure was studied using experiments and finite element (FE) modeling by considering two examples: thin films on polymer substrates in flexible electronics and Cu leadframe/epoxy molding compound (EMC) in micro-electronics packaging. In the first example, aluminum-manganese (Al-Mn) thin films with Mn concentration up to 20.5 at.% were deposited on polyimide (PI) substrates. A variety of phases, including supersaturated fcc (5.2 at.% Mn), duplex fcc and amorphous (11.5 at.% Mn), and completely amorphous phase (20.5 at.% Mn) were obtained by adjusting alloying concentration in the film. In comparison with crystalline and dual phase counterparts, the amorphous thin film exhibits the highest fracture stress and fracture toughness, but limited elongation. Based on a fracture mechanism model, a multilayer scheme was adopted to optimize the ductility and the fracture properties of the amorphous film/PI system. Tensile deformation and subsequent fracture of strained Al-Mn films on PI were investigated experimentally and by FE simulations. It was found that by sandwiching the amorphous film (20.5 at.% Mn) between two ductile copper (Cu) layers, the elongation can be improved by more than ten times, and the interfacial fracture toughness by twenty four times with a limited sacrifice of the film's fracture toughness (less than 18%). This design provides important guidelines to obtain optimized mechanical properties of future flexible electronics devices. The reliability of amorphous brittle Al-Mn (20.5 at.% Mn) thin films deposited on PI substrates is strongly influenced by the film/substrate interface adhesion. Some strategies to improve the adhesion of the interface were conducted, including roughening the surface of the PI substrate, adding a buffer layer and then tuning its thickness. Tensile testing and FE analysis of amorphous Al-Mn thin films with and without buffer layers coated on intact and plasma etched rough PI were investigated. It was found that by adding a chromium buffer layer of 75 nm on a rough PI substrate, the interface adhesion of the film/substrate can increase by almost twenty times. The obtained results would thus shed light on the interfacial engineering strategies for improving interface adhesion for flexible electronics. In the second example, a systematic investigation and characterization of the interfacial fracture toughness of the bimaterial Cu leadframe/EMC was carried out. Experiments and FE simulations were used to investigate delamination and interfacial fracture toughness of the biomaterial system. Two dimensional simulations using computational fracture mechanics tools, such as virtual crack closure technique, virtual crack extension and J-integral proved to be computationally cheap and accurate to find the interfacial fracture toughness of the bimaterial structures. The effects of temperature, moisture diffusion and mode-mixity on the interfacial fracture toughness were investigated. Testing temperature and moisture exposure significantly reduce the interfacial fracture toughness, and its relationship with the mode-mixity was achieved by fitting the results with an analytic formula.

Hypersonic aerospace vehicles are severely limited by the lack of adequate high temperature materials that can withstand the harsh hypersonic environment. Tantalum carbide (TaC), with a melting point of 3880°C, is an ultrahigh temperature ceramic (UHTC) with potential applications such as scramjet engines, leading edges, and zero erosion nozzles. However, consolidation of TaC to a dense structure and its low fracture toughness are major challenges that make it currently unviable for hypersonic applications. In this study, Graphene NanoPlatelets (GNP) reinforced TaC composites are synthesized by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at extreme conditions of 1850˚C and 80-100 MPa. The addition of GNP improves densification and enhances fracture toughness of TaC by up to ~100% through mechanisms such as GNP bending, sliding, pull-out, grain wrapping, crack bridging, and crack deflection. Also, TaC-GNP composites display improved oxidation behavior over TaC when exposed to a high temperature plasma flow exceeding 2500 ˚C.

Using experimentally measured temperature-process-dependent model parameters, the failure analysis and life prediction were conducted for Atmospheric Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings (APS-TBCs) and electron beam physical vapor deposition thermal barrier coatings (EB-PVD TBCs) with Pt-modified -NiAl bond coats deposited on Ni-base single crystal superalloys. For APS-TBC system, a residual stress model for the top coat of APS-TBC was proposed and then applied to life prediction. The capability of the life model was demonstrated using temperature-dependent model parameters. Using existing life data, a comparison of fitting approaches of life model parameters was performed. The role of the residual stresses distributed at each individual coating layer was explored and their interplay on the coating’s delamination was analyzed. For EB-PVD TBCs, based on failure mechanism analysis, two newly analytical stress models from the valley position of top coat and ridge of bond coat were proposed describing stress levels generated as consequence of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between each layers. The thermal stress within TGO was evaluated based on composite material theory, where effective parameters were calculated. The lifetime prediction of EB-PVD TBCs was conducted given that the failure analysis and life model were applied to two failure modes A and B identified experimentally for thermal cyclic process. The global wavelength related to interface rumpling and its radius curvature were identified as essential parameters in life evaluation, and the life results for failure mode A were verified by existing burner rig test data. For failure mode B, the crack growth rate along the topcoat/TGO interface was calculated using the experimentally measured average interfacial fracture toughness.

