A model was created to predict the thermo-mechanical fatigue crack growth rates under typical engine spectrum loading conditions. This model serves as both a crack growth analysis tool to determine residual lifetime of ageing turbine components and as a design tool to assess the effects of temperature and loading variables on crack propagation. The material used in the development of this model was a polycrystalline superalloy, Inconel 100 (IN-100). The first step in creating a reliable model was to define the first order effects that influence TMF crack growth in a typical engine spectrum. Load interaction effects were determined to be major contributors to lifetime estimates by influencing crack growth rates based upon previous load histories. A yield zone model was modified to include temperature dependent properties that controlled the effects of crack growth retardation and acceleration based upon overloads and underloads, respectively. Multiple overload effects were included in the model to create enhanced retardation compared to single overload tests. Temperature interaction effects were also considered very important due to the wide temperature ranges of turbine engine components. Oxidation and changing temperature effects were accounted for by accelerating crack growth in regions that had been affected by higher temperatures. Constant amplitude crack growth rates were used as a baseline, upon which load and temperature interaction effects were applied. Experimental data of isolated first order effects was used to calibrate and verify the model. Experimental data provided the means to verify that the model was a good fit to experimental results. The load interaction effects were described by a yield zone model, which included temperature dependent properties. These properties were determined experimentally and were essential in the model's development to include load and temperature contributions. Other interesting factors became apparent through testing. It was seen that specific combinations of strain rate and temperature would lead to serrated yielding, discovered to be the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect. This effect manifested itself as enhanced hardening, leading to unstable strain bursts in specimens that cyclically yielded while changing temperature.

This work presents a study and implementation of the simulation of residual stresses in castings. The objects of study are a cast iron truck Hub part (provided by the company Volvo 3P) and an optimized version of the Hub resulting from the application of a topology optimization process. The models are solved through an uncoupled thermo-mechanical solidification analysis, performed both in the FE commercial software Abaqus and the FD commercial software Magmasoft and the results are compared. First, a thermal analysis is carried out where the casting is cooled down from a super-heated temperature to room temperature. The thermal history obtained, is then used as an external force to calculate the residual stresses by means of a quasi-static mechanical analysis, using a J2-plasticity model. The simulation procedures are explained through a simplified model of the Hub and then applied to the geometries of interest. A results comparison between the original Hub and its optimized version is also presented. The theoretical base is given in this work as well as detailed implementation procedures. The results shows that the part subjected to the topology optimization process develop less residual stresses than its original version.

Electrically conductive polymer composites are suitable for use in the manufacture of antistatic products and components for electronic interconnects, fuel cells and electromagnetic shielding. The most widely used processing techniques for producing electrically conductive polymer composites place an inherent constraint on the geometry and architecture of the part that can be fabricated. Hence, this thesis investigates selective laser sintering (SLS), a rapid prototyping technique, to fabricate and characterize electrically conductive nanocomposites of Nylon-12 filled with 4% by weight of carbon black. The objective of the dissertation was to study the effects of the SLS process on the microstructure and properties of the nanocomposite. The effect of laser power and the scan speed on the flexural modulus and part density of the nanocomposite was studied. The set of parameters that yielded the maximum flexural modulus and part density were used to fabricate specimens to study the tensile, impact, rheological and viscoelastic properties. The electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite was also investigated. The thermo-mechanical properties and electrical conductivity of the nanocomposites produced by SLS were compared with those produced by extrusion-injection molding. The structure and morphology of the SLS-processed and extrusion-injection molded nanocomposites were characterized using gas pycnometry, gel permeation chromatography, differential scanning calorimetry, electron microscopy, polarized light microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Physical models were developed to explain the effects of the processing technique on the structure and properties of the nanocomposites. Finally, a one-dimensional heat transfer model of the SLS process that accounted for sintering-induced densification and thermal degradation of the polymer was implemented in order to study the variation in part density with respect to the energy density of the laser beam. This dissertation demonstrated that SLS can be successfully used to fabricate electrically conductive polymer nanocomposites with a relatively low percolation threshold. This capability combined with the ability of SLS to fabricate complicated three-dimensional objects without part-specific tooling could open up several new opportunities.

