Stress-strain behavior of geotextile: A proposed new indirect calculation using the static puncture test (CBR test)

Some of the main applications of geosynthetics include use as a hydraulic barrier in sanitary landfills, as a reinforcement element and in pavement engineering. In most cases, these materials are subject to the overlapping effects of tensile strength and puncture. This paper presents a review of indirect methods for calculation of stress and strain averages by means of the California Bearing Ratio (CBR) puncture strength test. In addition, a new calculation method is proposed based on the Kirchhoff plate theory, which interprets the behavior of thin circular plates subjected to a uniform normal loading. This new method enables analysis of the stress-strain in each stretch of the geosynthetic. The methodology is applied to four woven geotextiles of different weights. The results of the new calculation method yielded a better stress-strain correlation with direct tensile strength tests, presenting the smallest relative errors compared to the other indirect calculations reviewed. With the aid of a disk and pins, vertical displacement values at different points in the geotextiles were measured and showed good agreement with analytical predictions. Therefore, the static puncture test combined with the new proposed calculation method is a good alternative for determining the stress-strain parameters of geotextile.     

Structural damage and shear performance degradation of fiber–lime–soil under freeze–thaw cycling

The freeze–thaw cycling damages the soil structure, and the shear performance of soil are degraded. A series of tests on lime–soil(L–S) and fiber–lime–soil(F–L–S), including freeze–thaw test, the triaxial compression test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test and scanning electron microscope (SEM) test, were completed. The test results showed that fiber reinforcement changed the stress–strain behavior and failure pattern of soil. The cohesion and internal friction angle of soil gradually decreased with the increase of freeze–thaw cycles (F–T cycles). The pore radius and porosity of soil increased, while the micro pore volume decreased, and the small pore volume, medium pore volume and large pore volume increased, and the large pore volume had a little variation after 10 F–T cycles. The number of pores of F–L–S was less than L–S, demonstrating that the addition of fiber helped to reduce the pore volume. The interweaved fibers limited the development and the connection of cracks. By means of the spatial restraint effect of fiber on the soil and the friction action between fiber and soil, the shear performances and freeze–thaw durability of F–L–S better were than that of L–S.     

Evaluation of back-calculated elastic moduli of unreinforced and geocell-reinforced unbound granular material from full-scale field tests

This paper presents a field-scale experimental track over a poor subgrade with an unreinforced section and a geocell-reinforced section subjected to in-situ performance tests. Plate load tests and Benkelman beam tests were carried out distributed in several unreinforced and reinforced layers. The objective was to: (1) examine the variability of the elastic modulus of unbound granular material (UGM) due the influence of its thickness and the presence of poor subgrade in its base, (2) evaluate the modulus improvement factor (MIF) generated by the geocell reinforcement in the UGM and (3) verify the most appropriate condition to apply the MIF to transport infrastructure design. The results showed that there is a significant influence of the thickness of the UGM layer on its elastic modulus when the layer is supported directly over a soft subgrade. The MIF values obtained in field suggest that its determination is mostly related to the UGM maximum elastic modulus rather than its decreased values (by virtue of poor subgrade or reduced thicknesses), and that the analytical formulation presented for MIF calculation has good predictive capability to be applied to pavement design.     

倾斜入射下的单截面平面度绝对检验

针对大尺寸光学平面的直线度的纳米级测量精度需求，提出了倾斜入射下单截面平面度绝对检验方法，实现了对超过相移干涉仪口径的长平晶绝对检验。利用棱镜转向实现倾斜入射角度的精密预标定，棱镜标定角度的精度高于圆光栅和图像分析等方法，可提高测量不确定度到0.0042 μm。对比了常规三面互检绝对检验结果与本方法的差异，在相同尺寸下，直线度误差仅为1.2 nm。在确认标定反射镜位置后，整个倾斜入射的干涉图调整过程将被完全集中到待测长平晶的工作面上，不需要再对反射平晶进行操作。调整长平晶时各个维度的操作互不干涉，可快速简便地得到测量结果。     

超高效液相色谱⁃四极杆⁃飞行时间质谱对含PET食品接触材料中可迁移非挥发性物质的筛查研究

采用超高效液相色谱⁃四极杆⁃飞行时间高分辨质谱（UPLC⁃Q⁃TOF）对4类不同类型的含聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯（PET）材质的食品接触材料在4 %乙酸和50 %乙醇模拟物中的迁移出的非挥发性未知物进行筛查解析。结果表明，产品在4 %乙酸模拟物的迁移风险远小于50 %乙醇模拟物，主要迁移物质为聚合单体形成的寡聚物，抗氧剂、润滑剂、胶黏剂等加工助剂以及生产加工、迁移过程中形成的非有意添加物（NIAS）物质；纯PET材质的产品迁移物质较少，多层复合材料迁移物质较多。复合材质的产品中，PET材质可能在生产时添加了己二酸、癸二酸、新戊二醇等物质，进行了改性处理；此外，部分迁移物质会与模拟物中的乙醇发生反应，生成新的NIAS物质。     

