No desenho de mecanismos lubrificados, tais como Mancais hidrodinâmicos ou anéis de pistões de Motores a Combustão, atrito e desgaste são efeitos não desejados. Por exemplo, é sabido que aproximadamente 5% da energia perdida em um motor a combustão esta associada ao atrito presente no sistema de anéis/cilindro do pistão. Após vários trabalhos experimentais e teóricos, as superfícies texturizadas hão mostrado serem capazes de reduzir o atrito em algumas condições de funcionamento. O estudo da relação entre o atrito e os parâmetros de texturização é um problema difícil e de interesse tanto industrial como acadêmico. O contexto matemático e computacional destes trabalhos apresentam desafios por si mesmos, como o estudo da boa colocação dos modelos matemáticos, a consideração adequada das descontinuidades das superfícies. Este trabalho enfoca-se no contexto matemático, apresentando e estudando a equação de Reynolds junto com diferentes modelos de cavitação que podem encontrar-se na literatura. Começamos estudando a matemática da equação de Reynolds. Depois disso, modelos de cavitação são inclusos, aumentando a complexidade da matemática envolvida. Seguidamente, como aplicação da teoria apresentada, um rolamento deslizante será estudado junto com uma texturização da superfície móvel. Os resultados deste estudo revelam mecanismos básicos de redução de atrito e propriedades gerais que não haviam sido reportadas anteriormente. Possíveis trabalhos futuros são apresentados, tal como o uso de Métodos Descontínuos de Galerkin em vez dos Métodos de Volumes Finitos. O último em procura de uma melhor acomodação da formulação matemática, tentando melhorar a flexibilidade da malha e a precisão. / In the design of lubricated mechanisms, such as Journal Bearings or Piston Rings of Combustion Engines, friction and wear are undesirable effects. It is known, for instance, that about 5% of the energy loss in a Combustion Engine is associated to friction taking place in the Piston Rings/Cylinder system. Textured surfaces, after a significant number of experimental and theoretical studies, have shown to reduce friction in some operating conditions. The study of the relation between the friction and the texture parameters is a challenging problem with both industrial and academic interest. The mathematical and computational frameworks involved present challenges by themselves, such as establishing the well-posedness of the mathematical models with suitable consideration of discontinuous surfaces. In this work we focus on the mathematical framework, presenting and studying the Reynolds equation along with different state-of-the-art cavitation models. We begin by studying the Reynolds equation and then incorporate two different cavitation models of increasing mathematical complexity. Next, as an application of the theory already presented, a slider bearing is numerically studied considering a sinusoidal texture on the runner. The results of this study unveil basic mechanisms of friction reduction and global quantitative trends that had not been previously reported. In this way, the applicability of numerical tools for texture selection is established. Future research directions are also identified, such as using Discontinuous Galerkin methods instead of Finite Volume Methods, aiming at improving the mesh exibility and thus the accuracy of the discrete formulation.

CAPES / As lipases microbianas têm destaque comercial por apresentarem elevada especificidade e estabilidade em suas reações, permitindo assim, que a indústria de lipases seja composta por diversos segmentos, englobando a indústria alimentícia, farmacêutica, têxtil, tratamento de efluentes e reutilização de resíduos agrícolas. No presente estudo os subprodutos farelo de soja e okara foram avaliados quanto aos aspectos físico-químicos e morfológicos e tais características sugerem seu uso potencial como substrato em fermentações sólidas para a produção de lipase extracelular. Buscando a produção de enzimas lipolíticas a partir destes substratos, foram avaliadas quatro cepas selvagens de fungos filamentosos através de fermentações no estado sólido. O farelo de soja foi a biomassa que demonstrou maior potencial como substrato para a produção de lipase sem suplementação nutricional do meio. O isolado fúngico S4 (Penicillium sp) apresentou o maior potencial lipolítico entre os fungos avaliados. Um delineamento composto central rotacional 23 demonstrou que os parâmetros de cultivo concentração de conídios e umidade são variáveis que influenciam a produção da enzima pelo fungo. O tempo de cultivo não demonstrou ter efeito significativo sobre a produção da lipase e maior produção de lipase (73,85 U.L-1) foi obtida quando usando inóculo na concentração de 105 esporos / mL e meio de cultivo com umidade de 54%. A lipase bruta demonstrou condições ótimas de atividade a 35 ºC em pH 8,0 e foi ativa na faixa de pH entre 6 e 11. Apresentou atividade relativa superior a 50% entre as temperaturas 20 ºC e 40 ºC (30 minutos de aquecimento) e manteve 50 % de sua atividade quando aquecida a 40 ºC por 60 minutos. Os íons Ca2+, K+, Cu2+ (2 mM) e I- apresentaram efeito ativador sobre a atividade lipolítica da enzima, diferentemente do íon Fe2+, que