ABSTRACT Author's name: Bc. Tomáš Bronček School: University of Economics, Prague Sq. Winstona Churchilla 4 130 67, Prague 3 Faculty: Faculty of International Relations Department: International Trade Name of thesis: The price and value in the world of insurance companies Consultant: doc. Ing. František Drozen, CSc. Number of pages: 60 Year of thesis defense: 2012 Key words: cars valuation, compulsory insurance, the valuation methods, Wöhler's model, price and value. The target of the diploma thesis is a market analysis of new and driven cars sales and its insurance process. The theoretical part is focusing on establishing and application of Wöhler's deterioration model, used for car valuation. The practical part evaluates and compares the price and value of new and driven car on a chosen model, Škoda Octavia 1,9 TDI and on three markets of EU member states: Czech republic, Slovak republic and Germany. In the 12 -- year - observing period, there is also a focus on a car compulsory insurance, for the chosen model.

Durability is the most important factor in the design of heat-exchangers to meet the specifications of the customers. To predict the durability, endurance tests are carried out. In this thesis, one of the endurance tests, thermal cycling is performed for three different internal coolant flows until failure which is known as Wöhler test. A tool is developed in MATLAB that could import data from all kinds of endurance tests and visualizes time histories of every channel of the test (test parameters such as temperature, pressure, flow). An algorithm is developed for Level Crossing counting method which works based on the Markov cycle counting method. This produces Level crossing curves (LCC) for all the channels of the test which says how well a test has been performed and the total number of cycles of the test. It was observed that the LCCs obtained from the tool gives accurate results when compared with those obtained from LMS software whose approach of producing LCCs is Rainflow cycle counting method. Strain measurements are performed for the same flowrates as that of the Wöhler tests. The results from strain measurements and Wöhler tests are used in the determination of Basquin’s coefficient of the Wöhler curve. It was observed that the optimal value of Basquin’s coefficient is 3.4.

Cette thèse traite d’une approche pragmatique de l'endommagement par fatigue des structures sous un chargement cyclique. Un modèle anisotrope de dommage par fatigue a été développé. L'évolution de la dégradation des propriétés du matériau dépend d’un critère de fatigue (choisi) et de ses gradients. La dégradation du matériau anisotrope guidera la propagation des dommages. La propagation des dommages dépend principalement des crêtes de la «surface» du critère (gradients zéro). L'approche proposée décrit l'amorçage, la propagation des dommages et la rupture structurale sous un chargement multiaxial en fatigue. Pour chaque élément fini, des distributions anisotropes non homogènes des propriétés du matériau sont associées. Schématiquement, il apparaît comme un «surfer» matériel sur la «surface» du critère et les dommages suivent la crête de la «surface» du critère (niveau et gradient). Un critère d'approche globale, basé sur des invariants du tenseur des contraintes, est adopté. La réduction des propriétés des matériaux est affectée à un certain nombre de cycles et à un niveau global de contraintes, en utilisant une courbe de Wöhler expérimentale. Deux formes simplifiées du modèle sont proposées et les résultats sont comparés avec un exemple de référence expérimental (plaque cruciforme) et un cas industriel (pale d’une éolienne d’EDF). Une cartographie avec le critère de Dang Van est également calculée pour analyser les résultats numériques. / A new practical engineering methodology for the analysis of structures under cyclic loading is proposed in this work . A new anisotropic fatigue damage model is developed. The evolution of material properties degradation depends on a failure criterion and its gradient. The anisotropic material degradation will guide the damage propagation. The propagation of damage is mainly depending on the ridges of the criterion’s « surface » (zero gradients). The proposed approach can describe the initiation and propagation of the damage until the structural failure under fatigue loading. For each finite element, non-homogeneous anisotropic distributions of material properties are associated. Schematically, it seems like a material « surfing » on the criterion’s « surface » and damages follow the crest of the criterion’s « surface » (level and gradient). A global approach criterion, based on invariants of the stress tensor, is adopted. The reduction of material properties is assigned to a number of cycles and a global level of stresses, using an experimental Wöhler curve. Two simplified forms of the model are proposed and results are compared with a cruciform experimental reference example and an industrial case. A mapping with Dang Van criterion is also computed to analyze the numerical results.

The topic of this PhD. thesis is the issue of determining fatigue characteristics of selected cement-based composites. First, the history of fatigue of metal is mentioned, and some basic notions related to fatigue are clarified. The thesis also summarizes current research in the field of cement-based composites fatigue, and failure mechanisms of plain concrete during static and dynamic tests are described. Furthermore, the thesis deals with the evaluation of static and dynamic experiments’ results with extensive series of C30/37 and C45/55 class concrete specimens. In order to achieve relevant fatigue test evaluation which takes into account the age of the specimens, a new correction procedure of the data measured based on the approximation of the basic fracture-mechanics parameters of tested materials over time was suggested and verified. The annexes of this thesis present complete data obtained during static and dynamic experiments.

The diploma thesis deals with the evaluation of the lifetimes of smooth and notched specimens. The comparison of their lifetimes is focused on the case of high-frequency cyclic loading in the area of high-cycle and gigacycle fatigue of materials. The theory of critical distances is used to evaluate and recalculate the life curves of the notched specimens. The effect of the notch is quantified using the Line method. The critical length parameter is determined so that the life curve of the notched specimens corresponds to the curve measured on smooth specimens. The result is the dependence of the critical length parameter on the number of cycles to fracture. Knowledge of critical length parameters can be used to determine the lifetime of notched specimens as well as real notched components using the results of fatigue tests of smooth specimens.