I en kantviksmaskin som används för plåtbockning sker oönskade deformationer i mekanismen som klämmer fast arbetsmaterialet. Risken finns att deformationerna gör så arbetsmaterialet flyttas och det kan påverka positionen för bockningen.Målet med studien var att mäta laster och deformationer i kantviksmaskinen och sammanställa mätdata för att jämföra med FEM-analyser av konstruktionen och till grund för framtida arbete med maskinen. Problemet undersöktes genom att utföra mätningar med LVDT-givare och en lastcell. Mätresultatet visade att det blev en förskjutning och vid fastklämningen av arbetsmaterialet varierade klämkraften. FEM-analyserna kom upp i en lägre förskjutning än den uppmätta. Det finns då misstanke om att en del av förskjutningen kan bero på en mekanism för verktygsbyte. För att bekräfta detta behöver mätningar genomföras som kan visa bidraget av deformation från denna mekanism. FEM-analyserna gjordes med olika lastfördelning för att motsvara klämkraften. Analysen med en uppdelad last var baserad på klämkraftens fördelning som var uppmätt och det gav en fördelning av förskjutningen som var lik den uppmätta. För framtida analyser rekommenderas att använda denna eller en liknande lastfördelning. Utifrån mätningar och analyser konstateras det att överprismat böjs och vrids under klämningen. Detta i sin tur ändrar öververktygens position samt bidrar till att klämning inte sker i mittenpositionerna. / In an edge folding machine, used for sheet metal bending, which have undesired deformations in the mechanism that clamps the work material there is a risk that the deformations will cause the work material to be moved and this can affect the position of the bending. The aim of the study was to measure loads and deformations in the edge folding machine and compile measurement data to compare with FEM-analyzes of the design to get a basis for future work with the machine. The problem was investigated by carrying out measurements with LVDT-sensors and a load cell. The results showed that there was a displacement in the clamping of the work material and that the clamping force varied. The FEM-analyzes came up in a lower displacement than the measured one. A possible conjecture could be that a part of the displacement may be due to the tool change mechanism. To confirm this, measurements need to be performed which can show the contribution of deformation from this mechanism. The FEM-analyzes were made with different load distribution to correspond to the clamping force. The analysis with a divided load where the sectioning was based on the distribution of the clamping force that was measured gave a distribution of the displacement that was similar to the measured. For future analyzes it is recommended to use this or a similar load distribution. Based on measurements and analyzes it is found that the upper prism is bent and twisted during the clamping. This changes the position of the top tools and contribute to no clamping in the middle positions.

Ce travail de thèse s’est inséré dans la problématique du stockage de déchets radioactifs en formation argileuse profonde. Il porte en particulier sur l’étude de la fissuration hydrique induite par la désaturation et resaturation de la roche en paroi des galeries de la station expérimentale de Tournemire (Averyon, France). Cette étude a visé à identifier les déterminismes microstructuraux et minéralogiques de la fissuration hydrique des argilites de Tournemire, en couplant au laboratoire la Corrélation d’Images Numériques (CIN) et la Microscopie Electronique à Balayage (MEB). Deux échantillons d’argilite de Tournemire ont été soumis à des variations d’humidités différentes par chocs et par paliers progressifs. La CIN a permis de mettre en évidence l’influence de l’humidité et de la teneur en eau sur l’amplitude de l’ouverture des fissures et des déformations à différentes échelles. Cette étude a également permis de mettre en lumière l’influence du chargement hydrique sur l’organisation des réseaux de fractures. Une cartographie minéralogique sur un champ plurimillimétrique en haute résolution a été également mise en œuvre au MEB sur ces deux échantillons d’argilites. Cette cartographie a permis d’apporter des données qualitatives et quantitatives sur l’anisotropie microstructurale et minéralogique de la roche argileuse et de proposer une estimation de la surface élémentaire représentative du système grain/matrice pour des zones à tendance argileuse.Le couplage de la CIN avec le MEB a révélé l’importance des hétérogénéités microstructurales relatives à la proportion, taille, élongation et orientation moyennes des inclusions rigides présentes dans la matrice argileuse de la roche, sur la localisation des fissures hydriques. / This study is included in the issues of a nuclear waste storage in deep geological clay formations. It concerns the cracking phenomenon due to desaturation and saturation processes of the argillaceous medium on gallery walls of the Underground Laboratory of Tournemire (Aveyron, France). The work presented here aims to identify in laboratory the different mineralogical factors which control the cracking generated by humidity variations, coupling two methods: the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).Two clay rock samples were submitted to swelling/shrinkage processes by fast bumps or gradual humidity variations. The DIC method enabled to reveal the influence of humidity and water content on crack widths and deformations intensity to different scales. This study highlighted the part of humidity variations on evolution and width of crack networks while comparing the results obtained by different conditions of humidity variations.A mineralogical map was investigated on a millimeter field with high resolution on two clay rock samples. It allowed to: quantify the microstructural anisotropy of the rock, and estimate the size of a representative elementary surface of a microstructural system composed of coarse grains and clay matrix, for argillaceous areas.The DIC-SEM approach has shown the closed relation between the location of microstructural heterogeneities such as local proportion of coarse grains and clay matrix, medium size, length ratio and orientation of coarse grains, with the position of the hydric cracks.

