Effect of specimen size and loading conditions on spalling of concrete

Different qualities of concrete have been fire tested using different geometries of the specimens as well as different load levels and load configurations. The main objective with the study was to examine a test methodology consisting of a full‐scale test and different small scale‐tests for determining the probability of spalling and the amount of spalling of fire exposed concrete structures. A reference specimen was defined as a one‐sided fire exposed slab with the dimensions 1800 × 1200 mm² giving an exposed area of 1500 × 1200 mm². A number of concrete qualities with different probabilities for spalling, were tested using the reference specimen. These tests showed that the reference specimens worked well giving the expected test results. Small specimens were manufactured in different shapes with the same concrete as the one used in the reference tests. These small specimens were tested either at the same time as the reference specimens in the large furnace or afterwards on a small‐scale furnace where the fire exposed surface was 450 × 360 mm². The test results clearly show the increased probability and the increased amount of spalling by using external compressive loading. The results also show that by using pre‐stress through bars or wires the load can be lost due to heating of the bars/wires which results in a decreased amount of spalling. The boundary of the specimen also affects the amount of spalling. The spalling around the edges was in all tests less than the spalling on the central parts of the exposed area. It could also be noted that the spalling did not pass completely through any of the specimens. The reason for this is probably that the water/vapour could migrate out from the unexposed surface of the specimen. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysing inaccurate artifact usages in workflow specifications

Although many workflow models have been proposed, analyses on artifacts are seldom discussed. A workflow application with well structured and adequate resources may still fail or yield unexpected results in execution due to inaccurate artifact manipulation, for example, inconsistency between data flow and control flow, or contradictions between artifact operations. Thus, artifact analysis is very important since activities cannot be executed properly without accurate information. This paper presents a three-layer workflow model for designing a workflow and characterises the behaviour of an artifact by its state transition diagram. By abstracting common usages of artifacts, six types of inaccurate artifact usage affecting workflow execution are identified and a set of algorithms to detect these inaccurate usages in workflow specifications is presented. An example is demonstrated and then related works are compared.     

Biaxiale Ermüdung reibrührgeschweißter Strukturelemente

Biaxial fatigue of friction stir welded stiffened panels Within the framework of the European WelAir project, cruciform specimens made from stiffening FSW overlap joints were fatigued in the DLR biaxial test rig. To resemble the loading situation of pressurized fuselage structures, proportional loading without any phase shift, but with different load ratios λ between the loading components in both directions was applied.Natural crack initiation and subsequent crack growth were governed by the stiffness gradient caused by introducing the stringer. Cracks initiated and propagated at run‐in and run‐out locations in a direction perpendicular to the weld seam. The shortest fatigue life was observed for uniaxial loading in welding direction (λ = 0). An additional stress component perpendicular to the joint line (λ > 0) resulted in a higher number of cycles to failure. Similar to single stringer panels, increasing the load ratio also increased the number of cycles to failure for FSW clip‐stringer structural members, but additionally gives a different location of the fatal crack.     

ESR Refining Potential for Titanium Alloys using a CaF2‐based Active Slag

Since the end of the Cold War and due to the needs to produce titanium more cost‐efficient and thus more attractive for its civilian use, the electroslag remelting (ESR) process has become an increasingly important topic of international research programmes, because titanium and titanium aluminides can be chemically refined by ESR in some degree. Using ESR, titanium turnings from machining steps and scrap from foundries can be remelted, refined and provided as secondary titanium for the market at relatively favourable prices. This article investigates the removability of the main impurities out of titanium and titanium‐aluminium alloys by electroslag remelting using the active slag system CaF₂‐Ca‐(CaO). Thermochemical and kinetic aspects of the ESR process are considered.     

Increasing the Complexity of Magnetic Core/Shell Structured Nanocomposites for Biological Applications

This Review article ponders core/shell structured nanoparticles that can be prepared with features that combine properties of different materials, including ligands that enhance their biocompatibility. These nanocomposites are not classified in terms of synthesis, but rather by how these features are distributed in the final morphology, attending to connected or isolated materials that end up in interacting or not‐interacting functionalities. In particular, we have focused on magnetic core/shell‐structured particles with a directly connected, coupled, or isolated second functionality. The current progress on methods in colloidal solution that have allowed the great development of these multifunctional magnetic and active spheres on biological and biomedical fields is reported.