<p>This work presents a study and implementation of the simulation of residual stresses in castings. The objects of study are a cast iron truck Hub part (provided by the company Volvo 3P) and an optimized version of the Hub resulting from the application of a topology optimization process. The models are solved through an uncoupled thermo-mechanical solidification analysis, performed both in the FE commercial software Abaqus and the FD commercial software Magmasoft and the results are compared. First, a thermal analysis is carried out where the casting is cooled down from a super-heated temperature to room temperature. The thermal history obtained, is then used as an external force to calculate the residual stresses by means of a quasi-static mechanical analysis, using a J2-plasticity model. The simulation procedures are explained through a simplified model of the Hub and then applied to the geometries of interest. A results comparison between the original Hub and its optimized version is also presented. The theoretical base is given in this work as well as detailed implementation procedures. The results shows that the part subjected to the topology optimization process develop less residual stresses than its original version.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:06:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ClawsioRCS_DISSERT.pdf: 4688648 bytes, checksum: dd0d723d2cc3d7de35608b8ed730a95b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-03-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / The cells unitaria of the solid oxide fuel cell are separated by means of interconnects, which serve as electrical contact between the cells. Lanthanum Chromite (LaCrO3) has been the most common material used as interconnect in solid oxide fuel cells. Reducing the operating temperature around 800 ? C of cells to solid oxide fuel make possibilite the use of metallic interconnects as an alternative to ceramic LaCrO3. Metallic interconnects have advantages over ceramic interconnects such as high thermal conductivity, electricity, good ductility, low cost, good physical and mechanical properties. In this work evaluate the thermo-mechanical properties of the metallic substrate and coated metallic substrate with the ceramic LaCrO3 film via spray-pyrolysis, in order to demonstrate the feasibility of using this material as a component of a fuel cell solid oxide. The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, oxidation behavior, mechanical strength, optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The X-ray diffraction proved the formation phase of the LaCrO3 on the metallic substrate and the identification of the phases formed after the oxidative test and mechanical strength at high temperature. The oxidation behavior showed the increased oxidation resistance of the coated metallic substrate. It was noted that the mechanical resistance to bending of the coated metallic substrate only increases at room temperature. The optical microscopy (OM) has provided an assessment of both the metallic substrate and the LaCrO3 film deposited on the metal substrate that, in comparison with the micrographs obtained from SEM. The SEM one proved the formation of Cr2O3 layer on the metallic substrate and stability of LaCrO3 film after oxidative test, it can also observe the displacement of the ceramic LaCrO3 film after of mechanical testing and mapping of the main elements as chromium, manganese, oxygen, lanthanum in samples after the thermo-mechanical tests. / As pilhas unit?rias de uma pilha a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido s?o separadas por meio de interconectores, que servem como contato el?trico entre as pilhas. A cromita de lant?nio (LaCrO3) tem sido o material mais utilizado como interconector nas pilhas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido. A redu??o da temperatura de opera??o em torno de 800 ?C das pilhas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido, tornou poss?vel o uso de interconectores met?licos como alternativa aos LaCrO3 cer?micos. Esses materiais