| 11. |
- Capaci, Francesca
(författare)
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Adapting Experimental and Monitoring Methods for Continuous Processes under Feedback Control : Challenges, Examples, and Tools
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Continuous production covers a significant part of today’s industrial manufacturing. Consumer goods purchased on a frequent basis, such as food, drugs, and cosmetics, and capital goods such as iron, chemicals, oil, and ore come through continuous processes. Statistical process control (SPC) and design of experiments (DoE) play important roles as quality control and product and process improvement methods. SPC reduces product and process variation by eliminating assignable causes, while DoE shows how products and processes may be improved through systematic experimentation and analysis. Special issues emerge when applying these methods to continuous process settings, such as the need to simultaneously analyze massive time series of autocorrelated and cross-correlated data. Another important characteristic of most continuous processes is that they operate under engineering process control (EPC), as in the case of feedback controllers. Feedback controllers transform processes into closed-loop systems and thereby increase the process and analysis complexity and application of SPC and DoE methods that need to be adapted accordingly. For example, the quality characteristics or process variables to be monitored in a control chart or the experimental factors in an experiment need to be chosen considering the presence of feedback controllers.The main objective of this thesis is to suggest adapted strategies for applying experimental and monitoring methods (namely, DoE and SPC) to continuous processes under feedback control. Specifically, this research aims to [1] identify, explore, and describe the potential challenges when applying SPC and DoE to continuous processes; [2] propose and illustrate new or adapted SPC and DoE methods to address some of the issues raised by the presence of feedback controllers; and [3] suggest potential simulation tools that may be instrumental in SPC and DoE methods development.The results are summarized in five appended papers. Through a literature review, Paper A outlines the SPC and DoE implementation challenges for managers, researchers, and practitioners. For example, the problems due to process transitions, the multivariate nature of data, serial correlation, and the presence of EPC are discussed. Paper B describes the issues and potential strategies in designing and analyzing experiments on processes operating under closed- loop control. Two simulated examples in the Tennessee Eastman (TE) process simulator show the benefits of using DoE methods to improve these industrial processes. Paper C provides guidelines on how to use the revised TE process simulator under a decentralized control strategy as a testbed for SPC and DoE methods development in continuous processes. Papers D and E discuss the concurrent use of SPC in processes under feedback control. Paper D further illustrates how step and ramp disturbances manifest themselves in single-input single-output processes controlled by variations in the proportional-integral-derivative control and discusses the implications for process monitoring. Paper E describes a two-step monitoring procedure for multivariate processes and explains the process and controller performance when out-of-controlprocess conditions occur.
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| 12. |
- Cassar, Mario
(författare)
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Investigating the persuasive impact of online textual content : A narrative theory approach
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Higher levels of competition in online channels and the resulting information overload among customers is becoming an issue of increasing concern among marketers who seek to provide persuasive content. Past research has revealed that storytelling is an effective tool to achieve persuasion. Research has also suggested that consumers are essentially storytellers who narrate their experiences in the form of stories. Several researchers have looked at consumers’ stories and investigated the effect that these stories have on their receivers. In the last decade the research about storytelling has shifted to the online world. There is a board agreement amongst researchers that this is indeed very persuasive when compared to other forms of promotional online content. Although online content can possess various characteristics, textual content is the dominant type of content employed by both consumers and sellers/producers. This thesis asks: What effect do characteristics of online textual content have on persuading consumers? This research question is grounded in Narrative Paradigm Theory that is used to present a conceptual model that allows for the development of more specific research questions dealing with characteristics of online textual content. To do this, a distinction is first drawn between user generated content (UGC) and producer generated content (PGC). In both cases, textual content can be story- or argument-based and can possess various other characteristics, that can be basic (valence and word count), stylistic (story-/ argument-based) and semantic (use of meaning in words). The thesis seeks to investigate what effect these characteristics have on the persuasion process of customers viewing online textual content. It seeks to understand what characteristics make textual content, (whether UGC or PGC) believable and influential and whether the knowledge learnt from UGC can be used by marketers to create persuasive content. A further aim of the research, is to identify an analytical tool that can help content creators identify the persuasive potential of any given text.The main research question and model gave rise to the following five sub-research questions:RQ1: What are the themes and concepts used by reviewers expressing differing customer satisfaction when posting UGC?RQ 2: Does the narrative force resulting from reviews posted as UGC differ by declared customer satisfaction ratings?RQ3: What is the impact of different content type and length of online textual reviews on narrative believability and purchase intention?RQ4: Does objective knowledge effect the impact of different content type of online textual reviews on narrative believability and purchase intention?RQ5: Does story-based textual PGC improve website stickiness? To answer these research questions, four empirical studies are undertaken. Study one analyses the first two research questions whilst the remaining three studies each analyse a further research question. Different research methods for collecting and analysing data were used to address the research questions. Using different research methods is regarded advantageous because it allows for methodological rigorousness. The first study employs the qualitative analytical tools using the Diction and Leximancer software while the three other studies make us of an experimental approach. Experimental designs are preferred when the goal of the research is theory application. This doctoral thesis is presented in a monograph format comprising five chapters: Introduction, Literature review, Methodology, Empirical studies, and Conclusion. The latter indicates how the research contributes to the body of knowledge by providing multiple theoretical and managerial implications.
