Dans cette thèse, nous rapportons l'évolution temporelle du premier et du troisième ordre de la diffusion magnétique d'un film CoTb amorphe après une excitation femtoseconde. Ces résultats sont obtenus en appliquant une diffusion résonnants de rayons X aux petits angles au seuil d'absorption magnétique de Co M3 via des expériences de pompe sonde répétitives. Une différence de comportement entre le premier et le troisième ordre de diffusion a été observée après 3,5 ps, où une seconde baisse de l'intensité du troisième ordre apparaît. En utilisant des modèles appropriés, nous montrons que cette différence est due à une augmentation de la largeur de la paroi du domaine séparant deux domaines opposés. Nous supposons que cet élargissement de la paroi est généré par une variation de l'anisotropie uniaxiale hors plan due au réchauffement thermique du réseau par l'impulsion laser femtoseconde. Cette interprétation est vérifiée en mesurant l’anisotropie uniaxiale en fonction de la température de chauffage en effectuant des mesures statiques SQUID-VSM. / In this thesis, we report the time evolution of first and third order of magnetic scattering from an amorphous CoTb film after a femtosecond excitation. These results are obtained by applying a resonant small angle X ray scattering at the Co magnetic absorption edge M3 via a repetitive pump probe experiments. Difference in behaviours between the first and third scattering orders was observed after 3.5 ps where a second drop of the third order intensity appears. Using suitable models, we show that this difference is due to an increase of the domain wall width separating two opposite domains. We suppose that this wall broadening is generated by the variation of the out of plane uniaxial anisotropy due to the thermal heating of the lattice by the femtosecond laser pulse. This interpretation is verified by following the uniaxial anisotropy as function of the heating temperature by doing static SQUID-VSM measurements

Les grandes quantités d’eaux usées générées par l’activité humaine doivent être traitées pour minimiser le risque sanitaire et l’impact sur les milieux récepteurs. Les boues résiduaires sont le principal coproduit de ce traitement. Afin de les valoriser, des transformations sont mises en œuvre dans les stations d’épuration pour réduire leur volume et améliorer leur qualité sanitaire. Des problèmes d’écoulement et de mottage sont fréquemment rencontrés par les opérateurs. La caractérisation du comportement rhéologique de ce mélange hétérogène d’eau, microorganismes, fibres, particules colloïdales et non colloïdales, polymères organiques, etc., représente encore de nos jours un challenge scientifique et technique, en particulier lorsque la concentration massique en solides excède 20%. Dans ce travail, une méthodologie complète, associant mesures et modélisation, a été développée afin de caractériser les propriétés rhéologiques, l’adhérence et la cohésion des boues résiduaires. Elle s’adresse à des boues dont le comportement, évalué par un test d’affaissement, s’apparente à celui d’un solide mou et elle peut être mise en œuvre tant que le matériau n’a pas dépassé la limite de plasticité mesurée selon la norme ASTM D 4318, relative aux sols. Dans cette étude, elle a été appliquée à des boues centrifugées, dont la teneur massique en solides était proche de 20%. La méthode expérimentale inclut des essais mécaniques en compression uniaxiale (à très grande déformation, à petite déformation avec un ou plusieurs cycles de charge/décharge) sur un texturomètre de Lloyd Instruments et des essais en cisaillement réalisés sur un dispositif spécialement conçu au laboratoire pour quantifier les propriétés adhésive et cohésive des boues. Ces essais permettent d’identifier le seuil de fracturation du matériau, les ordres de grandeur du module élastique, de la viscosité et du seuil de plasticité, la résilience, les contraintes maximales d’adhésion et de cohésion et, enfin, les énergies d’adhésion. Un modèle mécanique analogique a ensuite été établi. Le comportement viscoélastique et visco-élasto-plastique des boues sous une sollicitation uniaxiale de charge-décharge a pu être simulé par un modèle conceptuel, dit ‘Burgers-Ludwik’, à 7 paramètres rhéologiques. Ce modèle est basé sur les lois mécaniques fondamentales de Hooke, de Newton et sur l'équation de Ludwik pour décrire le comportement plastique d'écrouissage. L’optimisation des paramètres du modèle avec Matlab® a été réalisée avec une méthode de régression multiple non linéaire à plusieurs étapes, ainsi que les calculs des bassins d'attraction et des intervalles de confiance. La sensibilité de la méthodologie à mettre en évidence des changements de propriétés induits par des procédés ou par un stockage a ensuite été évaluée. Il s'est ainsi avéré qu"un malaxage rend le matériau plus adhésif et plus facile à déformer, avec une diminution du seuil et de la rigidité du matériau, et qu’un