apresentam vantagens em rela??o aos interconectores cer?micos tais como: alta condutividade t?rmica, el?trica, boa ductilidade, baixo custo, boas propriedades f?sicas e mec?nicas. Neste trabalho foram avaliadas as propriedades termomec?nicas do substrato met?lico e substrato met?lico recoberto com o filme de LaCrO3 via spray-pir?lise, com o objetivo de demonstrar a viabilidade da utiliza??o deste materiais como componente de uma pilha a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido. Os materiais foram caracterizados por meio de difra??o de raios-X, comportamento oxidativo, resist?ncia mec?nica, microscopia ?ptica e microscopia eletr?nica de varredura (MEV). A difra??o de raios-X comprovou a forma??o da fase LaCrO3 sobre o substrato met?lico e a identifica??o das fases formadas ap?s o ensaio oxidativo e resist?ncia mec?nica a alta temperatura.O comportamento oxidativo evidenciou o aumento da resist?ncia a oxida??o do substrato met?lico recoberto. Na resist?ncia mec?nica a flex?o do substrato met?lico recoberto, notou-se o aumento apenas na temperatura ambiente. A microscopia ?ptica (MO) fez uma avalia??o pr?via tanto do substrato met?lico e do filme de LaCrO3 recoberto sobre o substrato met?lico,que em compara??o com as micrografias obtidas por MEV. Com aux?lio do MEV comprovou a forma??o da camada de Cr2O3 sobre o substrato met?lico e a estabilidade do filme de LaCrO3 ap?s o ensaio oxidativo. Observando tamb?m o descolamento do filme de LaCrO3 ap?s ensaio mec?nico e a distribui??o dos principais elementos como: cromo, mangan?s, oxig?nio, lant?nio nas amostras que foram submetidas aos ensaios termo-mec?nicos

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:07:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ClawsioRCS_TESE.pdf: 6209957 bytes, checksum: 4a85a36be678a5c36d937dd4cb67fe7c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-28 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Doped lanthanum chromite ( LaCrO3 ) has been the most common material used as interconnect in solid oxide fuel cells for high temperature ( SOFC-HT ) that enabling the stack of SOFCs. The reduction of the operating temperature, to around 800 ? C, of solid oxide fuel cells enabled the use of metallic interconnects as an alternative to ceramic LaCrO3, From the practical point of view, to be a strong candidate for interconnect the material must have good physical and mechanical properties such as resistance to oxidizing and reducing environments, easy manufacture and appropriate thermo-mechanical properties. Thus, a study on the physic-mechanical interconnects La0,8Sr0,2Cr0,92Co0,08O3 ceramics for SOFC -AT obtained by the method of combustion , as well as thermo-mechanical properties of metallic interconnects (AISI 444) covered with La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 by deposition technique by spray-pyrolysis fuel cells for intermediate temperature (IT-SOFCs). The La0,8Sr0,2Cr0,92Co0,08O3 was characterized by X -ray diffraction(XRD) , density and porosity , Vickers hardness (HV) , the flexural strength at room temperature and 900 ?C and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The X -ray diffraction confirmed the phase formation and LaCrO3 and CoCr2O4, in order 6 GPa hardness and mechanical strength at room temperature was 62 MPa ceramic Interconnector. The coated metal interconnects La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 passed the identification by XRD after deposition of the film after the oxidation test. The oxidative behavior showed increased resistance to oxidation of the metal substrate covered by La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 In flexural strength of the coated metal substrate, it was noticed only in the increased room temperature. The a SEM analysis proved the formation of Cr2O3 and (Cr,Mn)3O4 layers on metal substrate and confirmed the stability of the ceramic La0,8 Ca0,2CrO3 film after oxidative test / A cromita de lant?nio (LaCrO3) dopada tem sido o material mais utilizado como interconector nas pilhas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido de alta temperatura(PaCOS-AT), possibilitando o empilhamento(stack) da PaCOS. A redu??o da temperatura de opera??o, em torno de 800 ?C, das pilhas a combust?vel de ?xido s?lido, tornou poss?vel o uso de interconectores met?licos como alternativa aos LaCrO3 cer?micos. Do ponto de vista pr?tico para o material ser forte candidato a interconector deve ter boas propriedades f?sicas e mec?nicas, como resist?ncia a ambientes oxidantes e redutores, f?cil fabrica??o e propriedades termo-mec?nicas adequadas. Por este motivo realizou-se um estudo sobre as propriedades fisico-mec?nicas de interconectores de La0,8Sr0,2Cr0,92Co0,08O3 cer?mico para PaCOS-AT obtido pelo m?todo da combust?o, como tamb?m sobre as propriedades termo-mec?nicas de interconectores met?licos (AISI 444) recobertos com La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 pela t?cnica de deposi??o por spray-pir?lise para Pilhas a combust?vel de temperatura intermediaria (PaCOS-TI). A La0,8Sr0,2Cr0,92Co0,08O3 foi caracterizada por meio de difra??o de raios X (DRX), densidade e porosidade, dureza Vickers (HV), resist?ncia mec?nica a flex?o na temperatura ambiente e a 900?C e microscopia eletr?nica de varredura (MEV). A difra??o de raios X comprovou a forma??o das fases LaCrO3 e CoCr2O4, dureza na ordem de 6 GPa e resist?ncia mec?nica a temperatura ambiente de 62 MPa do interconector cer?mico. A avalia??o das fases formadas no interconector met?lico recoberto com La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 tanto na deposi??o quanto ap?s o ensaio oxidativo foi realizado por DRX. O comportamento oxidativo evidenciou o aumento da resist?ncia a oxida??o do substrato met?lico recoberto por La0,8Ca0,2CrO3. Na resist?ncia mec?nica a flex?o do substrato met?lico recoberto, notou-se o aumento apenas na temperatura ambiente. Com aux?lio do MEV comprovou-se a forma??o das camadas de Cr2O3 e (Cr,Mn)3O4 sobre o substrato met?lico e confirmou-se a estabilidade do filme cer?mico de La0,8Ca0,2CrO3 ap?s o ensaio oxidativo

Les membranes à base de liquides ioniques à conduction protonique (PCIL) sont très prometteuses comme électrolytes des piles à combustible haute température (HT- PEMFC) du fait de leur forte conductivité et stabilité à des températures supérieures à 100°C. L'objectif de cette thèse est de réaliser une étude approfondie sur l'évolution de la morphologie et des propriétés fonctionnelles, des membranes à base de liquides ioniques, avec i) la concentration en PCIL, ii) la méthode d’élaboration et iii) la structure chimique du PCIL. Afin de prouver la potentialité de ces membranes dans le HT-PEMFC, des tests préliminaires en pile sont réalisés et les phénomènes de dégradation des PCIL et des membranes en présence de peroxyde d'hydrogène sont étudiés. La première partie de ce travail est focalisée sur la caractérisation des membranes de Nafion® neutralisées avec le triéthylamine (Nafion-TEA) et gonflées avec triflate de triéthylammonium (TFTEA). Il a été montré que dans le Nafion-TEA sec, les cations présentent une organisation de type « string like » à l'interface hydrophobe-hydrophile. L’introduction du TFTEA dans la membrane Nafion-TEA ne détruit pas sa nano-structuration, mais augmente de manière significative la conductivité ionique du système. La deuxième partie de ce travail nous a permis d'établir que les membranes dopées élaborées par coulée-évaporation présentent une meilleure organisation et une meilleure tenue thermomécanique par rapport à celles obtenues par gonflement. La troisième partie de ce travail est focalisée sur l’étude de l'impact de la nature chimique du PCIL sur la morphologie et les propriétés fonctionnelles des membranes de Nafion-TEA. Il a été démontré que les PCILs avec longues chaînes perfluorées ne modifient pas la nano-structuration du Nafion-TEA. Ceci a un impact fort sur les propriétés de conductivité, de sorption d’eau et sur les propriétés thermomécaniques de la membrane. Dans la dernière partie, des Ionomères aromatiques ont été synthétisés afin de remplacer le Nafion-TEA. Malgré la structure similaire de la chaîne latérale