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| 13. |
- Chabuk, Ali
(författare)
-
Solid Waste Landfills in an Arid Environment : Site Selection and Design
- 2019
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Selecting landfill sites is considered a complicated task because its whole process is based upon several factors and restrictions. This study shows the present status of solid waste management, sources, collection personnel, machinery and equipment that are involved in the waste collection process, financing and financial management for the major cities of the Babylon Governorate in Iraq (Al-Hillah, Al-Qasim, Al-Mahawil, Al-Hashimiyah and Al-Musayiab). The management of waste collection and disposal in the Babylon Governorate and its districts is through open waste dumps, so the quality of the collection and disposal process is poor, and these sites do not conform to the scientific and environmental criteria usually applied in the selection of landfill sites.In the first part of the current study, three methods were used to calculate the solid waste quantity for each specific year up to the year 2030 as well as the cumulative quantity of solid waste for the period (2020-2030) for Babylon Governorate. The results show the cumulative quantity of solid waste resulting from (method 3) receives a high value compared to other methods, and so it is used as a maximum value to estimate the required area for candidate sites for landfills in each district. The generation rate in 2030 will be (0.97, 0.69, 0.48, 0.62 and 0.91) (kg/capita/day) in (Al-Hillah, Al-Qasim, Al-Mahawil, Al-Hashimiyah and Al-Musayiab), respectively, based on method 3, where the estimated annual incremental generation rate is 1 %. The second part of this study aims to find the best sites for landfills in the arid areas that are distinguished by a shallow depth of groundwater. The Babylon Governorate was selected as a case study because it is located in an arid area, and the depths beneath the ground surface to the groundwater level are shallow. For this purpose, 15 important criteria were adopted as follows: groundwater depth, rivers, soil types, agricultural land use, land use, elevation, slope, gas pipelines, oil pipelines, power lines, roads, railways, urban centers, villages and archaeological sites. These criteria were then entered into the geographic information system (GIS). The GIS software has a large capacity to manage and analyze various input data using special analysis tools. In addition, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods were used to derive the relative weightings for each criterion in different styles. These methods are (Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Simple Additive Weighting (SAW), Ratio Scale Weighting (RSW) and Straight Rank Sum (SRS)).Raster maps of the selected criteria were prepared and analyzed within the GIS software. The final map for candidate landfill sites was obtained through combining the GIS software and (MCDM) methods. Subsequently, comparison methods (Change Detection, Combination, Kappa and Overall Assessment) for each pair of raster maps that result from using the two different methods of multi-criteria decision making were implemented to determine the pixel percentage of matching and non-matching as well as to determine and check the suitability of the selected sites for landfills on both resulting maps using two methods. Two suitable candidate sites for landfills were determined to fulfill the scientific and environmental requirements in each major city. These areas are (6.768 and 8.204) km2 in Al-Hillah, (2.766 and 2.055) km2 in Al-Qasim, (1.288 and 1.374) km2 in Al-Hashimiyah, (2.950 and 2.218) km2 in Al-Mahawil, and (7.965 and 5.952) km2 in Al-Musayiab. The required area of the selected sites can accommodate solid waste from 2020 until 2030 based on the required areas according to the third method.The third part of this study includes soil investigations for the selected landfill sites. The suggested design should ensure that there is no groundwater pollution by leachate from these sites because the groundwater depth is very shallow in the Babylon Governorate. To avoid this problem, soil investigation was conducted at these sites so that the most suitable landfill design could be established. Each site was subjected to field soil tests to find the composition of the soil strata at each site to a depth of 10 m, and these results were compared with the soil properties adopted for final site selection. The Iraqi Ministry of Housing & Construction, National Centre for Construction