by Cheung, Shing Kwong. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 137-143). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese.

Les Alpes et les Pyrénées sont des chaînes de montagnes en domaine que l’on peut quasiment qualifier d’intraplaque compte tenu des taux de déformation horizontaux si faibles qu’on ne peut actuellement pas les quantifier avec la géodésie. Pourtant, la déformation tectonique et la sismicité actuelles en Europe occidentale sont essentiellement concentrées dans ces chaînes de montagnes. Nocquet (2012) a montré que le taux de déformation à travers l'Europe occidentale est faible et reste en dessous des incertitudes sur les mesures. Le mouvement horizontal à travers les Pyrénées et les Alpes occidentales est de l’ordre de ~0 ± 0.5 mm/an.Pour étudier la déformation tectonique dans les Alpes occidentales et les Pyrénées, nous avons calculé l’évolution des positions de 166 stations GPS permanentes des réseaux RENAG, RGP, EUREF et IGS. La longueur des séries temporelles varie de 1,8 à 16,0 ans. Les données ont été traitées en utilisant une approche de positionnement ponctuel précis (PPP). Nous avons examiné l'influence de différentes corrections sur des estimations de vitesses horizontale et verticale: (1) les paramètres d’irrégularité de rotation de la Terre (ERP), (2) la fonction de projection globale (GMF) et la fonction de projection de Vienne (VMF1) des retards troposphériques, (3) les modèles du centre de phase des antennes (APC).En général, les effets du modèle troposphérique, des corrections ERP et APC sont négligeables en termes de vitesses horizontales. Cependant, les corrections ERP et APC affectent les vitesses verticales avec des différences de l’ordre de ~ 0.5 mm/an. Nous avons également analysé les effets sur les séries temporelles des corrections de surcharge liées austockage de l'eau continental (GLDAS), la pression atmosphérique (ATML), et la surcharge océanique (NTOL). En moyenne, le résultat des corrections de surcharge combinant les trois modèles (GLDAS + ATML + NTOL) induit une augmentation des signaux saisonniers de position: les amplitudes annuelles (estimées en utilisant une fonction sinusoïdale de meilleurajustement) sont augmentés de 0.10, 1.55 et 0.50 mm pour les composantes Nord, Est, et Verticale. Ainsi, ce modèle combiné de surcharges ne semble pas être approprié pour corriger les séries temporelles. Les corrections de surcharge ont une influence significative sur les vitesses horizontales et verticales, les moyennes des différences pour les composantes horizontales et verticales sont de 0.24 et 0.55 mm/an par rapport à des vitesses non corrigées.Par conséquent, les modèles de surcharges doivent être améliorées avant de pouvoir être utilisés pour améliorer les estimations de vitesse GPS. Nous avons estimé la durée minimum de données GPS continues nécessaires pour atteindre 7 différents niveaux de précision de vitesse. L'incertitude des estimations de vitesses à partir des séries temporelles GPS dépend fortement de la longueur des séries temporelles. On examine la stabilité et l'incertitude des estimations de vitesses par une analyse de la convergence (c’est à dire, estimation du temps d’observation nécessaire pour obtenir une vitesse proche de celle calculée pour la série temporelle complète). Sur la base de cette analyse, nous estimons que laprécision de 0.5 mm/an est obtenue après une durée moyenne de 4,43 et de 4,78 ans de données continues GPS pour les composantes horizontales et verticales. / The Western Alps and the Pyrenees are mountain ranges that can almost be qualified asintraplate domain given the horizontal deformation rate so low that we cannot currentlyquantify it with geodesy. However, present-day tectonic deformation and seismicity inWestern Europe is essentially concentrated in these mountain ranges. Nocquet (2012) showedthat the deformation rates across Western Europe are so low that they remain belowmeasurement uncertainties, with horizontal motion across the Pyrenees and the Western Alpsof ~0 ± 0.5 mm/yr.To study tectonic deformation in the Western Alps and Pyrenees region, we have analyzed thetimes-series of 166 GPS permanent stations of RGP, RENAG, EUREF and IGS networkswith times-series length from 1,8 to 16,0 years. Data were processed using a Precise PointPositioning (PPP) approach. We have examined the influence of different corrections on thehorizontal and vertical velocities: (1) Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP), (2) Global MappingFunction (GMF) and the Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1) tropospheric delays, (3) absoluteantenna phase center (APC). In general, the influence of the troposphere model, the ERP andAPC corrections are negligible in terms of horizontal velocities. In contrast, ERP and APCcorrections affect vertical velocities with differences at ~0.5 mm/yr level. We have alsoanalyzed the effects of surface mass loading due to changes in continental water storage(GLDAS), atmospheric pressure (ATML), and non-tidal ocean loading (NTOL). On average,the combination of loading corrections (GLDAS + ATML + NTOL) result in an increase inthe seasonal signals: annual amplitudes (estimated using a best-fit sine function) are increasedby 0.10, 1.55 and 0.50 mm for the north, east, and vertical components, respectively. Hence,this combination of loading models does not seem to be appropriate to correct the time-series.Loading corrections have a significant influence on horizontal and vertical velocities(horizontal and vertical average differences of 0.24 and 0.55 mm/yr compared to uncorrectedvelocities). Therefore, the surface loading models must be improved before they can be usedto improve the GPS velocity estimates.We estimated the minimum time spans of GPS continuous data required to achieve 7 differentlevels of velocity precisions. The uncertainty of velocity estimates from GPS time-seriesstrongly depend on the length of time-series data. We examine the stability and uncertainty ofvelocity estimates by a convergence analysis (i.e., estimation of necessary observation time toobtain a velocity close to that calculated for the complete time series). To obtain an unbiasedand realistic comparative analysis, we have compared a synthetic solution of forward andbackward time for velocity and uncertainty estimates. On the basis of this analysis, weestimate that the precision of 0.5 mm/yr in velocity solution is achieved after an average timespan of 4,43 and 4,78 years of continuous GPS data for the horizontal and verticalcomponents, respectively.In this study, the Euler rotation pole for the stable Western European plate in the ITRF2008reference frame was defined from a 62-sites subset with an RMS of residual horizontalvelocities of 0.29 mm/yr level. The Euler pole is located at 53.730°N, and -101.856°E and hasa rotation rate of 0.256°/Myr. We also present the present-day velocity field with precisionsbetter than 0.5 mm/yr in the Western Alps and the Pyrenees region. The results show nosignificant vertical movements in the Pyrenees, in contrast with the vertical velocities of theWestern Alps that can reach up to 2.49 mm/yr.

