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Superhydrophobic fabrics have gained a huge interest in the industries recently. New legislation pushes the industries to eliminate the use of fluorinated materials in the production of these type of fabrics. Hydrophobic and self-cleaning garments textiles can deliver stable water repellent properties without the need for fluorinated chemicals and reduce the consumption of detergents. New methods that could be implemented in current textile industry processes without major changes in instruments or materials is essential to move this industry to the next level. Filament development with the hydrophobic structure without coating could be strategic on one side and tricky on the other side. It has been proved that a stable hydrophobic self cleaning surface needs a hierarchical micro-nano structure to present sustainable properties. In this thesis, we used common materials in the textile industry for filament production which are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high molecular weight polystyrene (PS) and low molecular weight polystyrene (LMPS) to shape the microstructures on the surface of filaments. By adding the common compatibilizer polystyrene-co-maleic anhydride (PSMA) to the blend, PS in the matrix of PET could migrate to the surface. Even 1% wt. of PSMA boosted the migration of PS polymer droplets to the surface. The blend including compatibilizer was compounded, melt-spun into the monofilament, drawn, and annealed for various time durations in the furnace. Next, the filaments were immersed in tetrahydrofuran(THF) to remove the PS component obtaining the rough surface. We investigated the effect of mixture components content and different process parameters such as draw ratio and annealing time on hydrophobicity by the aid of statistical design. Applying the Wilhelmy method for contact angle measurement, we could achieve an advancing contact angle (ACA)of 114º and the average ACA of 96º by making micro-size structure on raw PET with an average ACA of 80º and the intrinsic contact angle of around 70º.

<p>Electropolishing is a commonly used method of mitigating surface roughness and yielding a polished appearance. One of the first described and most studied of electropolishing systems is the anodization of copper in phosphoric acid. Under normal conditions this reduces copper surface roughness substantially; however deviating from optimal electropolishing conditions can promote the development of semi-ordered surface roughness. Anodizing copper substrates in 98-100% H₃PO₄ solutions generated feature heights ranging from 0.5 - 2µm and surface area increases in excess of 30% were obtained. The samples demonstrated a macroscopic optical dullness characteristic of this type of surface roughening. Investigations as to their applicability in surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy and electron field emission were conducted. And while their formation mechanism is still speculated on, it is believed that oxygen evolution and subsequent bubble formation plays a key role. Electrochemical and microscopic imaging techniques were the primary methodologies used to probe the optical dulling phenomenon. With data obtained from experiments utilizing these techniques and others a qualitative mechanism is proposed.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