Laboratories and Research Babylon, Iraq, carried out the analytical work on the soil in 2016. The results of the soil investigation at these sites include the soil profile, groundwater depth, chemical properties, allowable bearing capacity, atterberg limits test results and material characteristics of the soil strata. According to the results of these tests, the best design is the one that puts the compacted waste at the surface.The fourth part of this study covers the selection of a suitable proposed design in the arid areas (Babylon Governorate, Iraq) for the selected landfill siting. In the current study, the design of this landfill includes the suggested soil layers for the liner system and final cover system. For the base liner system (from the bottom toward the top), the composite bottom barrier layer consists of highly compacted sandy clay. The thickness of the bottom barrier layer is 60 cm, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is 1.0E-7cm/s. The 1.5 mm thick geomembrane (HDPE), with hydraulic conductivity of 2.0E-13 cm/s, is placed over the composite bottom barrier layer. The leachate collection system consists of drainage layer (gravel) with a thickness of 30 cm and a hydraulic conductivity of 3.0E-1 cm/s. The diameter of the main drainpipes is between 15 and 20 cm. The protection layer consists of sand material, and its hydraulic conductivity is 5.0E-3 cm/s. The thickness of the protection layer is 30 cm.The compacted solid waste is placed upon the surface to a height of 2 m because of the shallow groundwater depth and to avoid groundwater contamination by leachate from the landfill site. The density of the compacted waste is 700 kg/m3, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is 1.0E-5 cm/s.Three scenarios were used for the suggested designs for the final cover system of the landfills in arid areas. The first scenario was “evapotranspiration soil cover (ET) (capillary barriers type)”, the second scenario was a modified cover design of "RCRA Subtitle D", and the third scenario was the “Recommended design”. In this study, “Recommended design”, the third scenario for the final cover system, was adopted in the arid area (Babylon governorate, Iraq) based on combining certain layers from the first and second scenarios. For the three scenarios, the soil components in these designs used was based on available local materials in the study area. The layers of the base liner system were adopted in all scenarios.The third scenario for the final cover system, “Recommended design”, was implemented based on weather parameters in the arid areas. The water infiltrated from the surface of landfill is stored within upper layers that have fine particles. This allows the stored water to evaporate from the soil surface of the landfill or transpire through vegetation due to the high temperature during most months in the study area. The water that enters from the surface of the landfill should be contained above the geomembrane liner and top barrier layer without leakage into the waste body, thereby preventing leachate generation.For the layers of the final cover system (from the bottom to the top), the intermediate cover is used to cover the waste body, and this layer consists of moderate compacted silty clayey loam (native soil). The thickness of the intermediate cover is 30 cm, and its saturated hydraulic conductivity is1.0E-6 cm/s. The foundation layer consists of coarse sand material with a thickness of 30 cm and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of 1.0E-2 cm/s. This layer acts as a cushion for the layers of the final cover system. The gas collection system can be installed within the foundation layer. The top barrier layer is placed over the foundation layer. This layer consists of highly compacted sandy clay of (45 - 60 cm) thickness with compacted lifts (each lift is 15 cm). The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the barrier layer is 1.0E-7 cm/s. The geomembrane liner, (HDPE) of 0.5 cm thickness and a saturated hydraulic conductivity of 2.0E-13 cm/s, is put on top of the barrier layer. The upper layers of the final cover system are the support vegetation layer and the topsoil layer. The composition of the support vegetation layer is moderate compacted loam. This layer is placed directly on the geomembrane liner. The saturated hydraulic conductivity of the support layer is1.0E-5 cm/s, and its thickness is 45 cm. The topsoil layer consists of silty clayey loam, and it is placed over the support vegetation layer with a slope of 3%. The thickness of the topsoil layer is 15 cm, and its