Woven glass composites have been used for many years in commercial applications due to their light weight, competitive price and good engineering properties. Absorption of energy by laminated composite material results in damage in various forms, the most common of which is delamination. Inter-laminar fracture causes the layers of composite to separate, resulting in a reduction in stiffness and strength of the composite structure, matrix cracking and in some cases fibre breakage takes place. The aim of this project was to improve the inter-laminar bond strength between woven glass fabric and resin. Air jet texturing was selected to provide a small amount of bulk to the glass yarn. The purpose was to provide more surface contact between the fibres and resin and also to increase the adhesion between the neighbouring layers. These were expected to enhance the resistance to delamination in the woven glass composites.Glass yarns were textured by a Stähle air jet texturing machine. Core-and-effect yarn was produced instead of a simple air textured yarn. Hand loom and vacuum bagging techniques were used for making the fabric and composite panels from both textured and non-textured yarns. Density and fibre volume content were established for physical characterisation. Breaking strength (tenacity) of the yarns and tensile, flexure, inter-laminar shear strength (ILSS) and fracture toughness (mode 1) properties of the composites were determined. Projection microscopy and SEM imaging techniques were used to assess the fractured surfaces of the composite specimens. The yarn tenacity and the tensile properties of the composites were significantly reduced after the texturing process, whereas flexure properties were unchanged. However, significant improvement was observed in the ILSS and fracture toughness of the composites after the texturing process. It was also observed that the composites made from the fabrics with textured yarns in only the weft direction are the most advantageous as they maintained the tensile and flexure properties but have significantly higher inter-laminar shear strength.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to describe mechanisms involved in a lubricant film formation in textured conformal contacts. For exploring of the lubricant film formation, the method of optical interferometry is implemented on a pin-on-disc tribometer. That allows to study an influence of a texture on lubricant film thickness and coefficient of friction of textured samples. These samples have different parameters of a texture. On the basis of these effects and the visual image of the contact, the flow of lubricant in the contact area is described. Shallow dimples lead to larger film thickness in elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication regime. They act like a lubricant reservoir. Deep dimples positively affect film thickness in hydrodynamic lubrication regime, where the effect of shallow dimples descend. During experiments, the formation of a cavitation is observed. The cavitation causes a starvation of dimples in many cases. This leads to reducing of the lubricant film thickness. This effect can be eliminated by appropriate parameters of texture in operational conditions of elements.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to experimentally elucidate the connection between the friction of the specimen with the textured surface and the optical observation of the sliding contact surface. The thesis focuses on the configuration of the journal bearing. This configuration is achieved by replacing the block with a circular sapphire section on a block-on-ring tribometer. For exploring of the lubricant film formation, the method of optical interferometry and fluorescence is implemented on the block-on-ring tribometer. These adjustments allow examination of the effect of the textured surface on the friction coefficient and the thickness of the lubricant film. In a mixed mode, the textures cause a significant increase in friction values and reduce the thickness of the lubricant film. The negative influence of dimples increases with the increasing radial load size. In the hydrodynamic mode, the textures have a lower negative effect on the resulting values than in the mixed mode. The changes are dependent on the size of the radial load and the viscosity of the lubricant. In the hydrodynamic mode, cavitation was not observed, and the effect of the textured surface does not correspond to theoretical prerequisites, which is reflected by lower lubricant thickness and higher friction.

Diploma thesis describes influence of directed modificated topography of frictional surfaces on fatigue wear non-conformal incurvate solids. It was created 3D parametric model of experimental test rig in modelling environment Autodesk Inventor. With the help of model was designed and carried reconstruction of experimental test rig so to possible obtain repeatable results under the sliding conditions of frictional surfaces. It enabled show influence of surface iregularities (dents) frictional surfaces on contact fatigue service life in conditions mixed lubrication regime and different values of slide to roll ratio.

Diploma thesis describes analysis of influence of surface texturing on non-conformal rubbing surfaces. High speed camera was used to observe the effect of micro-dents of various depths on film thickness under pure rolling and rolling/sliding conditions. It can be concluded from the obtained results that micro-texture of suitable sizes can results in film thickness increase without lubrication film breakdown.

Surface texturing of rubbing surfaces represents the way how to increase tribological performances by improving the lubrication film formation and diminishing friction and wear. Its application in machine components requires detailed understanding of the mechanism taking place between rubbing surfaces in microscopic scale. This diploma thesis is focused on the processes taking place in tribology systems to consider the possibility of surface texturing applications in highly loaded machine parts operated under transient operational conditions.