des Ionomères aromatiques et du Nafion®, les membranes à base d’Ionomères aromatiques et TFTEA ne présentent aucune nano-structuration. De plus l’effet plastifiant du TFTEA est plus notable dans le cas des Ionomères aromatiques probablement du fait d’une distribution aléatoire des fonctions ioniques dans la membrane polymère. / The polymer electrolyte membranes based on Proton Conducting Ionic liquids (PCIL) are very promising systems for the high temperature-PEMFC technology owing to their good ionic conductivity and stability at temperatures above 100oC. The objective of this thesis work is to achieve a profound study on the evolution of morphology and consequent functional properties of the PCIL based polymer electrolyte membranes in function of: i). concentration of the PCIL, ii). the method of elaboration and iii). chemical structure of the PCIL. To demonstrate the potential of these membranes in HT-PEMFC, preliminary tests have been carried out in the fuel cell stack and degradation phenomena associated with PCILs and membranes in the presence of hydrogen peroxide have been studied. The first part of this work is focused on the characterization of Nafion® membranes neutralized with triethylamine (Nafion-TEA) and swollen with triethylammonium Triflate (TFTEA). It has been shown that Nafion-TEA exhibits a single layer string-like organization of inter-digited Triethylammonium cations at the hydrophobic-hydrophilic interface when in anhydrous state. The introduction of TFTEA into Nafion-TEA membrane does not destroy its nano-structuration but significantly boosts the anhydrous ionic conductivity and hydrophilicity of the system. The second part of this work has permitted us to establish the fact that doped membranes prepared by casting method have better organization and better thermo-mechanical properties compared to those obtained by swelling method. Third part of this work focuses on the impact of the chemical nature of the PCIL on the morphology and functional properties of Nafion-TEA membranes. It has been demonstrated that the PCILs with long perfluorinated chain length do not modify the nano-structuration of Nafion-TEA membranes at all. This has a strong impact on the ion-conducting, water-sorption and thermo-mechanical properties of the membrane. In the last part, aromatic ionomers were synthesized in order to replace Nafion-TEA in such PCIL based system. Despite the similar structure of the side chain of the synthesized aromatic ionomers and Nafion®, the membranes based on aromatic ionomers and TFTEA do not present any nano-structuration. Moreover, the plasticizing effect of TFTEA is more noticeable in the case of aromatic ionomers probably due to a random distribution functions in the ionic polymer membrane.

Afin de répondre aux besoins du marché de l’acier, le procédé de cokéfaction du charbon doit s’adapter. Cependant, changer les paramètres de cokéfaction du charbon, tels que la température du four, le temps de cuisson ou la composition de la pâte à coke enfournée, peut générer un endommagement prématuré de la maçonnerie des fours. En effet, la transformation du charbon en coke s’accompagne d’une poussée sur les parois du four fortement dépendantes d’un grand nombre de paramètres. Afin d’anticiper ce problème, un projet européen nommé « Swelling PRessure In a coke oven, Transmission on oven walls and COnsequences on wall » a été mis en place. Cette thèse s’inscrit dans ce programme et vise à déterminer la poussée maximale pouvant être admise par un piédroit de cokerie lors de la pyrolyse du charbon. Pour modéliser ces structures composées de plusieurs centaines de milliers de briques, le point de vue macroscopique est le plus approprié. La maçonnerie est remplacée par un matériau homogène équivalent dont le comportement varie en fonction de l’état d’endommagement de la maçonnerie, ramené localement à un état d’ouverture des joints de mortier. Afin de détecter ces ouvertures, un critère de type Mohr-Coulomb en contraintes est utilisé. Il repose sur la comparaison des limites à rupture d’un sandwich brique-Mortier