hydraulic conductivity is 4.0E-5 cm/s. The Hydrologic Evaluation of a Landfill Performance (HELP 3.95 D) model was applied to the selected landfill sites in the governorate to check if there could be any infiltration of the leachate that will result from the waste in the landfills in the selected sites in the future. The HELP model, which utilizes both weather and soil data, is the most commonly used model for landfill design, and it is employed to evaluate the quantity of water inflow through soil layers for the designed landfill. This suggested landfill is designed using the weather parameters (rainfall, temperature, solar, and the required date to calculate evapotranspiration) for the 12 consecutive years from 2005 to 2016, as well the required data for soil design.In the HELP model, the result for the suggested landfill design for both the recommended design (third scenario) and the second scenario was a modified cover design of "RCRA Subtitle D", which showed there was no leachate through the soil
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| 14. |
- Conrad, Sarah
(författare)
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Iron isotopes in aquatic systems
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The cycling of iron (Fe) is a key component for understanding water quality and biogeochemical processes. It serves as mediator during biotic and abiotic processes, as electron acceptor during the degradation of organic matter, as surface for trace element and organic matter adsorption, and is necessary for primary production processes. Since the beginning of Fe isotope studies, researchers focussed on the ratios in soils, rivers and oceans in various environments. The aim of this study was to characterize the Fe isotope ratios from the source (e.g. soils), along the river course, through the estuaries and into the adjacent sea within the boreal landscape. Therefore, seasonal sampling of water from Swedish headwater streams (2016/2017), rivers (2016), estuaries (2013/2014) and the Baltic Sea (2013/2014) were conducted, with the purpose to better understand the role and fate of riverine Fe export. Fe is transported in two main phases from the headwater streams into the oceans: organic Fe complexes and Fe(oxy)hydroxide. It has been proposed that these Fe phases varies in response to seasonal differences in hydrology. This thesis includes the first Fe isotope dataset describing seasonal variations of headwater streams on a regional scale. In the headwater streams positive and negative Fe isotopes ratios can be used to distinguish between different Fe phases. Furthermore, Fe isotope ratios in headwater streams could verify regional drought periods and the subsequent rewetting of the subsurface soils.Within the rivers and estuaries, we found positive Fe isotopes in the dissolved phase (< 0.22µm) and negative Fe isotopes (> 0.22µm) in the particulate phase during high discharge. The correlation between different chemical parameters, Fe and DOC showed that the Fe isotope composition during spring flood is evolving in the upper soil layers of headwater streams. Therefore, the lighter Fe isotope signal is correlated to the organic-rich soil layers of the riparian zones in forested catchments. During baseflow, particulate Fe has a positive Fe isotope signal. This shows that the Fe has different origin throughout the season within one catchment.Salt-induced flocculation in the estuaries and under experimental conditions, is removing about 80 % of the dissolved and particulate Fe. Newly formed colloids and particles aggregate and sediment due to small changes in salinity. This major flocculation at low salinities might cause an underestimation of riverine Fe flux. Interestingly, salinity-induced aggregation experiments revealed that Fe(oxy)hydroxide, which dominated aggregates, displayed lower Fe isotope ratios than in the river samples Fe, while organic Fe complexes in the suspension had higher Fe isotope values. The seasonal variability in Fe isotope values could not be simply linked to Fe phases but was probably also influenced by variation in source areas of Fe and processes along the flow-path that alter both Fe phases and isotopic composition.Within the estuarine mixing zone, no Fe isotope fractionation was observed. The Fe isotope signal is constant over time and space, which excludes fractionation processes for example by oxidation. The Fe isotope signal within the Bothnian Bay was positive showing that different surface properties of Fe-OC and Fe(oxy)hydroxide aggregates lead to the flocculation of negative Fe aggregates.
