Mechanical simulation of viscoelastic materials and assigning a viscoelastic material to the modeled parts in the simulations are difficult task. For the simulations, material model should be well chosen and material coefficients of the chosen models should be known. In order to obtain accurate simulations, hyperelastic characteristics of the viscoelastic materials should be investigated and hyperelastic model should be incorporated in the solutions. Material models and material model&rsquo / s coefficients are chosen with the help of mechanical tests/experiments for these situations. The main goal of this thesis is to optimize material model&rsquo / s coefficients by using an indenter test setup results and inverse finite element modeling. To achieve this, firstly by using a haptic device and other required equipments an indenter setup was prepared to test the materials mechanically. Inverse finite element modeling method is used in order to model the materials according to their viscoelastic and hyperelastic characteristics. The model obtained from analysis was optimized by using the results obtained from indenter setup according to experimental test data. By doing this, the correctness of the model chosen by inverse finite element modeling was proved for the tested material and material model coefficients were calculated correctly.

<p>  </p> <p>Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) rebars are frequently used to construct offshore structures, bridges, and airport terminals due to their high tensile strength, lightweight, and non-corrosive nature. GFRP rebars are also non-magnetic, electrically non-conductive, and have a higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel rebars. Consequently, many studies have been conducted to investigate the bond behavior of cast-in GFRP rebars, leading to the formulation of ACI 440. </p> <p>Post-installed rebar technology has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility in retrofitting and extending existing structures. Given the growing demand for post-installed technology and the superior qualities of GFRP rebars, there is a keen interest in understanding the behavior of post-installed GFRP rebars. Post-installed connections involve inserting a rebar in a pre-drilled hole in hardened concrete using an injectable epoxy. The post-installed system allows for construction between existing and new concrete for structural extension and rehabilitation purposes.</p> <p>Currently, only limited work has been performed on post-installed GFRP rebars at relatively small embedment depths. The adhesive mortars used for post-installation generally have a high bond strength. Most of the connections with post-installed rebars are made close to the edges of the members. Due to edge proximity, concrete-related failure modes (concrete splitting) govern, and the high bond strength of the post-installed system is not utilized. </p> <p>This study aims to understand the bond-splitting behavior of GFRP rebars post-installed using epoxy-based adhesive (DeWalt Pure200+). Experimental and Numerical investigations were conducted with various parameters that influence the bond-splitting. These parameters include but are not limited to, concrete cover, embedment depth, concrete strength, rebar diameter, and transverse confinement. </p> <p>An optimal experimental program was designed to test the minimum concrete cover, relative concrete cover, rebar diameter, rebar surface characteristics, and rebar embedment depth. The experimental investigation was carried out in two phases to determine the local bond strength by conducting confined pullout tests away from the edges at shallow embedment depths and the bond-splitting tests at varying parameters. Due to its low transverse strength, a unique grip using a steel pipe grouted with epoxy grout was used for the pullout tests. A new test specimen and test setup were designed to execute the experimental program at deeper embedment depths successfully.</p> <p>Numerical simulations were then performed using the macroscopic space analysis (MASA) program to investigate additional parameters and cases. The numerical models were first validated using results obtained from experimental investigation. Solid tetrahedral elements were used for modeling concrete elements with microplane models to simulate the damage in concrete. GFRP rebars were modeled using solid hexahedral elements with linear elastic material properties. The connection between concrete-to-GFRP rebar was modeled using 2-node bar elements embedded in the contact layer. The bond-slip curve gives the characteristic properties of the bar elements.</p> <p>The influence of individual parameters on the bond strength of the post-installed GFRP rebars was calculated, and comparisons were made with existing bond-splitting models for post-installed steel rebars. This thesis presents the details of the experimental program, the test specimen, the test setup, numerical modeling, and the results obtained on the GFRP bars post-installed with different sets of parameters. The studies prove the feasibility of using GFRP bars as post-installed for structural extensions/retrofitting and highlight certain aspects that must be considered while designing such connections.</p>

Infolge des Herstellungsprozesses textiler Bewehrungen ergeben sich unterschiedliche Materialeigenschaften in den beiden Hauptrichtungen (Schuss und Kette). Diese Unterschiede entstehen durch verschiedene Einflussfaktoren, z. B. aus dem Verbundverhalten oder der Querschnittsform der Rovings. Um das Tragverhalten des anisotropen Verbundwerkstoffes Textilbeton experimentell untersuchen zu können, müssen mögliche Einflüsse aus dem Versuchsaubau möglichst gering gehalten werden, bzw. – falls unvermeidbar – in ihrer Wirkung qualitativ und quantitativ bestimmt und bei der Auswertung der Versuchsergebnisse berücksichtigt werden. Auf der Grundlage der durchgeführten umfangreichen experimentellen Untersuchungen wird eine qualitative Bewertung des Versuchsstandes sowie der verwendeten berührungslosen Messtechnik, der Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie, vorgenommen.

In this thesis, an aeroservoelastic test appratus is designed to investigate the flutter phenomena in a low speed wind tunnel environment. Flutter is an aeroelastic instability that may occur at control surfaces of aircrafts and missiles. Aerodynamic, elastic, and inertial forces are involved in flutter. A mathematical model using aeroelastic equations of motion is derived to investigate flutter and is used as a basis to design the test setup. Simulations using this mathematical model are performed and critical flutter velocities and frequencies are found. Stiffness characteristics of the test setup are determined using the results of these simulations. The test setup is a two degrees of freedom system, with motions in pitch and plunge, and is controlled by a servomotor in the pitch degree of freedom. A NACA 0012 airfoil is used as a control surface in the test setup. Using this setup, the flutter phenomena is generated in Ankara Wind Tunnel (AWT) and experiments are conducted to validate the results of the theoretical aeroelastic mathematical model calculations.

This thesis presents the design of Kalman filter based attitude determination algorithms for a hypothetical LEO satellite and for a satellite attitude control test setup. For the hypothetical LEO satellite, an Extended Kalman Filter based attitude determination algorithms are formed with a multi-mode structure that employs the different sensor combinations and as well as online switching between these combinations depending on the sensor availability. The performance of these different attitude determination modes are investigated through Monte Carlo simulations. New attitude determination algorithms are prepared for the satellite attitude control test setup by considering the constraints on the selection of the suitable sensors. Here, performances of the Extended Kalman Filter and Unscented Kalman Filter are investigated. It is shown that robust and sufficiently accurate attitude estimation for the test setup is achievable by using the Unscented Kalman Filter.

Infolge des Herstellungsprozesses textiler Bewehrungen ergeben sich unterschiedliche Materialeigenschaften in den beiden Hauptrichtungen (Schuss und Kette). Diese Unterschiede entstehen durch verschiedene Einflussfaktoren, z. B. aus dem Verbundverhalten oder der Querschnittsform der Rovings. Um das Tragverhalten des anisotropen Verbundwerkstoffes Textilbeton experimentell untersuchen zu können, müssen mögliche Einflüsse aus dem Versuchsaubau möglichst gering gehalten werden, bzw. – falls unvermeidbar – in ihrer Wirkung qualitativ und quantitativ bestimmt und bei der Auswertung der Versuchsergebnisse berücksichtigt werden. Auf der Grundlage der durchgeführten umfangreichen experimentellen Untersuchungen wird eine qualitative Bewertung des Versuchsstandes sowie der verwendeten berührungslosen Messtechnik, der Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie, vorgenommen.