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Master of Science / Department of Civil Engineering / Hani G. Melhem / The objective of this research is to use structure ambient random vibration response to detect damage level and location. The use of ambient vibration is advantageous because excitation is caused by service conditions such as normal vehicle traffic on a highway bridge, train passage on a railroad bridge, or wind loads on a tall building. This eliminates the need to apply a special impact or dynamic load, or interrupt traffic on a bridge in regular service. This research developed an approach in which free vibration of a structure is extracted from the response of this structure to a random excitation in the time domain (acceleration versus time) by averaging out the random component of the response. The result is the free vibration that includes all modes based on the sampling rate on time. Then this free vibration is transferred to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Variations in frequency response are a function of structural stiffness and member end-conditions. Such variations are used as a measure to identify the change in the structural dynamic properties, and ultimately detect damage. A physical model consisting of a 20 × 20 × 1670 -mm long steel square tube was used to validate this approach. The beam was tested under difference supports conditions varying from a single- to three-span continuous configuration. Random excitation was applied to the beam, and the dynamic response was measured by an accelerometer placed at various locations on the span. A numerical model was constructed in ABAQUS and the dynamic response was obtained from the finite element model subjected to similar excitation as in the physical model. Numerical results were correlated against results from the physical model, and comparison was made between the different span/support configurations. A subsequent step would be to induce damage that simulates loss of stiffness or cracking condition of the beam cross section, and that would be reflected as a change in the frequency and other dynamic properties of the structure. The approach achieved good results for a structure with a limited number of degrees of freedom. Further research is needed for structures with a larger number of degrees of freedom and structures with damage in symmetrical locations relative to the accelerometer position.

Sensitive nonlinear acoustic methods are suitable for material characterization. This thesis describes three nonlinear acoustic methods that are proven useful for detection of defects like cracks and delaminations in solids. They offer the possibility to use relatively low frequencies which is advantageous because attenuation and diffraction effects are smaller for low frequencies. Therefore large and multi-layered complete objects can be investigated in about one second. Sometimes the position of the damage is required. But it is in general difficult to limit the geometrical extent of low-frequency acoustic waves. A technique is presented that constrains the wave field to a localized trapped mode so that damage can be located.

Radiation damage occurs in reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steel, causing microstructural changes such as point defect clusters, interstitial loops, vacancy-solute clusters, and precipitates, that cause material embrittlement. Radiation damage is a crucial concern in the nuclear industry since many nuclear plants throughout the US are entering the first period of life extension and older plants are currently undergoing assessment of technical basis to operate beyond 60 years. The result of extended operation is that the RPV and other components will be exposed to higher levels of neutron radiation than they were originally designed to withstand. There is currently no nondestructive evaluation technique that can unambiguously assess the amount of radiation damage in RPV steels. Nonlinear ultrasound (NLU) is a nondestructive evaluation technique that is sensitive to microstructural features such as dislocations, precipitates, and their interactions in metallic materials. The physical effect monitored by NLU is the generation of higher harmonic frequencies in an initially monochromatic ultrasonic wave, arising from the interaction of the ultrasonic wave with microstructural features. This effect is quantified with the measurable acoustic nonlinearity parameter, beta. In this work, nonlinear ultrasound is used to characterize radiation damage in reactor pressure vessel steels over a range of fluence levels, irradiation temperatures, and material composition. Experimental results are presented and interpreted with newly developed analytical models that combine different irradiation-induced microstructural contributions to the acoustic nonlinearity parameter.

The thesis deals with the application of nondestructive testing methods (acoustic emission, electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction topography) to description and identification of stages in the fatigue process in aluminium alloys. The main contribution of this dissertation thesis consists of the approach and evaluation methodology of cyclic damage in the materials. It dealt especially with the verification of measured data by using data obtained using other nondestructive methods. The experimental results show that the field of nondestructive testing materials can fundamentally uncover the process of fatigue damage and improve current knowledge in this area. Combination of used methods has become a powerful tool for the identification and monitoring of the whole fatigue degradation process of materials.