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| 15. |
- Couceiro, José, 1983-
(författare)
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X-ray computed tomography to study moisture distribution in wood
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- X-ray computed tomography (CT) has been used as an analysing tool for different features in wood research since the beginning of the1980s, but it can also be used to study wood-water interactions in different ways, such as by determining wood moisture content (MC). The determination of wood MC with CT requires two CT images: one at the unknown moisture distribution and a second one at a known reference MC level, usually at oven-dry condition. The two scans are then compared, and the MC is calculated based on the differences between the images. If the goal is to determine the MC in local regions within the wood volume, e.g. when studying moisture gradients in wood drying, wood shrinkage must be taken into account during the data processing of the images. The anisotropy of wood shrinkage creates an obstacle, however, since the shrinkage is not uniform throughout the wood specimen. The technique is thus limited in two ways: it cannot measure MC in local regions and it cannot do it in real time.The objective of this thesis was to study methods to overcome these two limitations. The work explores up to three different methods to estimate local MC from CT images in real time. The first method determines shrinkage for each pixel using digital image correlation (DIC) and is embedded in a broader method to estimate the MC, which verified against a reference. It involves several steps in different pieces of software, making it time-consuming and creating many sources of possible experimental errors. The determination of shrinkage within this method is further explored to enable the implementation of all steps in a unique piece of software. It is shown that it is possible to calculate MC through this method with a root mean square error of prediction of 1.4 percentage points for MC between 6 and 25%.The second method studied succeeds in determining the MC distribution in research applied to wood drying, but the calculation of shrinkage differs from the previous method: instead of calculating shrinkage in the radial and tangential directions, it does so by using the displacement information generated from the spatial alignment of the CT images. Results show that the algorithm can provide consistent data of internal MC distribution of wood at the pixel level that entail continuing researching wood drying processes with an improvement in the accuracy of the MC determination. It represents an improvement regarding the first method because the calculation is fast and highly automatized in a single piece of software.The third method studied is the application of dual energy CT (DECT) to moisture. DECT would provide means for MC calculation at the pixel level and, potentially, in real time, which would mean an important breakthrough in wood drying research. Previous research shows promising results, but its implementation in medical CT, the tool used throughout this work, has shown poor predicting ability. Nevertheless, further research is encouraged.The work done in this thesis proves that it is possible to measure local distribution of MC in wood using CT with accuracy and precision. It also shows that further research could potentially provide a means for MC estimation in real time.
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| 16. |
- Di Stasio, Luca, 1988-
(författare)
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Influence of microstructure on debonding at the fiber/matrix interface in fiber-reinforced polymers under tensile loading
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- At the end of the second decade of the XXI century, the transportation industry at large faces several challenges that will shape its evolution in the next decade and beyond. The first such challenge is the increasing public awareness and governmental action on climate change, which are increasing the pressure on the industrial sectors responsible for the greatest share of emissions, the transportation industry being one of them, to reduce their environmental footprint. The second big challenge lies instead in the renewed push towards price reduction, due to increased competition (as for example, in the market for low-Earth orbit launchers, the entry of private entities) and innovative business models (like ride-sharing and ride-hailing in the automotive sector or low-cost carriers in civil aviation). A viable and effective technical solution strategy to these challenges is the reduction of vehicles’ structural mass, while keeping the payload mass constant. By reducing consumption, a reduced weight leads to reduced emissions in fossil-fuels powered vehicles and to increased autonomy in electrical ones. By reducing the quantity of materials required in structures, a weight reduction strategy favors in general a reduction of production costs and thus lower prices. Transportation is however a sector where safety is a paramount concern, and structures must satisfy strict requirements and validation procedures to guarantee their integrity and reliability during service life. This represents a significant constraint which limits the scope of the weight reduction approach. In the last twenty years, the development of a novel type of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composite (FRPC) laminates, called thin-ply laminates, proposes a solution to these competing requirements (weight with respect to structural integrity) by providing at the same time weight reduction and increased strength. Several experimental investigations have shown, in fact, that thin-ply laminates are capable of delaying, and even suppress, the onset of transverse cracking. Transverse cracks are a kind of sub-critical damage in FRPC laminates and occur early in the failure process, causing the degradation of elastic properties and favoring other, often more critical, modes of damage (delaminations, fiber breaks). Delay and suppression of transverse cracks were already linked, at the end of the 1970’s, to the use of thinner plies inside a laminate. However, thin-plies available today on the market are at least 10 times thinner than those studied in the 1970’s. This characteristic changes the length scale of the problem, from millimeters to micrometers. At the microscale, transverse cracks are formed by several fiber/matrix interface cracks (or debonds) coalescing together. Understanding the mechanisms of transverse cracking delay and suppression in thin-ply laminates requires detailed knowledge regarding onset of transverse cracking at the microscale, and thus the study of the mechanisms that favor or prevent debond initiation and growth. The main objective of the present work is to investigate the influence of the microstructure on debond growth along the fiber arc direction. To this end, models of 2-dimensional Representative Volume Elements (RVEs) of Uni-Directional (UD) composites and crossply