This master thesis investigates a redesign for a maintenance tube, used for both sampling and draining transformer oil from a tap changer compartment. With the current design, one can do one or the other of sampling and draining. The effect of this on a transformer site during maintenance means that personnel must bring extra equipment to do the maintenance routine. Along with the extra equipment, it also involves climbing the transformer an extra time to place the equipment for draining. The project aims to address several issues in the context of the product. Redesigning the product to reduce maintenance time, and therefore downtime and electrical outages. Reducing the number of times that the transformer housing needs to be climbed in order to perform maintenance work. This with the purpose of improving working environment for maintenance personnel. With the new design of the maintenance tube, draining and sampling can be done with the same pipe without the need for extra equipment. This is through a mechanism in the tube which allows the personnel to choose whether to drain oil from the bottom of the container or to take oil samples from an area in the tap-changer housing which gives more accurate results. The function of the mechanism can be described in the same way as a pen, where if you push the button, a tube will extract itself and close of the sampling inlets, enabling draining from the bottom. Push the button again and the same tube will retract, allowing you to take samples from the appropriate area again. The new design also adheres to the dimensional requirements needed for the design to fulfil the additional functions the tube has. The project results in a design which would not only fill requirements of functions but also preserves some of the previous parts along with their interfaces. This means that the new design could be installed on current versions of tap-changer models when the next service interval is due.

Résumé : Ces travaux de thèse s'intéressent à l'étude du comportement d'une discontinuité dans un géomatériau sous sollicitations chemo-mécaniques à l'échelle du laboratoire. Des essais de traction-compression cyclique étudient la refermeture d'une fissure. Ils indiquent que les déformations inélastiques seraient gouvernées en partie par les frottements générés lors du ré-emboîtement des lèvres de la discontinuité, non correspondantes du fait des contraintes internes. Des joints rocheux altérés chimiquement sous sollicitation tangentielle sont étudiés au travers d'essais de cisaillement direct : le comportement des joints dégradés est profondément modifié du fait de la diminution des propriétés mécaniques du matériau de part et d'autre de la discontinuité et de l'accentuation de la non-correspondance des profils rugueux. Le comportement d'une discontinuité est modélisée par le couplage d'un modèle élasto-plastique endommageable continu avec une résolution discrète du problème de contact/frottement (code calcul aux éléments finis Cast3M). Les résultats numériques confirment les phénomènes constatés expérimentalement.//Abstract: To probate the technology of CO[indice inférieur 2] geological storage, the integrity of the site must be assure over time. This industruial problematic involves the study of the mechanical properties alteration of geomaterials in the presence of CO[indice inférieur 2]. The scenario at the origin of this thesis illustrates the possibility of a CO[indice inférieur 2] leakage on a fault located in the caprock. This geological problem is complicated by the many parameters to consider: in situ temperature and pressure, scale effect, heterogeneities of the geomaterial, geofluide composition, chemical reactions ... These works focus on the behavior of a discontinuity in a geomaterial solicited chemomechanically at the laboratory scale. They were realised in cotutelle between SIAME laboratory at the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (France) and the laboratory of rock mechanics and engineering geology from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada). The first part of the experimental program was defined to characterize the reclosing of a crack under cyclic uniaxial stress. The second experimental campaign has studied the shear behavior of a rock joint chemically degraded. The data obtained were used to model the behavior of a discontinuity by the finite element method. The mechanical behavior of a crack under normal stress is assessed with cyclic tension-compression tests. Stress curve showed hysteresis during opening and closing cycles of a discontinuity in concrete, it indicated inelastic deformations The analysis of displacement field by image correlation indicated that theses deformations were partially governed by the friction generated during the closing of the discontinuity lips. Frictional phenomena are due to asperities mismatching induced by the internal stresses in the concrete. The shear behavior of a rock joint chemically damaged was studied through direct shear tests. Rough surfaces were immersed in acid solution during 6 hours at constant pH. Digitalization of these surfaces befor and after immesion, with a lase profilometer, indicates little modifications of the geometry induced by dissolution of material. Results of tests pointed out significant modifications for altered joints illustred by a of the peak shear strength and an increased of contractancy. They are induced by: 1) the mismatch enhancement of the rough profiles of the discontinuity and, 2) the degradation of the mechanical properties of the material on both sides of the discontinuity due to the chemical attack. Numerical contribution of the thesis lies in modeling the behavior of a discontinuity by the coupling of an continuous elastic-plastic damaged model with a discrete resolution of the contact/friction problem. The model is developed with the finite element code Cast3M. Geometries lips discontinuities are modeled directly from the roughness profiles from experimental scans. The numerical results correctly represent the friction phenomena observed experimentally. Finally, a model of the shear test altered joints is performed by coupling the mechanical model with chemical damage model.

