• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.43-51
• /
• 2018

Hollow fiber (HF) membranes are gaining wide interest over flat membranes due to their compaction and high area to surface volume ratio. This work addresses the fabrication of HF from polysulfone (PS) and polyethersulfone (PES) using N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) as solvent in addition to other additives to achieve desired characteristics. The semi-pilot spinning system includes jacketed vessel, four spinneret block, coagulation and washing baths in addition to dryer and winder. Different parameters affecting dry-wet spinning phase inversion process were investigated. Dope compositions of PES, NMP and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) of varying molecular weights as additive were addressed. Some critical parameters of importance were also investigated. Those include dope flow rate, air gap, coagulation & washing baths and drying temperatures. The measured dope viscosity was in the range from 1.7 to 36.5 Pa.s. Air gap distance was adjusted from 20 to 45 cm and coagulation bath temperature from 20 to $46^{\circ}C$. The HF membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), atomic force microscope (AFM) and mechanical properties. Results indicated prevalence of finger like structure and average surface roughness from about 29 to 78.3 nm. Profile of stress strain characteristics revealed suitability of the fibers for downstream interventions for fabrication of thin film composite membrane. Different empirical correlations were formulated which enable deeper understanding of the interaction of the above mentioned variables. Data of pure water permeability (PWP) confirmed that the fabricated samples fall within the microfiltration (MF)-ultrafiltration (UF) range of membrane separation.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.23 no.3
• /
• pp.293-308
• /
• 2006

This paper presents a complete and consistent formulation to study the seismic response of a free-standing ship supported by an arrangement of n keel blocks which are all located in a dry dock. It is considered that the foundation of the system is subjected to both horizontal and vertical in plane excitation. The motion of the system is classified in eight different modes which are Rest (relative), Sliding of keel blocks, Rocking of keel blocks, Sliding of the ship, Sliding of both keel blocks and the ship, Sliding and rocking of keel blocks, Rocking of keel blocks with sliding of the ship, and finally Sliding and rocking of keel blocks accompanied with sliding of the ship. For each mode of motion the governing equations are derived, and transition conditions between different modes are also defined. This formulation is based on a number of fundamental assumptions which are 2D idealization for motion of the system, considering keel blocks as the rigid ones and the ship as a massive rigid block too, allowing the similar motion for all keel blocks, and supposing frictional nature for transmitted forces between contacted parts. Also, the rocking of the ship is not likely to take place, and the complete ship separation from keel blocks or separation of keel blocks from the base is considered as one of the failure mode in the system. The formulation presented in this paper can be used in its entirety or in part, and they are suitable for investigation of generalized response using suitable analytical, or conducting a time-history sensitivity analysis.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.109-123
• /
• 2014

This paper presents chloride induced corrosion durability of reinforcing steel in geopolymer concretes containing different contents of sodium silicate ($Na_2SiO_3$) and molarities of NaOH solutions. Seven series of mixes are considered in this study. The first series is ordinary Portland cement (OPC) concrete and is considered as the control mix. The rest six series are geopolymer concretes containing 14 and 16 molar NaOH and $Na_2SiO_3$ to NaOH ratios of 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5. In each series three lollypop specimens of 100 mm in diameter and 200 mm in length, each having one 12 mm diameter steel bar are considered for chloride induced corrosion study. The specimens are subjected to cyclic wetting and drying regime for two months. In wet cycle the specimens are immersed in water containing 3.5% (by wt.) NaCl salt for 4 days, while in dry cycle the specimens are placed in open air for three days. The corrosion activity is monitored by measuring the copper/copper sulphate ($Cu/CuSO_4$) half-cell potential according to ASTM C-876. The chloride penetration depth and sorptivity of all seven concretes are also measured. Results show that the geopolymer concretes exhibited better corrosion resistance than OPC concrete. The higher the amount of $Na_2SiO_3$ and higher the concentration of NaOH solutions the better the corrosion resistance of geopolymer concrete is. Similar behaviour is also observed in sorptivity and chloride penetration depth measurements. Generally, the geopolymer concretes exhibited lower sorptivity and chloride penetration depth than that of OPC concrete. Correlation between the sorptivity and the chloride penetration of geopolymer concretes is established. Correlations are also established between 28 days compressive strength and sorptivity and between 28 days compressive strength and chloride penetration of geopolymer concretes.