stockage rend les boues moins cohésives et aussi plus faciles à déformer. / Human daily activities generate a large quantity of wastewater that should be treated in order to minimise the sanitary risk and impacts on the environment. Sewage sludge is the main co-product of the wastewater treatment. Specific processes are implemented to reduce its volume and improve its sanitary quality before valorisation. As dewatered sludge is a mixture of water, microorganisms, fibres, colloidal and non-colloidal particles, organic polymers, etc., with the increase of its solid content, difficulties in pumping, conveying or discharging handling are frequently encountered during these treatments. The rheological characterisation of this heterogeneous material still remains a scientific and technical challenge, especially when solid mass content exceeds 20%. In this work, an entire methodology linking experimental measurements and modelling has been developed to characterise the rheological properties and the stickiness of sewage sludge. This methodology is suitable for sludge behaving as a soft solid (evaluated by slumping test) and as long as the material stays below its plastic limit (by the ASTM D 4318 initially standardized for soils). In this dissertation, the methodology is applied to dewatered sludge of total solid content around 20% by weight. This method includes uniaxial compression tests (from very large deformation to small one with single or two cycles of loading-unloading) using a universal materials testing machine of Lloyd Instrument and shearing tests using a device designed and fabricated in our laboratory for quantifying the sticky properties of sludge. These tests can identify the bioyield of the material, the orders of magnitude of the elastic modulus, viscosity, yield stress and resilience, the maximum adhesive and cohesive stresses, and finally the energy of adhesion. An analogical mechanical model is then established. The viscoelastic and visco-elasto-plastic behaviours under uniaxial cyclic compression can thus be simulated with this conceptual model of 7 parameters, named “Burgers-Ludwik”. This model is based on the fundamental mechanical laws of Hooke, Newton and the equation of Ludwik for simulating plastic hardening of material. A multi-step program based on non-linear multiple regressions is coded to optimize the model parameters with Matlab®. The sensibility of this methodology is highlighted by testing the changes in rheological properties of sewage sludge induced by processing or storage. Mixing makes the sludge more adhesive while storage makes it less cohesive. Both make the sludge easier to deform.

<p>The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a significant role in defining the mechanical properties of biological tissues. The proteins, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans that constitute the ECM are arranged into highly organized structures (<i>e.g.</i> fibrils and networks). Cellular behavior is affected by the stiffness of the microenvironment and influenced by the composition and organization of the ECM. Mechanosensing of ECM stiffness by cells occurs at the fibrillar (mesoscale) level between the single molecule (microscale) and the bulk tissue (macroscale) levels. However, the mechanical behavior of ECM proteins at the mesoscale are not well defined. Thus, better understanding of the ECM building blocks responsible for functional tissue assembly is critical in order to recapitulate <i>in vivo</i> conditions. There is a need for the mechanical characterization of the ECM networks formed by proteins synthesized <i>in vivo</i> while in their native configuration. </p> <p>To address this gap, my goals highlighted in this dissertation were to develop appropriate experimental and computational methodologies and investigate the 3D organization and mechanical behavior of ECM networks <i>in situ</i>. The ECM of developing mouse tissues was used as a model system, taking advantage of the low-density networks present at this stage. First, we established a novel decellularization technique that enhanced the visualization of ECM networks in soft embryonic tissues. Based on this technique, we then quantified tissue-dependent strain of immunostained ECM networks <i>in situ</i>. Next, we developed mesoscale and macroscale testing systems to evaluate ECM networks under tension. Our systems were used to investigate tendon mechanics as a function of development, calculating tangent moduli from stress - strain plots. Similarly, we characterized ECM network deformation while uniaxially loading embryonic tissues, since this testing modality is ideal for fibril and network mechanics. Taken together, this information can facilitate the fabrication of physiologically relevant scaffolds for regenerative medicine by establishing mechanical guidelines for microenvironments facilitate functional tissue assembly.</p>

