<p>Tension and compression experiments have been carried out on a series of Mg-Y alloys with Y content up to 1.3 at.%, in a range of temperatures between 4.2K and 298K, to study the effect of Yttrium on mechanical properties and strain hardening. The alloys show strong difference in the hardening behavior under tension and compression attributed to the effect of texture. The yield strength scales with concentration of the solute as cⁿ, where c is the concentration of the solute in atomic percent and n~2/3. The results suggest that in addition to the atomic size and modulus misfit effects, the valence may be responsible for the enhanced strengthening of Y in Mg. Strain rate sensitivity measurements carried out under tension and compression reveal that Mg-Y alloys show decreasing SRS with increasing Y content at 298K and exhibit a negative SRS in highly concentrated alloys. At low temperatures the alloys show positive SRS increased with Y content. Texture measurements suggest that increasing Y content in alloys decreases the amount of basal component and enhances non-basal orientations. The reduced yield asymmetry between tension and compression observed in higher Y content alloys is being attributed to the weakening of the basal texture.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / In the last years, the fractal geometry has become widely studied. Its application in several areas increased substantially, particularly in materials engineering and science, aiming the analysis of failures and the study of the mechanical properties of materials. Some studies have shown the relationship between the fracture surfaces and their mechanical properties using the fractal geometry and its properties of fractal dimension and selfsimilarity. In this research, the fracture surface of duplex stainless steel, which was obtained by the Charpy impact test, was studied applying the fractal geometry. Considering the 475ÂC embrittlement, the steel was submitted to thermal aging to obtain the fracture surfaces, whose images were captured by the scanning electron microscope (SEM). In the fractal analysis, a study was made applying the island method and profile analysis through the digitalization of the images and the application of image analyzing software. Emphasis was given on the calculation of the fractal dimension (FD) of the surface, on the energy absorbed during the impact test, on the involved fracture mechanisms and as well on the relationship between FD and thermal aging. In order to better understanding the subject, it was done the review about fracture mechanics, of duplex stainless steel and of fractal geometry. Finishing the research, the obtained fracture surface, the absorbed energy and the obtained values of FD were analyzed. The obtained results demonstrated a relationship between the fractal dimension, the size of the dimples in fracture surfaces and the impact energy to obtain them. / A geometria dos fractais nos Ãltimos anos tem se tornado bastante difundida no meio cientÃfico. O seu emprego em diversas Ãreas aumentou substancialmente, em particular na engenharia e ciÃncia dos materiais, com o objetivo de analisar falhas e estudar as propriedades mecÃnicas dos materiais. Alguns estudos tÃm mostrado a relaÃÃo entre as propriedades mecÃnicas de superfÃcies de fratura com a geometria dos fractais e suas propriedades de dimensÃo fractal e auto-similaridade. Nesta pesquisa, foi estudada, com base na geometria dos fractais, a superfÃcie de fratura do aÃo inoxidÃvel duplex obtida atravÃs do ensaio de impacto Charpy. Considerando a fragilizaÃÃo a 475&#61616;C, o aÃo foi submetido ao tratamento tÃrmico de envelhecimento para a obtenÃÃo das superfÃcies de fraturas cujas imagens foram captadas no microscÃpio eletrÃnico de varredura (MEV). Na anÃlise fractal foi feito um estudo aplicando os mÃtodos das ilhas e anÃlise de perfil atravÃs da digitalizaÃÃo das imagens e aplicaÃÃo de softwares de anÃlise de imagem. Foi dada Ãnfase na anÃlise do cÃlculo da dimensÃo fractal (Df) da superfÃcie, na energia absorvida no ensaio de impacto, nos mecanismos de fratura envolvidos, bem como na relaÃÃo entre Df e o tratamento tÃrmico de envelhecimento. Para o melhor entendimento do trabalho foi feita uma revisÃo bibliogrÃfica sobre a mecÃnica da fratura, o aÃo inoxidÃvel duplex e a geometria dos fractais. Para finalizar a pesquisa, foi feita a anÃlise da superfÃcie da fratura obtida, da energia absorvia e de valores de Df alcanÃados. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram uma relaÃÃo entre a dimensÃo fractal, o tamanho dos dimples em superfÃcies de fratura e a energia de impacto para a obtenÃÃo das mesmas.

