Pullout tests of epoxy-coated reinforcement in concrete

The bond strength and slip of epoxy-coated reinforcing bars in concrete have been evaluated by carrying out single pullout and double pullout tests. In extended single pullout tests, slip measurements were made while tensile force was applied to reinforcing bars embedded in concrete. In double pullout tests, 20 cycles of load were applied at levels of steel stress between zero and 0·5 times characteristic steel strength. Strains were measured by electrical resistance strain gauges glued inside the bars. Both epoxy-coated and uncoated bars were used in the investigation, to obtain comparative results. The strain gradient along the bar was found to be less for the coated reinforcement. In general, the epoxy coating was found to increase slip in bond and thereby reduce the bond performance of coated bars.     

Macroscopic analysis of design processes based on a scheme for coding designers' cognitive actions

We have devised a new scheme for coding designers' cognitive actions from video/audio design protocols. Designers' actions are coded into four cognitive levels; physical, perceptual, functional and conceptual. Relations between actions belonging to different levels, such as dependencies and triggering relations, are also coded. The present scheme has two benefits. First, we found that design actions are definable in a systematic way using the vocabulary of the scheme, and thus a designer's cognitive behaviours in each of local design stages is represented as a structure composed of defined primitive actions. This is expected to lay the foundation for microscopic analyses of how particular types of actions contribute to the formation of key design ideas. Second, this scheme is suitable for macroscopic analyses of how designers cognitively interact with their own sketches. We examined, for a practising architect, the ways in which drawing, inspection of drawings, perception, and functional thoughts correlated with one another in his design process. The findings suggest that design sketches serve not only as external memory or as a provider of visual cues for association of non-visual information, but also as a physical setting in which design thoughts are constructed on the fly.     

Studies on the interactions of metal oxides and Na2 SO4 at 1100 and 1200 K in oxygen

The interaction of different metal oxides such as Co₃O₄, NiO, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, Fe₂O₃ and SiO₂ with Na₂SO₄ at a temperature of 1100 and 1200 K in flowing oxygen has been studied. The thermogravimetric studies for each system were carried out as a function of Na₂SO₄ in the mixture. The presence of different constituents in the reaction products were identified by X-ray diffraction analysis and the morphologies of the reaction products were characterized using metallography and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The formation of products was also investigated by thermodynamic computation of free energies of the reactions and the study of relevant equilibrium phase diagrams. The soluble species in the aqueous solutions of the reaction products were determined quantitatively using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The high temperature interaction products usually contain a 3-phase structure namely, Na₂O·M₂O _x , M₂O _x and metal sulphide and/or metal sulphate. The formation of Na₂O·M₂O _x depends upon the solid state solubility of metal oxide in the molten salt at high temperatures. Under limited solubility conditions Na₂O·M₂O _x is invariably formed, but as soon as this condition is relaxed the oxide. M₂O _x , precipitates and forms a separate phase.     

Strain analysis of moving objects using a Fourier transform grid method

There is no good method to measure the shape and the strain distributions of a structure changing with time. We have previously proposed the Fourier transform grid method (FTGM) to measure the three-dimensional shape and surface strain distributions of stationary objects by analysing the two-dimensional grating images recorded with two cameras. In the stereoscopic method, it is very important to determine the accurate geometric parameters of the camera system. In this paper, the positions and the directions of cameras are accurately determined using the FTGM applied to images of a reference object on which a two-dimensional grating is drawn. Applications for analysing shape and strain distributions of vibrating rubber plates and a moving human skin are shown.     

PPS：基于PROSITE数据库检索蛋白质功能位点的计算机程序

用标准Ｃ语言在ＩＢＭ－ＰＣ兼容微机上开发了基于ＰＲＯＳＩＴＥ数据库检索蛋白质序列功能位点的ＰＰＳ程序，ＰＲＯＳＩＴＥ是Ｂａｉｒｏｃｈ建立的蛋白质功能位点或结构模式的资料库，为蛋白质序列分析和结构功能研究提供了新工具。     

Selecting a waste management option using a life-cycle analysis approach

Solid-waste management, and in particular the disposal of used packaging, is currently the subject of much topical debate. This is driven by both consumer and legislative pressures. Consumers see used packaging as a highly visible element of municipal solid waste, complaining of excessive packaging and low levels of recycling. Legislators, perhaps in pandering to the views expressed by consumer bodies, have been active within the CEC and individual Member States by introducing (or proposing) legislation or similar regulatory tools and targets to facilitate a greater diversion of used packaging from disposal by landfill to alternative solid-waste management practices, in particular recycling, which are widely accepted to have a lower impact on the environment. In this paper the relative environmental profiles of pursuing alternative solid-waste management practices to disposal by landfill are explored, focusing not just on solid waste per se but also on associated considerations of energy consumption and emissions, which are invariably overlooked as factors contributing to the environmental impact of solid-waste management practices.     

Impact of uncertainties on estimations of heat pump cycle performance

Sensitivity analysis is used to show how uncertainties in basic factors, such as heat transfer, pressure drop, compressor efficiency, and thermophysical properties, influence the result of heat pump cycle performance estimations. By comparing the results of this analysis with uncertainty levels of estimations and experimental determinations, it is established to what extent improvements in accuracy are needed. The investigation was carried out for several different applications and, as working fluids, both pure substances and non-azeotropic mixtures were examined. It was found that evaporation heat transfer and compressor efficiency are two areas where improvements are needed. It is also shown that estimates using very accurate, substance-specific, equations of state differ from those using more general types by up to 1 % for COP and 2% for capacity.     

The rank one mixed μ problem and ‘kharitonov-type’ analysis

The general mixed μ problem has been shown to be NP hard, so that the exact solution of the general problem is computationally intractable, except for small problems. In this paper we consider not the general problem, but a particular special case of this problem, the rank one mixed μ problem. We show that for this case the mixed μ problem is equivalent to its upper bound (which is convex), and it can in fact be computed easily (and exactly). This special case is shown to be equivalent to the so-called ‘affine parameter variation’ problem (for a polynomial with perturbed coefficients) which has been examined in detail in the literature, and for which several celebrated ‘Kharitonov-type’ results have been proven.     

FE Simulation for Internal Inversion of Aluminium Alloy Tube

1 Introduction A double-walled invertube is difficult to fabricate other than applying inversion process. Such kind of invertube can be used as impact energy absorbing element in transport vehicles, like aircrafts and automobiles. Reddy T Y[1] did the analysis of Internal inversion and calculated the inversion load. Reid[2] et al. examined nosing and internal inversion of cold drawn steel tube by the finite element package ABAQUS. Recently, Rosa P A[3] et al. investigated Internal invers…