La capacité à détecter des micro-défauts ou des défauts profonds dans les pièces métalliques constitue un enjeu important pour l'industrie de l'aéronautique ou du nucléaire. La technique de contrôle non destructif (CND) par courant de Foucault est souvent utilisée pour cette application. Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre d'une collaboration ayant pour but la réalisation et l'intégration de micro-capteurs de champ magnétique basés sur l’effet de magnéto-impédance (MI) à des systèmes de détection par CND. Ces micro-capteurs de structure multicouche (ferromagnétique/conducteur/ferromagnétique) ont été élaborés en salle blanche par dépôt de films minces. Un traitement thermique sous champ magnétique a ensuite permis d’optimiser les propriétés du matériau et d’induire des anisotropies dans le plan des couches ferromagnétiques. Une méthode basée sur la double démodulation d’amplitude du signal de mesure a été proposée pour la caractérisation dynamique des capteurs. Les paramètres importants tel que la géométrie, l’anisotropie et la fréquence d’excitation ont été étudiés afin d’optimiser les caractéristiques. Les résultats ont montré la nécessité de polariser les capteurs en champ. Nous avons donc étudié la possibilité de réaliser, grâce à une technique de micromoulage épais, un microsolénoïde 3D et des travaux préliminaires sur l’intégration d'un capteur dans le microsolénoïde par transfert de film ont été effectués. Enfin, une étude théorique a été réalisée en tenant compte des résultats obtenus expérimentalement. Pour cela, le modèle de Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) a été implanté dans un code de calcul électromagnétique par éléments finis permettant de calculer l’impédance du capteur en fonction du champ magnétique appliqué. / The capability to detect micro-defects or buried flaws in the metallic parts is an important issue for the aerospace or nuclear industry. The technique of nondestructive testing (NDT) by eddy current is widely used for these applications. This thesis is part of collaboration project aimed at the realization and integration of magnetic field microsensors based on the magneto-impedance (MI) effect for the NDT detection systems. These multilayered structure microsensors (ferromagnetic/conductor/ferromagnetic) were realized in the clean room by thin film deposition method. A post-annealing step with magnetic field was then used to optimize the material properties and to induce magnetic anisotropy in the ferromagnetic layers. A method based on the double amplitude demodulation was proposed for the dynamic characterization of the sensors. The important parameters such as the geometry, the anisotropy and the driven frequency were studied in order to optimize the characteristics. The results showed that a bias field is necessary for the application. Therefore, we have investigated the possibility to realize, through thick micromoulding technique, a 3D microsolenoid and preliminary work on integrating a sensor in the microsolenoid by film transfer has been carried out. Finally, a theoretical study was investigated by taking into account the results obtained experimentally. For this purpose, the model of Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) has been implemented in an electromagnetic finite element calculation program in order to determine the impedance of the sensor as a function of the applied magnetic field.

Le contrôle non destructif (CND) par Courants de Foucault (CF) de défauts de fissuration est l’une des techniques les plus répandues dans de nombreux secteurs industriels. L’utilisation d’outils de modélisation adaptés permet d’améliorer les procédés de contrôle et la compréhension des données expérimentales observées. Ce travail de thèse, réalisé au CEA LIST et sous la direction de D. Lesselier (Laboratoire des Signaux et Systèmes), a pour objectif de proposer une approche de modélisation semi-analytique dédiée à la simulation du CND CF de défauts fins ou très fins dans une pièce plane conductrice composée de plusieurs couches. Il a fait l’objet d’une collaboration, dans le cadre du projet CIVAMONT, avec l’équipe Meander de l’University of Western Macedonia (Grèce), dirigée par le professeur T. Theodoulidis.Du point de vue de la simulation, la complexité du problème à traiter est liée aux particularités des défauts de fissuration : une ouverture très fine, un profil complexe et la possibilité d’avoir des ponts de conductivité entre les deux faces latérales du défaut. Ces caractéristiques expliquent la difficulté qu’ont les méthodes de simulation classiques, semi-analytiques ou purement numériques, à traiter efficacement ce type de configuration. Pour ces raisons, une approche dédiée aux défauts fins, fondée sur la méthode des éléments de frontière, a été développée. Elle présente l’avantage majeur de ne requérir qu’une discrétisation surfacique du défaut, en traitant analytiquement le calcul dans la direction de son ouverture. Après