<p><strong>Abstract</strong></p> <p>The objective of this research is to develop an understanding of the mechanical behavior, failure and microstructure evolution of aluminum tubes under internal pressure loading, and to delineate the physical and mechanical origins of spatially-localized plastic deformation. Traditional approaches to the study of plastic instabilities, necking and failure have either been based on kinematic considerations, such as finite strain effects and geometric softening, or physics-based concepts. In this study, we develop a framework that combines both approaches to investigate the tube deformation and failure behavior at various loading conditions.</p> <p>A rate-dependent dislocation-based MTS model has been developed to study the tube hydro-forming process at high temperatures and at various strain rates. The development and application of the MTS model led to an advanced industrial application of PRF bottle forming, which has been fully investigated. This simulation shows a good agreement between experimental results and prediction. The model has been used extensively throughout the PRF bottle development, with several patent applications.</p> <p>The crystal plasticity based finite element model is selected to simulate surface roughening and localized necking in aluminum alloy tubes under internal pressure. The measured electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) data are directly incorporated into the finite element model and the constitutive response at an integration point is described by the single crystal plasticity theory. The effects of the spatial grain orientation distribution, strain rate sensitivity, work hardening, and initial surface topography on surface roughening and necking are discussed. It is demonstrated that while localized necking is very sensitive to both the initial texture and its spatial orientation distribution, the initial surface topography has only a small influence on necking, but a large influence on surface roughness of the formed product.</p> <p>An elastic-viscoplastic based finite element model has been developed to study the necking behavior of tube expansion for rate dependent monolithic materials and laminated materials during dynamic loading. Numerical study shows that a high strain rate sensitivity can significantly delay the onset of necking for both monolithic and laminated sheets, and affect the multiple-neck formation in high speed dynamic loading. The model also shows that higher volume fractions of a clad layer with positive rate sensitivity material in laminated sheet could improve the sheet ductility as well.</p> <p>A commercial FE package, ABAQUS, is employed as a finite element method solver in this research work, and several user subroutines were developed to model various hydro-forming processes. Interfaces between the ABAQUS user subroutine UMAT and the ABAQUS main code are developed to allow further extension of the current method.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The surface width, a global quantity that depends on time, is used to characterize the temporal evolution of growing surfaces. One of the most successful concepts for describing the property of the surface width is the famous Family-Vicsek scaling relation. We discuss an extended scaling relation that yields a complete description for various growth models. For two linear Langevin equations, namely the Edwards-Wilkinson equation and the Mullins-Herring equation, we furthermore study analytically the behavior of global quantities related to the surface width or to a quantity which is conjugated to the diffusion constant. The global quantities depend in a non-trivial way on two different times. We discuss the dynamical scaling forms of global correlation and response functions. For global functions related to the surface width, we show that the scaling behavior of the response can depend on how the system is perturbed. Different dynamic regimes, characterized by a power-law or by an exponential relaxation, are identified, and a dynamic phase diagram is constructed. We discuss global fluctuation-dissipation ratios and how to use them for the characterization of non-equilibrium growth processes. We also numerically study the same two-time quantities for the non-linear Kardar-Parisi-Zhang equation. For global functions related to the quantity which is conjugated to the diffusion constant of the linear Langevin equations, we show that the integrated response is proportional to the correlation in the linear response regime. In the aging regime, the autocorrelation and autoresponse exponents are identical and the aging exponent for the response is equal to the aging exponent for the correlation. We investigate the non-equilibrium fluctuation-dissipation theorem for non-equilibrium states based on this quantity. In the non-linear response regime a certain dissipation-fluctuation ratio approximates unity for small waiting times but approaches the ratio of perturbed and unperturbed diffusion constants for larger waiting times. / Ph. D.

This thesis investigates the impact of interface surface treatment methods for use in the Virginia Inverted T-Beam bridge system. The specific system consists of precast beams with thin bottom flanges placed next to one another, with a cast-in-place slab on top. Previous research has shown that the strength of this system after cyclic loading is highly dependent upon the shear strength of the interface between the precast and cast-in-place sections, especially for the adhesion-based connection configuration. The approval of this bridge system for use in bridges with high daily traffic volumes hinges on the verification of its strength and durability for a 50-year lifespan. The shear strength of ten different surface textures was tested using push-off tests to determine which interface roughening methods would prove adequate for use in the bridge system. The strength was found to depend on both the amplitude and the geometry of the undulations on the beam-to-slab interface. Using this information, a texture was selected for a new trial of the adhesion-based connection configuration, and a test specimen was constructed. After completing cyclic loading to simulate the design life of the bridge, it was found that the system achieved a strength similar to previous monotonically loaded specimens. It was concluded that the bridge is safe for use in high daily traffic areas provided that a surface roughening with adequate shear strength is used. / Master of Science

The heterogeneous structure of fractured media can lead to complex spatiotemporal fluid invasion dynamics. It thus brings forward challenging fundamental questions in the context of out-of-equilibrium dynamical systems, but also relevant to many processes of interest. The goal of the Thesis is to study the spatio-temporal dynamics of the oil-air interface between displaced air and invading oil, in imbibition through a model open fracture. The research combines exhaustive experimental work with accurate data analysis based on methods of nonlinear statistical physics. The mean postion of the interface h(t) is studied in capillary rise experiments, giving rise to a new analytical solution for h(t). The fluctuations of the interface in forced-flow experiments are analysed in the context of kinetic roughening, characterizing a super-rough scaling scenario. Finally, the burst-like dynamics is studied by analysing the local and global velocities of the front, which are widely distributed and display complex spatio-temporal correlations. We define local and global avalanches whose sizes and durations are also widely distributed, with cutoffs that diverge with the capillary number. Intermittentcy of the global signal is quantified. The ensemble of results presented in this Thesis supports a very general picture of the nonequilibrium dynamics of slowly-driven fronts in open fractures: the lateral propagation of interfacial fluctuations is controlled by local mass conservation, through the lateral correlation length; and the advancement of the interface in the direction of propagation is controlled by the characteristic extent of the disorder d and by the mean front velocity.