Atlas Copco Secoroc AB are searching after new bulk materials for drill heads that are used in percussive drilling in order to improve their strength and durability. The aim of this project is to assist Atlas Copco in this search and provide them with further information regarding material properties, alloying elements, suppliers, etc. A literary study was carried out in order to identify materials that had UTS and KIC more than or equal to 1700 MPa and 70 MPa*m^1/2, respectively. Materials that fulfilled these criteria were T250 grade maraging steel, Cobalt free maraging steel, High cobalt maraging steel, 300 grade maraging steel, AerMet 100, AF1410, S53, M54, 300M, 4340M and PremoMet. These were categorized into maraging steels, high alloy secondary hardened steels, and low alloy steels, and were then further researched. The material with the highest combination of UTS and KIC was M54 followed by AerMet 100; while AF1410 had the highest KIC but a low UTS, and PremoMet had the highest UTS but a low KIC. Maraging steels and HASH steels have a similar price range, while low alloy steels are much cheaper.

A utilização do eletrodo tubular no processo de soldagem a arco submerso leva a um aumento na produtividade com um custo relativamente baixo, pois não requer investimentos complementares em equipamentos. A mudança do eletrodo sólido para o tubular acarreta variações microestruturais no metal de solda que influenciam as propriedades mecânicas, tais como dureza, tração e tenacidade ao impacto. Este trabalho tem como objetivo principal estudar a tenacidade à fratura dinâmica do metal de solda, mostrando que o uso do eletrodo tubular diminui a propagação de trincas ao impacto, além de melhorar as propriedades de dureza e tração. Para a confecção da junta soldada foi utilizado o aço ASTM-A516 com espessura de 37,5 mm; para o metal de solda, o eletrodo sólido AWS EM12K, com diâmetro de 4,0 mm, e fluxo AWS F6A4 e o eletrodo tubular AWS E71T-5, com diâmetro de 4,0 mm, fabricado em caráter experimental, untamente com os fluxos AWS F6A4 e AWS F7A8 (Fluxo Neutro). Os ensaios de impacto, dureza e tração foram realizados em corpos de prova com e sem alívio de tensão, e o ensaio Charpy instrumentado em corpos de prova entalhados e em corpos de prova entalhados e com trinca por fadiga, nas temperaturas de 25, 200, 400 e 600OC. O metal de solda utilizando eletrodo sólido foi o que mostrou menor percentual de ferrita acicular (54%), enquanto que o utilizando eletrodo tubular e fluxo AWS F6A4 foi o que mostrou maior percentual de ferrita acicular (89%). Os ensaios de dureza mostraram uma influência do microconstituinte ferrita acicular: maior dureza para o maior percentual de ferrita acicular. Os limites de resistência e de escoamento também sofreram o efeito deste microconstituinte, apresentando maiores valores quando os percentuais de ferrita acicular foram maiores. Para a análise da tenacidade para o início de propagação da trinca foram utilizados os métodos da variação da taxa da flexibilidade elástica, o método da energia da carga máxima revisada e o método da energia da carga máxima. Foram calculados os valores de JId e de KJd (K derivado de J). Os únicos valores validados, de acordo com a norma, foram os de JId calculados pelo método da variação da taxa da flexibilidade elástica. Os resultados encontrados, utilizando este método, mostraram, à 600OC, a influência da ferrita acicular, sendo que o metal de solda com maior percentual deste microconstituinte forneceu maior valor de tenacidade. Os valores de JId utilizando o método da variação da taxa da flexibilidade elástica para os corpos de prova com trinca por fadiga ficaram próximos aos resultados encontrados quando o ensaio foi realizado em corpos de prova somente entalhados. Os resultados mostraram que a substituição do eletrodo sólido pelo tubular levou à maior tenacidade e a propriedades mecânicas superiores. / The cored wire application in the submerged arc welding process leads to a increase productivity with relative low cost, because it doesn’t require complementary investments in equipments. Changing from solid to cored wire promotes microstructural modification in the weld metal that enhances mechanical properties, such as hardness, stretching and impact toughness. The principal aim of this work is to study the dynamic fracture toughness of the weld metal. The use of cored wire reduces the impact crack propagation, as well as hardness and strength properties. The welded plate was composed of ASTM-A516 steel with 37.5 mm thickness and for making the weld metal was utilized AWS EM12K wire, with 4.0 mm diameter, and AWS F6A4 flux, and AWS E71T-5 cored wire, with 4.0 mm diameter, making in experimental mode, with AWS F6A4 and AWS F7A8 (Neutral Flux) fluxes. Impact, hardness and tensile tests were carried out in specimens with and without stress relief. The instrumented Charpy tests were carried out at notch and notch plus fatigue crack specimens, at 25, 200, 400 and 600OC temperatures. The solid wire weld metal produced 53.9% of acicular ferrite, while the cored wire weld metal and AWS F6A4 flux produced 88.8% of acicular ferrite. The hardness values were influenced by acicular ferrite and showed higher hardness for acicular ferrite higher values. Tensile strength and yield stress data suffered the same effect of this micro constituent also, they had bigger amount when the acicular ferrite percentiles were bigger. For toughness analysis to crack propagation start were utilized the compliance changing rate method, the energy revised method, and the maximum load energy method. JId and KJd (K derived of J) values were calculated according to the standards. The results met for this method had acicular ferrite influence at 600OC, where the weld metal with the biggest micro constituent had bigger toughness value. The JId values utilized the compliance changing rate method for the precracked specimen got values near to the notched specimen. The change solid wire by the cored wire had better toughness, and it gets better the other mechanical properties.

