The key to improving drying quality and reducing drying time and energy consumption lies in understanding and controlling moisture movement during drying. As wood dries, strains and stresses develop as a result of restraints imposed by moisture gradients and differential shrinkage in wood. So accurately measuring the moisture gradient in wood during drying will be helpful to improving drying quality. In this project, moisture gradients in red oak will be measured through four different techniques----<i><b>bandsaw slicing, Forstner bit layering, flaking and razor blade slicing</i></b>. The first two techniques are found in the literature. The last two are developed in this study. The results obtained with these four techniques were compared, and it was found that the newly developed techniques could get moisture gradients that were closer to the true value. The <i><b>thickness</i></b> of the slice was assumed to affect measuring the moisture gradient because of the environmental influences. So a thickness series was tested with the two new technique----flaking and razor blade slicing. The results showed that there was no slice or flake thickness effect on the moisture gradients.And an optimum slice and flake thickness was determined for the wood industries and research studies. Finally, the <i><b>directional</i></b> effect on transverse moisture movement during kiln drying was examined through measuring moisture gradients in the tangential and radial directions of wood. The results showed that moisture moved slightly faster in the radial direction than in the tangential direction during kiln drying and the moisture gradients in the tangential direction were slightly steeper than those in the radial direction. / Master of Science

The objectives of this research were to 1) investigate the effects of lower concrete albedo on the thermal behavior of concrete pavement by directly comparing temperatures and moisture contents of typical and darkened concrete pavements and 2) investigate changes in roughness of both typical and darkened concrete pavements as a result of changes in temperature and moisture gradients. The scope of the research included instrumentation, testing, and analysis of typical and darkened concrete pavements constructed in northern Utah.Procedures related to field testing included infrared thermography, thermocouple readings, sensor data collection, and roughness surveys. Elevation surveys and albedo measurements were also performed to further characterize the site. Procedures related to laboratory testing included elastic modulus, compressive strength, rapid chloride permeability, thermal conductivity, and Schmidt rebound hammer testing of cylinders prepared from typical and darkened concrete.When considered over the entire monitoring period, the average surface temperatures of the darkened pavement were higher than those of the typical pavement by 3.3°F, and the average subsurface temperatures of the darkened pavement were higher than those of the typical pavement by 3.1°F. A strong positive correlation exists between the air temperature and both the surface and the subsurface pavement temperatures. The difference between both the surface and subsurface temperatures of the darkened and typical pavements decreases as the air temperature decreases. The results of a simple linear regression suggest that, when the air temperature is 32°F, the surface temperature of the darkened concrete is just 0.2°F higher than that of the typical concrete and the subsurface temperature of the darkened concrete is 1.1°F higher than that of the typical concrete. The difference in surface temperature is expected to be 0°F when the air temperature is 30.5°F, while the difference in subsurface temperature is expected to be 0°F when the air temperature is 17.9°F. Therefore, the darkened pavement is unlikely to melt snow and ice faster than the typical pavement or provide significantly greater frost protection to subsurface layers and buried utilities during winter for conditions similar to those in this research. The roughness measurements for the typical pavement exhibit much more daily variability than seasonal variability. The roughness measurements for the darkened pavement also exhibit more daily variability than seasonal variability but less overall variability than that of the typical pavement. Neither pavement temperature gradient nor moisture gradient appears to be correlated to roughness for either the typical pavement or the darkened pavement.

Flatness of wood composite panels, such as Laminated Veneer Lumber, is often difficult to control during the manufacturing process. Out-of-plane deformation, or warpage, of wood veneers caused by changes in moisture content affects the ability to press flat panels. To understand wood panel warpage, experimental methods are developed to create and measure moisture-induced deformation of wood veneers on five species of various thicknesses. Three moisture induction methods are investigated and evaluated to determine the increase in moisture content. Experiments are developed to produce moisture gradients of two concentrations in the veneers to examine the effect on warpage behavior. Additionally, the surface area of applied moisture and veneer thickness is also investigated. Three-dimensional scanning technology is used to