Uniaxial stress is a powerful technique to tune the electronic structure of very pure materials. The novel piezoelectric-based techniques developed by our group, which allow application of large and homogeneous uniaxial pressure in a continuously-tunable manner, make uniaxial pressure an independent axis in the parameter space for the study of quantum materials. Many exciting experiments have been performed that combine different measurement methods with this uniaxial stress technique in the past few years. In this thesis, I demonstrate the first electrical transport measurement under uniaxial pressure of a free-standing microstructure single-crystalline sample patterned by focused ion beam (FIB) milling. With the microstructuring technique that I developed, the transport properties transverse to the force direction can be more accurately probed. The ability to resolve the anisotropy introduced by the uniaxial pressure lets us have a better understanding of how the electronic structure of Sr₂RuO₄ changes under uniaxial stress. Moreover, the microstructure technique opens new roads for smaller crystals (∼ 100 µm) to be studied under uniaxial pressure. In addition, higher stresses and better sample homogeneity could be achieved by working with smaller samples. For Sr₂RuO₄, one of the three Fermi-surface sheets can be driven through a Lifshitz transition by applying uniaxial stress along the [100] direction. Superconductivity and resistivity have been observed to be strongly enhanced at the singularity. In addition, a spin-density wave (SDW) has been observed at stresses beyond the Lifshitz transition. Measurement of the Hall effect under uniaxial stress allows us to probe Hund’s metal physics in Sr₂RuO₄. The Hall coefficient of unstressed Sr₂RuO₄ goes through two sign reversals, at 30 K and 120 K. Under the Hund’s metal scenario, this temperature dependence has been proposed to result from orbital differentiation of the inelastic scattering rate, which is a key property expected of Hund’s metals. In the present study, it is shown that at a temperature where electron-electron scattering dominates (≳ 5 K), the Hall coefficient becomes less electron-like while approaching the VHS, which is consistent with increased scattering in the d_xy band. Beyond the transition, the Hall coefficient becomes much more electron-like, which is opposite to expectations from the change in Fermi surface topology, but can be explained by a combination of Hund’s metal physics and strong suppression in the d_xy scattering rate. At very low temperature (0.5 K), the Hall coefficient is essentially unchanged across the Lifshitz transition, despite the change in the Fermi-surface topology. In contrast to the longitudinal resistivity that has a strong peak at the VHS but does not respond to the SDW, the resistance transverse to the force direction shows a strong response to the SDW, but only a small response at the VHS. In addition, I obtain ρ(T) at the Lifshitz transition below Tc by subtracting off the magnetoresistance and find that T² ln(1/T) fits better than T^3/2, which suggests a saddle point rather than an extended saddle point at the VHS.:1. Introduction to Sr2RuO4 1.1. Normal-State Properties Van Hove Singularity and Lifshitz Transition in Sr2RuO4 1.2. Hall Effect in Sr2RuO4 Weak-field Hall Coefficient Experimental Hall Coefficient in Sr2RuO4 and Related Systems 1.3. Hund’s Metal Scenario Dynamical Mean-Field Theory Experimental Evidence for Orbital Differentiation in Sr2RuO4 Hall Coefficient of Sr2RuO4 within Hund’s Metal Scenario 1.4 Uniaxial-Pressure Projects on Sr2RuO4 2. Experimental Setup 2.1. Stress and Strain 2.2. Uniaxial Stress Technique Uniaxial-Stress Cell Sample Carrier 2.3. Imperfections of the Stress Cells 2.4. Sample Preparation Needle Sample Preparation Microstructure Sample Preparation Comparison of the Two Samples 2.5. Measurement Setup 3He Cryostat Transport Measurement Setup 3. Hall Coefficient and Resistivity Measurements 3.1. Basics of Resistivity Measurement Stress Ramps 3.2. Basics of Hall Measurement Setup Field Dependence of Hall Resistivity Temperature Dependence of Hall Coefficient 3.3. Stress Ramps under Constant Magnetic Field 3.4. Stress Dependence of Hall Coefficient and Resistivity 3.5. Resistivity Measurements below Tc 3.6. Field Sweeps within the Magnetic Phase 3.7. Summary 4. Measurements Transverse to the Stress Axis 4.1. Setup for Transport Measurements Transverse to the Uniaxial Stress 4.2. Simulations Based on Finite Element Method 4.3. Resistance Measurements Transverse to Applied Stress 4.4. Summary 5. Data Analysis and Discussion 5.1. A Tight-Binding Model under Uniaxial Pressure 5.2. Analysis of Hall Coefficient across the Lifshitz Transition Hall Coefficient Analysis under the Isotropic-l or Isotropic-τ Approximations Hall Coefficient Analysis under Hund’s Metal Scenario 5.3. Magnetoresistance Subtraction in Temperature Ramps 5.4. Transport Properties at 5 K 5.5. Summary 6. Conclusions and Outlook Appendices A. Si-Gap-Platform Microstructure Project A.1. Si-Gap Platform A.2. Sample Preparation with PFIB-Microstructuring A.3. Microstructure Stress Cells B. Other results B.1. Hall Effect from the Hall Pair 2 B.2. Magnetoresistance in Longitudinal and Transverse Configurations B.3. Toward -1.5 GPa B.4. Comparison of RH(T) in Sr2RuO4 Compressed along [100] Direction and YBa2Cu3O6.67 Compressed along the b-axis Bibliography