The structure and interactions of the defects in material on an atomistic scale ulti- mately determine the macroscopic behavior of that material. A fundamental understanding of how defects behave is essential for predicting materials failure; this is especially true in an irradiated environment, where defects are created at higher than average rates. In this work, we present two different atomistic scale computational studies of defects in body centered cubic (bcc) iron. First, the interaction energies between screw dislocations (line defects) and various kinds of point defects will be calculated, using anisotropic linear elastic theory and atomistic simulation, and compared. Second, the energetics and behavior of hydrogen and hydrogen-helium gas bubbles will be investigated.

The increasing use of polyethylene in diverse applications motivates the need for understanding how its molecular properties relate to the overall behaviour of the material. Although microstructure and mechanical properties of polymers have been the subject of several studies, the irreversible microstructural rearrangements occurring at large deformations are not completely understood. The purpose of this thesis is to describe how the concepts of Continuum Damage Mechanics can be applied to modelling of polyethylene materials under different loading conditions. The first part of the thesis consists of the theoretical formulation and numerical implementation of a three-dimensional micromechanical model for crystalline polyethylene. Based on the theory of shear slip on crystallographic planes, the proposed model is expressed in the framework of viscoplasticity coupled with degradation at large deformations. Earlier models aid in the interpretation of the mechanical behaviour of crystalline polyethylene under different loading conditions; however, they cannot predict the microstructural damage caused by deformation. The model, originally due to Parks and Ahzi (1990), was further developed in the light of the concept of Continuum Damage Mechanics to consider the original microstructure, the particular irreversible rearrangements, and the deformation mechanisms. Damage mechanics has been a matter of intensive research by many authors, yet it has not been introduced to the micromodelling of semicrystalline polymeric materials such as polyethylene. Regarding the material representation, the microstructure is simplified as an aggregate of randomly oriented and perfectly bonded crystals. To simulate large deformations, the new constitutive model attempts to take into account existence of intracrystalline microcracks. The second part of the work presents the theoretical formulation and numerical implementation of a three-dimensional constitutive model for the mechanical behaviour of semicrystalline polyethylene. The model proposed herein attempts to describe the deformation and degradation process in semicrystalline polyethylene following the approach of damage mechanics. Structural degradation, an important phenomenon at large deformations, has not received sufficient attention in the literature. The modifications to the constitutive equations consist essentially of introducing the concept of Continuum Damage Mechanics to describe the rupture of the intermolecular (van der Waals) bonds that hold crystals as coherent structures. In order to model the mechanical behaviour, the material morphology is simplified as a collection of inclusions comprising the crystalline and amorphous phases with their characteristic average volume fractions. In the spatial arrangement, each inclusion consists of crystalline material lying in a thin lamella attached to an amorphous layer. To consider microstructural damage, two different approaches are analyzed. The first approach assumes damage occurs only in the crystalline phase, i.e., degradation of the amorphous phase is ignored. The second approach considers the effect of damage on the mechanical behaviour of both the amorphous and crystalline phases. To illustrate the proposed constitutive formulations, the models were used to predict the responses of crystalline and semicrystalline polyethylene under uniaxial tension and simple shear. The numerical simulations were compared with experimental data previously obtained by Bartczak et al. (1994), G‘Sell and Jonas (1981), G‘Sell et al. (1983), Hillmansen et al. (2000), and Li et al. (2001). Our model’s predictions show a consistently good agreement with the experimental results and a significant improvement with respect to the ones obtained by Parks and Ahzi (1990), Schoenfeld et al. (1995), Yang and Chen (2001), Lee et al. (1993b), Lee et al. (1993a), and Nikolov et al. (2006). The newly proposed formulations demonstrate that these types of constitutive models based on Continuum Damage Mechanics are appropriate for predicting large deformations and failure in polyethylene materials.