Quand un fluide mouillant visqueux (comme une huile) pénètre un milieu hétérogène tel qu’une fracture, l’interface (entre l’air déplacé et l’huile) développe des corrélations à longue portée menant à une dynamique spatio-temporelle complexe. Dans cette Thèse, nous avons étudié expérimentalement et théoriquement ce processus de transport d’un fluide, appelé imbibition, dans un modèle de fracture ouverte, pertinent dans diverses situations. Notre travail a combiné une étude expérimentale détaillée, avec une analyse précise des données, basées sur des méthodes de physique statistique et non-linéaire. D’abord, la position moyenne de l'interface h(t) est étudiée lors d’expériences de montée capillaire donnant lieu à une nouvelle solution analytique pour h(t). Nous avons ensuite étudié les propriétés d’invariance d’échelle de l’interface et en particulier leur évolution pour des processus d’imbibition forcées, caractérisée par un scénario dit «super-rugueux». Enfin, nous avons étudié et quantifié la dynamique intermittente par avalanches des fronts d’imbibition à partir de l’analyse multi-échelle (spatiales et temporelles) de leurs vitesses. L'ensemble des résultats présentés dans cette Thèse propose une image très générale de la dynamique hors équilibre des fronts d’imbibition se propageant lentement dans des fractures ouvertes. La propagation latérale des fluctuations interfaciales est contrôlée par conservation de la masse locale. L'avancement de l'interface dans la direction de propagation est contrôlé par l’échelle caractéristique du désordre et la vitesse moyenne du front. / The heterogeneous structure of fractured media can lead to complex spatiotemporal fluid invasion dynamics. It thus brings forward challenging fundamental questions in the context of out-of-equilibrium dynamical systems, but also relevant to many processes of interest. The goal of the Thesis is to study the spatio-temporal dynamics of the oil-air interface between displaced air and invading oil, in imbibition through a model open fracture. The research combines exhaustive experimental work with accurate data analysis based on methods of nonlinear statistical physics. The mean postion of the interface h(t) is studied in capillary rise experiments, giving rise to a new analytical solution for h(t). The fluctuations of the interface in forced-flow experiments are analysed in the context of kinetic roughening, characterizing a super-rough scaling scenario. Finally, the burst-like dynamics is studied by analysing the local and global velocities of the front, which are widely distributed and display complex spatio-temporal correlations. We define local and global avalanches whose sizes and durations are also widely distributed, with cutoffs that diverge with the capillary number. Intermittentcy of the global signal is quantified. The ensemble of results presented in this Thesis supports a very general picture of the nonequilibrium dynamics of slowly-driven fronts in open fractures: the lateral propagation of interfacial fluctuations is controlled by local mass conservation, through the lateral correlation length; and the advancement of the interface in the direction of propagation is controlled by the characteristic extent of the disorder d and by the mean front velocity.

The wetting behavior of water on methacrylate copolymer films was studied on anodically oxidized and micro-roughened aluminium surfaces and also on smooth model surfaces. The copolymerization of tert-butyl methacrylate with a methacrylate containing a fluoroorganic side chain led to a considerable decrease of the surface free energy, but not to a superhydrophobic behavior of polymer-coated, micro-roughened aluminium surfaces. However, copolymers containing both hydrophobic and hydrophilic sequences are able to form superhydrophobic films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that an enrichment of the interface between the solid phase and the air by fluorine-containing polymer components was the reason for the strong decrease of the surface free energy. The hydrophilic segments of the copolymers improved the ability to wet the highly polar aluminium surface and to form films of higher density.