Consolidation of soft clay foundation improved by geosynthetic-reinforced granular columns: Numerical evaluation

Soft clays are problematic soils as they present high compressibility and low shear strength. There are several methods for improving in situ conditions of soft clays. Based on the geotechnical problem's geometry and characteristics, the in situ conditions may require reinforcement to restrain instability and construction settlements. Granular columns reinforced by geosynthetic material are widely used to reduce settlements of embankments on soft clays. They also accelerate the consolidation rate by reducing the drainage path's length and increasing the foundation soil's bearing capacity. In this study, the performance of encased and layered granular columns in soft clay is investigated and discussed. The numerical results show the significance of geosynthetic stiffness and the column length on the embankment settlements. Furthermore, the results show that granular columns may play an important role in dissipating the excess pore water pressures and accelerating the consolidation settlements of embankments on soft clays.     

Seismic gravelly soil liquefaction assessment based on dynamic penetration test using expanded case history dataset

The seismic liquefaction has been observed in gravelly soils, in addition to sandy soils. Despite sandy soils, there is still a shortage of an extended case history database for developing empirical, semi-empirical, and probabilistic models to predict this phenomenon in gravelly soils. This study examines the documentations of several case histories of gravelly soil liquefaction all around the world to create a database, and then to develop probabilistic models to consider uncertainties of the models as well as the parameters for evaluating gravelly soil liquefaction triggering caused by earthquakes. The logistic regression and Bayesian mapping function, both of which are based on the maximizing likelihood estimation, were applied to present classifier curves to predict the occurrence of liquefaction. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis on the bias sampling weighting factor was performed to assess its effect on the model’s prediction accuracy. The results point to the effect of extended database and sampling bias on the developed models. Meanwhile, this study highlights the importance of developing probabilistic models rather than deterministic ones to consider uncertainties.

     

Effects of Kenaf core on properties of poly(lactic acid) bio‐composite

In this study, biodegradable poly(lactic acid) (PLA)/Kenaf core composites with different amount of Kenaf core were prepared using screw extrusion. The Structure, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and biodegradation of bio‐composites are evaluated. FTIR result shows the possible interaction between the Ken core and PLA matrix. The FESEM result showed that Kenaf core was uniformly disperse in PLA matrix. Tensile and flexural strength of PLA was improved Up to the 30%vol of kenaf core content. Young's modulus and hardness properties were improved by adding kenaf core into PLA matrix. Bio‐composite density has been decreased by adding more kenaf core and water absorption of the compound was increased linear. High Kenaf core content was also found to increase the rate of biodegradability of PLA/kenaf core. It can be proven by exposure of the samples to the environment and weight loss in soil burial analysis. POLYM. COMPOS., 35:1220–1227, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Optimized structure of AlGaAs/GaAs double junction solar cells

In this paper, the sub-layers of AlGaAs/GaAs double junction (DJ) solar cell have been redesigned in order to achieve an optimum cell structure. It has been deduced with cooperation of detailed balance limit theory and structural behaviour of AlGaAs, that the Al_0.45Ga_0.55As is the best choice for top cell’s material in AlGaAs/GaAs DJ solar cell. Also, there is a trade-off between peak tunnelling current and transparency in tunnel junction which makes Al_0.07Ga_0.93As as the optimum tunnel junction of AlGaAs/GaAs cell. Finally, a smoothed reflectance senary-layer structure based on modified-DBR has been proposed to be used as anti-reflection coating of proposed structure. Also, the thickness and doping concentration level of different layers have been optimized.     

A review of recent progress in coatings, surface modifications and alloy developments for solid oxide fuel cell ferritic stainless steel interconnects

Ferritic stainless steels have become the standard material for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnect applications. The use of commercially available ferritic stainless steels, not specifically designed for interconnect application, however, presents serious issues leading to premature degradation of the fuel cell stack, particularly on the cathode side. These problems include rapidly increasing contact resistance and volatilization of Cr from the oxide scales, resulting in cathode chromium poisoning and cell malfunction. To overcome these issues, a variety of conductive/protective coatings, surface treatments and modifications as well as alloy development have been suggested and studied over the past several years. This paper critically reviews the attempts performed thus far to mitigate the issues associated with the use of ferritic stainless steels on the cathode side. Different approaches are categorized and summarized and examples for each case are provided. Finally, directions and recommendations for the future studies are presented.     