The increasing use of polyethylene in diverse applications motivates the need for understanding how its molecular properties relate to the overall behaviour of the material. Although microstructure and mechanical properties of polymers have been the subject of several studies, the irreversible microstructural rearrangements occurring at large deformations are not completely understood. The purpose of this thesis is to describe how the concepts of Continuum Damage Mechanics can be applied to modelling of polyethylene materials under different loading conditions. The first part of the thesis consists of the theoretical formulation and numerical implementation of a three-dimensional micromechanical model for crystalline polyethylene. Based on the theory of shear slip on crystallographic planes, the proposed model is expressed in the framework of viscoplasticity coupled with degradation at large deformations. Earlier models aid in the interpretation of the mechanical behaviour of crystalline polyethylene under different loading conditions; however, they cannot predict the microstructural damage caused by deformation. The model, originally due to Parks and Ahzi (1990), was further developed in the light of the concept of Continuum Damage Mechanics to consider the original microstructure, the particular irreversible rearrangements, and the deformation mechanisms. Damage mechanics has been a matter of intensive research by many authors, yet it has not been introduced to the micromodelling of semicrystalline polymeric materials such as polyethylene. Regarding the material representation, the microstructure is simplified as an aggregate of randomly oriented and perfectly bonded crystals. To simulate large deformations, the new constitutive model attempts to take into account existence of intracrystalline microcracks. The second part of the work presents the theoretical formulation and numerical implementation of a three-dimensional constitutive model for the mechanical behaviour of semicrystalline polyethylene. The model proposed herein attempts to describe the deformation and degradation process in semicrystalline polyethylene following the approach of damage mechanics. Structural degradation, an important phenomenon at large deformations, has not received sufficient attention in the literature. The modifications to the constitutive equations consist essentially of introducing the concept of Continuum Damage Mechanics to describe the rupture of the intermolecular (van der Waals) bonds that hold crystals as coherent structures. In order to model the mechanical behaviour, the material morphology is simplified as a collection of inclusions comprising the crystalline and amorphous phases with their characteristic average volume fractions. In the spatial arrangement, each inclusion consists of crystalline material lying in a thin lamella attached to an amorphous layer. To consider microstructural damage, two different approaches are analyzed. The first approach assumes damage occurs only in the crystalline phase, i.e., degradation of the amorphous phase is ignored. The second approach considers the effect of damage on the mechanical behaviour of both the amorphous and crystalline phases. To illustrate the proposed constitutive formulations, the models were used to predict the responses of crystalline and semicrystalline polyethylene under uniaxial tension and simple shear. The numerical simulations were compared with experimental data previously obtained by Bartczak et al. (1994), G‘Sell and Jonas (1981), G‘Sell et al. (1983), Hillmansen et al. (2000), and Li et al. (2001). Our model’s predictions show a consistently good agreement with the experimental results and a significant improvement with respect to the ones obtained by Parks and Ahzi (1990), Schoenfeld et al. (1995), Yang and Chen (2001), Lee et al. (1993b), Lee et al. (1993a), and Nikolov et al. (2006). The newly proposed formulations demonstrate that these types of constitutive models based on Continuum Damage Mechanics are appropriate for predicting large deformations and failure in polyethylene materials.