apresentou forte inibição. A enzima bruta foi sensível à presença dos solventes orgânicos acetona, DMSO, metanol e propanol e foi ativada pelo solvente hexano. / Microbial lipases gain great commercial prominence because they have high specificity and stability in their reactions, allowing the lipase industry to be composed of several segments, such as food, pharmaceutical, textile, wastewater treatment and reuse of agricultural waste. Seeking for the production of lipolytic enzymes from these substrates, four wild strains of filamentous fungi was assessed by solid state fermentations. The soybean meal biomass showed higher potential as substrate for lipase production without nutritional supplementation of medium. The fungal isolated S4 (Penicillium sp) had the highest lipolytic potential among the evaluated fungi. A rotational central composite design 23 demonstrated that culture parameters spore concentration and moisture are variables that affect enzyme production by the fungus. The cultivation time demonstrated no significant effect on lipase production and increased production of lipase (73,85 UL-1) was obtained when using inoculum at a concentration of 105 spores / mL and culture medium with 54% moisture. Crude lipase showed optimum conditions of activity at 35 ° C at pH 8.0 and it was active in the pH range between 6 and 11. Enzymatic extract showed relative activity of 50% among the temperature of 20 ° C and 40 ° C (30 minutes of heating) and kept 50% of its activity when heated at 40 ° C for 60 minutes. The ions Ca2+, K+, Cu2+ (2 mM) and I- showed activating effect on the lipolytic activity of the enzyme, unlike ion Fe2+, which showed strong inhibition. The crude enzyme was sensitive to the presence of organic solvents as acetone, DMSO, methanol, propanol and the enzyme was activated by the hexane solvent.

No desenho de mecanismos lubrificados, tais como Mancais hidrodinâmicos ou anéis de pistões de Motores a Combustão, atrito e desgaste são efeitos não desejados. Por exemplo, é sabido que aproximadamente 5% da energia perdida em um motor a combustão esta associada ao atrito presente no sistema de anéis/cilindro do pistão. Após vários trabalhos experimentais e teóricos, as superfícies texturizadas hão mostrado serem capazes de reduzir o atrito em algumas condições de funcionamento. O estudo da relação entre o atrito e os parâmetros de texturização é um problema difícil e de interesse tanto industrial como acadêmico. O contexto matemático e computacional destes trabalhos apresentam desafios por si mesmos, como o estudo da boa colocação dos modelos matemáticos, a consideração adequada das descontinuidades das superfícies. Este trabalho enfoca-se no contexto matemático, apresentando e estudando a equação de Reynolds junto com diferentes modelos de cavitação que podem encontrar-se na literatura. Começamos estudando a matemática da equação de Reynolds. Depois disso, modelos de cavitação são inclusos, aumentando a complexidade da matemática envolvida. Seguidamente, como aplicação da teoria apresentada, um rolamento deslizante será estudado junto com uma texturização da superfície móvel. Os resultados deste estudo revelam mecanismos básicos de redução de atrito e propriedades gerais que não haviam sido reportadas anteriormente. Possíveis trabalhos futuros são apresentados, tal como o uso de Métodos Descontínuos de Galerkin em vez dos Métodos de Volumes Finitos. O último em procura de uma melhor acomodação da formulação matemática, tentando melhorar a flexibilidade da malha e a precisão. / In the design of lubricated mechanisms, such as Journal Bearings or Piston Rings of Combustion Engines, friction and wear are undesirable effects. It is known, for instance, that about 5% of the energy loss in a Combustion Engine is associated to friction taking place in the Piston Rings/Cylinder system. Textured surfaces, after a significant number of experimental and theoretical studies, have shown to reduce friction in some operating conditions. The study of the relation between the friction and the texture parameters is a challenging problem with both industrial and academic interest. The mathematical and computational frameworks involved present challenges by themselves, such as establishing the well-posedness of the mathematical models with suitable consideration of discontinuous surfaces. In this work we focus on the mathematical framework, presenting and studying the Reynolds equation along with different state-of-the-art cavitation models. We begin by studying the Reynolds equation and then incorporate two different cavitation models of increasing mathematical complexity. Next, as an application of the theory already presented, a slider bearing is numerically studied considering a sinusoidal texture on the runner. The results of this study unveil basic mechanisms of friction reduction and global quantitative trends that had not been previously reported. In this way, the applicability of numerical tools for texture selection is established. Future research directions are also identified, such as using Discontinuous Galerkin methods instead of Finite Volume Methods, aiming at improving the mesh exibility and thus the accuracy of the discrete formulation.

