Investigation of steel containment buckling under dynamic loads

Buckling of freestanding nuclear steel containment buildings from dynamic base excitation was investigated in a combined experimental/numerical program. A polycarbonate scale model of a containment building was excited with scaled earthquake transients and single-frequency harmonic transients to determine the peak base acceleration levels required to induce buckling. Buckling was identified using recorded signals from strain gages and accelerometers, with high-speed video records, and by audibility. Experimental results are compared with numerical results obtained by using a freezing-in-time technique. The results are preliminary, since several more tests are to be performed. However, the limited data obtained indicate that the freezing-in-time technique approximates the required acceleration levels reasonably well, although not conservatively. Additional experiments are described that will take containment asymmetries into account, as well as use instrumentation that will provide more accurate measures of the occurrence of buckling.     

Methanol poisoning: a review and case study of four patients from central Australia

Methanol intoxication, a rare and potentially lethal form of poisoning, usually results from ingestion and occasionally inhalation of methanol. Initial symptoms of blurred vision, elongated anion gap and metabolic acidosis are typically delayed and may not at first be recognised as methanol-related complaints. Once diagnosed, treatment must be prompt and definitive. As well as general supportive care, ethanol infusion, dialysis and alkalinization from the mainstays of treatment. The cases described in this paper are compared to previous reports from other countries worldwide and contrast the variance in outcome often seen in methanol poisoning. The paper describes two tragic deaths and two lucky survivors, all of whom had consumed a cocktail of methanol and other alcoholic beverages at the same party. The ICU nurse's role in managing the methanol-intoxicated patient relies on that person's sound knowledge of the unusual biochemical reactions occurring in the body and the need to institute definitive and supportive measures to help both patient and family recover.     

EFFECT OF GLASS COLOR ON SETTING RATES IN MANUFACTURE OF GLASS BOTTLES *

It has been observed in the manufacture of bottles of the same size and shape from various colored glasses, such as emerald green and amber and the so-called flint bottle glass, that higher machine speeds are usually obtained in the case of the colored glasses. A laboratory test has been devised to measure the cooling rates of several colored and colorless glasses throughout their respective working ranges, which gives results paralleling the speeds obtained in actual bottle manufacture.     

PREDICTION OF MICROPORE GROWTH DURING GASIFICATION REACTIONS

The concept of changing pore geometry during the course of a reaction allows the microscopic solid-gas reaction models to have the potential to describe the porosity change during the reaction. However, only the bulk porous properties can be predicted due to the pore size range chosen for most of these models. The two population systems, micropore and macropore, chosen by the model of Zygourakls et al. [1] provides a method for predicting micropore property changes. However, this model over-predicts micropore property changes because it assumes that the average micropore radius is enlarged. By examining several sets of published carbon gasification data, it is shown that the average micropore radii are not enlarged by gasification. The commonly-used concept that reaction will enlarge all the pore radii is the major reason for the prediction error. A new concept is proposed in which the reaction will not enlarge the size of the micropores and will maintain a constant micropore length by reacting at both ends of micropores at equal rates. Based upon this concept, the model of Zygourakls et al. [1] has been modified. Both the original and the modified models can predict the gasification rate well by utilizing data from the carbon activation study of Yanai [2]. The model of Zygourakls et al. [1] gives a micropore surface area change close to the measured value, but the reaction enlarged micropores result in predicting high of values of micropore volume changes and average micropore sizes. The steady-state micropore concept used in the improved model predicts more realistic micropore property changes.