No description available.

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Metal shaping processes are clear examples of engineering applications where a hard material is worn by a softer one - i.e. the tool and workpiece respectively. The soft impressor technique, introduced by Brookes and Green (1973), has proved valuable in measuring the relevant mechanical properties of tool materials - e.g. the measurement of the flow stress of diamond single crystals at temperatures up to 1500°C (Brookes, 1992). In this work, the technique has been extended further in order to form a basis for the comparison and evaluation of ultra-hard materials. Three main aspects of the performance of these tool materials have been covered: the effect of temperature on flow stress; cumulative deformation under point loading conditions; wear due to repeated traversals (fatigue). In the first part, the technique has been extended to determine the flow stress of polycrystalline diamond and cubic boron nitride as a function of temperature and a mathematical model has been proposed to estimate the flow stress in isotropic polycrystalline materials. This model was first analysed by Love (1928) and was used as the basis on which to identify the threshold pressure above which dislocation movement is initiated in diamond single crystals (Brookes et al (1990)). The applicability of this model for polycrystals was verified by correlating the yield strength of polycrystalline copper, measured in tension, with the determination of minimum contact mean pressure to plastically deform the same material. According to the model, the first evidence of plastic deformation should be observed at the contact periphery and this has been verified in this work. Consequently, using this approach, the effect of temperature on the flow stress of polycrystalline diamond (Syndax) and polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (Amborite) has been established and it is shown that there are three distinct regimes. In regime I, the deformation is brittle and fracture occurs above a given mean pressure; in regime II dislocations are mobile and the flow stress decreases sharply as the temperature rises; and in regime III the flow stress is independent of the temperature. In the earlier work, the brittle-ductile transition temperature (BOT) has been identified as that temperature where regime I ends and II begins. Above the BDT, time dependent plastic flow has been observed, in all of these materials, leading to a measurable increase in the size of the impression. However, this particular type of cumulative deformation, described as impression creep, is shown to be different to conventional creep as measured under uniaxial stress conditions. Finally, the room temperature friction and deformation of various polycrystalline diamond based specimens, Le. aggregates with a binder phase of cobalt (Syndite) or silicon carbide (Syndax), a polycrystalline coating produced by a chemical vapour deposition processes (CVDite) and cubic boron nitride (Amborite) were studied when softer metallic and ceramic sliders were used. As a result of increasing the number of traversals, significant wear of the CVDite diamond coating by softer metallic sliders (aluminium and mild steel) was observed. This could be attributed to the high level of residual stresses in the diamond layer which is thought to be due to the difference in the thermal expansion coefficients of the coatings and their substrates. Burton et al (1995) reported a strain of 0.3% on the surface of the diamond coating and hence the tensile stress on the upper side of the coating will be equivalent to about 3.0 GPa. This value is comparable to the theoretical cleavage strength of diamond. It is suggested an additional tensile stress, due to the sliding friction, could have caused cleavage of individual diamond crystals. The resultant wear debris then becoming embedded in the metallic slider. These embedded diamond particles in the tip of the slider could be responsible for the increased friction and wear.

No description available.

No description available.