This thesis is focused on the analysis and on the design of the milling technology of the components for the aerospace industry which are characterised by a high aspect ratio, reduced stiffness and all covered by a high demand on the fatigue performance. This work includes the experimental verification of the proposed technology using CNC machining center, evaluation of surface structure using optical high-resolution 3D surface measurement system ALICONA, analysis of the force loading using KISTLER device, fatigue testing and fatigue fracture analysis.

In this thesis a study of the factors affecting virus and virus-sized particle transport in discrete fractured dolomite rocks is presented. Physical and chemical characteristics of two fractured rocks were determined, including fracture aperture distribution, rock matrix porosity, mineral composition, and surface charge. Hydraulic and transport tests were conducted in the fractures with a conservative solute (bromide) and carboxylate-modified latex (CML) microspheres of three sizes (20, 200, and 500 nm in diameter). The earlier arrival of larger microspheres as compared to bromide indicated the effects of pore-size exclusion and preferential flow paths in the fractures. The tailing of the bromide and the smaller microsphere (20 nm) in the breakthrough curves (BTC) indicated the diffusive mass transfer between the mobile water (flowing) and immobile water (stagnant water in the low aperture areas and porous rock matrix). The effects of ionic strength and cation type on the transport of viruses (bacteriophages MS2 and PR772) and virus-sized microspheres (20 and 200 nm) were determined from the transport tests in a fracture at three levels of ionic strength (3, 5, and 12 mM) and composition (containing Na+ and/or Ca2+ ions). Retention of the microspheres and bacteriophages increased with increasing ionic strength. The addition of divalent ions (Ca2+) influenced the retention to a greater extent than monovalent ions (Na+). The effects of the aperture distribution variability, matrix diffusion, and specific discharge on the solute and microsphere transport were determined from the transport tests conducted in two fractures. The higher variability in the aperture distribution contributed to higher solute dispersion, and flow channeling as evident from the breakthrough curves for individual spatially distributed outlets. A three-dimensional model simulation of the bromide transport with varying matrix porosity identified that the porous matrix influenced the solute transport. In the transport tests, retention of the microspheres decreased with increasing specific discharge in both fractures. The results of this research have helped in identifying the important factors and their effects on solute, virus, and virus-sized colloid transport in fractured dolomite rocks, which can be useful in determining the risk of pathogen contamination of water supplies in fractured dolomite rock aquifers.

In this thesis a study of the factors affecting virus and virus-sized particle transport in discrete fractured dolomite rocks is presented. Physical and chemical characteristics of two fractured rocks were determined, including fracture aperture distribution, rock matrix porosity, mineral composition, and surface charge. Hydraulic and transport tests were conducted in the fractures with a conservative solute (bromide) and carboxylate-modified latex (CML) microspheres of three sizes (20, 200, and 500 nm in diameter). The earlier arrival of larger microspheres as compared to bromide indicated the effects of pore-size exclusion and preferential flow paths in the fractures. The tailing of the bromide and the smaller microsphere (20 nm) in the breakthrough curves (BTC) indicated the diffusive mass transfer between the mobile water (flowing) and immobile water (stagnant water in the low aperture areas and porous rock matrix). The effects of ionic strength and cation type on the transport of viruses (bacteriophages MS2 and PR772) and virus-sized microspheres (20 and 200 nm) were determined from the transport tests in a fracture at three levels of ionic strength (3, 5, and 12 mM) and composition (containing Na+ and/or Ca2+ ions). Retention of the microspheres and bacteriophages increased with increasing ionic strength. The addition of divalent ions (Ca2+) influenced the retention to a greater extent than monovalent ions (Na+). The effects of the aperture distribution variability, matrix diffusion, and specific discharge on the solute and microsphere transport were determined from the transport tests conducted in two fractures. The higher variability in the aperture distribution contributed to higher solute dispersion, and flow channeling as evident from the breakthrough curves for individual spatially distributed outlets. A three-dimensional model simulation of the bromide transport with varying matrix porosity identified that the porous matrix influenced the solute transport. In the transport tests, retention of the microspheres decreased with increasing specific discharge in both fractures. The results of this research have helped in identifying the important factors and their effects on solute, virus, and virus-sized colloid transport in fractured dolomite rocks, which can be useful in determining the risk of pathogen contamination of water supplies in fractured dolomite rock aquifers.

