Constructability Concepts in Kuala Selangor Cable-Stayed Bridge in Malaysia

The writers formulated a case study of the Kuala Selangor Cable Stayed Bridge to examine the application of the constructability concepts particularly during the conceptual planning and the design phases of the project. This paper presents the advantages of implementing the constructability concepts and the barriers that were encountered when applying these concepts during the planning and design phases of the cable stayed bridge project of Kuala Selangor in Malaysia. The writers concluded that barriers to constructability implementation that are related to the owner were the major impediments in the application of constructability concepts during the early conceptual planning phase. The opinion of the engineer was another factor behind nonapplication of some other concepts. At the same time, many others were implemented due to the awareness and opinion of the engineer and his ability to control their application.     

Heat denatured/aggregated albumin-based biomaterial: effects of preparation parameters on biodegradability and mechanical properties

Albumin-based biomaterials prepared using heat-aggregation or cross-linking agents have been used in various biomedical applications such as solder materials for laser-assisted tissue welding, anti-bacterial coatings and drug carriers. In this study, solid albumin-based materials were prepared via heat aggregation of albumin solution. The study aimed to determine the influences of the preparation parameters such as albumin concentration in solution, solution pH and temperature, on the mechanical properties as well as the biodegradation rate of heat-aggregated albumin-based materials. The results demonstrated that the materials prepared from the albumin solution with the pH of 8.5 had the highest mechanical strength. Augmenting the albumin concentration in solution led to an increase in mechanical strength, and the materials prepared from the solution with isoelectric albumin pH (pH 4.8) possessed the lowest biodegradation rate and those prepared at pH 12 showed the highest biodegradation rate.     

Source seeking with non-holonomic unicycle without position measurement and with tuning of forward velocity

We consider the problem of seeking the source of a scalar signal using an autonomous vehicle modeled as the non-holonomic unicycle and equipped with a sensor of that scalar signal but not possessing the capability to sense either the position of the source nor its own position. We assume that the signal field is the strongest at the source and decays away from it. The functional form of the field is not available to our vehicle. We employ extremum seeking to estimate the gradient of the field in real time and steer the vehicle towards the point where the gradient is zero (the maximum of the field, i.e., the location of the source). We employ periodic forward–backward movement of the unicycle (implementable with mobile robots and some underwater vehicles but not with aircraft), where the forward velocity has a tunable bias term, which is appropriately combined with extremum seeking to produce a net effect of “drifting” towards the source. In addition to simulation results we present a local convergence proof via averaging, which exhibits a delicate periodic structure with two sinusoids of different frequencies—one related to the angular velocity of the unicycle and the other related to the probing frequency of extremum seeking.     

Study of silane treatment on poly‐lactic acid(PLA)/sepiolite nanocomposite thin films

Poly‐lactic acid (PLA) nanocomposite film was prepared with untreated and silane treated sepiolite through solution casting method. Sepiolite is found to be promising nano inorganic filler used to prepare biodegradable PLA nanocomposite films. The effect of sepiolite loading on the thermal, mechanical, gas permeability, and water vapor permeability (WVP) properties of the films was investigated. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed the crystallinity index and well dispersed sepiolite in PLA/sepiolite thin films. By modifying sepiolite, depending on the nanoclay content, the mechanical properties of films were enhanced. PLA/sepiolite films exhibited improved gas barrier and WVP properties compared to neat PLA. The scanning electron microscope results demonstrated that there is a good interface interaction between sepiolite and PLA. The surface treatment of sepiolite increased the adhesion of the PLA matrix to the sepiolite nanoclay which yielded better mechanical properties of the films as compared to pure PLA. It was observed after 1.5% wt sepiolite, nano‐filler tended to agglomerate, therefore mechanical and barrier properties of films decreased. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41428.     

On the efficiency of semi‐active smart structures: self‐regulating MR dampers control system for tall buildings

Many severe dynamical loadings such as earthquakes and strong winds may subject to structural systems during their lifetime and lead to changes in structural characteristics. Hence, employing an adaptive control strategy that can deal with these alterations compound with design of the structural elements would undoubtedly be the most effective alternative design for the old‐fashioned design methods, which are relatively inefficient in response to these unforeseen conditions. In the current study, benefits of employing the modern control systems for design of tall buildings in comparison with the uncontrolled traditionally designed structures are thoroughly investigated. To contract the vibrational responses due to seismic excitations, the innovative direct‐modulating semi‐active controller is designed for magneto‐rheological dampers, which are installed in an 11‐storey sample building converting it to a smart structure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of compaction conditions on aggregate packing using 2-dimensional image analysis and the relation to performance of HMA