The subject of this master’s thesis was to find the causes of impact toughness scattering of forgings of the test disk with dimension range of 540 – 170 mm. The experimental samples were developed from steel A694 F60. To reach the main aim light microscopy, electron microscopy, EBSD technique, fractographic analysis and hardness measurement HV10 were utilized.

The presented master’s thesis is focused on the design of device for spring dismount from shock absorber and measuring of its spring characteristic. Then is the thesis focused on the design of device for measuring the spring characteristic of anti-roll and torsion bars. The introductory part of the thesis describes the basic distribution of springs and their properties and also design variants of wheel suspensions. Next part introduces devices already available on the market. The following sections aim to the design of stated devices itself, i.e. the description of their parts and functions, the definition of output parameters and stress-strain analysis. Both designs, including the analyses and technical drawings, were created in Autodesk Inventor software.

This thesis is focused on assessment of fracture behaviour of heterogeneous welded joint. The goal is to determine fracture behaviour at the interface of ferritic base metal and austenitic weld metal at temperature of 255°C. This kind of weld is widely used at energy industry. Fracture toughness was evaluated using CT specimens with size 0,5T in order to determine the initiation values of stable crack propagation. Fracture behaviour of the weld is correlated with results of metallography and fractography analysis. Both light and scanning electron microscopy is used for fractography analysis. An assessment of fracture behaviour of the interface of the weld joint is first of all connected with a need of suitable location of cycled crack to the interface of metals. In the case of well-prepared crack the lowest values of J-integral are observed. In other cases of slight crack deviation from the notch plane fracture values increase. Due to a large scatter of mechanical properties of heterogeneous weld joints an increased number of test specimens is needed to obtain relevant and conservative fracture toughness values. Correlation of fracture toughness with the results of fractography analysis leads to clarification of the crack trajectory and to description of fracture mechanism.

This thesis is concerned to the study of behaviour of fibre composites with ceramics matrix. The composite consists of pyrolysed polysiloxane matrix reinforced by ceramic fibre Nextel 720. Main aim of this work is optimisation of fibre matrix interface through the selection of suitable precursor of the matrix with respect to temperature stability, sufficient strength and reasonable fracture toughness. Samples of matrices were exposed to the long term heat treatment in the range 1100 – 1500 °C. The mechanical properties as hardness and indentation elastic modulus were determined after heat treatment. Selected precursors of matrices were used for composite fabrication. Elastic modulus and fracture toughness at room and elevated temperatures were studied. Discussion is dedicated to the description of changes in mechanical properties with respect to chemical processes taking place during high temperature exposition. Further, reasons of fracture behaviour of composite materials are discussed, and finally, gained knowledge and outlined possibilities of subsequent development are summarised.