The mechanical engineering department at the University of Idaho is conducting a project with the purpose of developing a complete system for investigating creep-, creep-fatigue- and fatigue properties of metallic materials at elevated temperatures up to 650 ˚C with Compact Tension (CT) specimens. Considerable efforts have been made to study and understand these phenomena, although numerous problems still exist. It is important to explore more extensively the complicated phenomena of creep, fatigue and of creep-fatigue interactions. The Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD) method is a common method used to investigate, for example, the initiation of cracks, crack growth rates and to monitor crack growth. The technique utilizes the fact that the electrical resistance of a CT specimen changes with crack growth. By applying a constant current over the specimen and measuring the resulting voltage over the crack, the crack length can be related to the voltage, and the difference in crack length with difference in voltage. Standards from the American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) were used as guidance when designing the DCPD system and CT specimen. The development and implementation processes were divided into an analytical and an experimental stage. The final product consisted of a high temperature extensometer, to measure crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD), and a DCPD system, to measure crack growth, controlled by separate control units. The DCPD system consisted of a DC supply and a nano voltmeter along with Constantan wire and NiCr60 wire respectively, that were mechanically fastened. The DCPD system delivered overall satisfying results and was able to generate sufficient data to produce a crack growth curve, da/dN vs. ΔK. Although, by taking advantage of resistance welding equipment to attach the DCPD wires, along with implementing one shared control unit for the DCPD system and the extensometer, more accurate and accessible measurements and correlations could be extracted. / Mechanical engineering avdelningen på University of Idaho genomför just nu ett utvecklingsprojekt med syftet att utveckla ett komplett system för undersökning av krypnings, krypnings-utmattnings- samt utmattnings- egenskaper av metalliska material vid höga temperaturer upp till 650 ˚C med hjälp av kompakta spänningsprovstavar (CT specimens). Betydande ansträngningar har gjorts för att undersöka och förstå dessa fenomen, men flera problem kvarstår. Det är viktigt att djupare undersöka kopplingen mellan krypnings- och utmattningsegenskaper. Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD) metoden är en vanlig metod vilken används för att undersöka, exempelvis, sprickinitiering, spricktillväxthastigheter och spricktillväxt. Tekniken utnyttjar faktumet att den elektriska resistansen i en provstav ändras med spricktillväxt. Genom att föra en konstant ström genom provstaven och sedan mäta den resulterande spänningen över sprickan, kan spricklängden relateras till uppmätt spänning. På samma sätt kan spricktillväxt relateras till spänningsförändringar. Standarder från American Society for Testing of Materials (ASTM) användes för att designa ett DCPD system samt en CT provstav. Utvecklings- och implementeringsprocessen var uppdelad i en analytisk och en experimentell del. Den slutgiltiga produkten bestod av en extensometer, för mätning av spricköppning vid höga temperaturer, och ett DCPD system, för mätning av spricktillväxt vid höga temperaturer, vilka kontrollerades av separata kontrollenheter. DCPD systemet bestod av en strömkälla och en nanovoltmeter tillsammans med Constantan kablar respektive NiCr60 kablar, vilka fastsättes mekaniskt. DCPD systemet levererade generellt sett tillfredställande resultat och hade kapacitet att generera tillräckligt precisa data för att producera en spricktillväxtkurva, da/dN vs. ΔK. Däremot, genom att utnyttja en resistanssvets, för att fastsätta DCPD-kablarna, tillsammans med en gemensam kontrollenhet för extensometern och DCPD systemet, kan det tänkas att bättre och mer tillgängliga resultat kunde åstadkommas.

