This thesis has investigated the application of CFRP and GFRP bars as longitudinal reinforcement for continuously supported concrete beams. Two series of simply and continuously supported CFRP and GFRP reinforced concrete beams were tested in flexure. In addition, a continuously supported steel reinforced concrete beam was tested for comparison purposes. The FRP reinforced concrete continuous beams were reinforced in a way to accomplish three possible reinforcement combinations at the top and bottom layers of such continuous beams. The experimental results revealed that over-reinforcing the bottom layer of either the simply or continuously supported FRP beams is a key factor in controlling the width and propagation of cracks, enhancing the load capacity, and reducing the deflection of such beams. However, continuous concrete beams reinforced with CFRP bars exhibited a remarkable wide crack over the middle support that significantly influenced their behaviour. The ACI 440.1R-06 equations have been validated against experimental results of beams tested. Comparisons between experimental results and those obtained from simplified methods proposed by the ACI 440 Committee show that ACI 440.1R-06 equations can reasonably predict the load capacity and deflection of the simply and continuously supported GFRP reinforced concrete beams tested. However, The potential capabilities of these equations for predicting the load capacity and deflection of continuous CFRP reinforced concrete beams have, however, been adversely affected by the de-bonding of top CFRP bars from concrete. An analytical technique, which presents an iterative procedure based on satisfying force equilibrium and deformation compatibility conditions, has been introduced in this research. This technique developed a computer program to investigate flexural behaviour in particular the flexural strength and deflection of simple and continuously supported FRP reinforced concrete beams. The analytical modelling program has been compared against different prediction methods, namely ACI 440, the bilinear method, mean moment inertia method and Benmokrane's method. This comparison revealed the reliability of this programme in producing more enhanced results in predicting the behaviour of the FRP reinforced beams more than the above stated methods.

Power system fault detection is conventionally achieved using current and potential measurements. An alternate and unconventional form of protective relaying is feasible using rigid bus conductor motion as the means of detection. The research presented focuses on the detection of power system faults using visual displacement of conductor spans. Substation rigid bus conductor motion is modeled using dual spring-mass systems for accurate representation of conductor response to electromagnetic forces generated during system faults. Bundled rigid conductors have advantages including detection independent of system load currents and improved ability to detect polyphase and single phase faults. The dynamic motion of the conductors during the fault is optically monitored with a laser detection system. Timeovercurrent characteristics are derived for the application of fault detection. The response time of the conductor detector system is slower than conventional relays due to the natural frequencies of the conductor span limiting the speed of its displacement. This response time makes the fault detection system using conductor displacement an ideal candidate for a backup relay in power system protection schemes.

The solar wind interaction with an icy comet is studied through a model problem. A hybrid simulation is done of a box with evenly distributed water ions and protons, where initially the water ions are stationary, and protons move with the speed of the solar wind. The purpose of the thesis is to investigate the interaction between the two species through the convective electric field, and focus is on early acceleration of pick-up ions, and deflection of the solar wind. It is relevant to the cometary case, because it enables study of the physics of this interaction, without involving other mechanisms, such as bow shock, magnetic field pile-up and draping. The species are found to exchange kinetic energy similar to a damped oscillator, where the dampening is caused by kinetic energy being transferred to the magnetic field. At early times, i.e. times smaller than the gyration time for the water ions, the solar wind does not lose much speed when it is deflected. For comparable number densities, the solar wind can be deflected more than 90° at early times, and loses more speed, and water ions are picked up faster. The total kinetic energy of the system decreases when energy builds up in the magnetic field. The nature of the energy exchange is strongly dependent on the number density ratio between water ions and protons. A density instability with behaviour similar to a plasma beam instability forms as energy in the magnetic field increases, and limits the amount of time the simulation preserves total energy, for the particular hybrid solver used. There is a discussion on the structure of the density instability, and it is compared to cometary simulations.