la résolution, avec la Méthode des Moments, de l’équation intégrale décrivant les interactions entre le champ d’excitation et le défaut, la réponse de la sonde est calculée en appliquant le théorème de réciprocité. Les développements théoriques réalisés dans cette thèse ont abouti à la mise en place d’une formulation générale permettant la prise en compte d’un nombre quelconque de défauts fins, d’orientations et des géométries différentes, pouvant être situés dans des couches différentes de la pièce. Par la suite, cette méthode innovante a été implémentée au sein de la plateforme de simulation CIVA, développée au CEA LIST, et a été validée expérimentalement à plusieurs reprises. Une extension de cette méthode a également permis la mise en place d’une approche la couplant à une modélisation volumique standard pour la simulation de configurations complexes comme le contrôle de fissures au voisinage d’un alésage. Ce travail, qui a fait l’objet d’une diffusion internationale affirmée, a permis de lever avec succès un certain nombre de difficultés théoriques et pratiques liées à la modélisation du CND CF de défauts fins. / Non Destructive Testing (NDT) with Eddy Current (EC) techniques are is widely employed in several industrial sectors for cracks detection. Numerical simulation tools are largely used in order to design sensors, understand the signals collected during the measurements process and to provide a support in expertise. This work has been accomplished inside CEA LIST in collaboration with L2S-Supélec. It is also a part of the CIVAMONT 2012 project, with the active participation of MEANDER laboratory members from University of Western Macedonia (Greece) and Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia (Greece). The main goal of our work has consisted in to developing a semi-analytical modeling approach, devoted to Eddy Current Testing (ECT) of multiple narrow cracks in planar multilayered structures. From the numerical point of view, simulation of multiple narrow cracks problems is a difficult task for classical methods, like for example the Volume Integral Method (VIM) or the Finite Element Method (FEM). The main issues reside in geometrical characteristics of narrow crack themselves. Indeed, a narrow crack presents a small opening as well as complex profile and a complex shape, with possible electrical contacts inside it. All these features increase enormously, with classical methods, the difficulty to simulate in rapid and/or precise way problems involving narrow cracks. We have tackled the narrow crack issue by developing a Boundary Element Method (BEM) dedicated to ECT signal modeling, starting from an approach presented in literature. Then, we have extended its capability to more realistic and challenging cases, such as the ECT of multilayered structures affected by complex narrow cracks. The principle of this method is to introduce additional assumptions, leading to the description of the crack perturbation as the effect of a dipole distribution, oriented toward the crack opening. Numerically speaking, such a description makes it possible to largely reduce, compared to the VIM, the number of unknowns that one needs to properly solve the problem. A particular attention has been devoted to the analytical formulation, in order to achieve generality, accuracy and efficiency. A precise derivation of the spectral-domain Dyadic Green Function (DGF) associated to our problem has first been developed. In this work, analytical expressions of the spectral-domain DGF have been obtained via the Discrete Complex Image Method (DCIM). Then, an accurate approximation of the spectral-domain DGF has been achieved via the Generalized Pencil of Function (GPOF) method. Therefore, the closed-form of the spectral-domain DGF, expressed under the form of Sommerfeld Integrals (SIs), has been calculated analytically. Finally, the integral equation(s) associate to the electromagnetic problem is solved by applying the Method of Moments (MoM).Validations with respect to experiments and commercial simulation software have been performed to test the model. A large set of configurations have been chosen in order to address realistic configurations involving multiple narrow cracks embedded in different layers of a given multilayered structure. The model proposed has shown its promising performance in terms of computational time compared with the VIM and the FEM. Moreover, a very good agreement with respect to the experimental data has always been observed. In the last and very recent part of our work, a coupled approach between BEM and VIM has been studied and developed in order to address, in a efficient way, problems where narrow cracks appear in the vicinity of with volumetric flaws (for example the simulation of fastener sites inspections). Comparisons with experimental measures have shown that the coupled approach is capable to achieve, overall, better results than the VIM and saves a lot of computational time.

