As hydrogel products are manufactured and used for applications ranging from biomedical to agricultural, it is useful to characterize their behavior and interaction with other materials. This thesis investigates the adhesion between two different solvated semi-interpenetrating polymer network (S-IPN) silicone hydrogels and a cyclo-olefin (COP) polymer through experimental, analytical, and numerical methods. Interfacial fracture data was collected through the application of the wedge test, a relatively simple test allowing for the measurement of fracture properties over time in environments of interest. In this case, the test was performed at discrete temperatures within range of 4Ë C to 80Ë C. Two COP adherends were bonded together by a layer of one of the S-IPN silicone hydrogels. Upon the insertion of a wedge between the two adherends, debonding at one of the two interfaces would initiate and propagate at a decreasing rate. Measurements were taken of the debond length over time and applied to develop crack propagation rate versus strain energy release rate (SERR) curves. The SERR values were determined through the application of an analytical model derived for the wedge test geometry and to take into account the effects of the hydrogel interlayer. The time-temperature superposition principle (TTSP) was applied to the crack propagation rate versus SERR curves by shifting the crack propagation rates with the Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation-based shift factors developed for the bulk behavior of each hydrogel. The application of TTSP broadened the SERR and crack propagation rate ranges and presented a large dependency of the adhesion of the system on the viscoelastic nature of the hydrogels. Power-law fits were applied to the master curves in order to determine parameters that could describe the adhesion of the system and be applied in the development of a finite element model representing the interfacial fracture that occurs for each system. The finite element models were used to validate the analytical model and represent the adhesion of the system such that it could be applied to future geometries of interest in which the S-IPN silicone hydrogels are adhered to the COP substrate. <i>[Files modified per J. Austin, July 9, 2013 Gmc]</i> / Master of Science

FRP laminates and fabrics, used as an externally bonded reinforcement (EBR) to strengthen or repair concrete members, have proven to be an economical retrofitting method. However, when used to strengthen long-span members or members with limited access, the labor and equipment demands may negate the benefits of using continuous EBR FRP. Recently, CFRP rod panels (CRPs) have been developed and deployed to overcome the aforementioned limitations. Each CRP is made of several small diameter CFRP rods placed at discrete spacing. To fulfill the strengthening length, CRP’s are spliced together and made continuous by means of overlaps (or finger joints). In this doctoral dissertation, the effectiveness of spliced CRPs as flexural strengthening reinforcement for RC members was investigated by experimental, analytical and numerical methods. The experimental research includes laboratory tests on (1) RC beams under four-point bending and (2) double-lap shear concrete specimens. The first set of tests examines the behavior of concrete members strengthened with spliced CRPs. Several beams were fabricated and tested, including: (a) unstrengthened, (b) strengthened with spliced CRPs, (c) strengthened with full-length CRPs, and (d) strengthened with full-length and spliced CFRP laminates. The double-lap shear tests serve to characterize the development length and bond strength of two commonly used CRPs. Several small-scale CRPs, with variable bond lengths, were tested to arrive to an accurate estimation of development length and bond strength. Several other specimens were additionally tested to preliminarily examine the effects of bond width and rod spacing. A 3D nonlinear finite element simulation was utilized to further study the response of CRP strengthened RC beams, by extracting essential data, that couldn’t be measured in the experimental tests. Additionally, analytical tools were added to investigate the behavior of tested bond and beam specimens. The first tool complements the double-lap shear tests, and provides mathematical terms for important characteristics of the CRP/concrete bond interface. The second tool investigates concrete cover separation failure, which was observed in the beam testing, for RC beams strengthened with full-length and spliced CRPs.

In these recent years, the strengthening of masonry building has known a massive use of CFRP sheets. Those composite materials glued on the elements to reinforce are exposed to prematurely debonding crisis due to a tension load which is much smaller than the tensile strength of the CFRP. A way to upgrade failure load of CFRP-to-support bonded joint is to reinforce the cohesion between the fibers and the support by the use of mechanicals anchors built with the same fibers of the composite and fastened in the support like "nails". Research on the use of anchors for masonry supports has been limited and, in this framework, there are no experimental analyses related to the design and the placement of fiber anchors. The aim of this thesis is to provide experimental data to quantify the efficiency of the carbon fiber anchors applied on a reinforced fire brick. This is a ground work to study CFRP to masonry bonded joint fastened by fiber "nails". Specifically, the analysis of the displacement and the strain fields of the reinforced surface have been realized by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC), an optical appealing method never used to study a FRP to support bonded joint fastened by FRP anchor. The research demonstrates that the use of the CFRP anchor increases the resistance and the ductility of the reinforcements. The latter are important to augment the mechanical features of the structural members and, especially, to increase the safety of people during earthquakes by avoiding the brittle collapse of the strengthened elements. The digital image correlation has been a good tool for the strain field analysis; strengths and weaknesses of this method have been evaluated