This thesis examines the use of diagonal tension (shear) testing to determine factors affecting shear strength of Interlocking Compressed Earth Block (ICEB) panels. This work expands on the current information available about strength properties of ICEB assemblies, which are dry-stacked, as opposed to having mortared beds. Variables such as block strength, grout strength and grouting pattern can influence the results of these types of tests and are examined in this investigation. To study variables affecting diagonal shear strength, 9 panels were tested, consisting of blocks produced by a manual block press. Strength testing was adopted from common ASTM standards to determine constituent material properties. A modified version of ASTM E519 test procedure is used to perform diagonal tension testing. Imaging analysis, using a high resolution camera, was run simultaneously during testing to capture displacement histories of select panels. It was determined that both block and grout strength significantly affect the shear strength of ICEB panels. Additionally, vertical grouting and block type also have a strong influence. Imaging analysis results confirm that the dominant failure mode in ICEB panels is bed joint sliding both pre and post peak load, with noticeable displacements at head joint locations on a few panels. Lastly, diagonal cracking along the block face was noticeable on several panels following peak load. Further testing remains to determine other factors affecting shear strength, namely, the application of normal pre-compression loads to the panel.

A new testing facility for fully reversed tension-torsion high cycle fatigue testing has been designed. The specimens used for the test programme were solid and made from a medium carbon steel. The test programme involved a tension-torsion multiaxial non-proportional loading sequence i.e. fully reversed torsion followed by a push-pull load interruption and then the continuation of the same torsion loading to failure. The push-pull load interruption represented a significantly low damage i.e. 4% damage according to Miner's linear damage theory, and was applied after different prior torsion cycle ratios. The tests were conducted with various interruption stress amplitudes all of which had fatigue lifetimes in the high cycle fatigue region. The torsion fatigue life was found to change significantly due to the application of push-pull load interruption which was considered to cause only a minor damage due to Miner's rule. Miner's linear damage theory cannot account for the predicted cumulative fatigue damage (Sigman/N[f]) for the push-pull interrupted torsion fatigue loading sequences used in the current test programme. The fatigue life was markedly enhanced when the interruption was applied at an early stage of torsion loading whilst the effect was less prominent when the interruption was applied at a later stage of torsion loading. At higher interruption stress amplitudes the torsion fatigue lifetime was reduced considerably and the damage summation was well below the unity predicted by the Miner's rule. The inability to predict damage accumulation by Miner's rule can be attributed to the complexity in the crack growth associated with the application of push-pull interruption. Crack growth equations to represent microstructural short crack (MSC) and the physically small crack (PSC) growth were determined for the material of the form;MSC - da/dN = C[m](d[i] - a)...(1) and PSC - da/dN = C[p]a-D ...(2). Material parameters for the models were derived using torsion and uniaxial constant amplitude fatigue S-N data, no crack coalescence, branching or re-initiation was considered. The crack growth model was able to predict the fatigue life in loading cases which were dominated by an uninterrupted crack growth. However, such a model was shown to significantly underestimate the torsion fatigue life in situations where the fatigue life was affected by secondary crack initiation due to the push-pull load interruption.

