This dissertation explores the physics of droplet impingement on superhydrophobic surfaces. The research is divided in three categories. First, the effect of a slip boundary condition on droplet spreading/retracting is considered. A model is developed based on energy conservation to evaluate spreading rates on surfaces exhibiting isotropic and anisotropic slip. The results show that larger slip causes the droplet to spread out farther owing to reduced friction at the interface for both slip scenarios. Furthermore, effects of slip become magnified for large Weber numbers due to the larger solid-liquid contact area during the process. On surfaces with anisotropic slip, droplets adopt an elliptical shape following the azimuthal contour of the slip on the surface. It is common for liquid to penetrate into the cavities at the superhydrophobic interface following droplet impact. Once penetrated, the flow is said to be in the Wenzel state and many superhydrophobic advantages, such as self-cleaning and drag-reduction, become negated. Transition from the Wenzel to the Cassie state (liquid resides above the texture) is referred to as dewetting and is the focus of the second piece of this dissertation. Micro-pillar pitch, height and temperature play a role on dewetting dynamics. The results show that dewetting rates increase with increasing pillar height and increasing surface temperature. A scaling model is constructed to obtain an explanation for the experimental observations and suggests that increasing pillar height increasing the driving dewetting force, while increasing surface temperature decreases dissipation. The last piece of work of this dissertation entails droplet impingement on superheated surfaces (100°C - 400°C). We find that the Leidenfrost point (LFP) occurs at a lower temperature on a hydrophobic surface than a hydrophilic one, where the LFP refers to the lowest temperature at which secondary atomization ceases to occur. This behavior is attributed to the manner in which vapor bubbles grow at the solid-liquid interface. Also in this work, high-speed photographs reveal that secondary atomization can be significantly suppressed on a superhydrophobic surface owing to the micro-pillar forest which allows vapor to escape hence minimizing bubble formation within the droplet. However, a more in-depth study into different superhydrophobic texture patterns later reveals that atomization intensity can significantly increase for small pitch values given the obstruction to vapor flow presented by the increased frequency of the pillars.

<p>In the railway industry, slip control has always been essential due to the low friction between the wheels and the rail. In this master’s thesis we have gathered several slip control methods and evaluated them. These evaluations were performed in Matlab-Simulink on a slip process model of a railway vehicle. The objective with these evaluations were to show advantages and disadvantages with the different slip control methods. </p><p>The results clearly show the advantage of using a slip optimizing control method, i.e. a method that finds the optimal slip and thereby maximizes the use of adhesion. We have developed two control strategies that we have found superior in this matter. These methods have a lot in common. For instance they both use an adhesion observer and non-linear gain, which enables fast optimization. The difference lies in how this non-linear gain is formed. One strategy uses an adaptive algorithm to estimate it and the other uses fuzzy logic. </p><p>A problem to overcome in order to have well functioning slip controllers is the formation of vehicle velocity. This is a consequence of the fact that most slip controllers use the velocity as a control signal.</p>

In the railway industry, slip control has always been essential due to the low friction between the wheels and the rail. In this master’s thesis we have gathered several slip control methods and evaluated them. These evaluations were performed in Matlab-Simulink on a slip process model of a railway vehicle. The objective with these evaluations were to show advantages and disadvantages with the different slip control methods. The results clearly show the advantage of using a slip optimizing control method, i.e. a method that finds the optimal slip and thereby maximizes the use of adhesion. We have developed two control strategies that we have found superior in this matter. These methods have a lot in common. For instance they both use an adhesion observer and non-linear gain, which enables fast optimization. The difference lies in how this non-linear gain is formed. One strategy uses an adaptive algorithm to estimate it and the other uses fuzzy logic. A problem to overcome in order to have well functioning slip controllers is the formation of vehicle velocity. This is a consequence of the fact that most slip controllers use the velocity as a control signal.

Nous avons utilisé deux techniques de géodésie spatiale (Global Navigation Satellite System, GNSS, et Interférométrie d'images radar satellite, InSAR) pour estimer la cinématique actuelle et les taux de glissement de la plupart des failles de l'Est et du Nord-Est de l'Iran. En Iran de l'Est, 14 mm/an de cisaillement dextre est accommodé sur les failles décrochantes dextres Est-Lut, West-Lut, Kuhbanan, Anar et Dehshir. Ces failles glissent latéralement à 5.6 ± 0.6, 4.4 ± 0.4, 3.6 ± 1.3, 2.0 ± 0.7 et 1.4 ± 0.9 mm/an, respectivement, de l'est à l'ouest. Au nord de ces failles, nos vitesses GNSS suggèrent une rotation de block rigide du bassin Sud Caspien (SCB) autour d'un pôle qui se trouve plus loin qu'on ne le pensait précédemment. Ce mouvement NW de SCB implique un glissement dextre de jusqu'à 7 mm/an sur la faille Ashkabad, et jusqu'à 4-6 mm/an de glissement senestre à travers le système des failles de Shahroud (SFS). L'analyse InSAR en séries temporelles localise 4.75 ± 0.5 mm/an de glissement senestre plus spécifiquement sur les failles d'Abr et Jajarm. / Eastern Iran has a crucial role in accommodating the Arabia-Eurasia convergence. We used permanent and campaign Global Positioning System (GPS) networks to estimate the present-day kinematics and the slip rates on most faults in Central-Eastern Iran and Kopeh Dagh. Also we used differential Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) interferometry to estimate the interseismic deformation along two major faults in Eastern Iran, the Shahroud and Doruneh faults. In Eastern Iran, 14 mm/yr of right-lateral shear is accommodated on the East-Lut, West-Lut, Kuhbanan, Anar and Dehshir right-lateral faults. These faults slip laterally at 5.6 ± 0.6, 4.4 ± 0.4, 3.6 ± 1.3, 2.0 ± 0.7 and 1.4 ±0.9 mm/yr, respectively from east to west and they divide the Central-Eastern Iranian crust in five blocks that are moving northwards at 6-13 mm/yr with respect to Eurasia. The NS faults accommodate additional NS shortening by rotating counterclockwise in the horizontal plane, at current rates of up to 0.8°Ma. In the North of theses faults is situated the EW orientated left-lateral Doruneh fault. We obtain less than 4 mm/yr of slip rate using SAR ENVISAT data which correspond to the GPS results from average velocity differences to each side of the fault. North of Doruneh, our GPS velocities suggest a rigid-body rotation of the South Caspian Basin (SCB) about an Euler pole that is located further away than previously thought. This NW motion of SCB is accommodated by right-lateral slip on the Ashkabad fault (at a rate of up to 7 mm/yr) and by up to 4-6 mm/yr of summed left-lateral slip across the Shahroud left-lateral strike-slip system. The time series analysis of two ENVISAT SAR images covering the Shahroud faults system helps localizing the left-lateral slip on individual faults. We perform a 2-D elastic half-space modeling of two tracks. The modeling results yield 4.75 ± 0.5 mm/yr of left-lateral slip rate on the Abr (~ longitude 55°) and Jajarm (~longitude 56°) strand of the Shahroud fault system with a 10 ± 4 km locking depth, highlighting the important contribution of these faults to seismic hazard in the highly populated NE Iran.