measure warpage of veneers. A procedure using a structured-light scanner is developed to analyze the surface curvatures to observe the effect of moisture-induced warpage. After moisture-induction treatment of the veneer, surface deformation data is measured using the scanner and the data is converted into a 3D solid body model that is used for curvature comb analysis. The results show that curvature comb analysis can be used to analyze the geometry of moisture-induce warpage. The method can be used to analyze the effect of moisture gradient variables on warpage behavior including concentration, veneer thickness, and surface area. The experimental methods developed can be used by future researchers to validate theoretical warpage prediction models. / Master of Science / Flatness of wood composite panels, such as Laminated Veneer Lumber, is often difficult to control during the manufacturing process. Warpage of wood veneers is caused by changes in moisture content affecting manufacturers' ability to press flat panels. To understand wood panel warpage, experimental methods are developed to create and measure moisture-induced warpage of wood veneers on five species of various thicknesses. Three moisture induction methods are investigated and evaluated to determine the increase in moisture content. Experiments are developed to produce moisture gradients of two concentrations in the veneers to examine the effect on warpage behavior. Additionally, the surface area of applied moisture and veneer thickness is also investigated. Three-dimensional scanning technology is used to measure warpage of veneers. A procedure is developed to analyze the surface curvatures to observe the effect of moisture-induced warpage. After moisture-induction treatment of the veneer, surface deformation data is measured and converted into a 3D solid body model that is used to analyze curvature. The results show that moisture induction methods used to induce warpage can experience different geometries to analyze a veneer's curvature. The methods can be used to analyze warpage behavior of veneers by future researchers to validate warpage prediction model.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:44:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_elcio_luiz_perretto.pdf: 2190569 bytes, checksum: 1ff73055ff1d96459ff77fa47df6897f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-14 / The aim of this study was to identify the ideal sweet corn seed harvest moment by different determinations like moisture gradient in each harvest, moisture content, seeds dry matter, Hot Unity and physiological quality. Four genotypes of sweet corn, carrier of gene shrunken 2 (sh2) and nominated super sweet was used in this study. Ears from plants in the same development stage were collected. Seed harvest for the first genotype began 39 days after the flowering at intervals of two days until to complete eight harvest periods. Morphological determinations evaluated were moisture gradient between the seeds in each harvest, moisture content, seeds dry matter and Hot Unity. Seeds physiological quality was evaluated by germination test, first count of germination, soil emergence and cold test, without soil. Based on the results, the conclusions are: 1) the ideal moment to harvest sweet corn was with seed moisture content between 40 and 60% depending on genotype; 2) the ideal period to harvest the seed of sweet corn varies among genotypes; 3) the Hot Unity between 2007 to 2160°C relates to the best times to harvest the genotypes of sweet corn; 4) the moisture gradient of the seeds in a ear of sweet corn can reach more than 40 percentage points; 5) the seed moisture loss on the ear reaches around 1.5 percentage points per day after 40 days of flowering. / O objetivo deste trabalho foi identificar o momento ideal de colheita de sementes de milho doce, por diferentes determinações, como o gradiente de umidade das sementes em cada colheita, o teor de água, o acúmulo de matéria seca, a soma térmica em graus-dia e a qualidade fisiológica das sementes. Quatro genótipos de milho doce portadores do gene shrunken 2 (sh2), denominado superdoce, foram utilizados neste trabalho. Foram coletadas espigas em mesmo estádio de desenvolvimento. A colheita das sementes para o primeiro genótipo começou aos 39 dias após a floração, em intervalos regulares de dois em dois dias, até completar 8 épocas de colheita. As determinações morfológicas avaliadas foram o gradiente de umidade entre as sementes de cada colheita, o teor de água, a matéria seca das sementes e a determinação da soma térmica. A qualidade das sementes foi avaliada pelo teste de germinação, teste de primeira contagem de germinação, emergência em solo e o teste de frio sem solo. Com base nos resultados, conclui-se que: 1) o melhor momento para colheita de sementes de milho doce situa-se com umidade das sementes entre 40 e 60% e é dependente do genótipo; 2) a época ideal de colheita de sementes de milho doce varia entre genótipos; 3) a soma térmica entre 2007 a 2160°C relaciona-se com as melhores épocas de colheita dos genótipos de milho doce; 4) o gradiente de umidade das sementes em uma espiga de milho doce pode alcançar mais de 40 pontos percentuais; 5) a perda de umidade das sementes na espiga, após 40 dias da floração, varia de 1,5 pontos percentuais por dia.