Utmattningsbrott är ett återkommande problem som uppstår i borrkronor. Atlas Copco Secoroc har tidigare gjort utmattningsprovningar på fyra serier provstavar. Serierna skiljer sig från varandra på så sätt att stålet är hårt respektive mjukt härdat. Det hårdhärdade stålet är indelat i två serier. På den ena har dragprovsutmattning utförts och på den andra roterande-böj utmattning. Det samma gäller för det mjukhärdade stålet. De brottytor som uppstått vid brott av dessa provningar har undersökts, brottsförskjutningen har mätts och brottytan har analyserats med SEM. Om en icke-metallisk inneslutning (slagg) hittats som startpunkt har fyra saker undersökts. Den största diametern för inneslutningen, hur långt från ytan av staven slaggen påträffats, vilka grundämnen som inneslutningen innehåller och hur dessa grundämnen ligger i inneslutningen. För att undersöka grundämnen i inneslutningen har EDS-analys använts och för att se grundämnens fördelning har EDS-mappning använts. På grund av den begränsade tiden till detta projekt har enbart tre av de fyra provstavsserierna undersökts. Datan som har tagits fram genom undersökningarna har jämförts med data från uppdragsgivaren för att hitta samband. Nedan följer några av de slutsatser som hittades med hjälp av denna undersökning: Den kemiska sammansättningen i inneslutningarna var väldigt lika varandra. Ingen slagg skiljer sig markant från de andra. Av de inneslutningar och avtryck som observerats hade 95 % rundaktig form. Mindre inneslutningar är att föredra framför större. Anledningen är att stål med mindre inneslutningar klarade av en högre spänning och eller fler cykler innan brott sker. Inneslutningar som var i materialet hade mindre inverkan på stålets utmattningshållfasthet, än vad de på i ytan hade. Resultaten i denna undersökning har väldigt stor spridning. För att kunna dra säkra slutsatser behövs ett större underlag. Vidare utmattningsprovningar och analyser av brottytorna är att rekommendera. / Fatigue failures are a recurring problem for drill heads. Atlas Copco Secoroc has previously done fatigue failure tests on four series of sample bars. The sample bars had been hardened in two different ways. For the two first series, hardness has been increased so the material was harder, while for the other two series material was softer than the previous series. Fatigue failure tests have been done using two different methods, rotating bending fatigue and direct force fatigue testing. The fracture surface that occurred after the performed tests has been investigated. Fracture displacement has been measured. The fracture surface was examined with SEM. If a non-metallic inclusion is the starting point of the crack four different things were then investigated. The largest diameter of the inclusion, how far from the surface of the bar the slag is found, what kind of chemical elements it contains and how these elements are located through the inclusion. EDS-analysis were used to examine the chemical elements in the inclusion and EDS-mapping to see the location of the elements. Due to the limited time of this project three of the four sample bar series has been studied. The data that has been produced from these studies was then compared to the data from the costumer to find any connections. Below follows some of the conclusions that were found with the help of this study: The chemical compositions of the inclusions where very similar. No slags distinguish itself significantly from any other. 95% of the inclusions and imprints that has been observed where round shaped. Smaller inclusions are to be preferred to larger. The reason is that metal with smaller inclusions was able to cope with higher stress and or more cycles before fracture occurs. Inclusions that where found inside the material had less effect on the fatigue life for the steel then the ones on the surface. The results that has emerged from this study has a very wide distribution. To make reliable conclusions more data is needed for support. Further fatigue testing and analysis of fracture surfaces is recommended.