Characterization of the asphalt mixture microstructure using two dimensional (i.e., 2-D) imaging techniques could be an economically efficient approach. However, the features that have been captured and quantified using 2-D imaging techniques in most published research are limited to simplistic analyses of aggregate structure. This paper focuses on introducing a more elaborate method for characterization of the internal structure of aggregates to define performance related parameters that could be used as quality indicators of mixes. These indicators are proposed as important properties that complement the volumetric properties so wide relied on for acceptance of mixture designs. The results of the study show that aggregate structure can be characterized using a combination of newly developed image analysis indices namely: number of aggregate-to-aggregate proximity zones, total proximity zone length, and proximity zone plane orientation. A software developed in a previous study and significantly modified for this study, is used to process digital images of a set of asphalt mixtures with different gradations, binder contents, types of modification, compaction efforts, compaction temperatures, and methods. The results demonstrate that the internal structure indices correlate well with rutting performance, as well as with low temperature thermal contraction of asphalt mixtures. Additionally, the indices can be successfully used to show the effects of compaction effort, compaction method and temperature, gradation of aggregates, and binder modification on the mixture internal structure. The results indicate potential for using this method for quality control of mixtures during production.     

Salt conditions and the effectiveness of poly(vinyl alcohol) in reclamation of saline-sodic soils

Fully hydrolysed poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with molecular weight 14000 was effective in reducing or preventing clay dispersion when columns of mixed sand/Na-soil aggregates containing a wide range of NaCl salt contents were leached with distilled water. The maximum effect was obtained over a range of soil salt contents in which the applied polymer remained soluble. Above this range, because of polymer precipitation, effectiveness was inversely related to salt content. For soil aggregates with different exchangeable sodium percentage (ESPs), PVA was also effective in reducing or preventing dispersion in water and maintaining the relative hydraulic conductivity of soil columns leached successively with diluted solutions. However, a further relationship was found which showed that the polymer was more effectively incorporated in soils with higher ESP. This was reflected in measurements of dispersion and may be explained by the greater effect of drying (at 70°C) and by the greater adsorption of PVA in the presence of exchangeable sodium than exchangeable calcium.     

Synergistic action of expandable graphite on fire safety of a self-intumescent flame retardant epoxy resin

Previously, it was reported that epoxy resin (EP) filled with ammonium polyphosphate (APP) and copper (I) oxide (Cu₂O) at a mass ratio of 8/2 (APP8-Cu₂O2) as a self-intumescent system demonstrated promising fire retardancy. To further improve the flame retardant efficiency, the possibility of expandable graphite (EG) as an effective synergist for the self-intumescent EP system was revealed by limiting oxygen index (LOI) test. The results showed that the incorporation of EG increased the LOI value of EP/APP8-Cu₂O2 obviously. The highest LOI value was obtained at the EG/APP8-Cu₂O2 mass ratio of 3/7, indicating the optimal synergistic effect being achieved. Furthermore, UL-94 test results showed that the excellent synergistic effect resulted in the addition of 13 wt% EG/APP8-Cu₂O2 of 3/7 not only endowed EP a relatively high LOI value of 34.3%, but also made it pass UL-94 V-0 rating. Moreover, the main fire hazard parameters obtained from cone calorimeter tests, such as peak heat release rate, total smoke production, and peak CO production were reduced 40.3%, 30.3%, and 46.2%, respectively by the combination effect of EG/APP8-Cu₂O2 with mass ratio of 3/7, suggesting the excellent improvement in the fire safety of EP significantly. Finally, a possible action mode, which would be beneficial for developing other flame retardant polymers with high fire safety, was proposed.     

Interfacial fracture of dentin adhesively bonded to quartz-fiber reinforced composite

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of interfacial failure in a multilayered structure consisting of a dentin/resin cement/quartz-fiber reinforced composite (FRC). Slices of dentin close to the pulp chamber were sandwiched by two half-circle discs made of a quartz-fiber reinforced composite, bonded with bonding agent (All-bond 2, BISCO, Schaumburg) and resin cement (Duo-link, BISCO, Schaumburg) to make Brazil-nut sandwich specimens for interfacial toughness testing. Interfacial fracture toughness (strain energy release rate, G) was measured as a function of mode mixity by changing loading angles from 0° to 15°. The interfacial fracture surfaces were then examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) to determine the failure modes when loading angles changed. A computational model was also developed to calculate the driving forces, stress intensity factors and mode mixities. Interfacial toughness increased from ≈ 1.5 to 3.2 J/m² when the loading angle increases from ≈ 0 to 15°. The hybridized dentin/cement interface appeared to be tougher than the resin cement/quartz-fiber reinforced epoxy. The Brazil-nut sandwich specimen was a suitable method to investigate the mechanical integrity of dentin/cement/FRC interfaces.     

Supplier evaluation and selection with QFD and FAHP in a pharmaceutical company

In this paper, quality function deployment (QFD) approach is used for selecting the vendors in pharmaceutical company and the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process has been used to determine the importance of the “weights” in QFD. Determining the importance of the weights for the customer requirements is essential and crucial in QFD process. Using fuzzy approach can reflect the customer requirement more precisely and provides a decision tool that facilitates the vendor selection especially for a pharmaceutical company, since those companies face a very specific challenge: consumers do not have discretion over their choices; ethical drugs must be prescribed by physicians to be bought and used by final consumers.