• Advances in nano research
• /
• v.5 no.3
• /
• pp.193-201
• /
• 2017

ZnO, ZnO: Cu, Ga, and ZnO: Cu, Ga, Ag thin films were obtained by oxidization of ZnS and ZnS: Cu, Ga films deposited onto glass substrates by electron-beam evaporation from ZnS and ZnS: Cu, Ga targets and from ZnS: Cu, Ga film additionally doped with Ag by the closed space sublimation technique at atmospheric pressure. The film thickness was about $1{\mu}m$. The oxidation was carried out at $600-650^{\circ}C$ in air or in an atmosphere containing water vapor. Structural characteristics were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the films were measured at 30-300 K using the excitation wavelengths of 337, 405 and 457.9 nm. As-deposited ZnS and ZnS: Cu, Ga films had cubic structure. The oxidation of the doped films in air or in water vapors led to complete ZnO phase transition. XRD and AFM studies showed that the grain sizes of oxidized films at wet annealing were larger than of the films after dry annealing. As-deposited doped and undoped ZnS thin films did not emit PL. Shape and intensity of the PL emission depended on doping and oxidation conditions. Emission intensity of the films annealed in water vapors was higher than of the films annealed in the air. PL of ZnO: Cu, Ga films excited by 337 nm wavelength exhibits UV (380 nm) and green emission (500 nm). PL spectra at 300 and 30 K excited by 457.9 and 405 nm wavelengths consisted of two bands - the green band at 500 nm and the red band at 650 nm. Location and intensities ratio depended on the preparation conditions.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.20 no.3
• /
• pp.319-327
• /
• 2017

Studying the structural behavior of prestressed segmented girders is quite important due to the large use this type of solution in viaducts and bridges. Thus, this work presents a nonlinear three-dimensional structural analysis of an externally prestressed segmented concrete girder through the Finite Element Method (FEM), using a customized ANSYS platform, version 14.5. Aiming the minimization of the computational effort by using the lowest number of finite elements, a new viscoelastoplastic material model has been implemented for the structural concrete with the UPF customization tool of ANSYS, adding new subroutines, written in FORTRAN programming language, to the main program. This model takes into consideration the cracking of concrete in its formulation, being based on fib Model Code 2010, which uses Ottosen rupture surface as the rupture criterion. By implementing this new material model, it was possible to use the three-dimensional 20-node quadratic element SOLID186 to model the concrete. Upon validation of the model, an externally prestressed segmented box concrete girder that was originally lab tested by Aparicio et al. (2002) has been computationally simulated. In the discretization of the structure, in addition to element SOLID186 for the concrete, unidimensional element LINK180 has been used to model the prestressing tendons, as well as contact elements CONTA174 and TARGE170 to simulate the dry joints along the segmented girder. Stresses in the concrete and in the prestressing tendons are assessed, as well as joint openings and load versus deflection diagrams. A comparison between numerical and experimental data is also presented, showing a good agreement.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.1 no.3
• /
• pp.215-230
• /
• 2010

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene), PVDF-HFP, hollow fiber membranes were prepared by the dry/wet spinning technique using different polyethylene glycol (PEG) concentrations as non-solvent additive in the dope solution. Two different PEG concentrations (3 and 5 wt.%). The morphology and structural characteristics of the hollow fiber membranes were studied by means of optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and void volume fraction. The experimental permeate flux and the salt (NaCl) rejection factor were determined using direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) process. An increase of the PEG content in the spinning solution resulted in a faster coagulation of the PVDF-HFP copolymer and a transition of the cross-section internal layer structure from a sponge-type structure to a finger-type structure. Pore size, nodule size and roughness parameters of both the internal and external hollow fiber surfaces were determined by AFM. It was observed that both the pore size and roughness of the internal surface of the hollow fibers enhanced with increasing the PEG concentration, whereas no change was observed at the outer surface. The void volume fraction increased with the increase of the PEG content in the spinning solution resulting in a higher DCMD flux and a smaller salt rejection factor.