L’extraction de matières premières du sol à des fins énergétiques (récupération assistée d’huile) et environnementales (dépollution des sols) fait l’objet de recherches intensives en lien avec des thématiques telles que la séquestration du carbone ou la fracturation hydraulique. L’objectif est de trouver des méthodes moins destructives, moins gourmandes en matériel et en énergie, mais aussi plus efficaces et moins coûteuses. Nous proposons d’étudier une méthode alternative aux moyens conventionnels avec l’utilisation de mousses aqueuses comme agent extracteur d’huile. Les mousses aqueuses sont souvent utilisées en présence d'huile : dans des applications quotidiennes comme la cosmétique et la détergence, mais aussi dans des domaines moins connus comme la décontamination des centrales nucléaires ou l’industrie pétrolière. Ainsi, des tensioactifs et du gaz sont couramment injectés dans le sol afin d'améliorer les procédés de récupération de pétrole. Nous explicitons deux mécanismes d'extraction que nous quantifions en termes d'efficacité et de stabilité. Tout d'abord, la mousse peut aspirer de l'huile en son sein, comme le ferait une éponge. Ensuite, lorsque celle-ci est mise en écoulement, elle peut entraîner de l'huile confinée dans la rugosité d'une surface par cisaillement. Notre étude s’appuie en particulier sur une analyse théorique et expérimentale, à la fois multi-échelle, statique et dynamique pour laquelle nous avons systématiquement fait varier les paramètres géométriques (configuration de l'huile, taille des bulles et fraction volumique de liquide dans la mousse) et physico-chimiques (tensions interfaciales, rigidité des interfaces entre bulles et viscosité) / The extraction of raw materials from the soil for energetical (enhanced oil recovery) and environmental purposes (soil remediation) is the subject of intense fundamental and applied research. This field is related to other important topics, such as carbon sequestration and hydraulic fracturing. The goal is to find fewer destructive, as well as energy and material-saving methods. These techniques should also be cost-effective and more efficient. To find a substitution to conventional means, we study an alternative method that puts aqueous foams on the map as the extraction material. Aqueous foams are often used in numerous daily applications, such as cosmetics and detergency, but also in less known fields, such as the decommissioning of nuclear power plants and the oil industry. Thus, surfactants and gas are commonly injected into the soil to improve the recovery processes of oil. We explain two extraction mechanisms that we quantify in terms of efficiency and stability. On one hand, the foam is able to absorb oil, similarly to a solid sponge. On the other hand, when a flow of foam is induced, the foam can entrain oil confined in the roughness of a surface by shearing the oil-water interface. Our work especially lies on a theoretical and experimental analysis, which is multiscale, static and dynamic. We systematically vary the geometrical parameters (oil configuration, bubble size and liquid fraction in the foam) and the physical and chemical parameters (interfacial tensions, interfacial rigidity and viscosity)

Orientador: Yoon Kil Chang / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T06:53:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Schmiele_Marcio_D.pdf: 9722936 bytes, checksum: 95d9146270f349c5f3e7ad761ac0d266 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Os análogos de carne obtidos por extrusão termoplástica de proteínas vegetais são caracterizados pelo seu elevado teor proteico e estrutura semelhante às fibras da carne, envolvendo diversos tipos de ligações e/ou interações químicas entre as proteínas. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as características tecnológicas e físico-químicas de análogos de carne, à base de isolado proteico de soja, obtidos por processo de extrusão termoplástica a alta umidade (AU) e baixa umidade (BU). Para cada condição de umidade foi utilizado um Delineamento Composto Central Rotacional de três variáveis independentes (glúten vital, umidade de condicionamento e temperatura de extrusão). As variáveis dependentes avaliadas foram a textura instrumental, cor instrumental, capacidade de absorção de água, índice de solubilidade em água, capacidade de absorção de óleo, índice de dispersibilidade de proteína, energia mecânica específica e o tipo de interações proteicas. Estas interações foram avaliadas através de sete tipos de solventes específicos: (i) tampão fosfato para as proteínas no estado nativo; (ii) dodecil sulfato de sódio para as interações hidrofóbicas e