In order for a human-powered helicopter (HPH) to fly, lifting the weight of its human pilot-engine and the weight of its own structure, the rotary wings need to be extremely large and exceptionally lightweight. Through centuries of dreaming and decades of modern attempts, no design so far has been able to obtain the combination of an adequately large rotor size, sufficiently lightweight structure, and an inherently stable aircraft. This thesis describes a concept of a wire-braced semi-rigid elevated rotor system for a proposed HPH. Then, using scale models and quantitative analysis, tests a series of supporting hypotheses in order to prove that such a large rotor system could be sufficiently lightweight, maintain its geometry to overcome coning and twisting, avoid interplanar interference, produce sufficient lift, yield inherent aircraft stabilty, and demonstrate that the drag penalty induced by external bracing wires would be more than offset by the benefits of wire bracing.

Wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) is a manufacturing method using a numerical controlled motion system and a welding system to additively manufacture three dimensional components. The motion system is programmed from three dimensional computer aided design model data (3D-CAD) of the intended geometry which is then sliced in to layers and welded on additively. There are seven process categories within additive manufacturing (AM), each with their own benefits and drawbacks. One of these process categories is directed energy deposition (DED) which uses an energy source to melt material onto a build plate. Instead of filling the build plate with material and selectively melting or sintering the material, DED only deposit material which is to be melted. WAAM is a process within the DED process category. BAE Systems Hägglunds manufactures relatively large components with requirements for mass reduction. Hägglunds has therefor invested in a WAAM laboratory, for testing and investigation on how to utilize this technology to their advantage. During the master thesis a geometrical correlation between the overhang angle and the material deposition on the edges of the overhangs has been found. A slicing strategy utilising this correlation has proven useful in combatting an issue where the top surface of a parallelepiped ends up unwantedly not parallel to the substrate plate. This master thesis has also increased the capability from 30° to 45° overhang angle. A numeric simulation of cooling times in the WAAM process has been developed. The simulation had a maximum error of one minute or about 69 % longer measured than simulated cooling time at worst case.

Additive manufacturing of titanium and other metals is a rapidly growing field that could potentially improve component manufacturing through optimization of geometries, less material waste and fewer process steps. Although powder-based additive manufacturing processes have so far been predominant, methods using a wire as feedstock has gained popularity due to faster deposition rates and lower porosity in deposited material. The titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V accounts for the majority of aerospace titanium alloy consumption and as titanium is a precious and expensive resource, reducing material waste is an important factor.  Laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) is currently used in production at GKN Aerospace in Trolhättan. One important process parameter is the oxygen level in the chamber during deposition as titanium is highly reactive with oxygen at process temperatures. Oxygen enrichment of titanium can cause embrittlement and reduced fatigue life due to formation of alpha-case, an oxygen enriched region directly beneath the surface. The oxygen level in the chamber is controlled through extensive use of protective inert gas which is a costly and time-consuming practice. The objective of this thesis was to study how elevated oxygen levels in the chamber would affect surface oxidation, chemical composition, tensile properties and microstructure.  Two different sample geometries were built with Ti-6Al-4V wire at an oxygen level of 100, 500 and 850 ppm. The subsequent analysis was based around microstructural features, alpha-case formation, chemical composition in surface layers, and tensile tests. Results showed that elevated oxygen levels in the build chamber did not degrade the chemical composition or tensile properties with regard to aerospace specifications. However, significant layers of alpha-case were found in all samples indicating that subsequent processing such as machining or etching is needed.

No description available.

Woven structures are steadily emerging as excellent reinforcing components in dualphase composite materials subjected to multiaxial loads, thermal shock, and aggressive reactants in the environment. Metallic woven wire mesh materials display good ductility and relatively high specific strength and specific resilience. While use of this class of materials is rapidly expanding, significant gaps in mechanical behavior classification remain. This thesis works to address the mechanics of material knowledge gap that exists for characterizing the behavior of a metallic woven structure, composed of stainless steel wires on the order of 25 microns in diameter, and subjected to various loading conditions and stress risers. Uniaxial and biaxial tensile experiments, employing Digital Image Correlation (DIC) as a strain measurement tool, are conducted on woven wire mesh specimens incised in various material orientations, and with various notch geometries. Experimental results, supported by an ample analytic modeling effort, indicate that an orthotropic elastic constitutive model is reasonably capable of governing the macro-scale elasticity of the subject material. Also, the Stress Concentration Factor (SCF) associated with various notch geometries is documented experimentally and analytically, and it is shown that the degree of stress concentration is dependent on both notch and material orientation. The Finite Element Method (FEM) is employed on the macro-scale to expand the experimental test matrix, and to judge the effects of a homogenization assumption when modeling metallic woven structures. Additionally, plasticity of the stainless steel woven wire mesh is considered through experimental determination of the yield surface, and a thorough analytic modeling effort resulting in a modified form of the Hill yield criterion. Finally, mesoscale plasticity of the woven structure is considered, and the form of a multi-scale failure criterion is proposed and exercised numerically.

