The presented work is concerning with ductile fracture problematic under monotonic loading which is result of gradual material degradation at large plastic deformation. At present, a large number of models, which calibration is not trivial, are used for its prediction. Ductile fracture mechanisms and cut-off region are described in the literature search part. Next, there is given a summary of criteria which are based on different approaches to ductile fracture. There were proposed and used KHPS and KHPS2 criteria within this PhD thesis. Procedure of assessment of the stress-strain curve and ductile fracture criteria calibration are described in last part of the literature search. A summary of tests, which were done in order to calibrate chosen criteria, is given in experimental part. Various stress states within broad range of stress triaxiality and Lode parameter were reached using these tests. Special type of specimen, by which very low stress triaxiality value is reached, was designed within this work. All specimens were made from the steel 12 050. Wrought rods of one melt with circular cross-section of 27 mm in diameter were used as semi-product. Calibration of chosen ductile fracture criteria was performed using foregoing tests. These criteria were implemented by author into explicit finite element software ABAQUS/Explicit using user subroutine VUMAT. Chosen criteria were used for simulation of multistep extrusion at which formation of internal central cracks occurs. These criteria were also used for simulation of cutting of circular cross-section rods. Results from simulation were compared to experiments which were done by industrial partner J-VST.

L’industrie automobile est confrontée à la problématique de dimensionnement en fatigue de pièces structurelles en polymères thermoplastiques. En effet, de nombreux facteurs liés à l’environnement ou aux conditions de service influencent la tenue en fatigue. Les campagnes d’essais en fatigue classiquement menées sont longues (1 mois pour une condition donnée). L’objectif de cette thèse est d’accélérer la caractérisation en fatigue de ce type de matériau en utilisant des essais d’auto-échauffement. Une première analyse empirique est démontrée possible et permet d’estimer l’endurance limitée à 106 cycles. L’analyse des indicateurs mécaniques et de l’évolution de la microstructure (MEB et Micro-tomographie rayon X) durant les paliers de chargements confirme l’existence d’un seuil correspondant à cette endurance limitée. Dans un second temps, une méthode est proposée en associant un critère énergétique à la courbe d’auto-échauffement complète afin de prédire en moins de 2 jours une courbe de Wöhler déterministe. Ce critère est confronté à l’étude de facteur influent telle la géométrie de l’échantillon ou la reprise en eau du matériau. Une courbe unifiée reliant l’énergie dissipée par cycle au nombre de cycles à la rupture est proposée. Enfin, la méthode est appliquée avec succès à l’étude de structures. / Designing short fibers reinforced thermoplastics (SFRP) components is now a major concern for the automotive industry. This task is difficult because of the numerous factors affecting the fatigue lifetime coupled to long fatigue campaigns (usually a month for a given experimental condition).The objective of this thesis is to apply a heat built-up protocol on a SFRP used for structural automotive applications (PA66GF50, a polyamide filled with 50% of glass fiber in mass) to predict quickly the fatigue properties from temperature measurements. A heat build-up protocol developed for metallic materials has been used to speed up the fatigue characterization of PA66GF50. The life time estimation given by a first rough analysis is compared successfully to the fatigue curve obtained from a classical campaign. To understand what is caught from the thermal measurements, the evolution of the microstructure throughout the heat build-up test was investigated by X-ray micro-tomography and SEM and compared to the evolution of the mechanical features. In order to provide a relation between the full heat build-up curve and the Wohler curve, the dissipated energy is then evaluated from the thermal measurements and the parameters of an energetic fatigue criterion are identified from the results obtained from one single sample. The fatigue curve predicted from the heat build-up curve and obtained in 2 days, is compared to the one obtained from a classical fatigue campaign and the agreement is very good. The energy based criterion as well as the identification of the dissipation sources from the temperature measurements are finally challenged by an experimental campaign achieved on a sample with a different geometry and different water content. Dissipated energy curve seems unified results. Finally, the method is applied to the study of the lifetime of structures.