Magnetic materials are of great research interest because of their potential applications. Most Mn-based compounds exhibit magnetic ordering, being antiferromagnetic or ferromagnetic depending on their crystal structure. Many of these compounds have complex non-collinear magnetic structures that can give rise to exotic and robust phenomena. The scope of this thesis encompasses two independent projects on exploring single-crystalline Mn-based compounds with magnetic properties: (i) the study of the thickness-dependent magnetic textures in ferromagnetic Mn1.4PtSn by means of Focused Ion Beam (FIB) for sample shaping and Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM) for imaging, and (ii) the experimental demonstration of an anomalous Hall effect in non-collinear antiferromagnetic Mn3Pt, revealed with the aid of uniaxial pressure tuned in-situ. The first chapter motivates the study of magnetic materials and introduces the theoretical framework on which they are understood. In particular, refers to the energy contributions of magnetic origin and gives an overview of the Hall effect and how it is used to probe magnetic properties, from ferromagnetism to non-collinear antiferromagnetism and non-coplanar spin textures (such as the so-called skyrmions). The second chapter is dedicated to the ferromagnetic compound Mn1.4PtSn. It starts by introducing concepts important in the context of magnetic domains. A variety of magnetic textures are discussed, in particular antiskyrmions which differ from regular skyrmions by their internal structure. A material-specific introduction is given, starting by its discovery as the first antiskyrmion-hosting compound (when in thin-plate shape) and including recent literature showing by means of neutron scattering how magnetic domains in bulk single crystals are best described as anisotropic fractals. This study complements our first observations in real-space MFM images of the magnetic texture in this material. The detailed study of the dependence of the magnetic domains as a function of sample thickness is presented and analyzed. The third and final chapter focuses on antiferromagnetic Mn3Pt. To motivate the experiment, the theoretical study that predicts the presence of an intrinsic zero-field anomalous contribution to the Hall effect for this material is introduced. Next, the experimental investigation of single crystals of Mn3Pt is presented, where a Hall effect dominated by the ordinary contribution in the temperature range from 10 to 300 K is found. Thereafter, the response of the Hall effect to uniaxial pressure tuned in-situ is explored. When the sample is compressed, a hysteresis is observed to open up. The magnitude of this anomalous Hall conductivity (when compressing the sample by ∼0.2 GPa) is estimated to be at least ∼ 10 Ω-1cm-1 at room temperature and ∼ 40 Ω-1cm-1 at 100 K, and it is demonstrated that the measured value originates in the antiferromagnetic structure, rather than in a stress-induced ferromagnetism.:1 Introduction 1 1.1 Overview of elemental properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1.1 Notes on Mn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1.2 Notes on Pt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.1.3 Notes on Sn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1.2 Magnetic Interactions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.2.1 Zeeman interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.2.2 Magnetostatic energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.2.3 Magnetic anisotropy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.2.4 Magnetoelastic coupling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 1.2.5 Exchange interaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 1.2.6 Antisymmetric exchange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 1.3 Antiferro-, ferri- and helimagnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 1.4 Hall effect in magnetism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1.4.1 Geometrical phase in quantum mechanics . . . . . . . 14 In the context of the anomalous Hall effect . . . . . . 16 1.4.2 Complementary anomalous Hall theories . . . . . . . . 18 Skew scattering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Inelastic scattering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Side jump . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Spin chirality mechanism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 I The uniaxial ferromagnet Mn1.4PtSn 21 2 Mn1.4PtSn 23 2.