iônicas; (iii) Triton 100X para as interações hidrofóbicas; (iv) ureia para as interações hidrofóbicas e pontes de hidrogênio; (v) ß-mercaptoetanol para as ligações dissulfeto; e (vi) ß-mercaptoetanol e ureia e (vii) dodecil sulfato de sódio e ureia, para avaliar o efeito sinérgico entre os sistemas. O ponto otimizado (caracterizado principalmente por promover maiores valores de L* e de capacidade de absorção de água, menores valores de índice de solubilidade em água, de capacidade de absorção de óleo, de desnaturação proteica e valores intermediários de textura instrumental e de energia mecânica específica) foi processado juntamente com uma amostra controle para ambos os processos com o intuito de validar os modelos matemáticos e avaliar as possíveis alterações na morfologia dos análogos de carne, na massa molecular das proteínas, na composição de aminoácidos totais e na desnaturação proteica. As melhores condições de processamento foram obtidos para os análogos de carne contendo de 12 e 5 % de glúten vital, 58 e 18 % de umidade de condicionamento e 135 e 100 °C para a temperatura de extrusão, para o processo AU e BU, respectivamente. As principais interações proteína-proteína encontradas nos análogos de carne foram as ligações dissulfeto e ligações de hidrogênio para o processo AU e as ligações dissulfeto e interações iônicas para o processo BU. A adição de glúten vital promoveu uma aparência mais lisa e melhor orientação na estrutura das fibras. Verificou-se que ocorreu aumento nas proteínas de baixa massa molecular e diminuição nas proteínas de alta massa molecular. No perfil de aminoácidos totais houve maior variação negativa para os aminoácidos essenciais (triptofano e treonina), semi essenciais (cisteína) e não essenciais (serina), indicando que houve redução no valor nutricional. As estruturas secundárias (a-hélice, ß-folha, ß-volta e a estrutura desordenada) mostraram alteração na sua conformação devido à desnaturação proteica e formação de novos agregados / Abstract: Meat analogue obtained by termoplastic extrusion of vegetable proteins are characterized by its high protein levels and structure similar to meat fibers, which comprises many types of chemical bonds and/or interactions between proteins. The aim of this work was to evaluate the technological and physico-chemical characteristics of meat analogue based on isolated soy protein obtained by thermoplastic extrusion process at high moisture (HM) and low moisture (LM) content. For each moisture condition was used a Central Rotational Composite Design with three independent variables (vital gluten, moisture content and extrusion temperature). The dependent variables evaluated were instrumental texture, instrumental color, water absorption capacity, water solubility index, oil absorption capacity, protein dispersibility index, specific mechanical energy, and the type of protein interactions. These interactions were evaluated using seven specific solvents types: (i) phosphate buffer for proteins in native state; (ii) sodium dodecil sulphate for hydrophobic and ionic interactions; (iii) Triton 100X for hydrophobic interactions; (iv) urea for hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonds; (v) ß-mercaptoethanol for dissulfide bonds; and (vi) ß-mercaptoethanol and urea and (vii) sodium dodecil sulphate and urea, for the synergistic effect between the systems. The optimized point (characterized mainly by promoting higher values for L* and water absorption capacity, lower values for water solubility index, oil absoption capacity and protein denaturation and intermediate values for instrumental texture and specific mechanical energy) was processed, together with a control sample for each processes, in order to validate the mathematical models and to evaluate possibles changes in the meat analogues morphology, in the protein molecular weight, in the total amino acid composition, and in the protein denaturation. The best processing conditions were obtained for the meat analogue containing 12 and 5 % of vital gluten, 58 and 18 % of moisture content and 135 and 100 °C of extrusion temperature, for the HM and LM processes, respectively. The main protein-protein interactions found in meat analogues were the dissulfide bonds and hydrogen bonds for the LM process and the dissulfide bonds and ionic interactions for the HM process. The addition of vital gluten promoted a smoother appearance and better orientation in the fiber structure. It was found that occured an increase in the protein with low molecular weight and a reduction in the protein with high molecular weight. There were a greater negative variation for the essential (tryptophan and threonine), semi-essential (cysteine) and nonessential (serine) amino acids in the total amino acid profile, indicating a reduction of the nutritional value. The secondary structure (a-helix, ß-sheet, ß-turn and disordered structure) showed alteration in its conformation due to the protein denaturation and formation of new aggregates / Doutorado / Tecnologia de Alimentos / Doutor em Tecnologia de Alimentos

