The thesis is focused on evaluation and comparison of welds made by welding technologies using laser and plasma. For the purpose of comparing those technologies, were chosen austenitic stainless steel x5CrNi18-18 and ferritic stainless steel X6Cr17. These materials were chosen for their diversity in properties gained by high temperatures that go along with most welding processes. First part of the thesis is focused on description of welded materials and technologies of laser and plasma welding. In following experimental section, the thesis is focused on evaluation of welded samples, made for this purpose. Samples were examined for metallography, specifically macrostructure and microstructure. Followed by tensile test of mechanical properties and microhardness test.

Yes / This study's objective was to conduct a comparative analysis and characterization of the microstructural evolution within the weld nugget for joints of AA5083-H112 and AA6061-T6 produced by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) and modified friction stir clinching (MFSC) processes. The mechanical performance of the welded joints was assessed in shear using a single lap joint. The microstructural study identified significant variation in joint microstructure and material flow due to the differences in the tool geometry and methodology used for the welding processes. The results show that the use of modified friction clinching process improves the welded joint by eliminating keyholes/hook defects leading to the formation of high-strength joints. Mechanical characterization of the welded joints indicated that the shear strength increased significantly from 78.69 MPa for the conventional FSSW to 131 MPa for the MFSC process.

A tolerância pode ser considerada um dos pilares da imunologia. Sabe-se que a tolerância a um antígeno pode gerar tolerância a outro antígeno não relacionado, fenômeno conhecido como tolerância cruzada. Neste trabalho caracterizamos a tolerância cruzada utilizando a OVA como tolerógeno e extrato de Blomia tropicalis (Bt) ou Hemocianina de Keyhole limpet (KLH) como alérgenos. Verificamos que é possível reproduzir o fenômeno da tolerância cruzada neste modelo de inflamação alérgica induzida tanto pelo KLH quanto pela Bt, com diminuição do infiltrado inflamatório no pulmão, eosinófilos, IgE total e produção de muco. Ainda, a estratégia de utilizar a tolerância cruzada terapeuticamente, i.é., após a sensibilização com KLH, a indução de tolerância cruzada não foi capaz de prevenir a resposta alérgica. Em conjunto, nossos dados mostram que a tolerância à OVA modifica as respostas alérgicas tanto à Bt quanto ao KLH no modelo de inflamação pulmonar experimental de forma profilática, mas que a tolerância cruzada não é eficiente em animais já sensibilizados. / Tolerance is among the Immunology pillars. Experimental data indicate that tolerance towards an antigen can promote tolerance to an unrelated antigen, a phenomenon known as cross-tolerance. Here we sought to characterize cross tolerance using OVA as a tolerogen and Blomia tropicalis (Bt) extract or Keyhole limpet Hemocianina (KLH) as allergens. We found that cross tolerance can be reproduced in the model of allergic lung disease induced by KLH or Bt, with less inflammatory infiltrate in the lung, eosinophils, total IgE and mucus production. Using cross tolerance therapeutically, i.e., after KLH sensitization, was not effective, since the allergic lung response was not modulated. Altogether, our data shows that OVA tolerance modulate allergic lung disease induced either by Bt or KLH when used as prophylactic model, however cross tolerance is ineffective in sensitized animals.

A tolerância pode ser considerada um dos pilares da imunologia. Sabe-se que a tolerância a um antígeno pode gerar tolerância a outro antígeno não relacionado, fenômeno conhecido como tolerância cruzada. Neste trabalho caracterizamos a tolerância cruzada utilizando a OVA como tolerógeno e extrato de Blomia tropicalis (Bt) ou Hemocianina de Keyhole limpet (KLH) como alérgenos. Verificamos que é possível reproduzir o fenômeno da tolerância cruzada neste modelo de inflamação alérgica induzida tanto pelo KLH quanto pela Bt, com diminuição do infiltrado inflamatório no pulmão, eosinófilos, IgE total e produção de muco. Ainda, a estratégia de utilizar a tolerância cruzada terapeuticamente, i.é., após a sensibilização com KLH, a indução de tolerância cruzada não foi capaz de prevenir a resposta alérgica. Em conjunto, nossos dados mostram que a tolerância à OVA modifica as respostas alérgicas tanto à Bt quanto ao KLH no modelo de inflamação pulmonar experimental de forma profilática, mas que a tolerância cruzada não é eficiente em animais já sensibilizados. / Tolerance is among the Immunology pillars. Experimental data indicate that tolerance towards an antigen can promote tolerance to an unrelated antigen, a phenomenon known as cross-tolerance. Here we sought to characterize cross tolerance using OVA as a tolerogen and Blomia tropicalis (Bt) extract or Keyhole limpet Hemocianina (KLH) as allergens. We found that cross tolerance can be reproduced in the model of allergic lung disease induced by KLH or Bt, with less inflammatory infiltrate in the lung, eosinophils, total IgE and mucus production. Using cross tolerance therapeutically, i.e., after KLH sensitization, was not effective, since the allergic lung response was not modulated. Altogether, our data shows that OVA tolerance modulate allergic lung disease induced either by Bt or KLH when used as prophylactic model, however cross tolerance is ineffective in sensitized animals.

