This study focuses on numerical modeling of fluid flow and solute transport in rough-walled rock fractures and fracture-matrix systems, with the main aim to investigate the impacts of fracture surface roughness on flow and transport processes in rock fractures. Both 2D and 3D fracture models were built from laser-scanned surface tomography of a real granite rock sample, to consider realistic features of surface tomography and potential asperity contacts. The flow was simulated by directly solving the Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) and the transport was modeled by solving the advection-dispersion equation (ADE) in the entire domain of fracture-matrix system, including matrix diffusion process. Such direct simulations provided detailed flow and concentration fields for quantitatively analysis of flow and transport behavior. The detailed analysis of surface roughness decomposition, complex flow patterns (i.e., channeling, transverse and eddy flows), effective advective flow apertures, effective transmissivity, effective dispersivity, residence time, transport resistance and specific surface area demonstrated significant impacts of realistic fracture surface roughness on fluid flow and solute transport processes in rock fractures. The results show that the surface roughness and shear displacement caused asperity contacts significantly enhance nonlinearity and complexity of flow and transport processes in rough-walled fractures and fracture-matrix systems. The surface roughness also causes invasion flows in intersected fractures which enhance solute mixing at fracture intersections. Therefore, the fracture surface roughness is an important source of uncertainty in application of such simplified models like cubic law (CL) for fluid flow and analytical solutions for solute transport in rock fractures. The research conducted advances our understanding of realistic flow and transport processes in natural fractured rocks. The results are useful for model validation/extension, uncertainty analysis/quantification and laboratory experiments design in the context of various applications related to fracture flow and transport. / Denna studie fokuserar på numerisk modellering av vätskeflöde och transport av lösta ämnen i frakturer med ojämna väggar samt fraktur-matrissystem, med det huvudsakliga syftet att undersöka effekterna av frakturernas ytjämnhet på flödes- och transportprocesser i bergsfrakturer. Både 2D och 3D modeller skapades utifrån laser skannad tomografi av ett verkligt bergartsprov av granit, för att överväga de realistiska egenskaperna hos ytan och potentiell skrovlighet. Flödet simulerades genom att lösa Navier-Stokes ekvationer (NSE) och transporten modellerades genom att lösa advektion-dispersion ekvation (ADE) i hela domänen av fraktur-matrissystemet, inklusive diffusions process i matrisen. Sådana direkta simuleringar resulterade i detaljerade flödes- och koncentrationsfält för att kvantitativt kunna analysera flödet och transportbeteendet. En detaljerad analys av upplösningen av ytjämnhet, komplexa flödesmönster (dvs kanalisering, tvärgående och virvelströmmar), effektiv advektiv flödesöppning, effektiv transmissivitet, effektiv dispersivitet, uppehållstid, transport motstånd och specifik yta visade signifikanta effekter av realistiska ojämna frakturväggar på vätskeflöde och lösta transportprocesser i bergssprickor. Resultaten visar att ytjämnhet och skjuvningssystemsorsakade asperitetskontakter avsevärt förbättrar olinjäritet och komplexitet av flödes- och transportprocesser i frakturer med ojämna väggar samt fraktur-matrissystem. Ytråheten orsakar också intrång av flöde i tvärgående frakturer vilket ökar blandingen av lösta ämnen i korsningarna. Därför är ytjämnhet av frakturerna en viktig källa till osäkerhet i tillämpningen av sådana förenklade modeller som kubisk lag (CL) för vätskeflöde och analytiska lösningar för transport av lösta ämnen i bergsfrakturer. Studien har ökat förståelsen för realistiska flödes- och transportprocesser i naturligt sprucket berg. Resultaten är användbara för modellvalidering/förlängning, osäkerhetsanalys/kvantifiering och design av laboratorieexperiment i samband med olika tillämpningar av flöde och transport i bergsfrakturer. / <p>QC 20161010</p>

<div>Thin walled structures find wide applications in automotive industry as energy absorption devices. A great deal of research has been conducted to design thin walled structures, where the main objective is to reduce peak crushing forces and increase energy absorption capacity. With the advancement of computers and mathematics, it has been possible to develop 2D patterns which when folded turn into complex 3D structures. This technology can be used to develop patterns for getting structures with desired properties. </div><div>In this study, square origami tubes with folding pattern (Yoshimura pattern) is designed and studied extensively using numerical analysis. An accurate Finite Element Model (FEM) is developed to conduct the numerical analysis. A parametric study was conducted to study the influence of geometric parameters on the mechanical properties like peak crushing force, mean crushing force, load uniformity and maximum intrusion, when subjected to dynamic loading. </div><div>The results from this analysis are studied and various conclusions are drawn. It is found that, when the tube is folded with the pattern having specific dimension, the performance is enhanced significantly, with predictable and stable collapse. It is also found that the stiffness of the module varies with geometrical parameters. With a proper study it is possible to develop origami structures with functionally graded stiffness, the performance of which can be tuned as per requirement, hence, showing promising capabilities as an energy absorption device where progressive collapse from near to end impact end is desired.</div><div><br></div>