This work investigates the velocity-dependent coefficient of friction between concrete and 300 Maraging steel over short displacements. A modified torsional Hopkinson bar is utilized for rotating thin-walled steel rings in contact with a concrete disk under static precompression. Rotational velocity is varied between tests to determine the velocity dependence of the friction coefficient. Normal force is varied between certain tests to determine the pressure dependence of the friction coefficient between the concrete and steel. Three different types of concrete are tested to deduce any composition effect on the friction coefficient. Dry and greased conditions’ impact on the friction coefficient are also evaluated. Lastly, the displacement dependence (fade) is considered for the concrete with regards to the steel. Discussion of the usefulness of this data in modeling and experimentation of impact between concrete and steel is disclosed.

Solides élastiques au repos, les fluides à seuil s’écoulent comme un liquide au-delà d’une certaine contrainte. Plusieurs applications industrielles concernent l’écoulement de ces fluides dans des milieux poreux. On peut citer par exemple les émulsions dans le processus de récupération du pétrole, les opérations de cimentation dans le sol, ou le nettoyage d’un sol contaminé par une boue. Pour ces applications, il est nécessaire de connaitre la pression nécessaire pour un débit voulu à la sortie du milieu poreux. Dans de tels cas, l’écoulement est perturbé par la complexité de la géométrie. Les modèles développés pour décrire la loi de Darcy supposent une loi rhéologique appliquée localement, mais ces modèles décrivent mal ce type d’écoulement. De plus, des effets complexes peuvent s’ajouter comme le glissement à la paroi ou la thixotropie. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l’écoulement de carbopol (ETD 2050) à travers différentes géométries. Tout d’abord au rhéomètre, nous montrons que le fluide, sous certaines conditions, correspond bien à un fluide à seuil modèle. Nous démontrons que le protocole expérimental utilisé est très important et qu’un comportement thixotropique peut apparaitre s’il n’est pas respecté. Ce comportement apparait notamment lorsque le fluide reste sous le seuil, l’impact augmentant avec le temps d’attente. Ensuite, nous comparons la loi d’écoulement obtenue au rhéomètre à l’écoulement dans un canal droit obtenu par microfabrication. Nous montrons alors l’importance du glissement proche du seuil et ses conséquences sur la loi d’écoulement. Enfin nous étudions l’écoulement du carbopol dans un milieu poreux. Le milieu poreux de 5x5cm est obtenu par microfabrication. La largeur moyenne des canaux est égale à celle du canal droit. Nous avons développé une nouvelle méthode de mesure des champs de vitesse. Nous montrons l’apparition d’une chenalisation de l’écoulement à travers quelques canaux du milieu poreux. Nous comparons ensuite la loi d’écoulement du milieu poreux à celle obtenue dans le canal droit. On remarque que la vitesse d’écoulement est plus faible dans le milieu poreux que dans le canal droit. / Elastic solids at rest, yield stress fluids flow like a liquid beyond a certain stress. Many industrial applications required the flow of these fluids in porous media, for example: the emulsion flow in oil recovery processes, the cementing operations in the ground, or the cleaning of sludge in a contaminated soil. For many applications, it could be interesting to know the pressure required for a desired flow rate. In such cases, the flow behavior of the fluid is complicated by the complexity of the geometry. The models developed to describe Darcy's law assume a rheological law applied locally, but these models poorly describe this type of flow. Furthermore, complex effects can be added like the wall slip or the thixotropy. In this thesis, we study the flow of carbopol (ETD 2050) through different geometries. First we show that the fluid, for some conditions, corresponds to model yield stress fluids. The experimental protocol used is very important and a thixotropic behavior can appear if it is not respected. This behavior appears especially when the fluid remains below the yield stress, the impact increases with the waiting time. We then compare the flow law obtained by rheometer in a straight channel obtained by microfabrication. We show the importance of the wall slip near the yield stress and the impact on the flow law. Finally, using a new method to measure the velocity fields developed during this thesis, we study the flow of carbopol in a porous medium. This porous medium of 5x5cm is obtained by microfabrication. The mean width of the channels is equivalent to the one of the straight channel. We show the emergence of a channeling flow through some channels of the porous medium. We then compare the flow law of the porous medium to the one obtained in the straight channel. It can be observed that the flow rate is lower in the porous medium than in the straight channel.