This thesis deals with the comparison of didactical equipment of Chemistry Textbooks for Basic Schools in the Czech Republic. The first part of the thesis is dedicated to the theory of textbooks and their research within it. The next part, which includes comparison of the textbooks, is pursued by the author from the perspective of two methods: the first being The Degree of Didactical Equipment and the second one The Determination of Didactical Criterion. According to the results of this thesis, the Chemistry Textbooks for Basic Schools in the Czech Republic are alike in its didactical equipment. There are similar structural components in each analysed textbook. There were found only small differences between the best didactically equipped textbooks (the textbooks of the publishers Nová škola and Fraus) and those with the lowest outcome (the textbooks of the publisher Taktik), although the time period between publishing the newest and the oldest textbook is more than 25 years. Due to homogeneity of the results and therefore lower possibility of comparing textbooks the method of the Determination of Didactical Criterion was applied. The method does not offer the final account of the most suitable textbook for school education but it presents different view of analysed textbooks, for example the...

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19025号 / 農博第2103号 / 新制||農||1030(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H27||N4907(農学部図書室) / 31976 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 加納 健司, 教授 植田 和光, 教授 植田 充美 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

A two-parameter fracture criterion (TPFC) is used to correlate and predict failure loads on cracked configurations made of ductile materials. The current study was conducted to validate the use of the fracture criterion on more brittle materials, using elastic-plastic finite-element analyses with the critical crack-tip-opening angle (CTOA) failure criterion. Forman generated fracture data on middle-crack tension, M(T), specimens made of thin-sheet 7075-T6 aluminum alloy, which is a quasi-brittle material. The fracture data included a wide range of specimen widths (2w) ranging from 3 to 24 inches. A two-dimensional (2D) finite-element analysis code (ZIP2D) with a ''plane-strain core" option was used to model the fracture process. Fracture simulations were conducted on M(T), single-edge-crack tension, SE(T), and single-edge-crack bend, SE(B), specimens. The results supported the TPFC equation for net-section stresses less than the material proportional limit. However, some discrepancies were observed among the numerical results of the three specimen types. Thus, more research is needed to improve the transferability of the TPFC from the M(T) specimen to both the SE(T) and SE(B) specimens.

No description available.

This study examines the relationship between student attendance and student test scores on a criterion-referenced test, using test scores of all 5th graders in Virginia who participated in the 2005-2006 Standards of Learning tests in reading and mathematics. Data collection for this study was performed with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Education using a state database of student testing information. Pearson correlation coefficients were determined for the overall student population and for the subgroups of economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, limited English proficient, white, black, and Hispanic. The results of this study indicate that there is a significant positive correlation (p<.01) between student attendance, as measured by the number of days present, and student performance on the Virginia SOL test, a criterion-referenced test. Positive correlations were found between student attendance and student test scores for all subgroups. The correlation between student attendance and student performance on the SOL mathematics test was higher than the correlation for the same variables on the English test. The correlation for the overall student population on the English SOL test was higher than the correlation for any subgroup on the English SOL test. Only the LEP and Hispanic subgroups had higher correlations on the mathematics test than the overall student population. This study will contribute to a growing body of research resulting from the enactment of the No Child Left Behind legislation and the national attention that this legislation has focused on student attendance and student performance on standardized tests.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) brought high-stakes testing to the forefront of American public education. With its call for teachers and schools to be accountable for academic performance, NCLB has focused the spotlight on yearly progress, as measured by students' test scores. Issues associated with this charge include the questionable reliability of tests, the variation evident in state standards, and the consequences an emphasis on high-stakes testing may have on teaching and learning in the classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate the consequences of high-stakes testing on teaching and learning in public elementary schools in Utah from the vantage point of school principals. Although policymakers assume a direct correlation between increased test scores and academic achievement, this study went beyond test scores. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 principals, selected through purposive sampling from both Title 1 and non-Title 1 schools, revealed both positive and negative themes. Principals appreciated the focus and collaboration that NCLB testing encourages among teachers, but they disliked the impact of poor test scores on faculty morale. Unlike respondents in previous studies, principals did not feel that NCLB diminished creativity in the classroom; they did worry, however, about the validity of scores as a measure of student learning, particularly in the case of a one-time, year-end test.

