An investigation of stress wave propagation through rock joints and rock masses

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Civil. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto, Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil. 201

Pattern formation on Si surfaces by low-energy ion beam erosion

Self-organization by low-energy ion beam erosion provides an alternative route for the fabrication of nanostructures on different materials in only one step. This study focuses on the experimental analysis of erosion of Si surfaces using a broad-beam ion source, exploring the underlying mechanisms of pattern formation. The correlation of the topography evolution with different erosion parameters was studied; namely, ion beam incidence angle, ion energy, fluence, as well as other specific parameters of the broad-beam ion source were analyzed. At near normal incidence nanopatterns were formed only when Fe atoms were simultaneously incorporated during ion erosion, otherwise, the surface remained smooth. For the given experimental setup, the Fe flux can be regulated by the ion beam parameters. Among the nanopatterns formed, ripples with wavelength ~ 40 nm — 70 nm and amplitude up to ~ 10 nm are of special interest due to their high regularity. Although the physical mechanisms behind the topography evolution are not completely understood, a complex interplay between Fe incorporation, curvature dependent sputtering and different relaxation mechanisms seems to be responsible for the pattern formation. At higher incidence angles, on the other hand, it is evident that angle dependent sputtering dominates the topography evolution and larger structures evolved. It is shown that the topography can be tuned, up to certain degree, choosing the appropriate parameters.Selbstorganisationprozesse bei der niederenergetischen Ionenstrahlerosion sind ein interessanter alternativer Ansatz für die Herstellung von Nanostrukturen mit geringem technologischem Aufwand. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit lag auf dem experimentellen Verständnis der Musterbilding auf Si-Oberflächen bei der Erosion unter Verwendung von Breitstrahlionenquellen. Iinsbesondere wurde die Korrelation zwischen den entstehenden Oberflächentopographien und den verschiedenen relevanten Erosionsparametern (z. B. Einfallswinkel der Ionen, Ionenenergie, Fluenz) analysiert. Für kleine Einfallswinkel (zur Oberflächennormalen) können nur mit simultanem Einbau von Eisen Muster entstehen, andernfalls bleiben die Oberflächen glatt. Der Fe-Fluss wird durch verschiedene Quellenparamter kontrolliert. Bei den entstehenden Mustern sind vor allem hoch-geordnete Ripple-Strukturen mit Perioden zwischen 40 und 70 nm und Amplituden von ca. 10 nm von speziellem Interesse. Obwohl noch nicht endgültig aufgeklärt, geht man davon aus, dass die Musterbildung durch das komplexe Wechselspiel zwischen Eiseneinbau, dem krümmungsabhängigen Zerstäubungsprozess sowie verschiedenen Relaxationsprozessen verursacht wird. Für größere Ioneneinfallswinkel konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Mechanismus des gradienten-abhängigen Zerstäubens die Entwicklung der Oberflächentopographie maßgeblich bestimmt. Insgesamt ist es möglich, dass durch die geeignete Parameterwahl ein Vielzahl von Oberflächentopographien zu realisieren