déterminé expérimentalement à haute température avec les contraintes mésoscopiques issues de la simulation. Un protocole expérimental novateur a été développé pour caractériser la tenue en traction du sandwich brique / mortier / brique jusqu’à 1000°C. Les limites à rupture issues de cet essai de traction directe ont été comparées à celles obtenues par des essais de fendage réalisés à l’université de Leoben. Les résultats sont concordants et confirment l’importance de l’état de surface avant maçonnage. Selon l’état d’endommagement considéré, les contraintes mésoscopiques sont obtenues grâce à un tenseur de localisation ou grâce à une sous-Structuration. Cette étape de sous-Structuration consiste à simuler localement une cellule à l’échelle mésoscopique en lui appliquant le champ de déplacement macroscopique obtenu grâce à la simulation. L’outil numérique a été validé par confrontation avec un cas test de référence. Pour finir, l’outil numérique développé a été utilisé pour caractériser l’influence de différents paramètres tels que la prise en compte de la thermique, la mise en compression de la structure…. Enfin, la simulation de cuissons sur des piédroits complets (sains ou initialement endommagés) a été réalisée. L’importance de l’endommagement initial est clairement soulignée par les résultats. Enfin, un nouveau modèle, appelé « deux carneaux avec poutres», est proposé pour réduire le coût de calcul. Plus complet que le modèle « deux carneaux » utilisé au CPM, il donne accès à de très bons résultats pour un coût nettement moindre que celui du piédroit complet avec homogénéisation et sous-Structuration. / To face coke and steel market requirements, the coking process has to be more flexible. Changing process parameters such as coking temperature, blend composition and cooking time can damaged coke oven battery heating wall. Indeed, the coking process generates a swelling pressure on wall which depends on a lot of parameters. To study this point, a European project named « Swelling PRessure In a coke oven, Transmission on oven walls and COnsequences on wall » has been set up. This work is a part of it and aims to determine the admissible pushing pressure for the coke oven heating walls to prevent crack formation. To model large masonries composed of numerous bricks, a mesoscopic point of view is more appropriate. Bricks and mortar are replaced by a Homogeneous Equivalent Material (HEM) whose behaviour depends on the joint state. In order to represent joint opening mechanism, a Mohr-Coulomb criterion in stress is used. This criterion compares the level of stress to the ultimate tensile or shear stress at mesoscopic scale. Ultimate stresses are obtained thanks to an experimental campaign using a new protocol developed at PRISME Laboratory. The brick-Mortar behaviour is experimentally characterised at high temperature (20°C to 1000°C). To validate the tensile test developed, a second experimental campaign using “wedge splitting tests” has been done at Leoben University. Results are similar and confirm the importance of the brick surface state. Depending on the initial damage of the structures, mesoscopic stresses are obtained by localization tensor or by sub-Modelling. The sub-Modelling step aims to simulate a local part of the masonry at the mesoscopic scale. This step aims to simulate with a mesoscopic point of view a local part of the global model. This numerical tool has been validated thanks to a literature test. Finally, the numerical tool has been used to characterise the influence of some parameters (thermal, force due to the cross tie rod,..). Next, the simulation of the whole coke oven heating wall has been performed (undamaged or initially damaged masonry). These FE simulations show the influence of initial damage on the final masonry damage. Finally, a two flues model with beams is proposed to take into account compression due to cross tie rod and to limit computational cost. It permits to obtain better results than the existing two flues model used at CPM with a lower cost compared to the whole coke oven heating wall model.