Les budgets alloués aux réparations des ouvrages et du patrimoine bâti ont atteint un niveau important. Une démarche scientifique est donc réfléchie pour réduire ces budgets par la mise en place d’outils visant à optimiser et fiabiliser le diagnostic structural des ouvrages. Les méthodes de contrôle non destructif (CND) constituent l’une des voies adaptées. Ces techniques reposent sur des principes physiques bien connus et les sociétés de service en proposent aujourd’hui un emploi courant, mais de nombreux verrous subsistent. Les deux besoins majeurs des gestionnaires d’ouvrages sont celui de l’optimisation de la stratégie de reconnaissance (où mesurer ? en combien de points ? avec quelle(s) techniques(s) et quelle précision ?) et celui de la quantification des propriétés mécaniques des matériaux ou des indicateurs de durabilité telles que la résistance à la compression, l’épaisseur carbonatée, le taux d’humidité. La question est comment déduire ces propriétés et ces indicateurs des mesures faites ? Et quelles sont la précision et la fiabilité de l’évaluation ?Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre de deux projets nationaux de recherche : le projet ACDC-C2D2 et le projet ANR EvaDéOS. L’objectif principal est d’analyser la variabilité issue du CND pour ensuite remonter à la variabilité spatiale des bétons en conditions réelles. Les techniques de CND considérées sont choisies parmi les plus complémentaires : radar, résistivité électrique, ultrasons et rebond (scléromètre). Les résultats sont obtenus à partir d’une large campagne expérimentale effectuée sur des dalles d’un site test et sur deux ouvrages. L’analyse de la variabilité des CND a permis d’évaluer le nombre minimal de mesures nécessaire pour un niveau de confiance souhaité. D’autre part, la corrélation spatiale des données a été modélisée par l’analyse variographique. Les résultats montrent que, dans certain cas, les mesures de CND ne sont pas spatialement indépendantes. Les longueurs de corrélation identifiées dépendent de la propriété mesurée ainsi que du béton de l’ouvrage ausculté. La connaissance de ces longueurs de corrélation est un résultat nouveau qui permettra d’une part de mieux estimer la variabilité spatiale des bétons et d’autre part d’alimenter de manière plus réaliste les calculs fiabilistes des ouvrages. Elle permet également d’identifier un pas d’échantillonnage optimal sur ouvrage dans le cadre du suivi temporel ou pour effectuer des analyses complémentaires (ex. carottage, CND complémentaire ou plus fiable) et de représenter au mieux la cartographie spatiale des propriétés du béton.Dans le cadre du projet de recherche ANR EvaDéOS, les effets de la carbonatation et des gradients de teneur en eau (gradient d’humidité) sur les techniques CND ont été étudiés. Ce travail a pour objectifs d’étudier la sensibilité des techniques de CND à évaluer ces deux indicateurs de durabilité ainsi que leur impact sur la variabilité des mesures de CND. En laboratoire, des campagnes expérimentales ont été réalisées sur corps d’épreuve ayant différentes profondeurs de carbonatation ou des gradients d’humidité. L’effet de la carbonatation a été quantifié pour certains observables : résistivité électrique, vitesse ultrasonore et rebond. En ce qui concerne la variabilité des mesures de CND, l’effet de la carbonatation est seulement notable dans le cas du béton saturé, en particulier pour la variabilité locale de la résistivité électrique et du rebond. Cet effet reste faible par rapport à l’effet du degré de saturation. Les premiers résultats montrent également que les mesures de la résistivité électrique permettraient de suivre des gradients d’humidité dans le béton. / The budgets assigned to the repair of structures and built heritage have reached an alarming level. A scientific approach is needed to reduce these budgets by implementing tools for a more reliable and optimal assessment of existing structures. Non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques constitute one of approaches adapted to real conditions. These techniques are based on well-known physical principles. Many companies offer their services in NDT domain today but many challenges remain. The two particular needs of structure managers are the optimization of the assessment strategy (where to measure? how many testing points? what technique(s) and what precision?) and the quantification of mechanical properties of materials or durability indicators such as the compressive strength, the carbonation depth, the moisture content. The questions are how to estimate these properties from measurements performed, and what are the accuracy and reliability of the evaluation?This thesis is part of two French research projects: ACDC-C2D2 and ANR EVaDéOS. The main objective is to analyze the variability of non-destructive testing (NDT) measurements for assessing the spatial variability of concrete in real conditions. NDT techniques considered are chosen as being complementary: radar, electrical resistivity, ultrasonic, rebound hammer. The results are obtained from a wide campaign of measurements, which was performed on concrete slabs of a testing site and on two existing structures. The analysis of the NDT variability makes it possible to assess the necessary minimum number of measurements for a desired level of confidence. Furthermore, the spatial correlation of the data was modeled using the variogram analysis. In some cases, the results show that NDT measurements are not spatially independent. The correlation lengths identified depend on the measured property and the concrete of the structure inspected. They are a new result, which will provide on one hand a better evaluation of spatial variability of concrete and on the other hand a more realistic input of reliability calculations of structures. The correlation length allows also the identification of an optimal sampling distance on existing structure within the monitoring time or the implementation of additional analyses (eg. core, complementary or more reliable NDT) and a better representation of the spatial mapping of concrete properties.Within the framework of the ANR EvaDéOS research project, the effects of carbonation and of moisture gradients on NDT measurements were studied. This work aims to study the sensitivity of NDT techniques for assessing these two durability indicators and their impact on the variability of NDT measurements. In laboratory, the experimental surveys were carried out on testing specimens having different depths of carbonation or moisture gradients. The effect of carbonation was quantified for several parameters: electrical resistivity, ultrasonic pulse velocity and rebound hammer. With respect to the variability of NDT measurements, the effect of carbonation is only significant in the case of saturated concrete, in particular for the local variability of electrical resistivity and rebound hammer. This effect is weak in comparison with the effect of saturation degree. The first results show also that the measurements of electrical resistivity would follow moisture gradients in concrete.