From cells to tissues

An essential prerequisite for the existence of multi-cellular life is the organization of cells into tissues. In this thesis, we theoretically study how large-scale tissue properties can emerge from the collective behavior of individual cells. To this end, we focus on the properties of epithelial tissue, which is one of the major tissue types in animals. We study how rheological properties of epithelia emerge from cellular processes, and we develop a physical description for the dynamics of an epithelial cell polarity. We apply our theoretical studies to observations in the developing wing of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. In order to study epithelial mechanics, we first develop a geometrical framework that rigorously describes the deformation of two-dimensional cellular networks. Our framework decomposes large-scale deformation into cellular contributions. For instance, we show how large-scale tissue shear decomposes into contributions by cell shape changes and into contributions by different kinds of topological transitions. We apply this framework in order to quantify the time-dependent deformation of the fruit fly wing, and to decompose it into cellular contributions. We also use this framework as a basis to study large-scale rheological properties of epithelia and their dependence on cellular fluctuations. To this end, we represent epithelial tissues by a vertex model, which describes cells as elastic polygons. We extend the vertex model by introducing fluctuations on the cellular scale, and we develop a method to perform perpetual simple shear simulations. Analyzing the steady state of such simple shear simulations, we find that the rheological behavior of vertex model tissue depends on the fluctuation amplitude. For small fluctuation amplitude, it behaves like a plastic material, and for high fluctuation amplitude, it behaves like a visco-elastic fluid. In addition to analyzing mechanical properties, we study the reorientation of an epithelial cell polarity. To this end, we develop a simple hydrodynamic description for polarity reorientation. In particular, we account for polarity reorientation by tissue shear, by another polarity field, and by local polarity alignment. Furthermore, we develop methods to quantify polarity patterns based on microscopical images of the fly wing. We find that our hydrodynamic description does not only account for polarity reorientation in wild type fly wings. Moreover, it is for the first time possible to also account for the observed polarity patterns in a number of genetically altered flies.:1 Introduction 1.1 The development of multi-cellular organisms 1.2 Biology of epithelial tissues 1.3 The model system Drosophila melanogaster 1.4 Planar cell polarity 1.5 Physical description of biological tissues 1.6 Overview over this thesis 2 Tissue shear in cellular networks 2.1 Geometry of tissue deformation on the cellular scale 2.2 Decomposition of the large-scale flow field into cellular contributions 2.3 Cellular contributions to the flow field in the fruit fly wing 2.4 Discussion 3 Rheological behavior of vertex model tissue under external shear 3.1 A vertex model to describe epithelial mechanics 3.2 Fluctuation-induced fluidization of tissue 3.3 Discussion 4 Quantitative study of polarity reorientation in the fruit fly wing 4.1 Experimentally quantified polarity patterns 4.2 Effective hydrodynamic theory for polarity reorientation 4.3 Comparison of theory and experiment 4.4 Discussion 5 Conclusions and outlook Appendices: A Algebra of real 2 × 2 matrices B Deformation of triangle networks C Simple shear simulations using the vertex model D Coarse-graining of a cellular Core PCP model E Quantification of polarity patterns in the fruit fly wing F Theory for polarity reorientation in the fruit fly wing G Boundary conditions for the polarity field in the fruit fly wing Table of symbols BibliographyEine wesentliche Voraussetzung für die