Gold wire bonding typically uses 60 KHz ultrasonic frequency. Studies have been reported that increasing ultrasonic frequency from 60KHz to 120KHz can decrease bonding time, lower bonding temperature, and/or improve the bondability of Au metalized organic substrates. This thesis presents a systematic study of the effects of 120 KHz ultrasonic frequency on the reliability of fine pitch gold wire bonding. Two wire sizes, 25.4 and 17.8 μm in diameter (1.0 and 0.7 mil, respectively) were used. The gold wires were bonded to metalized pads over organic substrates with five different metallization. The studies were carried out using a thermosonic ball bonder that is able to easily switch from ultrasonic frequency from 60 KHz to 120 KHz by changing the ultrasonic transducer and the ultrasonic generator. Bonding parameters were optimized through design of experiment methodology for four different cases: 60 KHz with 25.4 μm wire, 60 KHz with 17.8 μm wire, 120 KHz with 25.4 μm wire, and 120 KHz with 17.8 μm wire. The integrity of wire bonds was evaluated by the wire pull and the ball bond shear tests. With the optimized bonding parameters, over 2,250 bonds were made for each frequency and wire size. The samples were then divided into three groups. The first group was subjected to temperature cycling from -55°C to +125°C with one hour per cycle for up to 1000 cycles. The second group was subject to thermal aging at 125°C for up to 1000 hours. The third group was subject to humidity at 85°C/85% relative humidity (RH) for up to 1000 hours. The bond integrity was evaluated through the wire pull and the ball shear tests immediately after bonding, and after each 150, 300, 500, and 1000 hours time interval in the reliability tests. The pull and shear data are then analyzed to compare the wire bond performance between different ultrasonic frequencies.

No / This paper presents a method of designing a full electrical power steering system to replace a hydraulic power-assisted steering system with improved performance and benefits including energy saving, improved steering 'feel', simpler construction and environmental gain. The designed performance of the electrical power steering system represented an ideal hydraulic power-assisted steering power boost curve which was mathematically modelled to provide the required control characteristic for the electrical power steering system, including variation in the perceived power assistance with the vehicle's forward speed. A full electrical power steering system provides all the torque necessary to steer the wheels, and the steering feel is artificially generated by an electric 'feedback' motor which provides resistance to the driver's input. The performance of the electrical power steering system described in this paper was enhanced by manipulating the reactive torque to the driver's input at the steering wheel so that it depended upon the driving conditions. Full-vehicle software models were generated using ADAMS/car software based on an actual car fitted with hydraulic power-assisted steering and full electrical power steering. The simulation results from both models were compared, and it is concluded that the steering performances of both systems were similar but the steering feel of the full electrical power steering system could be tuned to provide improved feedback to the driver in use. The performance of the full electrical power steering system could be further improved with the introduction of a controller to manipulate the steering feel during undesired conditions.

Yes / In this study, the enhancement of stainless steel wires (SSWs) to the flexural fatigue performance of reactive powder concrete (RPC) including fatigue life and fatigue stress-strain hysteresis relationship as well as fatigue damage were investigated, and the underlying mechanisms were explored through microstructure observation and characteristic analyses of hydration products. The average flexural fatigue life of RPC is increased by 636.6%, 558.3% and 1010.7% at the maximum stress levels of 0.7, 0.8 and 0.9 when 1.5 vol.% SSWs are incorporated. The method of moments and method of maximum likelihood are employed to calculate the scale and shape parameters for fatigue life subscribed to Weibull distribution. The calculated ratio of flexural fatigue endurance limit to static flexural strength for SSWs reinforced RPC reaches up to 0.64. The incorporation of SSWs decreases the flexural failure damage of RPC by 41.5% and converts the long and link-up micro cracks into emission cracks centered on SSWs. Benefited from the large specific surface area of SSWs, abound of silica fume with pozzolanic activity absorbs on the surface of SSWs and continues to hydrate, reducing the surrounding water-binder ratio to form a microstructure enhancement zone with SSWs as the core and improve the homogeneity of RPC. This can be confirmed by the decrease of porosity, Ca(OH)2 crystal orientation index and molar ratio of CaO to SiO2 for calcium silicate hydrate gels. SSWs can also enhance the fatigue performance of RPC by transmitting hydration heat, inhibiting the initiation and propagation of micro cracks especially at the initial stage of fatigue load, bridging cracks and being pulled-off. The excellent flexural fatigue properties and homogeneous microstructures of SSWs reinforced RPC make it particularly suitable for large-span and ultra-thin elements in extreme service environments.