laminates are developed. The Representative Volume Elements are characterized by different configurations of fibers and different damage states. Debond initiation is studied through the analysis of the distribution of stresses at the fiber/matrix interface in the absence of damage. Debond growth on the other hand is characterized using the approach of Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM), specifically through the evaluation of the Mode I, Mode II and total Energy Release Rate (ERR). Displacement and stress fields are evaluated by means of the Finite Element Method (FEM) using the commercial solver Abaqus. The components of the Energy Release Rate are then evaluated using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT), implemented in a custom Python routine. The elastic solution of the debonding problem presents two different regimes: the open crack and the closed crack behaviour. In the latter, debond faces are in contact in a region of finite size at the debond tip; in the latter, the debond is everywhere open and no contact exists between the faces. In the open crack regime, it is known that stress and displacement fields at the debond tip present an oscillating singularity. A convergence analysis of the VCCT in the context of the FEM solution is thus required to guarantee the validity of results and represents the first step of the work presented in this thesis. It is found that the total ERR does not depend on the size of elements at the debond tip, while the values of Mode I and Mode II ERR depend on element size in the open crack or mixed mode case. It is furthermore shown that Mode I and Mode II ERR do not converge, i.e. their asymptotic behavior for decreasing element size is not bounded. Thus, error reduction between successive iterations cannot be used to validate the solution and comparison with another method is required. Results obtained with the Boundary Element Method (BEM), available in the literature, are selected to this end. Debond growth under remote tensile loading is then studied in Representative Volume Elements of: UD composites of varying thickness, measured in terms of number of rows of fibers, from extremely thin (one fiber row) to thick ones; cross-ply laminates with a central 90◦ ply of varying thickness, measured as well in terms of number of rows of fibers, from extremely thin (one fiber row) to thick ones; thick UD composites (modelled as infinite along the through-the-thickness direction). Different damage configurations are also considered, corresponding to different stages of transverse crack onset: non-interacting isolated debonds; interacting debonds distributed along the loading direction; debonds on consecutive fibers along the through-the-thickness direction. Among the most relevant results, it is found that neither the 90◦ ply thickness nor the 0◦ ply thickness influences debond ERR in cross-ply laminates, differently from what is observed for transverse cracks with the so-called ply-thickness and ply-block effects. On the other hand, debond interaction along the loading direction is shown to influence significantly the Energy Release Rate, but this interaction possesses a characteristic distance (in terms of number of undamaged fibers) that defines the region of influence between debonds. Finally, an estimation of debond size at initiation and of debond maximum size is proposed based on arguments from stress analysis (for initiation) and on Griffith’s criterion from LEFM (for propagation). For a debond in a cross-ply laminate, its maximum size is estimated to lie in the range 40◦ − 60◦ , which is in strong agreement with previous results from microscopic observations available in the literature.
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| 17. |
- Dittes, Nicholas, 1987-
(författare)
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Sensors for Water Contamination in Lubricating Grease
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The purpose of this dissertation is to summarize the research carried out that led to the development of measurement techniques which measure the water content of lubricating grease. Calcium sulphonate complex (CaS-X) grease was used in all experiments for Papers A through E, with some additional greases used in Paper D.A simple and effective grease mixing method for preparing grease samples was developed and tested for repeatability. The water content of these samples was also tested with time and temperature as added variables to study if and how much water will evaporate from the samples.Additionally, three measurement principles were investigated: optical attenuation in the visible and near-infrared (NIR) region, a dielectric measurement method, and a galvanic current method.The optical attenuation investigation found that the attenuation ratio of two wavelengths of light appear to approximate the water content of grease samples with an acceptable coefficient of determination. Additionally, aged and oxidized grease samples were measured in the experiment and were not found to affect the measurement results. The dielectric method uses the temperature dependence on the dielectric properties of water-contaminated grease to approximate the water content of the grease samples. An additional parameter of incomplete fill/coverage of the sensor has been investigated as a prestudy. The dielectric method was further optimized with computer automated measurements where an improved and miniaturized sensor was developed and used. A different method using the galvanic current between two different metals from the galvanic series was used to estimate water content as well. All three methods were found to provide measurements of water content in the prepared grease samples (ranging from 0.22% to 5.5% added water). The dielectric measurement is likely going to be better for applications requiring the possibility of measuring a larger bulk of the grease within the bearing, with the capability of using several different configurations of sensors for different types of bearings and applications. It shows promise for providing an accurate and robust system for monitoring grease condition as well as the amount of grease contained. The optical measurement will likely provide additional information; however, it will only measure small point samples within the bearing instead of the larger bulk. This could be of use though, because the sensors could be small (in the several millimeter scale) and could measure where water damage is determined to be most important to detect at. The galvanic current method was also found to provide a useful correlation to water content but may provide additional information about how corrosive the grease has become, indirectly estimating the water content.The research contained herein has shown promise for future development for developing new grease condition monitoring tools. The optical, dielectric, and galvanic methods have their own unique challenges and may provide useful information in different applications, or perhaps be used in conjunction with each other to provide a more complete diagnostic tool.