Dans les dernières années, le renforcement des bâtiments en maçonnerie a connu une usure massive des bandes CFRP. Ces matériaux composites, attachés sur les éléments à renforcer, sont exposés à une fracture prématurée pour délaminage (...). Une façon pour accroître la résistance maximale du système renforcé par CFRP est d'améliorer la cohésion entre support et composite en utilisant des ancrages mécaniques. Ces derniers sont réalisés en utilisant les mêmes typologies de fibres de renforcement et en les insérant dans le support comme des «clous». Les recherches scientifiques sur l'usure de cette façon d'ancrage sur support en maçonnerie ont été très limitées et, dans ce contexte, il n'y a pas d'études expérimentales sur le projet et le placement des ancrages. L'objectif principal du présent travail de thèse est de quantifier l'efficacité des ancrages en fibre de carbone appliqués sur brique (...) par les bandes CFRP. Cette recherche est la première phase d'une étude plus vaste sur les systèmes de maçonnerie-CFRP renforcés par « carbon fiber anchor ». Dans l'étude, l'analyse des déplacements et des déformations de la surface renforcée a été faite en utilisant la Corrélation des Images (DIC), une avantageuse méthode optique jamais utilisée pour l'étude des systèmes «support-CFRP band- ancrages».Le présent travail de thèse démontre que les ancrages en CFRP augmentent le résistance maximale et la ductilité des renforcements par bande de composites. Donc, cette typologie d'ancrage augmente la sécurité des personnes pendant les tremblements de terre et ne permettent pas la fracture fragile de la structure renforcée. La corrélation des images a été un bon outil pour l'étude des déformations, des avantages et des inconvénients de cette méthode et ont été évalué pendant la recherche / In these recent years, the strengthening of masonry building has known a massive use of CFRP sheets. Those composite materials glued on the elements to reinforce are exposed to prematurely debonding crisis due to a tension load which is much smaller than the tensile strength of the CFRP. A way to upgrade failure load of CFRP-to-support bonded joint is to reinforce the cohesion between the fibers and the support by the use of mechanicals anchors built with the same fibers of the composite and fastened in the support like “nails”. Research on the use of anchors for masonry supports has been limited and, in this framework, there are no experimental analyses related to the design and the placement of fiber anchors. The aim of this thesis is to provide experimental data to quantify the efficiency of the carbon fiber anchors applied on a reinforced fire brick. This is a ground work to study CFRP to masonry bonded joint fastened by fiber “nails”. Specifically, the analysis of the displacement and the strain fields of the reinforced surface have been realized by means of Digital Image Correlation (DIC), an optical appealing method never used to study a FRP to support bonded joint fastened by FRP anchor. The research demonstrates that the use of the CFRP anchor increases the resistance and the ductility of the reinforcements. The latter are important to augment the mechanical features of the structural members and, especially, to increase the safety of people during earthquakes by avoiding the brittle collapse of the strengthened elements. The digital image correlation has been a good tool for the strain field analysis; strengths and weaknesses of this method have been evaluated