Mechanically Stabilized Earth (MSE) walls retain soil on steep, unstable slopes with crest loads. Over the last decade, they are becoming quite popular due to their low cost-to-benefit ratio, design flexibility, and ease of construction. Like any civil infrastructure, MSE walls need to be continuously monitored according to transportation asset management criteria during and after the construction stage to ensure that their expected serviceability measures are met and to detect design and/or construction issues, which could lead to structural failure. Current approaches for monitoring MSE walls are mostly qualitative (e.g., visual inspection or examination). Besides being time consuming, visual inspection might have inconsistencies due to human subjectivity. Other monitoring approaches are based on using total station, geotechnical field instrumentations, and/or Static Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS). These instruments are capable of providing highly accurate, reliable performance measures. However, the underlying data acquisition and processing strategies are time-consuming and are not scalable. This research focuses on a comprehensive strategy using a Mobile LiDAR Mapping System (MLS) for the acquisition and processing of point clouds covering the MSE wall. The strategy produces standard serviceability measures, as defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) – e.g., longitudinal and transversal angular distortions. It also delivers a set of recently developed measures (e.g., out-of-plane offsets and 3D position/orientation deviations for individual panels constituting the MSE wall). Moreover, it is also capable of handling MSE walls with smooth or textured panels with the latter being the focus of this research due to its more challenging nature. For this study, an ultra-high-accuracy wheel-based MLS has been developed to efficiently acquire reliable data conducive to the development of the standard and new serviceability measures. To illustrate the feasibility of the proposed acquisition/processing strategy, two case studies in this research have been conducted with the first one focusing on the comparative performance of static and mobile LiDAR in terms of the agreement of the derived serviceability measures. The second case study aims at illustrating the feasibility of the proposed strategy in handling large textured MSE walls. Results from both case studies confirm the potential of using MLS for efficient, economic, and reliable monitoring of MSE walls.

No description available.

This study aims to research the implications of Afro-Swedish women's relationship with their hair and how it pertains to their view of femininity and beauty. Four one-on-one semi-structured interviews with Afro-Swedish women were conducted to collect relevant material. During these interviews, the women shared their relationship with their hair, experiences relating to their hair in Sweden, and how and if it has affected their perception of their beauty and level of femininity. The findings of this study demonstrate that Afro-Swedish women relate femininity to hair that is associated with whiteness, which means hair that is smoother and straighter but also longer than the afro-textured hair associated with black people. The results showed how representations of black women in relation to beauty and femininity were seen as limited by the informants, as those were rarely there to begin with and/or only inclusive of lighter-skinned black women with wigs, weaves, straightened or relaxed hair. All the informants shared experiences of their hair being touched, with or without consent. Through comparison to earlier research, it was found that the experiences and opinions of these Afro-Swedishwomen were more similar than different to black women from the USA for example. To conclude, this study disproves the notion of Swedish exceptionalism in relation to the racialization and discrimination of afro-textured hair, as well as the not so colorblind representations of beauty and femininity. These results also show that there is a vast amount of information concerning the lived experiences of Afro-Swedish women, relating to hair and other themes, to be uncovered by researchers in gender studies.