The present paper studied the buckling phenomena of membranes under tensile load with and without central crack.  The studies of fracture mechanics are tested within certain conditions of membranes. The tensile test has been performed with Al-foil in different crack lengths, i.e. 0 mm, 12.5 mm, 25 mm and 50 mm. The numerical analysis has been carried out by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and comparing with the theoretical and experimental results.  In this paper, the critical buckling behavior is tested, validated and compared. Same observation of patterns in experiments and the simulation are found. The influence of scale factor for imperfection setting are tested.

As obras de infraestrutura rodoviária representam investimentos públicos que influenciam de maneira determinante no desenvolvimento social e econômico de uma região. Pavimentos mal construídos, com controle de qualidade inadequado ou que não atendam às exigências de projeto em termos de características e espessuras dos materiais selecionados representam prejuízos sociais e econômicos na medida em que a deterioração precoce do pavimento implica em aumentos crescentes nos custos diretos e indiretos relacionados à conservação e operação rodoviária. Desta maneira, torna-se imprescindível que sejam adotadas medidas de garantia da qualidade da construção de modo que o investimento apresente melhores condições de atingir o retorno esperado, tal como planejado. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo realizar revisão bibliográfica e propor ferramentas auxiliares de análise voltados ao controle deflectométrico do sistema de fundação dos pavimentos. Os estudos realizados baseiam-se em critérios estatísticos de análise e em critérios de ruptura adotados nos métodos de dimensionamento em uso corrente no Brasil e no exterior. Simulações e estudos de casos são utilizados na validação e apresentação dos modelos propostos. / The infrastructure road projects represent investments, often public, that influence in a decisive way on social and economic development of a region. Poorly constructed pavements with inadequate quality control or that do not meet design requirements in terms of selected materials characteristics and thickness represent social and economic losses since the early deterioration of the pavement results in incremental increases in direct and indirect costs related the road maintenance and operation. Thus, it is essential that actions be taken to guarantee the construction quality so that investments are more likely to achieve the expected return as planned. In this context, this research aims to conduct a literature review and propose auxiliary analysis tools related with nondestructive deflection tests in the pavements foundation systems. The studies will be based in statistical analysis criteria and failure criteria adopted in design methods currently in use in Brazil and abroad. Simulations and study cases are used in the validation and presentation of the proposed models.

Neste trabalho são estudados dois problemas, como resumidos abaixo: Parte I - Deflexão Solar do Gráviton Neste trabalho calculamos o ângulo de deflexão do gráviton pelo Sol através de sua seção de choque diferencial de espalhamento. A expressão para a seção de choque é obtida através de uma teoria semi-clássica. O resultado obtido para o ângulo de desvio do gráviton, para pequenos ângulos, é o mesmo atribuído à luz, na sua geodésica nula. O conteúdo deste trabalho deu origem ao artigo: Ragusa, S. and Céleri, L. C., Gen. Relativ.. Solar Grauitational Deflection of a Graviton. 35, 1125 (2003). Parte II - Energia Gravitacional em uma Teoria Não-Simétrica da Gravitação A ausência de modos radiativos de energia negativa numa proposta teoria da gravitação baseada em uma métrica não-simétrica é reanalizada. Isto porque a contribuição de uma parte da lagrangeana deixou de ser considerada. Mostramos aqui que tal contribuição para a energia é nula. O caráter de positividade da energia na teoria fica então firmemente estabelecido. O conteúdo deste trabalho deu origem ao trabalho: Ragusa, S. and Céleri, L. C. Ghost-free Analysis of a Nonsymmetric Theory of Gravitation. Aceito para publicação no Brazilian Journal of Physics. / In this work two problems are studied, as summarized below: Part I - Deflection of the Solar Gráviton. This work calculated the deflection angle of the sun through the graviton your section of the shock of differential scattering. The term for the section of shock is obtained through a semi-classical theory. The result obtained for the angle of deflection of graviton for small angles, it is assigned to light, in its null geodesic. The content of this work led to the article: Ragusa, S. and rapid, L. C., Gen. Relative.. Solar Gravitational Deflection of the Graviton. 35, 1125 (2003). Part II - Energy in a Gravitational Theory of Non-Symmetric Gravitation. The absence of radiation modes of negative energy in a proposed theory of gravitation based on a non-symmetric metric is re-analyzed. This is because the contribution of part of lagrangean no longer be considered. We here show that this contribution to the energy is zero. The positive character of the energy in the theory is then firmly established. The content of this work led to the work: Ragusa, S. and rapid, L. C. Ghost-free Analysis of the Nonsymmetric Theory of Gravitation. Accepted for publication in Brazilian Journal of Physics.