Le remplacement des couches supérieures des chaussées bitumineuses par des couches à module plus élevé est une technique courante pour augmenter leur durée de vie et intéressante pour les adapter à de nouveaux usages. Parmi les solutions de matériaux existantes, le béton de ciment (cas ponctuel de l’urbain) ou plus communément les enrobés bitumineux renforcés par grilles sont utilisés. Savoir dimensionner ces structures multicouches complexes et s’assurer d’un bon collage de leurs couches entre elles restent actuellement deux défis majeurs. L’objectif de cette thèse est de caractériser le collage des interfaces enrobés / grille en fibre de verre à partir d’échantillons prélevés sur site réel. Un essai de rupture en mode I, dit essai de fendage par coin (WST) est choisi. La géométrie des éprouvettes est adaptée pour tester la rupture d’interfaces de tels matériaux assemblés sur une surface suffisamment importante pour comporter au moins 3x3 mailles. La technique de corrélation d’images numériques est utilisée pour suivre le décollement et sa propagation. Les essais sont réalisés en statique à vitesse constante de déplacement à l’air ambiant ou sous eau à température contrôlée. L’étude du décollement d’interfaces très résistantes à l’initiation montre la cohérence, simplicité et validité des résultats d’essais WST par rapport à ceux obtenus précédemment en laboratoire (statique, fatigue) et accéléré in situ. Les nombreux tests et différentes analyses des essais WST appliqués aux matériaux du projet ANR SolDuGri permettent de différentier de façon prometteuse la caractérisation du collage des grilles testées. Ils montrent l’intérêt de disposer d’un tel essai de laboratoire. / Replacing the damaged bituminous pavement top-layers by ones with higher modulus is a common technique to extend their service life and an interesting solution to adapt roads to new uses. Among the various existing alternatives, the cement concrete (punctual case of the urban) or the most commonly one which is the reinforcement of bituminous pavement with glass fiber grid are used. Designing those complex multilayer structures and ensuring a good bonding between their layers are currently two major challenges. The objective of this thesis is to characterize the bond at the interface between asphalt layers and glass fiber grid using specimens extracted from actual field pavement. The fracture mode I test, named the Wedge Splitting Test (WST), is chosen. The geometry of the specimens is adapted in order to study the interfacial fracture behaviour of such materials assembled in a surface large enough to obtain a minimum of 3x3 meshes of the tested grids. Digital Image Correlation technique is used to monitor the debonding and its propagation. Tests are conducted under static condition with a constant imposed displacement rate at ambient air or underwater and controlled temperatures. The study of the debonding of interfaces with high resistance for the initiation shows the coherence, the simplicity and the validity of the WST results compared to those obtained previously in laboratory (static, fatigue) andin situ accelerated test. Applied to several materials of the ANR SolDuGri project, the numerous tests and various analyses of the WST allow differentiating with a promising way the bond characterization of the tested grids. They show the benefit of such a laboratory test.

Aging bridges in the United States demand effective, efficient, and economical strengthening techniques to meet future traffic requirements. One such technique is to bond steel or fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plates to the tension faces of reinforced concrete bridge beams with adhesives to strengthen them in flexure. However, beams that have been flexurally strengthened in this manner often fail prematurely, in particular by plate end peeling. The benefits of flexural strengthening by externally bonded reinforcement can only be fully realized by preventing premature failure modes so as to allow the development of composite action between the beam and the external reinforcement. With this goal in mind, several critical limit states of externally reinforced beams are examined in this thesis. Models developed by Roberts (1989) and by Colotti, Spadea, and Swamy (2004) that predict premature plate end debonding are examined in depth using data from previously conducted experimental programs that employed both steel and FRP external reinforcement. In addition, various parameters of the concrete beam, adhesive, and external reinforcement are analyzed in each model to determine the role of each parameter in failure prediction. A critical appraisal of the performance of the models using existing experimental data leads to the selection of the Roberts (1989) model. This model is used to develop recommended design guidelines for flexurally strengthening reinforced concrete bridge beams with externally bonded FRP plates and for preventing premature plate peeling.

Ageing infrastructure that is shear deficient and may be at risk of brittle collapse, particularly in seismically active regions, can be economically strengthened using externally bonded fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP). Although many studies have been conducted on small-scale specimens subject to monotonic loading, little experimental data exists for large-scale specimens and those tested under reversed cyclic loading to simulate a seismic event. An experimental study of large-scale (400 mm x 650 mm) beam specimens strengthened in shear with FRP was conducted to examine the effects of reversed cyclic loading and to quantify material shear strength contributions. Testing showed that FRP retrofits were highly effective at improving shear performance and were not adversely affected by reversed cyclic loading prior to the occurrence of flexural yielding. The shear resistance attributed to concrete was found to remain relatively consistent with reversed cyclic loading prior to flexural yielding, after which point concrete strength decay was apparent. The loss of concrete shear resistance directly influenced the rate of FRP straining and the achievable ductility. An analytical model using the Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) was developed for externally bonded FRP reinforcement to describe the experimental behaviour and to evaluate the accuracy of current FRP design methods. Failures were accurately modelled when appropriate FRP strain limits were used for the ultimate strength and for the stress transfer capacity across the shear crack. Proposed FRP strain limits were developed considering the strain distribution along the crack plane. In addition, improved strain limits incorporate the effect of rupture failure due to stress concentrations in the FRP wrapped around the beam corners. The proposed FRP formulations offer improved accuracy over the current FRP design methods (CSA S6-06 and ACI 440.2R-08), which suggest a broadly applied maximum strain limit of 0.004 mm/mm, which was determined to be overly conservative for FRP rupture failures.