Le développement du soudage laser dans divers secteurs industriels particulièrement dans l’aéronautique au cours de la dernière décennie, a nécessité bien des études encore insuffisantes en nombre pour bien comprendre et contrôler les conditions de soudage laser que ce soit au niveau interaction laser/matière, au niveau des transferts thermiques ou au niveau métallurgique. La démarche suivie dans cette étude consiste (1) à mettre en évidence expérimentalement la problématique du soudage laser d’alliage base aluminium, c'est-à-dire le couplage des effets entre les différents paramètres de soudage, (2) à décrire l’histoire thermique d’une opération de soudage laser à partir d’une modélisation et d’une simulation numérique et (3) à exploiter la connaissance de l’évolution thermique d’un assemblage encours de soudage pour optimiser les performances mécaniques de l’assemblage en terme de résistance statique, de résistance à la fissuration à chaud, de tenue à la fatigue et de résistance à la corrosion. Les déficits de performance par exemple en terme de résistance sont principalement attribuable à des vitesses de refroidissement trop faibles au cours du soudage comparativement à des trempes ce qui justifie l’efficacité d’un traitement de mise en solution post soudage préalablement à un traitement de durcissement par précipitation. / The development of laser welding in various branches of industry particularly in the aeronautics during the last decade, required many studies still insufficient in number to understand and control the conditions of laser welding concerning laser / material interaction,as well as thermal transfers or metallurgical aspects. The approach followed in this study consists (1) to bring to light experimentally the problem of laser welding of aluminium based alloy, that is the coupling of the effects between the various welding parameters, (2) to describe the thermal history of an operation of laser welding from a modelling and from a numerical simulation and (3) to exploit the knowledge of the thermal evolution of an assembly all along welding operation to optimize the mechanical performance of the assembly in term of static resistance, resistance to hot cracking, fatigue and corrosion resistance. The deficit of performance for example in term of tensile resistance is mainly related to too low speeds of cooling during welding compared with quenching. It justifies the efficiency of a post welding solution heat treatment before a precipitation hardening treatment.