One-step preparation of the superhydrophobic Al alloy surface with enhanced corrosion and wear resistance

Corrosion and wear failures are bottlenecks for restricting applications and developments of Al-based functional materials. As a new lubrication technology, superhydrophobic preparation provides an effective way to settle Al alloy corrosion. The preparation methods of superhydrophobic Al alloys are mainly multistep strategies. In this study, superhydrophobic Al alloy, has been prepared by an efficient one-step electrochemical etching process. Meanwhile, its micromorphology has been observed by a scanning electron microscope. The wettability has been measured by video optical contact angle meter. The corrosion behavior has been tested by electrochemical workstation, and wear performance has been characterized by friction tester. The results show that the micro-nanoterraced concave–convex structure has been fabricated and an as-prepared surface exhibits excellent superhydrophobic behavior. Further electrochemical and tribological tests show that corrosion resistance and wear resistance have also been significantly improved. This study provides a new method to prepare wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant Al alloy for widening applications of multifunctional Al-based engineering materials.     

Reduced‐scale test to assess the effect of fire barriers on the flaming combustion of cored composites: An upholstery‐material case study

Herein, we describe a reduced‐scale test (“Cube” test), measuring the fire performance of specimens including a fire barrier (FB) and a flammable core material, which acts as the main fuel load. The specimen is intended to reproduce a cross‐section of a composite product where heat/mass transfer occurs primarily in a direction perpendicular to the FB. The Cube test procedure and benefits are discussed in this work by adopting residential upholstery furniture as an exemplary study. One flexible polyurethane foam, one polypropylene cover fabric, and 10 commercially available FBs were selected. They were used to compare the fire performance of FBs, measured in terms of peak of heat release rate, in the ASTM E1474‐14 standard test and the newly developed Cube test. Edge effects severely affected the performance of FBs in the ASTM E1474‐14 standard test but not in the Cube test. Furthermore, appropriate test conditions were determined in the Cube test to measure the so‐called “wetting point,” that is, the time and value of heat release rate measured when flammable liquid products were first observed on the bottom of the specimen. The relevance of the “wetting point” in terms of full‐scale fire performance and failure mechanism of FBs is discussed.     

Predicting the mechanical properties of Cu–Al2O3 nanocomposites using machine learning and finite element simulation of indentation experiments

Micromechanics model, finite element (FE) simulation of microindentation and machine learning were deployed to predict the mechanical properties of Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites. The micromechanical model was developed based on the rule of mixture and grain and grain boundary sizes evolution to predict the elastic modulus of the produced nanocomposites. Then, a FE model was developed to simulate the microindentation test. The input for the FE model was the elastic modulus that was computed using the micromechanics model and wide range of yield and tangent stresses values. Finally, the output load-displacement response from the FE model, the elastic modulus, the yield and tangent strengths used for the FE simulations, and the residual indentation depth were used to train the machine learning model (Random vector functional link network) for the prediction of the yield and tangent stresses of the produced nanocomposites. Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites with different Al₂O₃ concentration were manufactured using insitu chemical method to validate the proposed model. After training the model, the microindentation experimental load-displacement curve for Cu–Al₂O₃ nanocomposites was fed to the machine learning model and the mechanical properties were obtained. The obtained mechanical properties were in very good agreement with the experimental ones achieving 0.99 coefficient of determination R2 for the yield strength.     

Fracture behavior of solid electrolyte LATP material based on micro-pillar splitting method

The NASICON type solid electrolyte LATP is a promising candidate for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries considering energy density and safety aspects. To ensure the performance and reliability of batteries, crack initiation and propagation within the electrolyte need to be suppressed, which requires knowledge of the fracture characteristics. In the current work, micro-pillar splitting was applied to determine the fracture toughness of LATP material for different grain orientations. The results are compared with data obtained using a conventional Vickers indentation fracture (VIF) approach. The fracture toughness obtained via micro-pillar splitting test is 0.89 ± 0.13 MPa?m^1/2, which is comparable to the VIF result, and grain orientation has no significant effect on the intrinsic fracture toughness. Being a brittle ceramic material, the effect of pre-existing defects on the toughness needs to be considered.