La ténacité et l’énergie de surface de fracture de verres, de vitrocéramiques et de composites à matrice en verre ont été étudiées. Tout d'abord, un test de flexion bi-axiale (configuration anneau/anneau) a été réalisé sur des verres de silice et des verre-à-vitres avec différentes conditions de surface afin d’identifier la relation entre le défaut de surface, la résistance et la ténacité du verre. Ensuite, trois méthodes d’expérimentation ont été mises en œuvre, principalement la méthode de poutre de flexion à pré-entaille droit (SEPB), la méthode de la poutre entaillée en chevron (CNB) et la méthode de la poutre avec indentations Vickers (VIF), afin de déterminer la ténacité de quatre verres produits industriellement et de déterminer les avantages et les inconvénients des différents méthodes sélectionnées. La méthode qui est apparue la plus fiable et auto-cohérente, la méthode SEPB (Single Edge Precrack Beam), a été appliquée à la détermination de la ténacité de nombreux verres et vitrocéramiques, afin d’étudier l’influence de la composition et de la microstructure sur les caractéristiques de fissuration (KIC et énergie de fissuration, γ). Enfin, l’influence de la température et de l'environnement sur la ténacité a été étudiée à l'aide de la méthode SEPB. Deux verres d'oxyde ont été testés à des températures élevées et avec une vitesse de charge de 10 MPa∙√m/s, une température de transition de 1,11Tg a été trouvée. Quatre autres verres d'oxyde ont été testés en environnement inerte et les mêmes valeurs de ténacité ont été obtenues à partir de deux vitesses de charge (100 fois) différentes. / Fracture toughness and fracture surface energy of commercial and laboratory glasses, glass-ceramics and glass matrix composites have been studied. First, bi-axial bending test (RoR configuration) was performed on fused silica and window float glasses with different surface conditions to identify the relationship between the surface flaw, the strength and fracture toughness. After, three experiment methods, mainly single-edge precracked beam (SEPB), chevron-notched beam (CNB) and Vickers indentation fracture (VIF) were performed to determine the fracture toughness of four commercial known glasses and to determine the advantages and inconveniences of the different selected methods. The method that is appeared as the most reliable and self-consistent, the SEPB (Single Edge Precrack Beam) method, was applied to determine the toughness of the large amount of glasses and glass-ceramics, to study the influence of the composition and the microstructure on the characteristics of cracking (KIC and fracture energy, γ). Last but not least, the influence of the temperature and environment on the fracture toughness was studied by means of the SEPB method. Two oxide glasses were tested in elevated temperatures and with the loading rate of 10 MPa∙√m/s, a transition temperature of 1.11Tg was found. Four other oxide glasses were tested in the inert environment and the same fracture toughness values were obtained from (100 times) two different cross-head speeds.

In this Master Thesis work, the effect of pressure on sintering of cemented carbides is investigated. Special focus hasbeen given to the residual porosity after sintering. It is well known that sintering shrinkage depends on binder phasecontent, grain size, temperature and pressure. Thus 4 different cemented carbides grades were selected. The gradeswere pressed into standard products and TRS (Tensile Rupture Strength) rods with two different shrinkage factors.These were then sintered at different pressures and temperatures. Thereafter the impact of pressure on propertiessuch as Density, Coercivity, Porosity and TRS were analyzed. The observations were further supported with Weibullprobability analysis and fracture surface analysis in SEM.It has been shown that there exists a distinct threshold pressure at which significant reduction in porosity occurs forgiven compacted densities. For 3 out of 4 cemented carbide grades it has been observed that P2 sintering pressure issufficient to meet desired product characteristics. The fourth grade required a minimum sintering pressure of P4 toachieve desired quality criteria. Moreover it has been concluded that an increased sintering pressure increasesmaterial strength, as compared to vacuum sintering, thereby reducing the amount of early failures caused by poresduring TRS test.                                    Keywords: Cemented Carbides, Pressurized Sintering, Tungsten carbide, Porosity, Vacuum sintering, TensileRupture Strength, Weibull analysis, Fracture surface analysis.

O uso das ligas de alumínio em aplicações estruturais tem crescido consideravelmente nas últimas décadas. Nos transportes, a baixa massa específica do alumínio resulta em uma alta razão resistência/ peso, favorecendo a fabricação de aviões, trens e automóveis. Com a crescente preocupação em reduzir a emissão de gases poluentes, vem tornando-se promissora a alternativa de reduzir o peso dos veículos substituindo peças convencionalmente produzidas com outros materiais por peças de alumínio. As ligas tratáveis termicamente da série 6xxx são frequentemente escolhidas para estas aplicações. Assim, para que o emprego dessas ligas seja otimizado, é importante um estudo mais detalhado de suas propriedades mecânicas, principalmente sob solicitações cíclicas. Neste trabalho foram estudadas ligas de Al-Si-Mg que são amplamente utilizadas nas indústrias automotivas, em especial na fabricação de componentes de carroçarias para caminhões e ônibus. Foi realizado o estudo do comportamento em fadiga de baixo ciclo e fadiga multiaxial das ligas AA6005 T6, AA6063 T6 e AA6351 T6, fornecidas pela CBA (Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio) visando caracterizar e comparar essas ligas em sua microestrutura, propriedades de tração e fadiga. As propriedades