La formulation de nouvelles nuances d’aciers présentant des caractéristiques mécaniques équivalentes pour des épaisseurs moindres et la plus-value associée à la possibilité d'assembler deux nuances différentes, nécessitent le développement et la maîtrise des procédés d’assemblage. Grâce à sa haute précision et à sa flexibilité, le procédé de soudage par laser est devenu une des principales techniques pour le raboutage des flans d'aciers de nature différente. La prédiction de la composition chimique locale de la zone fondue formée entre deux aciers en fonction des paramètres de soudage est de grande importance, puisque la dilution et la distribution des éléments d'alliage conditionnent la résistance mécanique finale du cordon. La présente étude a pour objectif la conception et la validation d’un modèle numérique multi-physiques décrivant la formation du mélange dans le cordon de soudure entre des aciers de nature différente, obtenu par fusion laser. Pour une meilleure compréhension du mélange issu de la diffusion et de la convection dans le bain liquide formé lors d'un soudage laser débouchant, une simulation 3D à l'aide du code de calcul commercial Comsol Multiphysics®, couplant les transferts thermiques, l’écoulement du métal liquide, et la diffusion des espèces, a été réalisée afin de prédire la géométrie du bain liquide et d'obtenir des informations sur la distribution des éléments chimiques à l'intérieur du cordon. Afin de réduire le temps de calcul, le modèle a été développé avec les hypothèses simplificatrices suivantes : le capillaire de vapeur a une géométrie fixe et l’ensemble des équations est résolu sous forme pseudo-stationnaire. Un modèle d’écoulement turbulent est utilisé pour le calcul du champ de vitesse. La loi de Fick est introduite pour modéliser le transport des espèces dans le bain liquide. Dans un premier temps et afin de valider les hypothèses sur les phénomènes de convection, une série d’essais de soudage avec des inserts de nickel pur, utilisés comme traceur chimique, a été réalisée pour cartographier post-mortem la distribution du nickel dans le cordon de soudure. Les résultats de la simulation numérique ont été trouvés en bon accord avec les résultats expérimentaux. Par la suite, le modèle a été appliqué au cas du soudage entre un acier Dual Phase et un acier TWIP riche en manganèse et enfin adapté à l'étude du mélange des revêtements dans le bain de métal liquide formé durant le soudage laser. / The design of new steel grades offering equivalent mechanical performances for lower thicknesses and the added value with the possibility to join two different steel grades, require development and control of joining processes. Thanks to high precision and good flexibility, the laser welding became one of the most used processes for joining of dissimilar welded blanks. The prediction of local chemical composition in the weld formed between dissimilar steels in function of the welding parameters is essential because the dilution rate and the distribution of alloying elements in the melted zone determine the final tensile strength of the weld. The goal of the present study is to create and to validate a multiphysical numerical model studying the mixing of dissimilar steels in laser weld pool. For a better understanding of materials mixing based on convection-diffusion process in the melted pool in case of full penetrated laser welding, a 3D simulation developed within COMSOL Multiphysics®, including heat transfer, fluid flow and transport of species has been performed to provide the weld geometry and quantitative mapping of elements distributions in the melted zone. In order to reduce computation time, the model has been developed basing on the following hypothesis: a steady keyhole approximation and solved in quasi-stationary form. Turbulent flow model was used to calculate velocity field. Fick law for diluted species was integrated to simulate the transport of alloying elements in the weld pool. In parallel, to validate the model, a number of experiments using pure Ni foils as tracers have been performed to obtain mapping post-mortem of Ni distribution in the melted zone. The results of simulations have been found in good agreement with experimental data. Afterwards the model was applied to laser welding between Dual Phase steel (DP) and high Mn steel (TWIP) and finally it was adapted to the study of coating dissolution in laser weld pool.

Selenium (Se) has received a lot of attention for its antioxidant and immune modulating properties. Yet, comparably few studies have focused on the horse. Therefore the objectives of this research were to evaluate the influences of Se status on immune function and antioxidant defense in horses. Twenty eight horses were allocated to one of 4 dietary Se treatments: low (LS), adequate (AS), high organic (SP) and high inorganic (SS). First, horses assigned to LS, SP and SS were depleted of Se and received a low Se diet (0.07 ppm Se) for 35 wk, while AS received an adequate Se diet (0.14 ppm Se). During week 28 to 35 immune function was evaluated using a vaccine challenge with keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) and equine influenza as antigens. Then, a 29 wk repletion phase followed. The LS and AS received the same diets described above while SP received an organic Se supplemented diet (0.3 ppm; Sel-Plex, Alltech, Nicholasville, KY) and SS an inorganic Se supplemented diet (0.3 ppm; sodium selenite). Immune function was assessed using a vaccine challenge with ovalbumin (OVA) and equine influenza as antigens during week 22 to 29. Samples collected throughout the depletion and repletion phases were used to assess change in Se status, antioxidant status and oxidative stress. Finally, a mild exercise test served to assess exercise induced oxidative stress. The experimental model responded as hypothesized, evaluated by blood Se and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity. Upon vaccination with KLH, antibody response was faster in AS than LS. Antigen specific mRNA expression of T-bet was also higher for AS than LS. Following OVA vaccination humoral and cell-mediated vaccination responses were similar across treatments. However, non-specific stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells indicated suppressed mRNA expression of selected cytokines for LS compared to AS, SP and SS. Antioxidant capacity and oxidative stress were unaffected by change in Se status. A difference in GPx response post exercise was also noted between SP and SS. Low Se status impaired some measures of immune function. Supplementation at 0.3 ppm may benefit horses as indicated by higher GPx activity in idle and exercised horses.

The report is an overview article, as a result of our investigation at the field of laser welding applied to electromobility cells manufactured in an aluminium housing. This project was proposed by the University of Skövde in collaboration with ASSAR Centre. The key results presented are based on the study of the following parameters: laser type and power, shielding gases, welding modes, patterns and layout. The conclusions of the project define the final selection of each parameter in order to achieve minimum defects and optimal electrical performance by minimizing the contact resistance.

