The titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, is vastly studied and used in many applications because it has a transformation microstructure, which can be tailored for apt properties that are consistent up to 500°C. Compared to conventional steels, this alloy favours certain applications due to its high specific strength, hardenability, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and weldability. Its weldability makes the alloy a good candidate for additive manufacturing (AM). Ti-6Al-4V parts are widely built by the AM process of electron beam melting (EBM). However, heat transfer remains crucial in EBM process. The high intensity localized, moving, electron beam heat source and the rapid self-cooling are critical, especially in thin parts/ sections. When thin sections are built by the EBM process, there will be microstructural variation in their build direction, which can lead to the variation of their mechanical properties. It is necessary to understand the microstructure and mechanical properties of thin sections when they are used as functional parts in various applications in aerospace, automotive, medical, etc. industries. The microstructure, tribological behaviour and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V, as-built EBM thin plates were studied by means of various hardness, scratch and tensile testing. The hardness and scratch tests were performed on the thin plates to correlate the microstructural variation. In-situ micro tensile test was performed inside the scanning electron microscope (SEM), to see the sample’s deformation behaviour. Microstructural characterization revealed equiaxed grains in the transverse section and the longitudinal surface exhibited columnar grains elongated along the build direction. The size of the equiaxed grains are found to vary across the thickness of the plate. The indentation and scratch hardness also vary in correlation with the varying grain size across the plate’s thickness. The micro tensile results reveal that the tensile properties of the thin plate are comparable to that of its bulk Ti-6Al-4V counterpart.

Numera sker all industriell torkning av virke i sågverken i virkestorkar, som värms upp och därmed torkar virket till den optimala slutfuktkvot som tillönskas. Virkestorkar byggda i betong har länge varit ett stort problem för sågverksindustrin. Problematiken går tillbaka till 80-talet då man tvingades riva ett flertal torkar på grund av att betongtorkarna höll på att vittra sönder. Detta gällde för alla betongtorkar byggda fram till 70-talet. Det genomfördes i slutet på 90-talet en stor rapportundersökningen som behandlade de flesta typer av skador i betongtorkar. Fram tills idag har en närmare undersökning ej gjorts och det har fortfarande inte hittats standarder för reparation och underhåll som förlänger livslängden på betongtorkar. Sågverksindustrin förlorar varje år 10-tals miljoner kronor på reparationer och underhåll som i de flesta fall inte verkar fungera. Därför finns det en stor efterfrågan av tydliga instruktioner för val av material och hur dessa reparationer skall gå till. Rapporten behandlar den allmänna problematiken av skador som uppstår p.g.a. bland annat väldigt högt temperaturbelastade virkestorkar som är konstruerade i betong. Arbetet är uppdelat i två faser den ena fasen består av en teoridel som bland annat förklarar skadorna och dess uppkomst i betongtorkar. Den andra fasen behandlar en fältundersökning som genomfördes under rapportskrivningen samt de förslag till åtgärder som tagits fram. Denna rapport är en liten del av ett stort pågående projekt, där CBI Betonginstitutet och SP trä är projektutförare och samverkar med deltagande sågverk i Sverige och Norge samt leverantörer. Projektet ska mynna ut i en Guideline till sågverksindustrin, för att kunna utföra rätt reparationer med rätt materialval och därmed förlänga betongtorkarnas livslängd. Detta med utgångspunkt från fältundersökningens provtagningar. / Nowadays, all the process of industrial drying of lumber in sawmills are done in kilns, which the wood is heated and dried for the desired optimal moisture content. Timber drying kilns built in concrete has for a long time been a major issues for the sawmill industry. The problems goes as far back to the 80s when several wood kilns was forced to be demolished due to concrete kilns were about to crumble. This was mainly for all the concrete dries built up until the 70s. In the late 90's a report survey was carried out to investigate the damages that were inflicted in concrete dries. No other survey has been done since then and the report didn’t give tangible standards for repairs and maintenance that extends the service life in wood kilns. The sawmill industry loses each year tens of millions on repairs and maintenance that hasn’t shown any results of working. Therefore, there is a great demand of clear instructions for the selection of materials and how these repairs need to be done. The report deals with the general issues of very high temperature-loaded kilns constructed in concrete. The work is divided into two phases; one phase consists of a theoretical part including explaining of the damages and its emergence in the concrete kilns. The second phase deals with a field survey conducted during the report writing as well as the proposed measures have been developed. This report is one small part of a large ongoing project, where CBI and SP wood are the project implementers and interact with participating sawmills in Sweden and Norway and the suppliers. The project will culminate in a Guideline for the sawmill industry, to be able to perform the correct repair with proper materials and thereby extend the life of concrete kilns. This is based on field survey sampling. The project will culminate in a Guideline for the sawmill industry, to be able to perform the correct repair with proper materials and thereby extend the life of concrete drying. This is based on field survey sampling.

