In situ-based assessment of soil liquefaction potential–Case study of an earth dam in Tunisia

The present paper examines the evaluation of liquefaction potential of an earth dam foundation in Tunisia. The assessment of soil liquefaction was made using deterministic and probabilistic simplified procedures developed from several case histories. The data collected from the field investigation performed before and after the vibrocompaction are analyzed and the results are reported. The obtained results show that after vibrocompaction, a significant improvement of the soil resistance reduces the liquefaction potential of the sandy foundation. Indeed, in the untreated layers, the factor of safety FS drops below 1 which means that the soil is susceptible for liquefaction. However, in the compacted horizons, the values of FS exceed the unit which justifies the absence of liquefaction hazard of the foundation.     

花式纱生产的新概念

介绍了Schlafllorst公司开发的Fancynation花式装置在Autocoro 360转杯纺纱机上的应用。模块化设计的花式装置可适应小批量订货的需求。     

Preparation and properties of probiotic cheese high in conjugated linoleic acid content

The development of probiotic Ras cheese rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was investigated using probiotic Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus acidophilus starters. The cheeses were assessed for composition, proteolysis, fatty acids and fat stability, and microbiology during 3 months of ripening. The cheese made with Lb. casei and Lb. acidophilus retained high counts of the probiotic strains (～log 8) throughout storage. Ripening changes followed the normal pattern of this type of cheese during ripening. Ras cheese made with Lb. casei and Lb. acidophilus contained the highest CLA content (0.84% after 3 months) as compared to control and cheese fat had acceptable oxidative stability.     

Finite element based coupled mode initial post-buckling analysis of a composite cylindrical shell

This paper presents a finite element formulation of Koiter's initial post-buckling theory using a multi-mode approach. Initial post-buckling theory provides direct information about the imperfection sensitivity of a structure under compressive loading, and is also the basis of a nonlinear reduced order model. The objective of the present work is to illustrate the capability of the implementation for buckling analysis of shell structures including modal interaction. A coupled mode initial post-buckling analysis for a composite cylindrical shell under axial compression, including the effect of a nonlinear pre-buckling state, has been carried out using a small number of representative modes. For small imperfection amplitudes the limit-point buckling loads obtained with the reduced order model compare reasonably well with full model nonlinear analysis, illustrating that a fast prediction of the coupled mode response of imperfect shells is possible using the approach proposed.     

Hydration of C3S in presence of CA: Mineral-pore solution interaction

C₃S and CA are the main phases of OPC and Fe-rich CAC, respectively. The objective of this research was to investigate the influence of CA on C₃S hydration, representing an under sulfated OPC-rich binder, and to shed light on the underlying hydration mechanisms. To this end, C₃S was blended with 1-30 wt-% CA and the pastes (w/c 0.5) were investigated by heat flow calorimetry, in situ X-ray diffraction and analysis of the pore solution chemistry. CA additions ≥5 wt-% reveal a separation into three distinct heat flow maxima, whereas additions ≤3 wt-% just retard the start of the main reaction. The silicate reaction (dissolution of C₃S and precipitation of C–S–H with or without CH) can be retarded for 4 to ≥22 hours in comparison to pure C₃S depending on the admixed CA content. The start of the silicate reaction seems to be related to a decrease in Al- and increase in Ca-concentration in the pore solution. However, it can be shown in this study that C₃S is able to dissolve even at high Al concentrations in the pore solution.     

Cu-Promoted Cobalt Oxide Film Catalyst for Efficient Gas Emissions Abatement

Thin film catalysts have been recently reported as promising catalysts owing to their good catalytic activity and reduced material amount, leading to low-cost efficient catalysts for gaseous emissions control. Here, we report the slight loading of Cu in cobalt spinel using a one-step pulsed-spray evaporation chemical vapor deposition(PSE-CVD) synthesis technique for efficient short-chain volatile organic compounds(VOCs) emissions treatment. Crystalline structure and morphology analyses revealed nano-crystallite sizes and open-like morphology. The catalytic performance was evaluated through the complete oxidation of C_3H_6, as a short-chain representative model of VOCs, at a high gas hourly space velocity(GHSV). Very good activity was obtained towards the complete abatement of C_3H_6 at low temperature and no carbon monoxide(CO) was formed during the oxidation process. Slightly-promoted Co_3O_4 catalyst with Cu introduction resulted in high catalytic activity comparing to the performance of the catalysts in the literature, due to the high dispersion of Cu and high active surface oxygen amount. Moreover, to evaluate the capability of the used catalysts under near realistic reaction conditions, CO_2 effect on the catalytic activity was performed and the catalyst exhibited very good results. Thus, the adopted slightly-doping strategy to tailor a high active catalyst at low temperature could establish a very promising route to strongly enhance the activity of such other catalysts towards gas emissions abatement at low temperature.     

Novel power capture optimization based sensorless maximum power point tracking strategy and internal model controller for wind turbines systems driven SCIG

Under the trends to using renewable energy sources as alternatives to the traditional ones, it is important to contribute to the fast growing development of these sources by using powerful soft computing methods. In this context, this paper introduces a novel structure to optimize and control the energy produced from a variable speed wind turbine which is based on a squirrel cage induction generator (SCIG) and connected to the grid. The optimization strategy of the harvested power from the wind is realized by a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) algorithm based on fuzzy logic, and the control strategy of the generator is implemented by means of an internal model (IM) controller. Three IM controllers are incorporated in the vector control technique, as an alternative to the proportional integral (PI) controller, to implement the proposed optimization strategy. The MPPT in conjunction with the IM controller is proposed as an alternative to the traditional tip speed ratio (TSR) technique, to avoid any disturbance such as wind speed measurement and wind turbine (WT) characteristic uncertainties. Based on the simulation results of a six KW-WECS model in Matlab/Simulink, the presented control system topology is reliable and keeps the system operation around the desired response.     

Synthesis and electrochemical evaluation of an amorphous titanium dioxide derived from a solid state precursor

Titanium oxides are an important class of lithium-ion battery electrodes owing to their good capacity and stability within the cell environment. Although most Ti(IV) oxides are poor electronic conductors, new methods developed to synthesize nanometer scale primary particles have achieved the higher rate capability needed for modern commercial applications. In this report, the anionic water stable titanium oxalate anion [TiO(C₂O₄)₂]²⁻ was isolated in high yield as the insoluble DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane) salt. Powder X-ray diffraction studies show that the titanium dioxide material isolated after annealing in air is initially amorphous, converts to N-doped anatase above 400 °C, then to rutile above 600 °C. Electrochemical studies indicate that the amorphous titanium dioxide phase within a carbon matrix has a stable cycling capacity of ∼350 mAh g⁻¹. On crystallizing at 400 °C to a carbon-coated anatase the capacity drops to 210 mAh g⁻¹, and finally upon carbon burn-off to 50 mAh g⁻¹. Mixtures of the amorphous titanium dioxide and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ showed a similar electrochemical profile and capacity to Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ but with the addition of a sloping region to the end of the discharge curve that could be advantageous for determining state-of-charge in systems using Li₄Ti₅O₁₂.