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) have gained widespread popularity as a lightweight, high-strength alternative to traditional materials. The unique anisotropic properties of CFRP make processing difficult, especially using conventional methods. This study investigates laser cutting by ablation as an alternative by comparing two near-infrared laser systems to a typical mechanical machining process. This research has potential applications in the automotive and aerospace industries, where CFRPs are particularly desirable for weight savings and fuel efficiency. First, a CNC mill was used to study the effects of process parameters and tool design on machining quality. Despite high productivity and flexible tooling, mechanical drilling suffers from machining defects that could compromise structural performance of a CFRP component. Rotational feed rate was shown to be the primary factor in determining the axial thrust force, which correlated with the extent of delamination and peeling. Experimental results concluded that machining quality could be improved using a non-contact laser-based material removal mechanism. Laser machining was investigated first with a Yb:YAG fiber laser system, operated in either continuous wave or pulse-modulated mode, for both cross-ply and woven CFRP. For the first time, energy density was used as a control variable to account for changes in process parameters, predicting a logarithmic relationship with machining results attributable to plasma shielding effects. Relevant process parameters included operation mode, laser power, pulse overlap, and cross-ply surface fiber orientation, all of which showed a significant impact on single-pass machining quality. High pulse frequency was required to successfully ablate woven CFRP at the weave boundaries, possibly due to matrix absorption dynamics. Overall, the Yb:YAG fiber laser system showed improved performance over mechanical machining. However, microsecond pulses cause extensive thermal damage and low ablation rates due to long laser-material interaction time and low power intensity. Next, laser machining was investigated using a high-energy nanosecond-pulsed Nd:YAG NIR laser operating in either Q-Switch or Long Pulse mode. This research demonstrates for the first time that keyhole-mode cutting can be achieved for CFRP materials using a high-energy nanosecond laser with long-duration pulsing. It is also shown that short-duration Q-Switch mode results in an ineffective cutting performance for CFRP, likely due to laser-induced optical breakdown. At sufficiently high power intensity, it is hypothesized that the resulting plasma absorbs a significant portion of the incoming laser energy by the inverse Bremsstrahlung mechanism. In Long Pulse mode, multi-pass line and contour cutting experiments are further performed to investigate the effect of laser processing parameters on thermal damage and machined surface integrity. A logarithmic trend was observed for machining results, attributable to plasma shielding similar to microsecond fiber laser results. Cutting depth data was used to estimate the ablation threshold of Hexcel IM7 and AS4 fiber types. Drilling results show that a 2.2 mm thick cross-ply CFRP panel can be cut through using about 6 laser passes, and a high-quality machined surface can be produced with a limited heat-affected zone and little fiber pull-out using inert assist gas. In general, high-energy Long Pulse laser machining achieved superior performance due to shorter pulse duration and higher power intensity, resulting in significantly higher ablation rates. The successful outcomes from this work provide the key to enable an efficient high-quality laser machining process for CFRP materials.

Microchannel process technology (MPT) components are chemical unit operations which exploit highly-parallel arrays of microchannels to process large fluid volumes for portable and distributed applications. Microchannel heat exchangers (MCHXs) have demonstrated 3 to 5 times higher heat fluxes when compared to conventional heat exchangers resulting in proportionate reductions in size and weight. The most common fabrication approach for producing MPT components is microchannel lamination, or microlamination, in which thin layers of metal or polymer are patterned with microchannel features, registered, and bonded to produce monolithic components. Currently, the most common microlamination architecture involves the photochemical machining and diffusion bonding of metal foils. Prior work has established that the yields in diffusion bonding often drive the costs of MCHXs. Laser keyhole welding has been proposed as an alternative bonding technology providing the potential for faster cycle times, smaller weld widths and layer-to-layer evaluation of hermeticity leading to higher yields. Furthermore, laser weldments have small heat-affected zones providing excellent mechanical strength. In this study, efforts are made to evaluate the feasibility of using laser welding in the microlamination of a high-temperature counter-flow heat exchanger made of a Ni superalloy. Preliminary efforts were focused on the development and validation of weld strength estimation models. These models were then used to narrow down the range of process parameters and a final set of process parameters was determined through the use of a full factorial experiment with weld strength, joining efficiency and weld gap as response variables. The most acceptable parameter set was used to demonstrate the fabrication of a Haynes 214 microchannel array with adequate bond strength and hermeticity and minimal thermal warpage. / Graduation date: 2013