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| 18. |
- Draxler, Joar
(författare)
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Modeling and Simulation of Weld Hot Cracking
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Several alloy systems are susceptible to weld hot cracking. Weld hot cracking occurs by fracture of liquid films, normally grain boundary liquid films, at the late stage of the solidification of the weld. The cracks can be small and therefore difficult to detect by nondestructive test methods. If hot cracks are not repaired, they can act as sites for initiation of fatigue and stress corrosion cracking, which in turn can lead to catastrophic failure in critical applications such as aerospace engines and nuclear power plants. Therefore, it is of highest importance to design weld processes so that hot cracking can be avoided. Here, numerical simulation can be a powerful tool for optimizing weld speed, heat input, weld path geometry, weld path sequences, weld fixturing, etc., such that the risk for hot cracking can be minimized. In this thesis, we propose a modeling approach for simulating weld hot cracking in sheet metals with low welding speeds and fully penetrating welds. These conditions are assumed to give rise to isolated grain boundary liquid films (GBLFs) whose crack susceptibility can be analyzed using one-dimensional models. The work is divided into four journal papers. The three first papers treat hot cracking that occurs in the fusion zone of the weld while the last paper treats hot cracking in the partially melted zone of the weld. The main content of the four papers are summarized below. In paper A, a pore-based crack criterion for hot cracking has been developed. This criterion states that cracking occurs in a GBLF if the liquid pressure in the film goes below a fracture pressure. The fracture pressure is determined from a pore model as the liquid pressure that is required to balance the surface tension of an axisymmetric pore in a liquid film located between two parallel plates at a given critical pore radius. The fracture pressure depends on the surface tension, the spacing between the parallel plates and the gas concentration in the liquid. In order to evaluate the above pore-based crack criterion in a GBLF the liquid pressure in the film most be known. In paper B, a one-dimensional GBLF pressure model for a columnar dendritic microstructure has been developed. This model is based on a combination of Poiseuille parallel plate flow and Darcy porous flow. Flow induced by mechanical straining of the GBLF is accounted for by a macroscopic mechanical strain field that is localized to the GBLF by a temperature dependent length scale. In paper C, a computational welding mechanics model for a Varestraint test is developed. The model is used to calibrate the crack criterion in paper A and the pressure model in paper B. It is then used to test the crack criterion in Varestraint tests with different augmented strains. Calculated crack locations, orientations, and widths are shown to correlate well to the experimental Varestraint tests. vii Finally, in paper D, a segregation model for predicting the thickness of eutectic bands has been developed. The thickness of eutectic bands affects the degree of liquation in partially melted zone, and therefore is an important factor for hot cracking in this region of the weld.