Dans le contexte actuel d’accroissement de la population mondiale, il est nécessaire de construire d’avantage d’infrastructures pour répondre à la pression industrielle grandissante. Ces constructions se font principalement sur la mer comme les ports, les îles artificielles ou encore les logements touristiques. Le béton est le matériau majoritairement utilisé en raison de son faible coût de production mais aussi de sa résistance à l’eau de mer. Comme tout matériau immergé en milieu marin, le béton est colonisé par les organismes vivants, devenant ainsi support de leur développement. Cependant, l’eau de mer est un milieu particulièrement agressif vis-à-vis des matériaux cimentaires ; des dégradations physiques, chimiques et biologiques sont observées dans le temps. Les deux premiers types de dégradation sont particulièrement bien documentés par la communauté scientifique. En revanche, les dégradations biologiques sont peu étudiées. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc de tout d’abord mettre en place un dispositif expérimental en laboratoire, permettant la colonisation d’un matériau cimentaire par des microorganismes. Des outils pertinents pour caractériser le biofilm sur le matériau ont été choisis après une étude bibliographique, dans le but de mieux comprendre la cinétique de colonisation. Des analyses chimiques du matériau ainsi que de l’eau de mer artificielle ont été effectuées à échéances régulières pour évaluer les actions du biofilm sur le matériau cimentaire. Différents matériaux ont été formulés pour étudier l’impact de la formulation sur la colonisation. / In the current context of increased world population, it is necessary to built more infrastructures to meet the increasing industrial pressure. These constructions are erected on the sea as harbors, artificial islands or tourist accommodation. Concrete is mainly used because of its low-cost and durability in the marine environment. Like any material immersed in seawater, concrete is colonized by living organisms, becoming an habitat for their development. However, seawater is a very aggressive environment towards cementitious materials; physical, chemical and biological degradations are observed with time. Nowadays, physical and chemical degradations are well understood and reported in the literature but there is a lack of knowledge concerning biological effects. The aim of this thesis is first develop an experimental device in laboratory, allowing the colonization of cementitious material by microorganisms. Relevant tools to characterize the biofilm on the material were chosen to better understand colonisation’s kinetic. Chemical analysis of material and seawater were made to evaluate the actions of the biofilm on cementitious material. Different materials were produced to study the impact of the formulation on the colonization.

An in-depth study of the biodeterioration of the Hulett Aluminium hot roll mill emulsion, Prosol, was conducted. Samples of the emulsion in use at the hot roll mill were taken from various areas of the emulsion reticulation system in order to identify regions of highest microbial contamination. Standard plate count techniques and diagnostic procedures were employed to quantify and identify the microorganisms in these samples. In some of the highly contaminated areas of the emulsion reticulation system, microorganisms exceeded lxlO'CFUml'1 emulsion. A range of bacteria was identified which included members of the genera: Bacillus; Pseudomonas; Escherichia; Enterobacter; Sporosarcina; Micrococcus; Aeromonas; Chromobacterium and Desulfovibrio. Various fungi, including several yeasts, were also isolated and some of the filamentous spore-forming types were identified zsAspergillus spp.; Penicillium spp. and a Cladosporium sp. A visual scale was developed to assess the growth rate of the isolated microorganisms on a range of specific media containing various emulsion components as carbon and energy source. Although the results obtained by using this scale were not conclusive, a few biodegradable components were nonetheless identified. It was found that mixed cultures of the above microorganisms had a greater biodeteriorative effect on the emulsion than did any of the pure cultures when applied separately. This suggested complex microbial interactions were involved in the breakdown of the emulsion. A laboratory-scale model system representative of the Hulett Aluminium hot roll mill was designed and constructed to carry out a series of tests on unprotected and biocide-treated emulsions. A range of biocide concentrations were tested from which the minimum biocide inhibitory concentration was calculated. It was shown that microorganisms exposed to sublethal doses of the biocide Busan (active component glutaraldehyde) over a prolonged period of time, exhibited greater levels of tolerance and resistance to the biocide than did those microorganisms not previously exposed. It was deduced that less frequent, shock doses of biocide are more effective in the control and eradication of emulsion degrading microorganisms than are frequent, low level doses of the same biocide. In addition to the biocide studies, three imported so-called 'biostable' emulsions were evaluated as possible replacements for the susceptible Prosol. Of these three imported emulsions, two viz. HRF3 and Houghton Biostable were shown to be more resistant than Prosol to biodeterioration. After assessing the current hot roll mill management practices, a number of recommendations were made, including: the improvement of plant hygiene; education of the mill workers; improvement of emulsion monitoring; improvement of down-time management and improvement of biocide dosing regimes. Recommendations are also made for minimizing potential microbial growth in the new hot roll mill currently under construction at the Hulett Aluminium processing plant at Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1998.

During firing, the deformation of ceramic articles under their own weight may be problematic particularly in the sanitary ware industry where articles are large. A model has been developed that predicts the viscoelastic deformation of a range of vitreous china testpieces during the firing process. The model constitutes a novel application of the transmission line modelling technique to viscoelastic deformation. The applicability of the model to the sanitary ware industry is addressed.