Yes / Utilizing seawater and sea-sand for producing ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) can substantially reduce raw materials costs and alleviate the current freshwater and river sand resources shortage in coastal and marine areas. However, the corrosion risk to reinforcing fibers inside UHPC caused by chlorides in seawater and sea-sand cannot be ignored. In this study, a new type of sustainable UHPC composed of seawater and desalinated sea-sand (UHPSSC) reinforced with stainless profile, super-fine stainless wire (SSW) was developed. Its mechanical properties and chloride content were studied. The research results show that SSWs do not rust after immersion in seawater. The flexural and compressive strengths of UHPSSC incorporating 1.5% SSWs are 13.8MPa and 138.6MPa, respectively, and the flexural toughness of UHPSSC is increased by 428.9%, reaching the basic mechanical requirements of UHPC. The high specific surface area of SSW and enrichment of silica fume on its surface enhance the interfacial bond between fiber and matrix, further promoting the full play of the SSWs’ reinforcing mechanisms as proved by the decrease of the Ca/Si ratio at the SSW surface. The C-S-H gels with a high Ca/Si ratio within the ITZ as well as Friedel’s salt are conducive to immobilize chlorides, blocking the migration of chlorides through the matrix and further mitigating the risk of long-term chloride corrosion of SSWs. Overall, utilizing seawater and desalinated sea-sand in combination with SSWs can produce UHPC with improved strength and toughness, making it a suitable choice for applications where high durability and long-term mechanical performance is required.

Molten salts are high-temperature heat transfer fluids intended for cooling and/or storage purposes in a variety of energy applications. The current work seeks to ultimately study the thermophysical properties of fluoride and chloride salts, which are commonly considered for use in advanced nuclear reactors. Thermophysical properties like thermal conductivity are fundamental to ensuring safe, efficient, and competitive designs for advanced commercial nuclear reactors. Measurement challenges with liquid salts such as electrical conduction, corrosion, convection, and thermal radiation have hindered traditional approaches in their attempts to accurately quantify these properties at high temperatures. Here, a needle probe is developed, which modifies principles from existing instrumental techniques in order to experimentally measure the thermal conductivity of molten salts with reduced error. An analytical heat transfer model is developed to characterize 1D radial heat flow in a multilayered cylindrical system. This includes a thin layer of salt located between the needle probe and a crucible to limit natural convection. After being validated with finite-element methods, the needle probe is used to measure the thermal conductivity of several reference liquids, whose thermophysical properties are well-established at low temperatures. These seven samples are water, sodium nitrate (molten salt), potassium nitrate (molten salt), toluene, ethanol, propylene glycol, and galinstan. The needle probe was able to accurately measure thermal conductivity between 0.40-0.66W/mK for these samples with 3.5-10% uncertainty. Three eutectic halide molten salts (presented by molar composition) were selected for high-temperature testing. These include the ternary fluorides LiF(46.5%)-NaF(11.5%)-KF(42%) and NaF(34.5%)-KF(59%)-MgF2(6.5%), as well as the binary chloride NaCl(58.2%)-KCl(41.8%). Because testing temperatures range between 500-750C, the governing model is adapted to account for radiative heat transfer through the salt sample in parallel with conductive heat transfer. Improvements to the experimental apparatus are also made. For all three salts, the needle probe accurately measured thermal conductivity between 0.490-0.849W/mK with total uncertainty generally being less than 20%. A linear fit to the data demonstrates a clear negative relationship between thermal conductivity and an increase in temperature, which agrees with theoretical and computational predictions. These results indicate that the needle probe successfully handles the assortment of measurement challenges associated with high-temperature molten salts and provides reliable data to create correlations for thermophysical property databases.