Este trabalho apresenta um procedimento para auxiliar na determinação da vida útil de pavimentos flexíveis através da determinação de tensões e deformações causadas pela solicitação de um eixo padrão na estrutura de pavimentos flexíveis utilizando Redes Neurais Artificiais. Para treinamento e validação das redes foram utilizadas bacias de deflexões hipotéticas geradas com o auxílio do programa ELSYM5, simulando o carregamento com falling weight deflectometer. Foram criados quatro conjuntos de bacias hipotéticas, dois para pavimentos de três camadas e dois para pavimentos de quatro camadas. As redes neurais artificiais foram treinadas e validadas utilizando-se o simulador EasyNN-plus, que utiliza redes multilayer perceptron com algoritmo de aprendizagem backpropagation. Os dados de entrada das redes são as espessuras das camadas do pavimento e a bacia de deflexão. Como saída, têm-se as tensões e deformações na face inferior do revestimento e no topo do subleito e os módulos de resiliência das camadas do pavimento. Foram determinadas retas de regressão, coeficientes de regressão e histogramas de erros entre os valores reais (ELSYM5) e os valores previstos (RNA). Os resultados obtidos pelas redes neurais artificiais apresentaram boa correlação com os valores reais, demonstrando a capacidade das redes neurais para auxiliar na determinação da vida útil de pavimentos flexíveis, ao estimar diretamente as tensões e deformações em pontos específicos da estrutura. / This paper presents a procedure to assist the evaluation of the remaining life of flexible pavements by means of the determination of stresses and strains caused by a standard load in flexible pavements structures using artificial neural networks. Hypothetical deflections basins, generated by the ELSYM5 program, simulating the load applied by a falling weight deflectometer, were used to train and to validate the networks. Four sets of hypothetical basins were created, two for pavements with three layers and two for pavements with four layers. The artificial neural networks were trained and validated using the EasyNN-plus simulator, which uses multilayer perceptron networks with back-propagation learning algorithm. The networks input data are the pavements layers thickness and the deflection basin. The networks outputs are the stresses and strains in the bottom of the asphalt layer and at the top of the subgrade and resilience modulus of the pavement layers. The results obtained by the artificial neural networks showed good correlation with the real values, demonstrating that neural networks have capacity to assist in the evaluation of the remaining life of flexible pavements, estimating directly the stresses and strains of specific points of the pavement structure.

Nenhuma / Neste trabalho propõe-se uma nova metodologia para a análise do ruído magnético Barkhausen, as transformadas Wavelet., uma ferramenta de processamento de sinais que possibilita exibir o comportamento das freqüências e a quantidade de informações presentes em um determinado sinal. As transformadas Wavelet são utilizadas para a análise de sinais não estacionários, proporcionando uma representação tempo-frequência do sinal simultaneamente. Foram estudados três tipos de materiais ferromagnéticos, os aços ASTM A 515, USI SAC 50 e AISI 1045. A primeira fase dos estudos abordou a análise do ruído magnético Barkhausen para a avaliação de tensões mecânicas presentes nestes materiais. Os experimentos foram realizados utilizando-se as transformadas Wavelet contínua, Wavelet discreta e Wavelet Packet Entropia Wavelet e o método RMS convencional, sendo comparados os resultados obtidos pelos dois métodos. Verificou-se que a utilização da transformada Wavelet Packet Entropia Wavelet apresentou melhores resultados do que os obtidos pelo método RMS. Na segunda fase, os experimentos foram realizados de forma a verificar a possibilidade de emprego do método para a diferenciação das amostras estudadas. Os estudos foram realizados para valores de tensões mecânicas entre -30 MPa e 30 MPa e os resultados obtidos pelo método tradicional RMS e pelo método de Entropia Wavelet foram submetidos a uma análise estatística que possibilitou diferenciar, por intervalos de confiança de 95%, as amostras dos diferentes materiais. As principais conclusões deste trabalho é que a análise do ruído magnético Barkhausen utilizando a técnica de processamento de sinais pelo uso de Entropia Wavelet possibilita a diferenciação de amostras dos diferentes materiais ferromagnéticos estudados e apresenta sensibilidade para a detecção de variações de tensões numa faixa de tensões superior ao método tradicional RMS. Os resultados obtidos com o uso das transformadas Wavelet contínuas e das outras transformadas Wavelet discretas não apresentaram informações relevantes para estas