• Computers and Concrete
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.67-74
• /
• 2018

A differential scheme based micromechanical framework is proposed to obtain the effective properties of the saturated concrete repaired by the electrochemical deposition method (EDM) considering the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) effects. The constituents of the repaired concrete are treated as different phases, consisting of (micro-)cracks, (micro-)voids and (micro-)pores (occupied by water), deposition products, intrinsic concrete made up by the three traditional solid phases (i.e., mortar, coarse aggregates and their interfaces) and the ITZs. By incorporating the composite sphere assemblage (CSA) model and the differential approach, a new multilevel homogenization scheme is utilized to quantitatively estimate the mechanical performance of the repaired concrete with the ITZs. The CSA model is modified to obtain the effective properties of the equivalent particle, which is a three-phase composite made up of the water, deposition products and the ITZs. The differential scheme is employed to reach the equivalent composite of the concrete repaired by EDM considering the ITZ effects. Moreover, modification procedures considering the ITZ effects are presented to attain the properties of the repaired concrete in the dry state. Results in this study are compared with those of the existing models and the experimental data. It is found that the predictions herein agree better with the experimental data than the previous models.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.1005-1016
• /
• 2018

This paper presents an investigation on the properties of two types of cement kiln dust (CKD)-stabilized dredged sediments, silt and clay with a comparison to hydrated lime stabilization. Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) and California bearing ratio (CBR) tests were conducted to examine the optimal stabilizer content and classify the type of highway material. A strength development model of treated dredged sediments was performed. The influences of various stabilizer types and sediment types on UCS were interpreted with the aid of microstructural observations, including X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analysis. The results of the tests revealed that 6% of lime by dry weight can be suggested as optimal content for the improvement of clay and silt as selected materials. For CKD-stabilized sediment as soil cement subbase material, the use of 8% CKD was suggested as optimal content for clay, whereas 6% CKD was recommended for silt; the overall CBR value agreed with the UCS test. The reaction products calcium silicate hydrate and ettringite are the controlling mechanisms for the mechanical performance of CKD-stabilized sediments, whereas calcium aluminate hydrate is the control for lime-stabilized sediments. These results will contribute to the use of CKD as a sustainable and novel stabilizer for lime in highway material applications.

• Advances in concrete construction
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.207-215
• /
• 2020

This paper describes the experimental studies carried out to determine the properties of fresh and hardened concrete with Recycled Plastic Waste (RPW) as a partial replacement material for fine aggregates. In the experimental study, RPW was used for replacing river sand and manufactured sand (M sand) aggregates in concrete. The replacement level of fine aggregates was ranging from 5% to 20% by volume with an increment of 5%. M40 grade of concrete with water cement ratio of 0.40 was used in this study. Two different types of RPW were used, and they are (i) un-activated RPW and (ii) activated RPW. The activated RPW was obtained by alkali activation of un-activated RPW using NaOH solution. The hardened properties of the concrete determined were dry density, compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength and ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV). The properties of the concrete with river sand, M sand, activated RPW and un-activated RPW were compared and inferences were drawn. The effect of activation using NaOH solution was investigated using FT-IR study. The micro structural examination of hardened concrete was carried out using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The test results show that the strength of concrete with activated RPW was more than that of un-activated RPW. From the results, it is evident that it is feasible to use 5% un-activated RPW and 15% activated RPW as fine aggregates for making concrete without affecting the strength properties.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.5
• /
• pp.455-466
• /
• 2020

This paper presents analysis of the interaction between tunnel and Qanat with a particular interest for the optimization of Qanat shape using the discrete element code, PFC2D, and the results will be compared with the FEM results of PLAXIS2D. For these concerns, using software PFC2D based on Discrete Element Method (DEM), a model with dimension of 100m ^⁎ 100 m was prepared. A circular tunnel with dimension of 9 m was situated 20 m below the ground surface. Also one Qanat was situated perpendicularly above the tunnel roof. Distance between Qanat center and ground surface was 8 m. Five different shapes for Qanat were selected i.e., square, semi-circular, vertical ellipse, circular and horizontal ellipse. Confining pressure of 5 MPa was applied to the model. The vertical displacement of balls situated in ground surface was picked up to measure the ground subsidence. Also two measuring circles were situated at the tunnel roof and at the Qanat roof to check the vertical displacements. The properties of the alluvial soil of Tehran city are: γ_dry=19 (KN/㎥), E= 750 (kg/㎠), ν=0.35, c=0.3(kg/㎠), φ=34°. In order to validate the DEM results, a comparison between the numerical results (obtained in this study) and analytical and field monitoring have been done. The PFC2D results are compared with the FEM results. The results shows that when Qanat has rectangular shape, the tensile stress concentration at the Qanat corners has maximum value while it has minimum value for vertical ellipse shape. The ground subsidence for Qanat rectangular shape has maximum value while it has minimum value for ellipse shape of Qanat. The vertical displacements at the tunnel roof for Qanat rectangular shape has maximum value while it has minimum value for ellipse shape of Qanat. Historical shape of Qante approved the finding of this research.