• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• 제4권3호
• /
• pp.215-222
• /
• 2013

The maximum current density that can be achieved in bipolar membrane electrodialysis is limited by the sharp increase in resistance that is experienced when the water content at the membrane interface is not adequately replenished and the membranes dry out. In this paper we show how the water content near the interface depends on the properties of the membranes. A water retaining parameter is introduced, which characterizes the thermodynamic properties of the membrane material and may be used to guide the choice of polymers for mitigation of the dry-out problem.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제19권4호
• /
• pp.953-966
• /
• 2015

Carbonation depth was verified in 40 points of two 57 years old concrete viaducts. Field testing (phenolphthalein spraying) was performed on the structures. Data obtained were statistically analyzed by the Kolmogrov-Smirnov's test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA's test), and Fisher's method. The results revealed significant differences between maximum carbonation depths of different elements of the same concrete structure. Significant differences were also found in the carbonation of different concrete structures inserted in the same macroclimate. Microclimatic factors such as temperature and local humidity, sunshine, wind, wetting and drying cycles, among others, may have been responsible by the behavior of carbonation in concrete.

• Steel and Composite Structures
• /
• 제6권2호
• /
• pp.123-138
• /
• 2006

This paper proposes a model for the analysis of the construction sequences of steel-concrete composite decks in which the slab is cast-in-situ for segments. The model accounts for early age shrinkage, such as thermal and endogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage, tensile creep effects and the complex sequences of loading due to pouring of the different slab segments. The evolution of the structure is caught by suitably defining the constitutive relationships of the concrete and the steel reinforcements. The numerical solution is obtained by means of a step-by-step procedure and the finite element method. The proposed model is then applied to a composite deck in order to show its potential.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
• /
• 제24권2호
• /
• pp.42-45
• /
• 1996

A residue from the newsprint waste was investigated as a filler in adhesive for bonding southern pine plywood. The residue was prepared by drying the wet residue to 8% moisture content and grinding the dry material using a laboratory Wiley mitt with a 75-${\mu}m$(200-mesh) screen. The residue was compared to a commercial filler commonly used in structural plywood adhesives. A total of 48 three-ply panels. 12.7mm nominal thickness and 0.3 by 0.3 m in size, were fabricated at two press times(4 and 5 min) and three assembly times(20, 40 and 60 min). Evaluations of the residue were carried out by performance tension shear tests after two 4-hour boil accelerated aging tests on plywood. The test results included tension shear strength and estimated wood failure values. All plywood made with the residue filler were comparable to the control-bonded plywood. These results indicate that residue from the newsprint waste streams would be suitable as filler for plywood adhesives.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제15권2호
• /
• pp.183-198
• /
• 2015

Chloride ingress implies a complex interaction between physical and chemical process, in which heat, moisture and chloride ions transport through concrete cover. Meanwhile, reinforced concrete structure itself undergoes evolution due to variation in temperature, relative humidity and creep effects, which can potentially change the deformation and trigger some micro-cracks in concrete. In addition, all of these process show time-dependent performance with complex interaction between structures and environments. In the present work, a time-dependent behavior of chloride transport in reinforced concrete beam subjected to flexural load is proposed based on the well-known section fiber model. The strain state varies because of stress redistribution caused by the interaction between environment and structure, mainly dominated by thermal stresses and shrinkage stress and creep. Finally, in order to clear the influence of strain state on the chloride diffusivity, experiment test were carried out and a power function used to describe this influence is proposed.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제16권5호
• /
• pp.775-793
• /
• 2015

Moisture transport in concrete in atmospheric environment was studied in this paper. Based on the simplified formula of the thickness of the adsorbed layer, the pore-size distribution function of cement paste was calculated utilizing the water adsorption isotherms. Taking into consideration of the hysteresis effect in cement paste, the moisture diffusivity of cement paste was obtained by the integration of the pore-size distribution. Concrete is regarded as a two-phase composite with cement paste and aggregate, neglecting the moisture diffusivity of aggregate, then moisture diffusivity of concrete was evaluated using the composite theory. Finally, numerical simulation of humidity response during both wetting and drying process was carried out by the finite difference method of partial differential equation for moisture transport, and the numerical results well capture the trend of the measured data.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• 제21권6호
• /
• pp.537-549
• /
• 2020

The presence of cracks changes the water content pattern during seepage through a cracked soil as compared to that of intact soil. In addition, several different crack networks may form in one soil type. These two factors result in a variation of water contents in the soil matrix part of a cracked soil during seepage. This paper presents an investigation of the effect of crack network representation on the water content of the soil matrix part of cracked soil using numerical models. A new method for the numerical generation of crack networks incorporating connections among crack endpoints was developed as part of the investigation. Numerical analysis results indicated that the difference in the point water content was large, whereas the difference in the average water content was relatively small, indicating the uniqueness of the crack network representation on the average water content of the soil matrix part of cracked soil.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• 제2권5호
• /
• pp.381-388
• /
• 2005

This paper presents the results of a study on binary blends of Portland cement and fly ash with complex admixture used for the concrete structures to meet specific performance objectives in east coastal area of China. The concretes were evaluated for workability, strength, water permeability, drying shrinkage, sulfate resistance and electrical resistance. Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) was used to examine the microstructure of concrete made by complex admixture compared with control batches without complex admixture. The combined efforts of fly ash and complex admixture led to an improvement in the workability, strength and durability.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• 제16권6호
• /
• pp.599-608
• /
• 2018

This study investigates the feasibility of adopting the results of the UC (unconfined compression) test to assess the total cohesion of the unsaturated soil. A series of laboratory tests were conducted on samples of unsaturated lateritic soils of northern Taiwan. Specifically, the unconfined compression test was combined with the pressure plate test to obtain the unconfined compression strength and its matric suction of the samples. Soil samples were first compacted at designated water content and then subjected to the wetting process for saturation and the subsequent drying process to its target suction using the apparatus developed by the authors. The correlations among the matric suction, the unconfined compression strength and the total cohesion were studied. As a result, a simplified method to estimate the total cohesion using the unconfined compressive strength is suggested. The calculated results compare reasonably with the unsaturated triaxial test results. Current results show good performance; however, further study is warranted.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• 제89권4호
• /
• pp.335-347
• /
• 2024

This study pioneers the exploration of creep and shrinkage behavior in ambient-cured geopolymer concrete (GPC), a vital yet under-researched area in concrete technology. Focusing on the influence of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution concentration, the research utilizes low calcium fly ash (Class-F) and alkaline solutions to prepare two sets of GPC. The results show distinct patterns in compressive strength development and dry shrinkage reduction, with a 14 M NaOH solution demonstrating a 26.5% lower dry shrinkage than the 16 M solution. The creep behavior indicated a high initial strain within the first 7 days, significantly influenced by curing conditions and NaOH concentration. This study contributes to the existing knowledge by providing a deeper understanding of the time-dependent properties of GPC, which is crucial for optimizing its performance in structural applications.