The present work consisted on the characterization of the spatial distribution of hydraulic parameters on the Almádena-Odeáxere aquifer system (AO) using the automatic calibration of a finite-element numeric model, in order to improve the simulation accuracy of the aquifer’s hydraulic behaviour. This development has its foundations based on model variants already implemented at the University of Algarve to investigate the hydraulic properties of the AO on the framework of the regional scale groundwater flow studies concerning Algarve aquifers. The state-of-the-art of the aquifer’s hydrogeology was based on previous investigations, taking place on the last years in Algarve, but also on recent fieldwork, namely on the collection of field data from a monitoring network, designed in articulation with the “POCTI/AMB/57432/2004” investigation project, which provided the feedback information needed for the improvement of model variants developed during the course of the present work. Instead of using a classic, time consuming, trial and error approach for the purpose of determining hydraulic parameters controlling groundwater flow at AO, an automatic inverse calibration algorithm was used, allowing the achievement of parameter distribution values capable of generating realistic hydraulic flow simulations. The Gauss-Marquardt-Levenberg method of nonlinear parameter estimation, available at the PEST algorithm was assembled to the finite element flow model, which is based in the use of the Galerkin method of weighted residuals. The results obtained by the use of the inverse method have revealed a good fit between simulated and measured head values, since the correlation coefficient, R, value was higher than 0,9 (0,9967) and the sum-of-squared weighted residuals between model outcomes and corresponding field data (i.e. the objective function, F) was only 4,56 m. The obtained spatial distribution of transmissivity, ranging from 86 m2/day to 8158 m2/day on 16 zones, allowed a step further on the reliability of future simulations of spatial distribution and temporal evolution of state variables in natural conditions and considering different scenarios of water use.

In today’s packaging industry HDPE is widely used and correct understanding of itsproperties and how to model them is of vital importance. HDPE is a semi-crystallinepolymer with a known strain rate dependence, that is a higher yield and lower strainto failure at higher strain rates. HDPE does also exhibit the phenomena of cold-drawing, together with other polymers. Cold-drawing is where after the specimenhas necked, the necking stabilizes and starts to pull material above and below intothe neck, effectively elongating the neck while maintaining its width. The objective of the study is to look at the local strain rates as the specimen necksand if a simple Abaqus model can capture those effects. The effect of strain rate onthe shape of the neck was also studied. The work was to test HDPE in uniaxial tension with different strain rates (∼10-3 s-1to ∼10-1 s-1) and measure the local strain rates with 2D-DIC. A decent amount oftime was used to make sure the camera setup gave the best quality possible for theequipment available. The videos produced was used for the DIC analysis as well asfor the image analysis to measure the width of the neck. After the tests a calibrationscheme was used to create a material model that matched the force-displacementfrom the physical 100 mm/min test data. Studying the force displacement the strain rate effects noted in previous researchare present. The results from the DIC show a very high local strain rate as the spec-imen necks, between 11-65 times higher than the global (grip-to-grip) strain rate.From the measurement of the width there are some rate effects as well. The slowerspeeds (5 and 10 mm/min) shows a continually reducing width while the 50 and 100mm/min shows a more stable neck and the 500 mm/min test does not have any sig-nificant neck propagation. The simple elastic-plastic model show similar local strainrates as the experiment however does show a noticeable thinner neck. / I dagens förpackningsindustri används HDPE ofta och korrekt förståelse av dess egenskaper och hur man modellerar dem är av avgörande betydelse. HDPE är ensemikristallin polymer med ett känt töjningshastighetsberoende, det vill säga en hö-gre sträckgräns och lägre töjning till brott vid högre töjningshastigheter. HDPEuppvisar också fenomenet kalldragning, tillsammans med andra polymerer. Kall-dragning är det fenomen som uppstår efter att provet har påbörjat midjebilding ochmaterial börjar dras in i midjan, vilket leder till en förlängd midja. Syftet med studien var att titta på de lokala töjningshastigheterna under midje-bildning och om en enkel Abaqus-modell kan fånga dessa effekter. Effekten av töjn-ingshastighet på midjan form studerades också. Arbetet började att testa HDPE i enaxlig spänning med olika töjningshastigheter(∼10-3 s-1 till ∼10-1 s-1) och mäta de lokala töjningshastigheterna med 2D-DIC. Endel tid lades ner på att se till att kamerauppsättningen gav högsta möjliga kvaliteti förhållande till den utrustning som användes. Filmen från testerna användes bådeför DIC och en bildanalys för att mäta bredden på midjan. Efter testerna använ-des ett kalibreringsschema för att skapa en materialmodell för att matcha kraft-förskjutningskurvan från det fysiska 100 mm/min-testet. Genom att studera kraft-förskjutning är effekterna av töjningshastigheten som noter-ats i tidigare forskning närvarande. Resultaten från DIC visar en mycket hög lokaltöjningshastighet under midjebildning, mellan 11-65 gånger högre än den globala(grepp-till-grepp) töjningshastigheten. Från mätningen av bredden finns det ocksåvissa hastighetseffekter. De lägre hastigheterna (5 och 10 mm/min) visar en kon-tinuerligt minskande bredd, 50 och 100 mm/min visar en stabilare midja och 500mm/min-testet har ingen signifikant kalldragning. Den enkla elasto-plastmodellenvisar liknande lokala töjningshastigheter som experimentet men de visar en märk-bart tunnare midja.