Le projet vise à développer une nouvelle approche méthodologique dans le but d'améliorer l'utilisation combinée de plusieurs techniques de microscopies infrarouge et X lors de l'analyse de fragments de peintures. Historiquement et ordinairement, les fragments de peintures sont préparés en coupes épaisses polies et les analyses sont réalisées à la surface de ces dernières. Bien que cette préparation d'échantillon facilite sa manipulation ainsi que son orientation lors des analyses, elle limite aussi l'efficacité et la faisabilité de certaines techniques de microscopie. Par conséquent, ce travail propose d'explorer une nouvelle stratégie analytique : la préparation et l'analyse de coupes fines. Ces deux étapes ont été optimisées et validées dans le cadre d'analyses par µFTIR, µXRD, µXRF et µXANES. En parallèle, de nouvelles possibilités analytiques ont été testées dans le cadre de l'analyse des peintures, basées sur la technique XANES plein champ. Les échantillons de peintures se sont révélés être d'excellents candidats pour évaluer les avantages et inconvénients de cette technique pour les matériaux du Patrimoine Culturel en général. / This project aims at developing a new methodological approach, providing a more efficient and synergetic use of FTIR and X-ray microscopies, for the analysis of painting fragments. Usually, painting fragments are prepared as polished sections and analyses are carried out on the cross-section surface. This sample preparation is easy to handle, however ends into critical constraints regarding feasibility and efficiency of micro-analyses. We propose to explore a different strategy: preparation and analysis of thin sections. These preparation procedures were first optimized and validated with µFTIR, µXRF, µXRD and µXANES. Besides, new methodological capabilities based on full-field/µXANES were assessed. Paintings were ideal candidates for estimating pros and cons of this new strategy for CH materials in general.

Cette étude expérimentale traite la localisation des déformations sur un grès poreux: le grès de Vosges. Un nombre des essais triaxiaux sont effectués sous des pressions de confinement (i.e., 20 MPa - 190 MPa) et des déformations axiales différentes pour mieux comprendre la réponse mécanique de ce grès. La localisation des déformations a été étudiée dans des différentes échelles en appliquant une variation de mesures de champs (full-field methods) comme la Tomographie Ultrasonore (en 2D), les Emissions Acoustiques (en 3D), les Rayons X (en 3D), et la Corrélation des Images (en 3D). Les méthodes expérimentales ont été appliquées avant, pendant et après les essais triaxiaux. Des coupes fine ont été observées sous le microscope optique et électronique (SEM). La combinaison des multiples techniques expérimentales, qui ont des différentes sensitivités et résolutions, a décrit la procédure de la formation et l’évolution des bands de déformation observées sur le grès de Vosges. Des bandes de cisaillement ont été formées sous des pressions intermédiaires et des bandes de compaction sous des pressions élevées. Des bandes de compactions pure n’ont pas été observées.Les bandes de déformations observées se sont caractérisées comme des zones de déformation de cisaillement localisée et/ou de compaction. En plus, elles se sont caractérisées comme des structures de fable vitesse ultrasonore, des places d’origine des fissures inter- ou intra- granulaires, et des places des densités de matériel élevées.Deux mécanismes principales ont été observées au niveau de grain dans les bandes de cisaillement et de bandes de compaction (shear-enhanced compaction bands): d’un cote c’est la fissuration des grains (endommagement) et de l’autre cote c’est la réduction de porosité (sur la forme de compaction). Les deux mécanismes i présent différences sur leurs proportions et leur ordre d’occurrence dans le temps. / This PhD thesis presents a laboratory study aiming at a better understanding of the stress-strain response of the Vosges sandstone (porous rock) tested at a range of confining pressures (i.e., 20-190 MPa) and different axial strain levels. Localised deformation was captured at different scales by a combination of full-field experimental methods, including Ultrasonic Tomography (2D), Acoustic Emissions (3D), X-ray Tomography (3D), and 3D volumetric Digital Image Correlation, plus thin section and Scanning Electron Microscope observations (2D). These experimental methods were performed before, during and after a number of triaxial compression tests. The combined use of the experimental techniques, which have different sensitivity and resolution, described the processes of shear band and shear-enhanced compaction band generation, which formed at low to intermediate and relatively high confining pressures, respectively. Pure compaction bands were not identified. The deformation bands were characterised as zones of localised shear and/or volumetric strain and were captured by the experimental methods as features of low ultrasonic velocities, places of inter- and intra-granular cracking and structures of higher density material. The two main grain-scale mechanisms: grain breakage (damage) and porosity reduction (compaction) were identified in both shear band and shear-enhanced compaction band formation, which presented differences in the proportions of the mechanism and their order of occurrence in time.

Paleosols from the Bahamas and the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are closely related to past atmospheric circulation and dust load. In the Bahamas the sources of insoluble residue (IR) must be allogenic because the islands consist of almost pure carbonates. The Al2O3:TiO2 ratio was used to establish the provenance of the IR of the paleosols. Comparisons of this ratio from Bahamian paleosols, North African dust, Lesser Antilles ash and North American loess reveal that the African dust is the major contributor to the IR, with a potential minor volcanic input from the Lesser Antilles. The contribution of the North American loess to the IR was not determined because of geochemical similarities with the North African dust. The study of two outcrops in Eleuthera indicate that paleosols can act as aquicludes. The Bahamian samples were collected on a roughly north-south transect in order to establish the climatic influence on paleosol properties. Even though there is a marked climatic gradient in the Bahamas, the paleosol geochemistry shows no trend that could be related to paleoclimate. While previous studies indicated that the source of insoluble residues in the soils of CNMI is carbonate dissolution, the present study shows that atmospheric deposition of ash from the Mariana arc and dust from the Asian continent may play a significant role in paleosol formation.