Neste trabalho investiga-se o comportamento resistente de vigas de concreto com taxas reduzidas de armadura transversal, analisando-se as possibilidades de melhoria de desempenho pelo reforço do concreto com fibras curtas de aço e polipropileno e pela aplicação da protensão, através de ensaios em vigas de seção quadrada e vigas protendidas de seção duplo-T. Apresenta-se também uma revisão de conhecimentos sobre o comportamento estrutural de elementos de concreto armado ou protendido, com ênfase nas solicitações por força cortante e os principais conceitos sobre os compósitos constituídos de matriz de cimento reforçada com fibras. As principais alterações decorrentes da introdução das fibras foram o aumento da resistência ao cisalhamento, da rigidez após a fissuração e da dutilidade. A protensão aumenta a resistência ao cisalhamento, a resistência à fissuração e a extensão da zona não fissurada, e torna as bielas mais abatidas. Tanto as fibras quanto a protensão proporcionam alívio da tensão nos estribos. / This thesis presents an experimental analysis of the structural behavior of concrete beams with reduced shear reinforcement ratios. Improvements on performance due to prestressing and steel and polypropilene fibers are analized in rectangular and T beam models. A state-of-the-art is presented on shear strength of reinforced and prestressed concrete beams and on fiber reinforced cement-based composites. The main effects due to fiber addition are the increasing of the shear strength, post-cracking stiffiness and ductility. Prestressing helps to increase the shear strength, cracking strength and extension of the non-cracked zone and it turns the struts less inclined. Fibers as well prestressing reduce the stresses on stirrups.

Neste trabalho investiga-se o comportamento resistente de vigas de concreto com taxas reduzidas de armadura transversal, analisando-se as possibilidades de melhoria de desempenho pelo reforço do concreto com fibras curtas de aço e polipropileno e pela aplicação da protensão, através de ensaios em vigas de seção quadrada e vigas protendidas de seção duplo-T. Apresenta-se também uma revisão de conhecimentos sobre o comportamento estrutural de elementos de concreto armado ou protendido, com ênfase nas solicitações por força cortante e os principais conceitos sobre os compósitos constituídos de matriz de cimento reforçada com fibras. As principais alterações decorrentes da introdução das fibras foram o aumento da resistência ao cisalhamento, da rigidez após a fissuração e da dutilidade. A protensão aumenta a resistência ao cisalhamento, a resistência à fissuração e a extensão da zona não fissurada, e torna as bielas mais abatidas. Tanto as fibras quanto a protensão proporcionam alívio da tensão nos estribos. / This thesis presents an experimental analysis of the structural behavior of concrete beams with reduced shear reinforcement ratios. Improvements on performance due to prestressing and steel and polypropilene fibers are analized in rectangular and T beam models. A state-of-the-art is presented on shear strength of reinforced and prestressed concrete beams and on fiber reinforced cement-based composites. The main effects due to fiber addition are the increasing of the shear strength, post-cracking stiffiness and ductility. Prestressing helps to increase the shear strength, cracking strength and extension of the non-cracked zone and it turns the struts less inclined. Fibers as well prestressing reduce the stresses on stirrups.

Abstract not available

Abstract not available

In this thesis, we have developed a Subtructured Finite Element / eXtended Finite Element (S-FE/XFE) method. The S-FE/XFE method consists in decomposing the geometry into safe FE-domains and cracked XFE-domains, and solving the interface problem with the Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting method (FETI).This method allows for handling complex crack configurations in 3D structures with common commercial FE software that do not feature the XFEM. The method is also extended to a mixed dimensional formulation, where the FE-domain is discretised with shell elements while the XFE-domain is modelled with three-dimensional solid elements. This is the so-called S-FE Shell/XFE 3D method. The mixed dimensional formulation is more convenient than a full XFE-3D formulation because it significantly reduces the computational cost and it is more accurate compared to a full shell model because it includes three-dimensional local features such as three-dimensional crack. The compatibility of the displacements through the interface is ensured using the Reissner-Mindlin equation. The method has been extensively validated towards both academic problems and semi-industrial benchmarks in order to demonstrate the benefits of this approach. Among them, the S-FE/XFE method is applied to a crack analysis in a section of a compressor drum of a turbofan engine. The results obtained with the S-FE/XFE method are compared with those obtained with a standard FE computation. Furthermore, two applications of the S-FE shell/XFE 3D approach are proposed. First the load carrying capacity of a section of stiffened panel containing a through-the-thickness crack is investigated (this is the one-bay crack configuration). Second, the ability of the method for handling small surface cracks in large finite element models is addressed by looking at a generic 'large pressure panel' presenting realistic crack configurations.