Biodeterioration is the leading cause of failure in buildings. Organic materials, key components of our built infrastructure, are particularly vulnerable to biotic attack (i.e. fungal growth) and can suffer from pre-mature failure. These failures are responsible for billions of dollars of direct damage to wooden structures in Canadian buildings. The impacts of failure can range from mild surface disfigurement, allergic reactions, mycoses, to direct life-safety concerns from compromised building structures. These impacts all have different failure modes and it is therefore prudent to consider how these failures manifest. The limit state design framework is an approach used by engineers to describe the risks of failure. It defines the probabilistic failure envelope of an inherent resistance being exceeded by a given load. The competing loads and resistances, in this case, consist of the fungal growth potential versus the intrinsic resistance of the substrate. Another key feature of limits state design is that it describes differing thresholds of failure depending on the potential impacts. This framework is desirable in application for biodeterioration in buildings. However, prior attempts to adopt these concepts into biodeterioration models have met with limited success. This dissertation is the first to effectively apply a limit state design framework to biodeterioration by considering two key states: serviceability limit state (i.e. surface fungal growth), and ultimate limit state (i.e. incipient decay). First, a database of fungal deterioration was created using Penicillium chrysogenum and Gloeophyllum trabeum fungi inoculated on jack pine (Pinus banksiana) prisms. These prisms were careful controlled for both moisture content and temperature, while minimizing ambient contamination. Photo documentation using a 20x USB microscope permitted evaluation of the surface disfigurement of the ascomycete fungus (serviceability state), and non-destructive flexural testing permitted the identification of incipient decay with the wood rotting basidiomycete (ultimate limit state). A serviceability limit state model was created using a population growth equation to describe the probability of detecting fungal growth as a function of substrate type (heartwood or sapwood), moisture content, temperature, and time. The model was contrasted with empirical tests on a mouldy roof in Vancouver, BC, and shows promising results that surpass the limitations of competing mould models. The method to develop the ultimate limit state model has been delineated in this dissertation, but further work is required. Future scopes of work are provided to address the limits and areas of uncertainty revealed by this research, but the results can help reshape the narrative of biodeterioration risk assessments for the built environment. / Graduate

For over 50 years, synthetic petrochemical-based plastics have been produced in ever growing volumes globally and since their first commercial introduction; they have been continually developed with regards to quality, colour, durability, and resistance. With some exceptions, such as polyurethanes, most plastics are very stable and are not readily degraded when they enter the ground as waste, taking decades to biodegrade and therefore are major pollutants of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. During the last thirty years, extensive research has been conducted to develop biodegradable plastics as more environmentally benign alternatives to traditional plastic polymers. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a water-soluble polymer which has recently attracted interest for the manufacture of biodegradable plastic materials. PVA is widely used as a paper coating, in adhesives and films, as a finishing agent in the textile industries and in forming oxygen impermeable films. Consequently, waste-water can contain a considerable amount of PVA and can contaminate the wider environment where the rate of biodegradation is slow. Despite its growing use, relatively little is known about its degradation and in particular the role of fungi in this process. In this study, a number of fungal strains capable of degrading PVA from uncontaminated soil from eight different sites were isolated by enrichment in mineral salts medium containing PVA as a sole carbon source and subsequently identified by sequencing the ITS and 5.8S rDNA region. The most frequently isolated fungal strains were identified as Galactomyces geotrichum, Trichosporon laibachii, Fimetariella rabenhorsti and Fusarium oxysporum. G. geotrichum was shown to grow and utilise PVA as the sole carbon source with a mean doubling time of ca. 6-7 h and was similar on PVA with molecular weight ranges of 13-23 KDa, 30-50 KDa and 85-124 KDa. When solid PVA films were buried in compost, Galactomyces geotrichum was also found to be the principal colonizing fungus at 25°C, whereas at 45°C and 55°C, the principle species recovered was the thermophile Talaromyces emersonii. ESEM revealed that the surface of the PVA films were heavily covered with fungal mycelia and DGGE analysis of the surface mycelium confirmed that the fungi recovered from the surface of the PVA film constituted the majority of the colonising fungi. When PVA was added to soil at 25°C, and in compost at 25°C and 45°C, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) revealed that the fungal community rapidly changed over two weeks with the appearance of novel species, presumably due to selection for degraders, but returned to a population that was similar to the starting population within six weeks, indicating that PVA contamination causes a temporary shift in the fungal community.