básicas de fadiga foram determinadas por meio do método &epsilon;-N (fadiga de baixo ciclo) e os ensaios foram realizados com controle de deformação total, onda triangular e taxa de deformação 0,005 seg-1. As análises dos laços de histerese elasto-plástica permitiram inferir sobre aspectos microestruturais relacionados às propriedades mecânicas das ligas estudadas. O comportamento em fadiga multiaxial foi avaliado por meio de carregamentos combinados axial-torcional em fase e fora de fase. Para ajustar os dados experimentais obtidos, foram testados alguns dos modelos encontrados na literatura. Os cálculos baseados no modelo de plano crítico, proposto por Fatemi e Socie, apresentaram resultados satisfatórios. Também foram realizadas análises microestruturais e fractográficas para as três ligas. As superfícies de fratura dos ensaios de fadiga multiaxial mostraram resultados diferentes de acordo com o carregamento adotado. A avaliação comparativa das três ligas estudadas fornece subsídios para fundamentar a seleção de materiais para a fabricação de componentes estruturais para o setor automotivo. / The use of aluminum alloys in structural applications has grown considerably in recent decades. In transportation, the low density of aluminum results in a high strength-to weight ratio, proving attractive for production of aircrafts, trains and automobiles. With a growing concern for the reduction of pollutant gas emissions, aluminum alloys are becoming a promising alternative to diminish vehicle weight through the replacement of conventionally produced parts made from other heavier materials for aluminum parts. The heat treatable alloys from the 6xxx series are often chosen for these applications. Therefore, to optimize the employment of these alloys, a detailed study of their mechanical properties, primary under cyclic solicitations is necessary For the present study Al-Mg-Si alloys were chosen, which are widely used in automotive industries, particularly in the manufacturing of components for trucks and bus bodies. The low-cycle fatigue behavior and multiaxial fatigue of the three following aluminum alloys: AA6005 T6, AA6063 T6 and AA6351 T6, provided by CBA (Brazilian Aluminum Company), were assessed, with the aim of characterizing and comparing these alloys in their microstructure, tensile properties and fatigue. The basic properties of fatigue were studied by &epsilon;-N method (low cycle fatigue) and the experiments were performed with total strain control, triangular waveform and with a constant deformation rate of 5.0x10-3 s-1. The analyses of hysteresis loops elasto-plastic provided insight about microstructural aspects, related to mechanical properties of the studied alloys. Multiaxial fatigue behavior was assessed in combined axial-torsion loading in phase and out of phase. To adjust the experimental data, some models found in the literature were tested. Calculations based on critical plane model, proposed by Fatemi Socie, presented satisfactory results. Furthermore, microstructure analyses and fractography were performed for these three alloys. The fracture surface of multiaxial fatigue assays demonstrated different results according to the adopted loading. Comparative evaluation of the three studied alloys provides support for the selection of materials for manufacturing structural components of the automotive sector.

The effect of in-situ or redistributed stress on solute transport in fractured rocks is one of the major concerns for many subsurface engineering problems. However, it remains poorly understood due to the difficulties in experiments and numerical modeling. The main aim of this thesis is to systematically investigate the influences of stress on solute transport in fractured rocks, at scales of single fractures and fracture networks, respectively. For a single fracture embedded in a porous rock matrix, a closed-form solution was derived for modeling the coupled stress-flow-transport processes without considering damage on the fracture surfaces. Afterwards, a retardation coefficient model was developed to consider the influences of damage of the fracture surfaces during shear processes on the solute sorption. Integrated with particle mechanics models, a numerical procedure was proposed to investigate the effects of gouge generation and microcrack development in the damaged zones of fracture on the solute retardation in single fractures. The results show that fracture aperture changes have a significant influence on the solute concentration distribution and residence time. Under compression, the decreasing matrix porosity can slightly increase the solute concentration. The shear process can increase the solute retardation coefficient by offering more sorption surfaces in the fracture due to gouge generation, microcracking and gouge crushing. To study the stress effects on solute transport in fracture systems, a hybrid approach combing the discrete element method for stress-flow simulations and a particle tracking algorithm for solute transport was developed for two-dimensional irregular discrete fracture network models. Advection, hydrodynamic dispersion and matrix diffusion in single fractures were considered. The particle migration paths were tracked first by following the flowing fluid (advection), and then the hydrodynamic dispersion and matrix diffusion were considered using statistic methods. The numerical results show an important impact of stress on the solute transport, by changing the solute residence time, distribution and travel paths. The equivalent dispersion coefficient is scale dependent in an asymptotic or exponential form without stress applied or under isotropic compression conditions. Matrix diffusion plays a dominant role in solute transport when the hydraulic gradient is small. Outstanding issues and main scientific achievements are also discussed. / QC 20111011