Existenz mehrzelligen Lebens ist, dass sich einzelne Zellen sinnvoll zu Geweben ergänzen können. In dieser Dissertation untersuchen wir, wie großskalige Eigenschaften von Geweben aus dem kollektiven Verhalten einzelner Zellen hervorgehen. Dazu konzentrieren wir uns auf Epitheliengewebe, welches eine der Grundgewebearten in Tieren darstellt. Wir stellen theoretische Untersuchungen zu rheologischen Eigenschaften und zu zellulärer Polarität von Epithelien an. Diese theoretischen Untersuchungen vergleichen wir mit experimentellen Beobachtungen am sich entwickelnden Flügel der schwarzbäuchigen Taufliege (Drosophila melanogaster). Um die Mechanik von Epithelien zu untersuchen, entwickeln wir zunächst eine geometrische Beschreibung für die Verformung von zweidimensionalen zellulären Netzwerken. Unsere Beschreibung zerlegt die mittlere Verformung des gesamten Netzwerks in zelluläre Beitrage. Zum Beispiel wird eine Scherverformung des gesamten Netzwerks auf der zellulären Ebene exakt repräsentiert: einerseits durch die Verformung einzelner Zellen und andererseits durch topologische Veränderungen des zellulären Netzwerks. Mit Hilfe dieser Beschreibung quantifizieren wir die Verformung des Fliegenflügels während des Puppenstadiums. Des Weiteren führen wir die Verformung des Flügels auf ihre zellulären Beiträge zurück. Wir nutzen diese Beschreibung auch als Ausgangspunkt, um effektive rheologische Eigenschaften von Epithelien in Abhängigkeit von zellulären Fluktuationen zu untersuchen. Dazu simulieren wir Epithelgewebe mittels eines Vertex Modells, welches einzelne Zellen als elastische Polygone abstrahiert. Wir erweitern dieses Vertex Modell um zelluläre Fluktuationen und um die Möglichkeit, Schersimulationen beliebiger Dauer durchzuführen. Die Analyse des stationären Zustands dieser Simulationen ergibt plastisches Verhalten bei kleiner Fluktuationsamplitude und visko-elastisches Verhalten bei großer Fluktuationsamplitude. Neben mechanischen Eigenschaften untersuchen wir auch die Umorientierung einer Zellpolarität in Epithelien. Dazu entwickeln wir eine einfache hydrodynamische Beschreibung für die Umorientierung eines Polaritätsfeldes. Wir berücksichtigen dabei insbesondere Effekte durch Scherung, durch ein anderes Polaritätsfeld und durch einen lokalen Gleichrichtungseffekt. Um unsere theoretische Beschreibung mit experimentellen Daten zu vergleichen, entwickeln wir Methoden um Polaritätsmuster im Fliegenflügel zu quantifizieren. Schließlich stellen wir fest, dass unsere hydrodynamische Beschreibung in der Tat beobachtete Polaritätsmuster reproduziert. Das gilt nicht nur im Wildtypen, sondern auch in genetisch veränderten Tieren.:1 Introduction 1.1 The development of multi-cellular organisms 1.2 Biology of epithelial tissues 1.3 The model system Drosophila melanogaster 1.4 Planar cell polarity 1.5 Physical description of biological tissues 1.6 Overview over this thesis 2 Tissue shear in cellular networks 2.1 Geometry of tissue deformation on the cellular scale 2.2 Decomposition of the large-scale flow field into cellular contributions 2.3 Cellular contributions to the flow field in the fruit fly wing 2.4 Discussion 3 Rheological behavior of vertex model tissue under external shear 3.1 A vertex model to describe epithelial mechanics 3.2 Fluctuation-induced fluidization of tissue 3.3 Discussion 4 Quantitative study of polarity reorientation in the fruit fly wing 4.1 Experimentally quantified polarity patterns 4.2 Effective hydrodynamic theory for polarity reorientation 4.3 Comparison of theory and experiment 4.4 Discussion 5 Conclusions and outlook Appendices: A Algebra of real 2 × 2 matrices B Deformation of triangle networks C Simple shear simulations using the vertex model D Coarse-graining of a cellular Core PCP model E Quantification of polarity patterns in the fruit fly wing F Theory for polarity reorientation in the fruit fly wing G Boundary conditions for the polarity field in the fruit fly wing Table of symbols Bibliograph