采用超高分子量聚乙烯的电梯层门滑块设计

采用超高分子量聚乙烯(UHMW-PE)设计了一种电梯滑块.在PLINT微动磨损试验机对UHMW-PE滑块进行了大位移摩擦磨损性能研究.结果表明:无润滑条件下,UHMW-PE滑块的摩擦因数非常小, 比橡胶的摩擦因数低一个数量级;UHMW-PE材料完全可以满足层门滑块的工作条件,并提高电梯运行的安全性能;UHMW-PE在试验中几乎不产生磨损.     

Physical,mechanical and dry sliding wear properties of hybrid and non-hybrid Al–V nanocomposites produced by powder metallurgy

The present work aims to characterise the sliding wear behaviour of non-hybrid Al–Al₃V and hybrid Al–(Al₃V, Al₂O₃) nanocomposites. Wear rates were calculated from mass loss measurements. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) pattern was utilised to evaluate the microstructural changes during milling hot-pressed samples. It was found that the wear resistance of hybrid nanocomposites was enhanced by increasing Al₃V–Al₂O₃ percentage due to an increase in hardness. The mass loss measurement showed that not only was the wear rate of hybrid samples lower than that of Al–Al₃V, but also it had lower friction coefficients in comparison to the non-hybrid sample. The worn surface evaluation in hybrid samples indicated that the formed darker layer possesses the features of the mechanically mixed layer (MML), which inhibits mass loss intensification. Moreover, formation of MML as a lubricant layer promotes the friction characteristic of the hybrid nanocomposite.     

Computationally efficient pseudo-viscoelastic models for evaluation of residual stresses in thermoset polymer composites during cure

In this study of the constitutive modelling of thermoset polymers during cure, we compare what we call the “cure hardening instantaneously linear elastic (CHILE)” approach with the more computationally intensive viscoelastic approach. The CHILE approach is popular compared to the viscoelastic approach as the cost of material characterization, data reduction, finite element model development and implementation, and computer run time is significantly lower. However, CHILE models suffer from the fact that the justification for their validity is essentially anecdotal, rather than based on a clear linkage to viscoelastic theory; and in related manner, materials characterization is done at an intuitively low but essentially arbitrary frequency. In this work we show that there are approximations that allow the full viscoelastic approach to be simplified progressively, and that these approximations are appropriate for the typical cure cycle undergone by a thermoset polymer. We present the functions of time at which the elastic modulus of the polymer should be calibrated for these simplified ‘pseudo-viscoelastic’ models, and show that for the uniaxial loading of a fully constrained block of polymer undergoing a given cure cycle, the predicted residual stresses compare very well with those computed using the full viscoelastic model. For further simplification, at the price of slightly lower accuracy and generality, a constant time or frequency can be chosen to evaluate the modulus. In general, we show that the CHILE approach, when properly calibrated, is a valid and efficient pseudo-viscoelastic (PVE) model, and that there is a continuum of trade-off of investment versus accuracy as we go from a full viscoelastic approach to the simplest CHILE approach.     

Application of a new hybrid neuro-evolutionary system for day-ahead price forecasting of electricity markets

In this paper, a new forecast strategy is proposed for day-ahead prediction of electricity prices, which are so valuable for both producers and consumers in the new competitive electric power markets. However, electricity price has a nonlinear, volatile and time dependent behavior owning many outliers. Our forecast strategy is composed of a preprocessor and a Hybrid Neuro-Evolutionary System (HNES). Preprocessor selects the input features of the HNES according to MRMR (Maximum Relevance Minimum Redundancy) principal. The HNES is composed of three Neural Networks (NN) and Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) in a cascaded structure with a new data flow among its building blocks. The effectiveness of the whole proposed method is demonstrated by means of real data of the PJM and Spanish electricity markets. Also, the proposed price forecast strategy is compared with some of the most recent techniques in the area.     

尼洋河流域径流时空变化特性初步分析

尼洋河是雅鲁藏布江的5大支流之一,该流域气候温暖湿润,植被覆盖率高,虽地处青藏高原,却具有独特的温带气候特征和下垫面条件.根据尼洋河流域现有测站的径流资料对其年内分配和径流的多年变化进行了初步的分析.结果表明,尼洋河流域主汛期为6月～9月,径流量年内集中程度高,其汛期径流量占总径流量的90%左右,多年期间丰水时段和枯水时段为3～5 a.