This document discusses making of masters thesis, which is devoted to modeling of realistic human character. The goal of this thesis is to introduce process of making a 3D realistic character. It contains quick review of todays computer graphic industry, theoretical preparation for making this character and a review of few different modeling techniques. Mesh Flow theory is explained in detail, which is fundamental for todays organic modelling. In process of making character, all acquired knowledge will be used. In stages all theoretical and practical processes of mapping, texturing and skinning will be explained. Demonstration of how junction of different applications may achieve greater speed, effectiveness and quality during process of making model and textures will be presented. Last chapter of this thesis is devoted to programming an application to display character in OpenGL.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has revolutionized manufacturing processes by enabling the realization of custom products with intricate geometric features that were either too complex or even intractable for subtractive manufacturing processes. Yet, functional surfaces generated in AM have to be often finish machined because of their relatively inferior roughness. The first phase of this research worked around this limitation by tailoring the topography of an AM surface in-process to entail textures that further enhance certain functionalities in a process called Additive Texturing (AT). In this context, the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process ability to realize intricate surface microfeatures was explored experimentally, evaluating its geometrical limitations. Utilizing such limitations, various patterns comprising pillars, channels, and re-entrant structures were printed to control the wetting behaviour of SLM stainless steel. AT's efficacy is demonstrated in its capability to generate hydrophobic AM surfaces with water contact angles exceeding 140°. Similarly, other texturing patterns comprising dimples, linear, V-shaped, and X-shaped grooves were investigated to tailor the tribological response of textured surfaces under dry sliding conditions. Evidently, a specific wear rate and coefficient of friction reduction of 80% and 60%, respectively, demonstrated another potential for AT. The undesirable tensile Residual Stresses (RS) that inevitably accumulate during the SLM process's rapid heating and cooling cycles were investigated in the second phase of this research. Laser Peening (LP) was utilized to post-process the printed samples to eliminate the initial tensile RS and induce near 500 Mpa compressive RS. Moreover, the LP parameters were explored and optimized to enhance RS, surface roughness, hardness, and wear resistance. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p>The world’s dependence on oil cannot continue indefinitely. As reserves dwindle and demand continues to increase, prices will soar to new highs and fundamentally change the way society deals with energy generation and consumption. Use of oil and other carbon-based fuels also have detrimental effects on human health, as pollution that arises from the combustion of these fuels necessitates treating respiratory problems in millions of people annually. Moreover, evidence that climate change is anthropogenic has become undeniable and has been proven to be direct related to dependence on carbon-based fuels.</p> <p>Renewable energy offers clean and dependable alternatives for electricity, heating and transport. In particular, solar energy looks to be the most promising owing to its sheer abundance and ubiquity. The main obstacle hindering the adoption of solar cell technology en masse is cost. One of the ways to reduce cost is to fabricate thinner solar cells, but this compromises efficiency due to lower optical absorption that results, especially in silicon. In order to become a serious competitor in the energy market, highly absorptive solar cells must be developed at reduced material costs, which is the essence of light-trapping.</p> <p>In this study, two of the most common ways to trap light by reducing reflection were investigated: the application of anti-reflection coatings and surface texturing in silicon. Analytic models were created to optimize optical design in both single-junction and multi-junction solar cells. The single-junction silicon models accounted for non-normal incidence, which allowed angle-averaged calculations to be made for planar and textured surfaces. Single-junction GaAs models included a GaInP window layer whose optical effects were considered in anti-reflection coating optimization. The multi-junction GaAs-on-silicon (GaAs/Si) and AlGaAs-on-silicon (AlGaAs/Si) models that were created clearly demonstrated the need to adjust individual subcell thicknesses in order to optimize optical design.</p> / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Realistic rendering of 3D graphics scenes often requires large amounts of data and processing. High resolution texture data, complex BRDFs, surface modification, and global illumination effects are often necessary to realistically render a synthetic scene, but achieving such effects with a reasonable balance between performance and quality in real-time remains a challenge. Virtual texture techniques have been developed in order to manage extremely high resolution texture data. This thesis describes the implementation of a technique which allows writing of projected texture data to a virtual texture in real-time, allowing infinite numbers of permanent highly detailed surface modifications without the performance or accuracy limitations of decal techniques used in current games. It also describes an implementation of a real-time renderer which uses measured BRDF data, and discusses how applying virtual texturing to measured BRDF data may allow accurate, fast rendering with realistic materials. Finally, it discusses how the virtual decal system can be used to allow artists or game players to interactively alter the material composition of scenes with many distinct measured BRDFs.