Modeling Complex Material Systems Using Stochastic Reconstruction and Lattice Particle Simulation

abstract: In this dissertation, three complex material systems including a novel class of hyperuniform composite materials, cellularized collagen gel and low melting point alloy (LMPA) composite are investigated, using statistical pattern characterization, stochastic microstructure reconstruction and micromechanical analysis. In Chapter 1, an introduction of this report is provided, in which a brief review is made about these three material systems. In Chapter 2, detailed discussion of the statistical morphological descriptors and a stochastic optimization approach for microstructure reconstruction is presented. In Chapter 3, the lattice particle method for micromechanical analysis of complex heterogeneous materials is introduced. In Chapter 4, a new class of hyperuniform heterogeneous material with superior mechanical properties is investigated. In Chapter 5, a bio-material system, i.e., cellularized collagen gel is modeled using correlation functions and stochastic reconstruction to study the collective dynamic behavior of the embed tumor cells. In chapter 6, LMPA soft robotic system is generated by generalizing the correlation functions and the rigidity tunability of this smart composite is discussed. In Chapter 7, a future work plan is presented.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Materials Science and Engineering 201

Modeling of soil weathering on hillslopes : coping with nonlinearity and coupled processes using a data-driven approach

Orientadores: Carlos Roberto de Souza Filho, Michael James FriedelTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de GeociênciasResumo: Esta tese de doutorado tem como objetivo aprofundar o conhecimento sobre as relações das propriedades físico-quimicas do solo com a morfometria do relevo, buscando quantificar essas relações para a construção de modelos conceituais e preditivos. Mapas auto-organizáveis e modelos de sistemas de informação geográfica foram utilizados para investigar as relações não lineares associadas ao intemperismo químico e físico, fatores associados a fenômenos hidrológicos e à evolução dos solos. Três estudos de caso são apresentados: o intemperismo químico de solo no estado do Paraná (22 variáveis e 304 amostras), o transporte físico de sedimentos em Poços de Caldas (9 variáveis e 29 amostras), e hidroquímica de aqüíferos na Formação Serra Geral no Estado do Paraná (27 variáveis e 976 amostras). O método combinando simulação estocástica e mineração de dados permitiu explorar as relações entre relevo, granulometria e geoquímica dos solos. Regiões mais elevadas e com morfometria convexa apresentaram alta denudação de elementos móveis (e.g., Ca) e baixa de elementos pouco móveis (e.g., Al). O mesmo padrão foi observado para granulometria de solos, ou seja, alta proporção de areia em áreas altas e convexas da bacia e altos teores de argila, com baixa condutividade hidráulica, em regiões convexas próximas aos canais de drenagem. O comportamento espacial da hidroquímica das águas do aqüífero Serra Geral apontou áreas de potencial conectividade entre aqüíferos, áreas de recarga recente e de alto tempo de residência. Foram construídos modelos preditivos não tendenciosos das propriedades do solo em subsuperfície partindo da premissa de que o intemperismo e a morfometria se relacionam através de um processo duplamente dependente, onde a denudação física e química atua no delineamento do relevo e a morfometria do terreno é um fator que caracteriza as condições físico-químicas do soloAbstract: This Doctoral thesis aims to explore the relationship between soil physical-chemical properties and relief morphometry, and quantifying these relationships to build conceptual and predictive models. Self-organizing maps and Geographic Information Systems modeling are here used to investigate nonlinear correlations associated with chemical and physical denudation; which are factors connected with hydrological phenomena and soil evolution. Three study cases are presented: soil chemical weathering within the limits of the Parana State, southern Brazil (22 variables and 304 samples), physical transport of sediments in the alkaline intrusive complex of Poços de Caldas, southeastern Brazil (9 variables and 29 samples), and hydrochemistry of Serra Geral aquifers also in the Parana State (27 variables and 976 samples). The method combining stochastic simulation and data mining allows exploring the relationships between topography, soil texture and soil geochemistry. In the Parana State, higher regions and areas with convex morphometry shows, respectively, higher and lower denudation rates of mobile (e.g., Ca) and less mobile (e.g., Al) elements. The same pattern is observed for soil particle size. In this case, high proportion of sand is found in highlands and convex areas inside the basin, and high clay content, with low hydraulic conductivity, occurs in convex regions, near drainage channels. The spatial behavior of the Serra Geral aquifer?s hydrochemistry pointed out to areas with potential connectivity with the Guarani aquifer system, recent recharge areas, and long-standing waters. Predictive, unbiased models are built for soil properties on the premise that weathering and morphology are related through a two-way dependent process, where the physical and chemical denudation delineates the elevations of the land surface, and terrain morphometry is a factor that characterizes the physical-chemical conditions of the soilDoutoradoGeologia e Recursos NaturaisDoutor em Ciência

Form, scales and optimality in the basin landscape and its channel network

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1994.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 252-263).by Ede Jorge Ijjász-Vásquez.Ph.D

Water Resources Management and Modeling

Hydrology is the science that deals with the processes governing the depletion and replenishment of water resources of the earth's land areas. The purpose of this book is to put together recent developments on hydrology and water resources engineering. First section covers surface water modeling and second section deals with groundwater modeling. The aim of this book is to focus attention on the management of surface water and groundwater resources. Meeting the challenges and the impact of climate change on water resources is also discussed in the book. Most chapters give insights into the interpretation of field information, development of models, the use of computational models based on analytical and numerical techniques, assessment of model performance and the use of these models for predictive purposes. It is written for the practicing professionals and students, mathematical modelers, hydrogeologists and water resources specialists