Bakgrund: En bärande formbyggnad har uppgiften att bära den färska betongen tills bjälklaget uppnått tillräcklig hållfasthet. Kostnaden för formbyggnaden står för en stor andel av den totala kostnaden. En tidigare formrivning ligger därför i entreprenörens intresse att göra projektet mer effektivt och lönsamt. Syftet med den här studien är att studera vilka faktorer som begränsar en tidigare formrivning. Metod: En Revitmodell importerades till Robot Structural Analysis där linjärelastiska analyser har genomförts. Delmodeller skapades beroende på studerad fråga. Produktionsplanering Betong (PPB) användes för att simulera betongens hållfasthetsutveckling. Elasticitetsmodulen beräknades och reducerades med kryptal för att använda det effektiva kryptalet vid analyserna. Dimensioner på stämpen har hämtats från formleverantörens hemsida och laster från Eurocode. Resultat: Studien visar att sprickor uppstår över väggar vid en tidigare formrivning. Resultatet i den här studien visar även att de initiella nedböjningarna samt stämplasterna är obetydliga vid en tidigare formrivning. När stämpning sker mot bottenplattan tar säkerhetsstämpen upp den mesta av lasten. När säkerhetsstämpen avlastas helt från bottenvåningen utsätts betongbjälklagen för högre moment och nedböjning. / Background: A load bearing formwork has the task of carrying the fresh concrete until the floor has reached sufficient strength. The cost of the formwork account for a large proportion of the total cost. Therefore, an earlier removal of the formwork is in the entrepreneur´s interest, to make the project more efficient and profitable. The purpose of this work is to study which factors limit an earlier removal of the formwork. Method: A Revit model was imported into Robot Structural Analysis where linear elastic analyzes have been done. Sub-models were created depending on the question studied. Produktionsplanering Betong (PPB) was used to simulate the concrete´s strength development. The modulus of elasticity was calculated and reduced by the creep coefficient to use the effective modulus of elasticity in the analyzes. Dimensions of the shores have been taken from the supplier´s website and loads from Eurocode. Results: The study shows that cracks occur over walls when removing the formwork earlier. The results of this study also show that the initial deflections and the shoring loads are insignificant at an earlier removal of the formwork. While using reshores against the bottom plate, the reshores takes up most of the loads. When the reshores are fully unloaded from the ground floor, the concrete floor is exposed for higher moment and deflections.

L’objectif de cette thèse est l’étude et le développement d’un outil de planification de trajectoires adaptatives guidée par robot afin d’assister l’insertion des aiguilles biseautées semi-rigides en procédures percutanées sous imagerie scanner ou IRM. L’approche est basée sur un nouveau modèle de la déflexion de l’aiguille qui permet une prédiction hors ligne des déformations de l’aiguille et une amélioration des performances d’insertion en ligne. Cette amélioration permet de compenser les incertitudes sur les connaissances de l’environnement et les approximations lors de la modélisation de l’aiguille. Les résultats des tests in vitro pour différentes plateformes robotiques ont confirmé la viabilité de la méthode proposée. / The goal of this thesis is the study and development of a tool for robot-driven adaptive needle insertion planning in order to assist percutaneous insertions of beveled semi-rigid needles guided by CT or MR images. The approach is based on a novel needle deflection prediction model that provides offline predictions and improve online the needle insertion performance. This improvement allows to compensate for environment uncertainties and approximations of needle-tissue interactions modeling. Results obtained from in vitro tests, using different robot platforms confirmed the viability of our method.