L’objectif de ce travail est de concevoir un outil d’atomisation adapté à la production de poudres de carburede tungstène dans l’entreprise Technogenia, située à Saint-Jorioz (74). Plus généralement, nous avons étudiéune nouvelle conception d’atomiseur rotatif pour lequel les surfaces d’atomisation sont orientées selon un angled’incidence non nul. Une telle orientation permet alors d’exploiter de façon plus efficace la fréquence de rotationde l’atomiseur ainsi que les forces de centrifugation et de Coriolis. A partir de cette base de réflexion, troisgéométries de surface d’atomisation ont été étudiées : des surfaces lisses, des surfaces pourvues de structurationsde long de leur bord de fuite et des surfaces matricées de perforations.Les différents modes de déstabilisation des écoulements liquides ont été observés grâce à l’acquisition de vidéosultra-rapides des différentes étapes de l’impact d’une goutte unique sur les différentes géométries de surfacesd’atomisation étudiées. Les processus d’atomisation peuvent ainsi varier entre la rupture de jets liquides régulierscausée par des instabilités de type Rayleigh-Plateau et la rupture de nappes liquides causée par des instabilitésde type Rayleigh-Taylor et/ou l’initiation de perforations au coeur des nappes et films liquides. Les vidéos dessprays aqueux ainsi que l’observation au microscope des poudres métalliques nous permettent de caractériser lessprays produits. Sur l’ensemble de nos expériences nous observons que la finesse de l’atomisation s’améliore àmesure que la fréquence de rotation augmente ; ce qui constitue l’objectif prioritaire du procédé développé dans lathèse. Cependant, les surfaces texturées, certes compatibles avec les liquides classiques (aqueux ou organiques),ne le sont plus avec les contraintes induites par du métal à haute température de fusion, tel le carbure detungstène fondu objet de la thèse. En conséquence, seules les surfaces lisses sont aujourd’hui retenues et fontl’objet de développements dans le cadre de la production de poudres métalliques au sein de Technogenia. / The aim of this work is to design a spray tool for the production of tungsten carbide powder for the companyTechnogenia, located in Saint-Jorioz (74). Thus, we have studied a new design of rotary atomizer based onatomization surface oriented at a non-zero incidence angle. Such an orientation can then allow to use moreeffectively the rotation frequency of the atomizer and the centrifugal and Coriolis forces. From this base reflection,three geometries of atomization surface were studied : smooth surfaces, surfaces with serrated structurationsalong their trailing edge and multi-perforated surfaces.The different destabilization modes of liquid flows were observed through high-speed videos of the different stagesof the single drop impact on each atomization surfaces. The atomization process can thus vary between liquid jetbreakup caused by Rayleigh-Plateau instabilities and liquid sheet breakup caused by Rayleigh-Taylor instabilitiesand/or initiating of holes in liquid films or sheets. Videos of aqueous sprays and microscopic observation of metalpowders allow us to characterize sprays. On all of our experiments, we observe that the atomisation gets better(producing finer spray), as the frequency of rotation increases. Although the textured surfaces are compatiblewith usual liquids (aqueous or organical), they can’t stand the constraints imposed by metal with a high meltingtemperature such as tungsten carbide, the object of this thesis. Therefore, only the smooth surfaces are nowthe subject of an industrial development to produce metallic powder with Technogenia company.

<p>The function of titanium- and nickel-silicides is to lower the series resistance and contact resistivity in gate, source and drain contacts of an integrated circuit transistor. </p><p>With decreasing dimensions, the low resistivity C54 TiSi₂ is not formed and stays in its high resistivity phase C49. It was found that a layer of niobium interposed between titanium and silicon, which is supposed to promote the C54 phase, led to the formation of the high resistivity C40 (Ti,Nb)Si₂ in both small and large contacts. </p><p>Increased interest in Si_1-xGe_x layers led to the inclusion of the Ni-Si-Ge system in this project. The interaction between nickel and poly-Si_0.42Ge_0.58 was found to be different from nickel and poly-silicon in the meaning of the phases formed during high temperature annealing. High-resistivity NiSi₂ was formed at 750°C, but nickel and Si_0.42Ge_0.58 formed no disilicide. A massive out-diffusion of germanium from the NiSi_1-uGe_u resulted in agglomeration at lower temperatures than for NiSi. This was ascribed to the larger enthalpy of formation for nickel reacting with silicon than with germanium. Ternary phase diagrams, with and without the disilicide phase, were calculated. According to the tie lines, NiSi_1-uGe_u will be in thermodynamic equilibrium with Si_1-xGe_x when u is smaller than x. This was confirmed experimentally, where a balanced germanium concentration in NiSi_1-uGe_u and Si_1-xGe_x, stabilized the germanosilicide. When nickel interacted with strained and relaxed silicon-germanium it was established that a strained substrate led to a morphologically unstable NiSi_1-uGe_u. The germanosilicide was highly textured on both (001) and (111) substrates. The texturing was explained by the absence of Ni(SiGe)₂ which forced NiSiGe to reorient so as not to resemble a digermanosilicide at the film/substrate interface. NiSi_0.82Ge_0.18 formed on p⁺-Si_0.82Ge_0.18 in CBKs grew laterally under the SiO₂, defining the contact hole. The contact resistivity extracted by 3D modelling was 5×10^-8 Ωcm².</p>