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| 19. |
- Edskär, Ida
(författare)
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Modal Analysis, Dynamic Properties and Horizontal Stabilisation of Timber Buildings
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Engineers face new challenges as taller timber buildings are constructed. According to Eurocode 1-4, both horizontal deformations from static wind and acceleration levels shall be limited. Due to the low self-weight of wood, dynamic vibrations and acceleration levels cancause problems. The current knowledge in the field is limited and there is a need for increasing the understanding of dynamic properties in tall timber buildings. This research project has been a collaboration between Luleå Technical University and Sweco Structures AB, where the author has gained practical experience as a designer in parallel to the research studies.The purpose of this research is to understand and describe the dynamic behaviour of tall timber buildings using FE-simulations , studying their dynamic properties, and comparing acceleration levels to comfort criteria. By varying different parameters, dynamic properties have been studied and compared with assumptions and recommendations in Eurocode 1-4.In this study, buildings with cross-laminated timber panels (CLT) have been studied but also post-and-beam systems with trusses. Depending on the shape, layout and materials of the building, the dynamic properties of the building will vary: natural frequency, mode shape, modal mass, and modal stiffness. To assess the comfort of the building, the standard ISO 10137 has been used evaluating the natural frequency of the building and its peak acceleration. Simulations have been performed using finite element (FE) software where modal analyses have been performed. Over 250 simulations have been performed in this study.Adding mass reduces the natural frequency and the acceleration level of the building, which is an appropriate measure if the building has a frequency below 1 Hz. Increased stiffness increases the natural frequency and reduces the acceleration level, which is suitable for buildings with a natural frequency over 2 Hz.The empirical expression f = 46 / h should be used with caution as it is based onmeasurements of concrete and steel buildings. The recommendation is to perform FEsimulations until the empirical knowledge base is sufficient for timber buildings.The placement of the stabilizing system is important for creating a balanced (symmetrical) system resulting in pure translation modes. Eurocode 1-4 presupposes 2D modes in the plane while asymmetry can create diagonal and even torsional modes, which Eurocode 1-4 cannot handle. Openings and asymmetry in the floor plan affect the dynamic properties of the building. The assumption that the building can be modelled as a homogeneous beam where the mass is evenly distributed can result in an over- or underestimation of the equivalent mass, which in turn can lead to an underestimation of the acceleration level, around 20% - 30%. It is recommended that the equivalent mass is calculated from FE generated modal mass and mode shapes.Acceleration levels vary over the building height depending on the mode shape. Timber buildings with a slenderness <3.9 have more or less a pure shear mode and with increasing height it shifts to a linear mode. For timber buildings, it is recommended to use the generated mode shape from FE simulations, and not those prescribed in Eurocode 1-4 as these can underestimate the acceleration levels, around 30 %.
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| 20. |
- Flostrand, Andrew
(författare)
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Motivating External Participation in Marketing Intelligence Foresight
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Long-range planning for purposes of deciding on the development of high investment and long development cycle activities requires that assumptions be made about environmental factors at the time of their future completion. For organizations that serve a market, the future market factors related to supply, demand, and technological developments are at once fundamentally critical and unknowable with certainty. As long-range planning is required, the optimal strategy is to engage best practices of marketing intelligence foresight. Oftentimes, quantitative analytics of historical data can provide forecasts of future variable values but on the longer time scales of decades, the assumptions that these formulae are based upon become increasingly uncertain. It is therefore necessary to integrate any reasonably accessible insights related to the potential future market factors when responsibly developing long-range plans. While organizations might be expected to have astute insight within their boundaries, valuable insight also exists in the knowledge and reasoning of entities outside of the firm. By appropriately engaging motivational theory in the design of information collecting activities, optimal value from these external sources of insight can be captured for inclusion in long range planning.This body of research centers on the motivation types within Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as they are operationalized by two groupings of insight seeking activities: crowdsourcing and the Delphi technique.In the form of an answer to the core research question of “How do organizations seek to maximize the value of marketing intelligence foresight tools that call upon external participation?”, this thesis uses the results and output of five research papers to answer four sub-questions. RQ1: How can organizations apply Self Determination Theory to optimize the value gained from crowdsourcing activities? RQ2: Where have academic researchers applied the Delphi Technique to date, and what longitudinal trends are evident? RQ3: To what degree does the use of crowdsourcing present a potential vulnerability vector for deleterious or malicious intent? RQ4: What motivating factors do expert panelists in a formal Delphi study cite as their reasons for constructively participating? By integrating these factors, this thesis builds a map that directly connects the activities and designs that are reasoned through the lens of SDT to be optimally engage productive motivation, through to a set of insight types that organizations may seek. The linkages take the form of four sets which then subdivide into18 formal propositions of direct linkages between: i) crowdsourcing forms and SDT motivational types, ii) crowdsourcing linked motivational types and accessible insight forms, iii) Delphi expert participation reason themes and SDT motivational types, iv) Delphi linked motivational types and accessible insight forms.
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