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Le comportement mécanique de films minces métalliques déposés sur des substrats souples joue un rôle déterminant dans les performances de l'électronique flexible et des micro- systèmes électromécaniques (MEMS).Dans un premier temps, une nouvelle méthode est présentée pour caractériser le module d'élasticité de films minces submicroniques. Avec deux couches déposées de chaque côté et sur la moitié du substrat polymère, la corrélation d'image numérique (CIN) a été utilisée pour mesurer simultanément la déformation du film et du substrat in situ au cours d'un essai de traction. La différence entre les déformations mesurées sur la partie vierge et le composite permet d'extraire les propriétés élastiques de films minces de manière simple et avec grande précision. Comme attendu, la distribution des déformations est uniforme au travers de l'épaisseur du film ce qui indique une adhésion parfaite entre le film et le substrat. Dans le cas de films minces de tungstène, de chrome, de nickel et de cuivre, les valeurs de module obtenues sont proches de celles des mêmes matériaux à l'état massif.Dans un deuxième temps, une nouvelle méthode expérimentale utilisant une machine de déformation uniaxiale est présentée pour étudier l'effet Bauschinger dans des films minces métalliques déposés sur des substrats étirables. Grâce à un dispositif original, les films minces sont déposés sur des substrats prétendus et peuvent donc être déformés alternativement en tension et en compression dans un large domaine de déformations. La déformation élastique intra granulaire des films minces polycristallins et la déformation macroscopique du substrat sont mesurées in situ par diffraction des rayons X et CIN respectivement. A partir des courbes « déformation élastique – déformation macroscopique », la réponse mécanique de l'ensemble film / substrat est analysée au vu de l'histoire complète du chargement et de la microstructure (contraintes résiduelles, texture) des films minces. / The mechanical behavior of metallic thin films deposited on soft substrates plays a crucial role in the performance of flexible electronics and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS).At first, a novel method is presented to characterize the in-plane elastic modulus of sub micrometer thin films. With two coating layers bonded symmetrically to half polyimide substrates, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) has been employed to measure time-resolved full-field strain maps of film and substrate during in situ tensile testing. The strain differences between virgin and composite parts allowed to extract the elastic properties of the thin films in a simple way with high precision. As expected, the strain distribution is uniform through the film thickness which indicates a perfect adhesion between the film and the substrate. In the case of tungsten, chromium, nickel and copper films, the values obtained are close to the bulk one.In a second step, a new experimental method using uniaxial tensile testing is presented to study Bauschinger effect in thin metallic films deposited on stretchable substrates. Thanks to our new pre-tensile setup (specific grips), the thin films were deposited on pre-stretched substrates and thus could be deformed alternately in tension and compression within a large strain domain. The elastic intra-granular strain of polycrystalline thin films and true strain of substrates are measured in situ by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and DIC. From lattice strain-true strain curves, the mechanical response of copper and nickel /substrate sets is analyzed in view of the complete loading history and the presence of residual stresses and crystallographic texture in thin films.

The damage development and strength of ply-level scaled carbon/epoxy composite laminates having stacking sequence of [+Tn/-Tn/902n]s where constraint ply angle, T, was 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 degrees, and size was scaled as n=1,2,3, and 4, is reported in Part I. X-radiography was used to monitor damage developments. First-ply failure stress, and tensile strength were recorded. First-ply failure of the midplane 90 deg. plies depended on the stiffness of constraint plies, and size. All 24 cases were predicted using Zhang's shear-lag model and data generated from cross-ply tests. Laminate strength was controlled by the initiation of a triangular-shaped local delamination of the surface angle plies. This delamination was predicted using O'Brien's strain energy release rate model for delamination of surface angle plies. For each ply angle, the smallest laminate was used to predict delamination (and strength) of the other sizes. The in-situ tensile strength of the 0 deg. plies within different cross-ply, and quasi-isotropic laminates of varying size and stacking sequence is reported in Part II. No size effect was observed in the strength of 0 deg. plies for those lay-ups having failure confined to the gauge section. Laminates exhibiting a size-strength relationship, had grip region failures for the larger sizes. A statistically significant set of 3-point bend tests of unidirectional beams were used to provide parameters for a Weibull model, to re-examine relationship between ultimate strength of 0 deg. plies and specimen volume. The maximum stress in the 0 deg. plies in bending, and the tensile strength of the 0 deg. plies (from valid tests only) was the same. Weibull theory predicted loss of strength which was not observed in the experiments. An effort to model the durability and life of quasi-isotropic E-glass/913 epoxy composite laminates under steady load and in an acidic environment is reported in Part III. Stress-rupture tests of unidirectional coupons immersed in a weak hydrochloric acid solution was conducted to determine their stress-life response. Creep tests were conducted on unidirectional coupons parallel and transverse to the fibers, and on ±45°. layups to characterize the lamina stress- and time-dependent compliances. These data were used in a composite stress-rupture life model, based on the critical element modeling philosophy of Reifsnider, to predict the life of two ply-level thickness-scaled quasi-isotropic laminates. / Ph. D.