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.2 Background physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 2.2.1 Topology in magnetism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 2.2.2 Domain theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Domain refinement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 2.2.3 Literature overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 SANS studies on bulk Mn1.4PtSn . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 2.3 Experimental methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 2.3.1 Sample preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 2.3.2 Lamellae fabrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 2.3.3 Magnetic Force Microscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Operating principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Specifications for our experiments . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 2.4 Results and discussions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 2.4.1 Bulk samples characterization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mn1.4Pt0.9Pd0.1Sn polycrystal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Mn1.4PtSn single crystal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Mn1.4PtSn single crystal in applied field . . . . . . . . 45 Mn1.4PtSn single crystal below TSR . . . . . . . . . . . 46 2.4.2 Lamellae characterization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Thickness dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Temperature dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Magnetic field dependence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 2.5 Conclusions and outlook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 II The non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Pt under strain 65 3 Mn3Pt 67 3.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 3.2 Background physics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 3.2.1 Thin film study of Mn3Pt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 3.2.2 Our contribution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 3.3 Experimental methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 3.4 Results and discussions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 3.4.1 Characterization of unstrained crystals . . . . . . . . . 75 3.4.2 Elastic response of Mn3Pt single crystals . . . . . . . . 79 Electrical transport response to strain . . . . . . . . . 81 3.4.3 Onset of AHE in single crystals under uniaxial pressure 84 Sample III4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Sample IV1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Sample IV2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 3.4.4 Temperature dependence of the AHE . . . . . . . . . . 94 3.4.5 Elastic limit of Mn3Pt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 3.5 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 A On Mn3Pt resistivity 101 B On Mn3Pt sample mounting 103

No description available.

No description available.

Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Hayder A. Rasheed / Throughout history natural fiber was used as one of the main building materials all over the world. Because the use of such materials has decreased in the last century, not much research has been conducted to investigate their performance as a reinforcing material in cement and concrete. In order to investigate one of the most common natural fibers, wheat fibers, as a reinforcing material, 156 mortar specimens and 99 concrete specimens were tested. The specimens were tested in either uniaxial compression or flexure. The uniaxial compression test included 2 in (50.8 mm) mortar cubes and 4x8 in (101.6 x 203.2 mm) concrete cylinders. As for the flexure test, they were either 40x40x160 mm cementitious matrix prisms or 6x6x21 in (152.4x152.4x533.4 mm) concrete prisms. Several wheat fibers percentages were studied and compared with polypropylene fiber as a benchmarking alternative. The average increase in the uniaxial compression strength for cementitious matrix cubes reinforced with 0.5% long wheat fiber exceeded that of their counterparts reinforced with polypropylene fiber by 15%. Whereas for concrete cylinders reinforced with 0.75% long wheat fiber, their strength exceeded that of their counterparts reinforced with polypropylene fiber by 5% and that of the control by 7%. The flexural strength of cementitious matrix prisms reinforced with 0.75% long wheat fiber exceeded that of their counterparts reinforced with polypropylene fiber by 27%. Meanwhile, concrete prisms reinforced with both long wheat fiber and polypropylene fiber showed deterioration in strength of up to 17%. Finally, ABAQUS models were developed for concrete cylinders and prisms to simulate the effect of inclusion of the wheat fibers.