Photophysical, electronic, and compositional properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and bulk nanotube samples were investigated together with graphene oxide photoluminescence. First, we studied the effect of external electric fields on SWCNT photoluminescence. Fields of up to 10 7 V/m caused dramatic, reversible decreases in emission intensity. Quenching efficiency was proportional to the projection of the field on the SWCNT axis, and showed inverse correlation with optical band gap. The magnitude of the effect was experimentally related to exciton binding energy, as consistent with a proposed field-induced exciton dissociation model. Further, the electronic composition of various SWCNT samples was studied. A new method was developed to measure the fraction of semiconducting nanotubes in as- grown or processed samples. SWCNT number densities were compared in images from near-IR photoluminescence (semiconducting species) and AFM (all species) to compute the semiconducting fraction. The results provide important information about SWCNT sample compositions that can guide controlled growth methods and help calibrate bulk characterization techniques. The nature of absorption backgrounds in SWCNT samples was also studied. A number of extrinsic perturbations such as extensive ultrasonication, sidewall functionalization, amorphous carbon impurities, and SWCNT aggregation were applied and their background contributions quantified. Spectral congestion backgrounds from overlapping absorption bands were assessed with spectral modeling. Unlike semiconducting nanotubes, metallic SWCNTs gave broad intrinsic absorption backgrounds. The shape of the metallic background component and its absorptivity coefficient were determined. These results can be used to minimize and evaluate SWCNT absorption backgrounds. Length dependence of SWCNT optical properties was investigated. Samples were dispersed by ultrasonication or shear processing, and then length-fractionated by gel electrophoresis or controlled ultrasonication shortening. Fractions from both methods showed no significant absorbance variations with SWCNT length. The photoluminescence intensity increased linearly with length, and the relative quantum yield gradually increased, approaching a limiting value. Finally, a strong pH dependence of graphene oxide photoluminescence was observed. Sharp and structured excitation/emission features resembling the spectra of molecular fluorophores were obtained in basic conditions. Based on the observed pH-dependence and quantum calculations, these spectral features were assigned to quasi-molecular fluorophores formed by the electronic coupling of oxygen-containing addends with nearby graphene carbon atoms.

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are one of the leading candidate materials to realize novel nanoscale photonic devices. In order to assess their performance characteristics as optoelectronic materials, it is crucial to examine their optical properties in highly non-equilibrium situations such as high magnetic fields, low temperatures, and under high photoexcitation. Therefore, we present our latest result on the magnetic susceptibility anisotropy of metallic carbon nanotubes due to the Aharonov-Bohm effect. Here, we performed magnetic linear dichroism on a metallic-enriched HiPco SWNT sample utilizing a 35 T Hybrid Magnet to measure absorption with light polarization both perpendicular and parallel to the magnetic field. By relating these values with the nematic order parameter for alignment, we found that the metallic carbon nanotubes do not follow a strict diameter dependence across the 7 chiralities present in our sample. In addition to the studying the absorption properties exhibited at high magnetic field, we performed temperature-dependent (300 K to 11 K) photoluminescence (PL) on HiPco SWNTs embedded in an ι -carrageenan matrix utilizing intense fs pulses from a wavelength-tunable optical parametric amplifier. We found that for each temperature the PL intensity saturates as a function of pump fluence and the saturation intensity increases from 300 K to a moderate temperature around 100-150 K. Within the framework of diffusion-limited exciton-exciton annihilation (EEA), we successfully estimated the density of 1D excitons in SWNTs as a function of temperature and chirality. These results coupled with our results of magnetic brightening, or an increase in PL intensity as a function of magnetic flux through each SWNT due to the Aharonov-Bohm effect, yield great promise that in the presence of a high magnetic field the density of excitons can be further increased.

The steady state response of thin-walled members subjected to harmonic forces is investigated in the present study. The governing differential equations of motion and associated boundary conditions are derived from the Hamilton variational principle. The harmonic form of the applied forces is exploited to eliminate the need to discretize the problem in the time domain, resulting in computational efficiency. The formulation is based on a generalization of the Timoshenko-Vlasov beam theory and accounts for warping effects, shear deformation effects due to bending and non-uniform warping, translational and rotary inertial effects and captures flexural-torsional coupling arising in asymmetric cross-sections. Six of the resulting seven field equations are observed to be fully coupled for asymmetric cross-sections while the equation of longitudinal motion is observed to be uncoupled. Separate closed form solutions are provided for the cases of (i) doubly symmetric cross sections, (ii) monosymmetric cross-sections, and (iii) asymmetric cross-sections. The closed-form solutions are provided for cantilever and simply-supported boundary conditions. A family of shape functions is then developed based on the exact solution of the homogeneous field equations and then used to formulate a series of super-convergent finite beam elements. The resulting two-noded beam elements are shown to successfully capture the static and dynamic responses of thin-walled members. The finite elements developed involve no special discretization errors normally encountered in other finite element formulations and provide results in excellent agreement with those based on other established finite elements with a minimal number of degrees of freedom. The formulation is also capable to predict the natural frequencies and mode-shapes of the structural members. Comparisons with non-shear deformable beam solutions demonstrate the importance of shear deformation effects within short-span members subjected to harmonic loads with higher exciting frequencies. Comparisons with shell element solution results demonstrate that distortional effects are more pronounced in cantilevers with short spans. A generalized stress extraction scheme from the finite element formulation is then developed. Also, a generalization of the analysis procedure to accommodate multiple loads with distinct exciting frequencies is established. The study is concluded with design examples which illustrate the applicability of the formulation, in conjunction with established principles of fatigue design, in determining the fatigue life of steel members subjected to multiple harmonic forces.