A new modular steel floor system, named FastFloor, is proposed for commercial buildings. The system is conceptualized to be prefabricated at the shop and ready to be installed on a previously erected skeleton frame structure consisting of girders and columns or connected to core shear walls. The system configuration aims to increase the speed of design, fabrication, and erection of a steel project by eliminating concrete pouring and curing times. Other advantages include reducing the weight of the building and its carbon footprint. Several module configurations were considered and evaluated based on a series of interviews with experts in steel fabrication and erection engineering. The selection relied not only on addressing the issues related to fabrication, transportation, and erection but also on satisfying floor vibrations, as it was determined to be the governing limit state of the plate thickness, section sizes, and beam spacing due to the presence of an unstiffened bare plate acting as a slab. Observations were performed regarding fabrication sequence and transportation on the chosen configuration. The dynamic properties of the module are particularly important because DG11 was developed for composite concrete-steel floor systems, and its applicability to all steel-floor systems needs to be evaluated. In parallel, a vibration testing program was conducted to determine the dynamic properties of the module, including natural frequencies and mode shapes. Lastly, the acceptability of the modular system for floor vibrations was evaluated by both a calculation method and a modeling approach. The analysis results suggest that the module will not satisfy floor vibrations criteria, but a modified module with added stiffeners is shown to be acceptable. Upcoming tests, by others, on specimens with a raised access floor will be necessary to refine the predictions and determine if the stiffeners are actually required. / Master of Science / FastFloor is an innovative modular all-steel floor system that aims to revolutionize the construction of commercial buildings, with benefits including enhanced efficiency in design, fabrication, and erection, as well as reduced environmental impact, by eliminating the need for concrete pouring and curing and full prefabrication in shops. Several module configurations were evaluated based on insights from industry experts in steel fabrication and erection engineering. It was observed that the main challenge in the early phases was to address issues related to fabrication, transportation, and erection while ensuring optimal performance in terms of floor vibrations. This thesis project focused on a preliminary assessment of the vibration behavior of the system by conducting dynamic tests and evaluating the compatibility with the analytical and computational procedures in Design Guide 11, which is not calibrated for an all-steel system like FastFloor. Based on the results, it was concluded that the initial configuration did not fully satisfy the floor vibrations criteria. However, through further computational evaluation, a modified module, based on the initial configuration with added stiffeners, was predicted to be satisfactory. Thus, future research will continue to refine the system behavior and predictions and evaluate the contributions of Raised Access Floor to the vibration performance.

The Two-Parameter-Fracture-Criterion (TPFC) was validated using an elastic-plastic two-dimensional (2D) finite-element code, ZIP2D, with the plane-strain-core concept. Fracture simulations were performed on three crack configurations: (1) middle-crack-tension, M(T), (2) single-edge-crack-tension, SE(T), and (3) single-edge crack-bend, SE(B), specimens. They were made of 2014-T6 (TL) aluminum alloy. Fracture test data from Thomas Orange work (NASA) were only available on M(T) specimens (one-half width, w = 1.5 to 6 in.) and they were all tested at cryogenic (-320oF) temperature. All crack configurations were analysed over a very wide range of widths (w = 0.75 to 24 in.) and crack-length-to-width ratios ranged from 0.2 to 0.8. The TPFC was shown to fit the simulated fracture data fairly well (within 6.5%) for all crack configurations for net-section stresses less than the material proportional limit. For M(T) specimens, a simple approximation was shown to work well for net-section stresses greater than the proportional limit. Further study is needed for net-section stresses greater than the proportional limit for the SE(T) and SE(B) specimens.