In this thesis, the author has drawn on a large body of international research and his own surveys, interviews and experience to examine the interrelated issues of Fatigue and Stress in the long distance sector of the Australian road transport industry. Two major Australian studies are studied in some detail: House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications, Transport and the Arts: Beyond the Midnight Oil, Report into an Inquiry into Managing Fatigue in Transport, Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia October 2000 (The Neville Report) and Quinlan, Michael, Report of an Inquiry into Safety in the Long Haul Sector of the Road Trucking Industry, Motor Accident Authority of NSW, Nov 2001 and the United States of America: Belzer, Michael H., Sweatshop on Wheels: Winners and Losers in Trucking Deregulation, Oxford University Press, New York, 2000, has direct relevance to this study, especially as it relates to the underlying causes of much of the fatigue and stress suffered by long distance drivers. An extensive literature review was undertaken to help form an understanding of the issues and developments relating to workplace fatigue and stress, in several different settings, including the military, aviation and general industry. The author has surveyed a number of long distance drivers and interviewed managers and others linked to this industry, analysed their responses and reported on the findings. Since the commencement of this study, several significant changes have occurred in the relevant legislation and its application, and where possible these have been incorporated into the study / Master of Science (Hons)

An analytical model was developed to simulate the stress state of notched tensile specimens. Actual experiments are being carried out by other investigators to study the relaxation of residual stresses in specimens containing stress raisers. In the present work, the stress state developed in notched tensile specimens was assessed by determining the response of the stress state in the form of x-ray line profiles; this is useful in the understanding and measurement of effects due to such stress states obtained in actual experiments. The theoretical relationship between the stress gradient and the depth of penetration of the x-ray beam at the edge of a notch tensile specimen was also studied. In addition, the effect of changes in the radius of curvature of the notch-tip on errors in measured stress values is also considered. Furthermore, a description of the state-of-the-art x-ray system being used in the experimental work is also included. / Master of Science

The percentage of reduction in fatigue limit of AISI 4340 steel due to one chromium plating was 21 percent, based on the fatigue limit of unplated AISI 4340 steel. / Master of Science

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Belt-drives are used in many applications such as industrial machines, washing ‎machines, and accessory drives for automobiles and other vehicles. Multibody dynamics/finite ‎element numerical models have become an effective way to predict the dynamic response of ‎belt-drives. In this thesis, a high fidelity numerical model was built using a multibody ‎dynamics/finite element code to simulate a belt-drive. The belt-drive transmits power from a ‎turbine of a Rankin cycle (that uses the exhaust waste heat of the internal combustion engine as ‎heat source) to the crank shaft of the engine. The code uses a time-accurate explicit numerical ‎integration technique to solve the multibody dynamics differential equations. The belt was ‎modeled using three-node beam elements to account for the belt axial and bending ‎stiffness/damping, while the pulleys, shafts and tensioner body were modeled as rigid bodies. ‎The penalty technique was used to model normal contact between the belt and the pulleys. An ‎asperity-based friction model was used to approximate Coulomb friction between the belt and ‎the pulleys. The dynamic response predicted using the model was validated by comparing it to ‎experimental results supplied by Cummins Inc. A parameter sensitivity study was performed to ‎evaluate the change in response due to change in various belt-drive parameters. A fatigue ‎model was developed to predict the belt fatigue life using output from the explicit finite ‎element code including normal and tangential forces between the belt and the pulleys and belt ‎tension. The belt fatigue life was evaluated for alternative belt-drive configurations in order to ‎find the configuration with the longest life.‎