En struktur analys på Ericssons MINILINK-6352 har utförts för att undersöka spänningar och deformationer på enheten, främst med fokus på de termiska gränskiktsmaterialen och buktningar av kretskortet. Dessa är viktiga aspekter när man överväger om enheten är termiska lämpad ur en mekanisk synvinkel, där god ytkontakt mellan de olika kropparna är avgörande för ordentlig kylning genom värmeledning. Analysen kräver tillräcklig materialdata till gränskiktsmaterialen och kretskortet för att kunna skapa lämpliga matematiska modeller. Enaxliga kompressionstester har genomförts för att karakterisera de hyperelastiska och viskoelastiska lagar för fyllda silikongummimaterial som används som termiska gränskiktsmaterial, som ibland kallas för gappad. Böjning av ett kretskort simulerades och jämfördes med ett tre--punkts böjtest för att verifiera om befintlig materialdata i beräkningsprogrammen var tillräcklig, jämförelsen visade god överensstämmelse. Kretskortet med dess komponenter, som modellerades som styva block, med gappads ovanpå som komprimeras av en platta simulerades och ett svagt område hittades. Detta område var sedan tidigare känt och har i ett senare skede eliminerats genom att tillsätta ytterligare en stödpelare. Därav visar denna studie en metod för att hitta intressanta regioner tidigt i konstruktionsfasen som lätt kan ändras för att uppfylla nödvändiga krav och undvika brister i konstruktionen. Arbetet har visat sig användbart genom att hitta detta svaga område i exempel produkten, arbetet ger även tillräckligt med information och exempeldata för att ytterligare utreda liknande produkter. Kombinationen av erfarenhet och simulering möjliggör smartare designval. / A structural analysis on Ericssons MINILINK-6352 has been performed in order to investigate stresses and deformations of the unit, mainly focusing on the thermal interface materials and warpage of the printed circuit boards. These are important aspects when considering if the unit is thermally adequate from a mechanical point of view, where good surface contact between various bodies are critical for proper cooling through heat conductivity. The analysis requires sufficient materal data for the interface material and the circuit board in order to create suitable mathematical models. Uniaxial compression tests have been conducted to characterise the hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive laws of a filled silicone rubber material used as a thermal interface material, commonly referred to as a thermal pad. Bending of a printed circuit board was simulated and compared to a three-point bend test on the circuit board in order to verify material data already available in the computational software, which showed good agreement. The entire radio unit was mechanically analysed during its sealing process. The circuit board with attached components modelled as stiff blocks with thermal pads on top compressed by plates was simulated and a weak area was found. This area in question was already known and has in a later stage been eliminated by adding an additional supporting pillar. Hence this study shows a methodology to find regions of interest at an early design phase which can easily be altered to fulfil necessary requirements and eliminate design flaws. This work has proven useful in finding weak regions in the example product, it also provides enough information and example data to further investigate similar products. The combination of experience and simulation allows for smarter design choices.

Thermo-stabilized lignin fibers from pH-fractionated softwood kraft lignin were carbonized to various temperatures during thermomechanical analysis (TMA) under static and increasing load and different rates of heating. The aim was to optimize the carbonization process to obtain suitable carbon fiber material with good mechanical strength potential (high tensile strength and high E-modulus). The carbon fibers were therefore mainly evaluated of mechanical strength in Dia-Stron uniaxial tensile testing. In addition, chemical composition, in terms of functional groups, and elemental (atomic) composition was studied in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and in energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The structure of carbon fibers was imaged in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscopy. Thermogravimetrical analysis was performed on thermo-stabilized lignin fibers to evaluate the loss of mass and to calculate the stress-changes and diameter-changes that occur during carbonization. The TMA-analysis of the deformation showed, for thermo-stabilized lignin fibers, a characteristic behavior of contraction during carbonization. Carbonization temperatures above 1000°C seemed most efficient in terms of E-modulus and tensile strength whereas rate of heating did not matter considerably. The E-modulus for the fibers was improved significantly by slowly increasing the load during the carbonization. The tensile strength remained however unchanged. The FTIR-analysis indicated that many functional groups, mainly oxygen containing, dissociate from the lignin polymers during carbonization. The EDS supported this by showing that the oxygen content decreased. Accordingly, the relative carbon content increased passively to around 90% at 1000°C. Aromatic structures in the carbon fibers are thought to contribute to the mechanical strength and are likely formed during the carbonization. However, the FTIR result showed no evident signs that aromatic structures had been formed, possible due to some difficulties with the KBr-method. In the SEM and light microscopy imaging one could observe that porous formations on the surface of the fibers increased as the temperature increased in the carbonization. These formations may have affected the mechanical strength of the carbon fibers, mainly tensile strength. The carbonization process was optimized in the sense that any heating rate can be used. No restriction in production speed exists. The carbonization should be run to at least 1000°C to achieve maximum mechanical strength, both in E-modulus and tensile strength. To improve the E-modulus further, a slowly increasing load can be applied to the lignin fibers during carbonization. The earlier the force is applied, to counteract the lignin fiber contraction that occurs (namely around 300°C), the better. However, in terms of mechanical performance, the lignin carbon fibers are still far from practical use in the industry.