Ces travaux de thèse s'intéressent à l'étude du comportement d'une discontinuité dans un géomatériau sous sollicitations chemo-mécaniques à l'échelle du laboratoire. Des essais de traction-compression cyclique étudient la refermeture d'une fissure. Ils indiquent que les déformations inélastiques seraient gouvernées en partie par les frottements générés lors du ré-emboîtement des lèvres de la discontinuité, non correspondantes du fait des contraintes internes. Des joints rocheux altérés chimiquement sous sollicitation tangentielle sont étudiés au travers d'essais de cisaillement direct : le comportement des joints dégradés est profondément modifié du fait de la diminution des propriétés mécaniques du matériau de part et d'autre de la discontinuité et de l'accentuation de la non-correspondance des profils rugueux. Le comportement d'une discontinuité est modélisée par le couplage d'un modèle élasto-plastique endommageable continu avec une résolution discrète du problème de contact/frottement (code calcul aux éléments finis Cast3M). Les résultats numériques confirment les phénomènes constatés expérimentalement. / This PhD dissertation presents a study aiming at a better understanding of cracks behavior in a geomaterial. The study focuses on the behavior of discontinuities under chemo-mechanical solicitations at the laboratory scale. The mechanical behavior under normal stress is assessed with cyclic tension-compression tests. Experimental data indicate that the inelastic deformations could be partially governed by the friction generated during the closing of the discontinuity lips, and the asperities mismatch is related to the internal stresses. The shear behavior of a rock joint chemically degraded was studied through direct shear tests. Results pointed out significant modifications for altered joints induced by: 1) the mismatch enhancement of the rough profiles of the discontinuity and, 2) the degradation of the mechanical properties of the material on both sides of the discontinuity due to the chemical attack. These experimental results have been used as input data to model the behavior of a discontinuity by the coupling of a continuous elastic-plastic damaged model with a discrete solving of the contact/friction problem. The simulations performed under Cast3M correctly represent the phenomena observed during the experimental testing program.

R??sum?? : Ces travaux de th??se s'int??ressent ?? l'??tude du comportement d'une discontinuit?? dans un g??omat??riau sous sollicitations chemo-m??caniques ?? l'??chelle du laboratoire. Des essais de traction-compression cyclique ??tudient la refermeture d'une fissure. Ils indiquent que les d??formations in??lastiques seraient gouvern??es en partie par les frottements g??n??r??s lors du r??-embo??tement des l??vres de la discontinuit??, non correspondantes du fait des contraintes internes. Des joints rocheux alt??r??s chimiquement sous sollicitation tangentielle sont ??tudi??s au travers d'essais de cisaillement direct : le comportement des joints d??grad??s est profond??ment modifi?? du fait de la diminution des propri??t??s m??caniques du mat??riau de part et d'autre de la discontinuit?? et de l'accentuation de la non-correspondance des profils rugueux. Le comportement d'une discontinuit?? est mod??lis??e par le couplage d'un mod??le ??lasto-plastique endommageable continu avec une r??solution discr??te du probl??me de contact/frottement (code calcul aux ??l??ments finis Cast3M). Les r??sultats num??riques confirment les ph??nom??nes constat??s exp??rimentalement.//Abstract: To probate the technology of CO[indice inf??rieur 2] geological storage, the integrity of the site must be assure over time. This industruial problematic involves the study of the mechanical properties alteration of geomaterials in the presence of CO[indice inf??rieur 2]. The scenario at the origin of this thesis illustrates the possibility of a CO[indice inf??rieur 2] leakage on a fault located in the caprock. This geological problem is complicated by the many parameters to consider: in situ temperature and pressure, scale effect, heterogeneities of the geomaterial, geofluide composition, chemical reactions ... These works focus on the behavior of a discontinuity in a geomaterial solicited chemomechanically at the laboratory scale. They were realised in cotutelle between SIAME laboratory at the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (France) and the laboratory of rock mechanics and engineering geology from the University of Sherbrooke (Quebec, Canada). The first part of the experimental program was defined to characterize the reclosing of a crack under cyclic uniaxial stress. The second experimental campaign has studied the shear behavior of a rock joint chemically degraded. The data obtained were used to model the behavior of a discontinuity by the finite element method. The mechanical behavior of a crack under normal stress is assessed with cyclic tension-compression tests. Stress curve showed hysteresis during opening and closing cycles of a discontinuity in concrete, it indicated inelastic deformations The analysis of displacement field by image correlation indicated that theses deformations were partially governed by the friction generated during the closing of the discontinuity lips. Frictional phenomena are due to asperities mismatching induced by the internal stresses in the concrete. The shear behavior of a rock joint chemically damaged was studied through direct shear tests. Rough surfaces were immersed in acid solution during 6 hours at constant pH. Digitalization of these surfaces befor and after immesion, with a lase profilometer, indicates little modifications of the geometry induced by dissolution of material. Results of tests pointed out significant modifications for altered joints illustred by a of the peak shear strength and an increased of contractancy. They are induced by: 1) the mismatch enhancement of the rough profiles of the discontinuity and, 2) the degradation of the mechanical properties of the material on both sides of the discontinuity due to the chemical attack. Numerical contribution of the thesis lies in modeling the behavior of a discontinuity by the coupling of an continuous elastic-plastic damaged model with a discrete resolution of the contact/friction problem. The model is developed with the finite element code Cast3M. Geometries lips discontinuities are modeled directly from the roughness profiles from experimental scans. The numerical results correctly represent the friction phenomena observed experimentally. Finally, a model of the shear test altered joints is performed by coupling the mechanical model with chemical damage model.