A flexão da ferramenta, em operações de fresamento de topo, é responsável por interferir negativamente na qualidade superficial da peça a ser usinada e, muitas vezes, pela quebra prematura da mesma. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo estudar experimentalmente os efeitos da flexão de fresas de topo com 0,8 mm de diâmetro no processo de microfresamento. Os ensaios experimentais foram realizados com o intuito de identificar quais parâmetros de corte apresentam maior influência na flexão da ferramenta. Os parâmetros de corte escolhidos para estudo foram: velocidade de corte, velocidade de avanço, profundidade de usinagem e penetração de trabalho. Os ensaios investigam, além das faixas de parâmetros recomendados pelo fabricante da ferramenta, uma condição 25% acima e outra 25% abaixo para todos os parâmetros estudados. O monitoramento de forças de corte foi realizado em todos os ensaios. As forças obtidas se mostraram diretamente relacionadas com a área de secção de corte, conforme teoria básica. Para fins comparativos, a força máxima obtida experimentalmente foi aplicada na simulação com elementos finitos (FEM - Finite Element Method) da ferramenta e indicou um comportamento similar ao de uma viga engastada. A análise microscópica do aspecto superficial da usinagem mostrou que menores avanços por dente resultam em um melhor acabamento confirmando resultados do processo convencional. O conhecimento do efeito dos parâmetros de corte no processo de microfresamento tem o intuito de oferecer informações às empresas do setor no sentido de melhorar o planejamento e processo de fabricação. / The tool deflection, in end milling operations, is responsible to intervene negatively on the workpiece surface quality and can also cause a premature tool failure (breakage).The present work aims at studying experimentally the effects of tool deflection when end milling with 0,8 mm diameter in microoperations. The experimental tests had intended to identify which parameters of milling show more influence in tool deflection. The chosen milling parameters for the study were: cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and step over. The tests aim to investigate, beside the recommended parameters from tool manufacturer, a 25% higher and 25% lower conditions. The force acquisition was made in all tests. The measured forces shown that they are directly related to the uncut chip cross section, in accordance with theory. For comparative purpose, the maximum experimental force value was applied in the finite elements method (FEM) simulation of the tool and indicates a similar behavior of an encastré beam. The microscopic analysis of the superficial aspect of the milling showed that smaller feed per tooth results in better finishing, as observed in the conventional process. The knowledge of the effect of the cutting parameters in the micromilling process has the intention of offering information for industries to improve the planning and process of manufacturing.

The introduction of high strength concrete in construction demanded an assessment of the current methods of structural design. In the case of the slabs, the benefits brought about by concretes of higher strength could translate into design of slender sections. Theoretically these sections could be prone to excessive deflections. The flexural behaviour of such structural elements should be carefully assessed. The present thesis addresses a series of particular issues such as deflection at service loads, crack formation and development of tension stiffening and ductility. An experimental program on large-scale samples was conducted. Six one way and four two way slabs made of reinforced high strength concrete were tested under simulated and accurately measured equally distributed loads. Different loading stages were recorded. Crack formation, crack patterns and yield line disposition were observed. The main characteristics of concrete that influence the deflection behaviour were assessed based on collected data and on available literature results. Statistical methods were employed in order to refine empirical equations that help in the design of slabs. To improve the calculation of deflection of slabs a new equation for the effective moment of inertia was proposed. The new formula was integrated into a method of calculating deflection and verified against experimental results. Limits of the use of high strength concrete in slabs were investigated by means of a parametric study. This was designed to answer some questions as: which would be the most important characteristics of high-strength concrete that influence the design and up to what value of strength would the beneficial effect on deflection exhaust its effectiveness. Models based on the refined empirical equations for different concrete parameters were proposed. Another area that has been studied was the ductility of high strength concrete slabs. An analytical comparative study of the ductility of slabs reinforced with steel of different ductility class was conducted. Results were critically appraised and discussed.