Shape memory alloys are a class of alloys that display the unique ability to undergo large plastic deformations and return to their original shape either through the application of heat (shape memory effect) or by relieving the stress causing the deformation (superelastic effect). This research takes advantage of the unique characteristics of shape memory alloys in order to provide a moment resisting connection with recentering capabilities. In this study, superelastic Nitinol, a nickel-titanium form of shape memory alloy that exhibits a flag-shaped stress versus strain curve, is used as the moment transfer elements within a partially restrained steel beam-column connection. Experimental testing consists of a one-half scale interior connection where the loading is applied at the column tip. A pseudo-static cyclic loading history is used which is intended to simulate earthquake loadings. The energy dissipation characteristics, moment-rotation characteristics, and deformation capacity of the connection are quantified. Results are then compared to tests where A36 steel tendons are used as the moment transfer elements. The superelastic Nitinol tendon connection showed superior performance to the A36 steel tendon connection, including the ability to recenter without residual deformation.

Current production methods for creating a motion system for a deformable digital character model involve providing an underlying joint structure based o of a T-Pose, A-Pose or another arbitrary bind pose of the character. A bind pose is required to establish the skeleton-to-geometry spatial relationship that will be used as a mathematical reference to determine geometry deformations in animated poses. Using a set of human motion capture performances as input animation, the impact of the standard T-Pose and A-Pose on the stretching and compression of human character model geometry is compared relative to novel mean poses derived from each performance. Results demonstrate that using an averaged joint position of each specific performance as the bind pose for the performance reduces the overall deformation of the model. Appropriate applications of the mean pose as a bind pose could impact the resources required to repair deformation artifacts in animated deformable digital characters.

<p>Joints are critical parts of timber structures, transmitting static and dynamic forces between structural members. The ultimate behavior of a loaded building depends strongly on the structural configuration and the capacity of the joints. The collapse of a whole building or less extensive accidents that may occur is usually starting as a local failure inside or in the vicinity of a joint. Such serious failures have recently occurred in our Nordic countries. Especially the collapse of two large glued laminated timber structures clearly indicates the need of an improved joint design. The trend toward larger and more complex structures even further increases the importance of a safer design of the joints.</p><p>An aim of this partly experimental and partly numerically based thesis has been to investigate if steel-to-timber dowel joints are affected by moisture-induced stresses. The experimental results showed that the load-bearing capacity of the joints is reduced by such a moisture influence. Most of the decrease in load-bearing capacity observed was found in joints initially exposed to restrained shrinkage deformations caused by the presence of dowel fasteners in the joint area. The load-bearing capacity was, however, also found to decrease in joints exposed to an initial decrease in moisture without any fasteners present in the specimens during storage before loading. An explanation of this unexpected behavior is that moisture gradients cause tensile stresses. It is shown by numerical simulations that the moisture-induced stresses are so large that they may have a considerable influence on the joint behavior.</p><p>Use of contact-free measurement methods, used in some of the experimental tests, was in many ways found to be superior to traditional measurement techniques, but was also found to be a valuable complement to the numerical analysis performed. From numerical results obtained in combination with results from contact-free measurements several observations of considerable interest were made. For dowel-type joints loaded in tension parallel to the grain a strongly non-uniform strain distribution was found in the joint area. It was further observed that the shear and tensile strains were concentrated close to the fasteners in the joint area. These concentrations will influence the failure mode of the joint. A general observation was that the larger sized joints failed in a brittle manner.</p><p>Keywords: constraint stresses, contact-free measurement, dowel-type joints, humidity variations, moisture-induced deformations, timber structures</p>