aplicações. / In this study, a new methodology for Barkhausen noise analysis of ferromagnetic materials is proposed. This methodology is based on the use of the Wavelet transforms, a signal processing tool capable of providing the frequency content and he amount of information of a particular signal. The Wavelet transforms are used for non-stationary signals analysis and are capable of providing the time and frequency information simultaneously, hence giving a time-frequency representation of the signal. Three different ferromagnetic materials were investigated, the ASTM A 515, USI SAC 50 and AISI 1045 steels. The first part of the study was directed to the analysis of the magnetic Barkhausen noise for evaluation of the mechanical stresses present in these materials. The experiments were performed using the Continuous Wavelet Transforms, the Discrete Wavelet Transforms, the Wavelet Packet Transform Wavelet Entropy and the conventional RMS Method. The results obtained from these methods were compared. The results obtained from the use of the Wavelet Packet Transform Entropy Wavelet were more representative than those obtained from the use of the RMS method. In the second part of this study, the experiments were performed in order to verify the use of these methods to separate the materials studied. The experiments were performed in the stress range from 30 MPa to 30 MPa and the results obtained from the RMS Method and the Wavelet Packet Transforms Method Entropy Wavelet were submitted to a statistical analysis that allowed differentiating, with 95% on confidence interval, the samples of the materials studied. The mains conclusions obtained from this study are: the stress range where the Wavelet Packet Transforms - Entropy Wavelet Method presented sensitivity for stress changes in the materials studied was larger than the presented by the RMS Method and the use of this Wavelet Transforms was adequate to differentiate the materials used in this work. The results obtained from the Continuous Wavelet Transforms and the other Discrete Wavelet Transforms did not present relevant information for these applications.

Nenhuma / A espectroscopia Mössbauer de 57Fe é uma técnica nuclear, não-destrutiva, utilizada na investigação das propriedades estruturais, magnéticas e hiperfinas de diferentes materiais sólidos. Trata-se, portanto, de uma poderosa ferramenta de caracterização de materiais na física, metalurgia, geologia e biologia, particularmente em materiais magnéticos, ligas metálicas e minerais contendo Fe. Na atualidade, a Espectroscopia Mössbauer de Elétrons de Conversão (CEMS) é amplamente utilizada no estudo de filmes finos e ultrafinos, bem como outros materiais nanoestruturados. No caso de nanoestruturas magnéticas, estudos a baixas temperaturas (LT) são particularmente importantes devido à possibilidade de efeitos oriundos do fenômeno do superparamagnetismo. Neste trabalho foi desenvolvido um sistema de medição CEMS a baixas temperaturas (< 20 K) utilizando um Channeltron (multiplicador de e-) e um Criostato ótico (Modelo SVT-400 da Janis Research Co, EUA) tendo como base um detector originalmente desenvolvido no Departamento de Física Aplicada / Espectroscopia Mössbauer da Universidade de Duisburg-Essen, Alemanha. O detector LTCEMS foi construído, testado e aplicado com sucesso num estudo preliminar de caracterização de bicamadas Fe/(EuxPb1-x)Te(111) com uso de camada sonda de 57Fe de apenas 15Å, obtendo resultados a temperaturas de até 8 K na amostra. / The 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy is a nuclear, non-destructive technique used for the investigation of structural, magnetic and hyperfine properties of several materials. It is a powerful tool in characterizing materials in physics, metallurgy, geology and biology field areas, especially magnetic materials, alloys and minerals containing Fe. Lately, the Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectroscopy (CEMS) is widely used in making studies on ultra-thin magnetic films, as well as other nanoestructured materials. In case of magnetic nanostructures, low temperature (LT) studies are especially important due to the possibility of dealing with superparamagnetic effects. In this work it was developed a CEMS measurement system for low temperatures (< 20K) based on a solid-state electron multiplier (Channeltron) and an optical cryostat (Model SVT-400, Janis Research Co, USA), from which the project was originally conceived at the Applied Physics / Mössbauer Spectroscopy Department from University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany. The LT-CEMS system was fully built, tested and successfully applied in a preliminary characterization of Fe/(EuxPb1-x)Te(111) bilayers with use of a 15 Å, 57Fe probe layer, with reasonable results at sample temperatures as low as 8 K.