Ce travail est une contribution à une étude de recherche et développent, proposée par Hydro Aluminium, dans le domaine des mécanismes d'endommagement de filières d'extrusion et. L'originalité du travail de thèse est basée sur le développement d'un alliage Inconel 718 optimisé pour l'application spécifique de filière d’extrusion, ce qui représente un saut technologique dans l'emploi de ce superalliage dans le domaine des outils. L'impact des paramètres du procédé d'extrusion, appelés paramètres extrinsèques, - tels que la vitesse d'extrusion, la longueur de billette, le chargement thermo-mécanique - sur le comportement mécanique du matériau a été analysé. Les cycles traction-compression sont simulés à l'aide d’essais isothermes de fatigue oligocyclique (LCF) qui donnent des informations sur les différents mécanismes d'endommagement survenant dans la filière. Du point de vue scientifique, la sollicitation de fatigue oligocyclique isotherme (LCF) est considérée comme la plus représentative des conditions thermomécaniques agissant sur l'outil. Les résultats montrent que la vitesse de déformation et de temps de maintien ont un impact significatif sur la durés de vie en fatigue. Le développent du matériau, enfin, a été atteint en modifiant les paramètres intrinsèques au matériau - tels que la taille des grains et la morphologie des précipités intermétalliques. Des traitements thermiques alternatifs, permettant d'adapter le matériau aux conditions spécifiques imposées par le procédé d'extrusion, ont été formulés. Des essais de fatigue LCF supplémentaires, ont permit de comparer la réponse cyclique de ces nouvelles nuances à celle du traitement original. Un de ces traitement, élaboré au travers d’une approche pluridisciplinaire incluant les aspects métallurgie, chimie et mécanique, a été retenu comme la nouvelle procédure standard pour le traitement des matrices d'extrusion en Inconel 718. / This present work is a contribution to an extensive development study, promoted by Hydro Aluminium, in the field of the damage mechanisms of extrusion dies. The originality of the present work is based on the development of an optimized Inconel 718 alloy as bulk material for extrusion die., which corresponds to a new application of this alloy in the field of tools: The investigation of the impact of the so called “Material Extrinsic Parameters”, such as extrusion speed, billet length and thermo-mechanical loading on the mechanical behaviour of the material is proposed. The cyclic tensile and compressive stresses, acting on the die, are simulated by isothermal Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) tests. Results show that strain rate and holding time have a significant impact on fatigue life. These considerations represent the “Input Data” for the design of an optimized Inconel 718 in order to adapt the material to the specific conditions imposed by the extrusion process. This objective is achieved by modifying the “Material Intrinsic Parameters” such as grain size or precipitates morphology through the formulation of alternative thermal treatments. Additional LCF tests, are carried out to compare the cyclic response of the alternative Inconel 718 grades. One of this treatment, elaborated by a multidisciplinary approach including metallurgical, chemical and mechanical experiments that has been implemented in the industrial production practice as the new standard procedure for the thermal treatment of the Inconel 718 extrusion dies.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the most used fibre in the textile industry. PET is also used in other products, e.g. soft-drink bottles and food packaging. Approximately 60% of the globally produced PET is intended for production of textile fibres and the demand for polyester fibres have steadily increased over the last decade. Yet, most of the recycled PET fibres are produced from discarded bottles and not discarded textiles even though the generation of textile waste is increasing year by year. The importance of finding efficient recycling routes for discarded PET textiles is obvious. In thermo-mechanical recycling the thermoplastic characteristic of PET is utilized to re-melt and re-form PET waste into new valuable products. Today, this is used for bottle-to-fibre recycling but not for fibre-to-fibre recycling. The main research question asked in this Master thesis is if the process of exhaust dyeing compromise the possibility to recycle PET textiles through remelt spinning. It is believed that PET degradation through hydrolysis may occur during dyeing. The degradation behaviour of PET has been widely studied. However, degradation during exhaust dyeing has not been investigated.   The process parameters temperature, time and number of dyeing cycles have been investigated. Also, possible effects of different auxiliary chemicals have been studied. Dyeing and characterisation of two PET fabrics with filaments of different titer was performed in order to investigate if the filament titer is also a parameter to consider.   Tensile testing and surface characterisation through demand absorbency test showed that the filament titer seems to affect how the tensile and moisture related properties change due to dyeing. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that the crystallisation rate is affected by the dyeing process. This can be an effect of formation of shorter PET chains during dyeing. The auxiliary chemicals have been shown to be the most critical factor in changes of the crystallisation behaviour. Fourier-Transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that chain scission has occurred during dyeing.   The results have shown that the exhaust dyeing process causes changes in tensile properties, moisture related properties, degree of crystallinity as well as crystallisation behaviour. DSC and FTIR results indicate chain scission. Based on the results it cannot be concluded if the changes are large enough to compromise the possibility to recycle PET textiles thermo-mechanically. Further research is required in order to correlate the observed changes with possible problems in thermomechanical recycling of dyed PET textiles.