Ageing infrastructure that is shear deficient and may be at risk of brittle collapse, particularly in seismically active regions, can be economically strengthened using externally bonded fibre-reinforced polymers (FRP). Although many studies have been conducted on small-scale specimens subject to monotonic loading, little experimental data exists for large-scale specimens and those tested under reversed cyclic loading to simulate a seismic event. An experimental study of large-scale (400 mm x 650 mm) beam specimens strengthened in shear with FRP was conducted to examine the effects of reversed cyclic loading and to quantify material shear strength contributions. Testing showed that FRP retrofits were highly effective at improving shear performance and were not adversely affected by reversed cyclic loading prior to the occurrence of flexural yielding. The shear resistance attributed to concrete was found to remain relatively consistent with reversed cyclic loading prior to flexural yielding, after which point concrete strength decay was apparent. The loss of concrete shear resistance directly influenced the rate of FRP straining and the achievable ductility. An analytical model using the Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) was developed for externally bonded FRP reinforcement to describe the experimental behaviour and to evaluate the accuracy of current FRP design methods. Failures were accurately modelled when appropriate FRP strain limits were used for the ultimate strength and for the stress transfer capacity across the shear crack. Proposed FRP strain limits were developed considering the strain distribution along the crack plane. In addition, improved strain limits incorporate the effect of rupture failure due to stress concentrations in the FRP wrapped around the beam corners. The proposed FRP formulations offer improved accuracy over the current FRP design methods (CSA S6-06 and ACI 440.2R-08), which suggest a broadly applied maximum strain limit of 0.004 mm/mm, which was determined to be overly conservative for FRP rupture failures.

Prestressed hollow core slabs are essential components in structures such as bridges, parking garages, marine structures, and commercial and industrial buildings. Material degradation and altered functional requirements may seriously threaten the structural integrity of these reinforced concrete structures. Using FRP composites, the NSM strengthening technique presents a viable solution to these challenges. However, further investigation is required to establish comprehensive empirical design guidelines. The intent of this research project is to investigate the NSM technique in conjunction with common design concepts such as prestressed concrete, precast hollow core slabs, the complex behaviour of disturbed regions, and fiber-reinforced composite materials. An experimental program was developed, which included eleven full-scale slab specimens, subject to a four-point load configuration. The main parameters included the prestressing reinforcement ratio, CFRP strengthening ratio, and in-service opening location. Experimental results showed that prestressed concrete strengthened in flexure with NSM-CFRP is a viable technique for lower reinforcement ratios.

Some researchers have suggested that the weakest link of dental composites is thefiller-matrix bond. However, due to incompleteness of information dealing with this bond and its stability in a humid environment, it was considered desirable to investigate the effect of water on this region, as well as the influence of filler bonding and filler fraction on compressive strength and therm al expansion. Experimental composites containing different filler fractions of either silane-treatedor untreated fillers were made. Compressive strength and coefficient of thermalexpansion were determined using routine methods, while the hydrolytic degradation was investigated by measuring changes in concentrations of elements in the storagewater using atomic absorption spectrophotom etry. Scanning electron microscopicinvestigations were made on fractured samples. The diffusion coefficient of a representative resin system was determined gravimetrically. Seven commercial composites were investigated regarding hydrolyticdegradation. The filler compositions of these composite materials were determined by emission spectroscopy or energy-dispersive x-ray analysis before storage in distilledwater. This water was replaced and analyzed m onthly using plasma spectrophotom etryor atomic absorption spectrophotom etry. After completed water storage the samples were fractured and investigated by useof scanning electron microscopy.From the results of these studies the following conclusions were drawn: 1. The compressive strength of composites changes linearly with increased fillerfraction. Contrary to bonded fillers, composites containing unbonded fillers loststrength with increased filler fraction. 2. Water diffuses through the polymer m atrix and attacks the filler particles. This degradation is most pronounced for untreated fillers containing glass modifying elements such as sodium, barium and strontium. 3. The resin, used as a matrix, influences the speed with which the hydrolyticdegradation of the filler proceeds. 4. The hydrolytic degradation of the filler seemed to be associated w ith micro-crackform ation occurring in the matrix. Of the investigated composites, the micro-filledresin showed the lowest frequency of such crack formations. 5. The coefficient of ther al expansion decreases linearly with increased fillerfraction. Silane treatment did not influence this coefficient. 6. Using a simplified model to predict stresses in a particle filled composite indicatesthat rather high stress levels are induced in the polymer m atrix due to polym erizationshrinkage. This shrinkage induces radial compressive and tangential tensilestresses with respect to the filler surface. Increased filler fraction increases thetangential tensile stresses but reduces the compressive radial stresses. / <p>S. 1-66: sammanfattning, s. 67-168: 6 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu