• Earthquakes and Structures
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• 제1권4호
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• pp.345-370
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• 2010

The paper presents a study on the numerical simulation of the behaviour of conventional reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened by thin fibre-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) jackets. The study covers the cases of retrofitting RC beams with or without stirrups with jackets reinforced with longitudinal and transverse steel reinforcement or with light wire mesh. The strengthened RC beams to be modelled were tested under static monotonic and fully reversing cyclic loading. The numerical results show that the numerical model used predicted quite well the experimental results.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제5권6호
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• pp.817-837
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• 1997

In the present contribution an interface crack model is introduced which is capable of modelling crack initialisation and growth in aluminium as well as in Fibre Metal Laminates. Interface elements are inserted in a finite element mesh with a yield function which bounds all states of stress in the interface. Hardening occurs after a state of stress exceeds the yield stress of the material. The hardening branch is bounded by the ultimate stress of the material. Thereafter, the state of stress is reduced to zero while the inelastic deformations grow. The energy dissipated by the inelastic deformations in this process equals the fracture energy of the material. The model is applied to calculate the onset and growth of cracking in centre cracked plates made of aluminium and GLARE$^{(R)}$. The impact of the model parameters on the performance of the crack model is studied by comparisons of the numerical results with experimental data.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.149-166
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• 2012

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the performance of 2.5 m long reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams strengthened in shear using epoxy bonded glass fibre fabric. Eighteen (18) full scale, simply supported RC T-beams are tested. Nine beams are used as control beam specimens with three different stirrups spacing without glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) sheet and rest nine beams are strengthened in shear with one, two, and three layers of GFRP sheet in the form of U-jacket around the web of T-beams for each type of stirrup spacing. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness, the cracking pattern and modes of failure of the GFRP strengthened RC T-beams. The test result indicates that for RC T-beams strengthened in shear with U-jacketed GFRP sheets, increase the load carrying capacity by 10-46%.

• 전기화학회지
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• 제17권4호
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• pp.237-244
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• 2014

We report novel and simple structure of supercapacitors fabricated by using flexible glass fibre separators as templates. This method does not require separate electrodes, binders and high pressure/temperature to build the supercapacitor unit cells as required by the conventional technology. The supercapacitors were fabricated by drop-casting solution mixtures of carbonaceous active materials/gel electrolytes onto two sides of glass fibre separators. Two carbonaceous materials (nanoscaled activated carbons, multi-walled carbon nanotubes) were investigated as electrode materials. The electrochemical measurements reveal that the separatorbased supercapacitors using ACs successfully demonstrated significant mass specific capacitance ($22.3F\;g^{-1}$) and energy density ($9.7Wh\;kg^{-1}$), indicating this method can be useful in fabricating flexible, wearable and stretchable energy storage devices in more straightforward and cost-effective way than current technology.

• Computers and Concrete
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• 제11권5호
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• pp.365-382
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• 2013

Although shear reinforcement in beams typically consists of steel bars bent in the form of stirrups or hoops, the addition of deformed steel fibres to the concrete has been shown to enhance shear resistance and ductility in reinforced concrete beams. This paper presents a model that can be used to predict the shear strength of fibrous concrete rectangular members without stirrups. The model is an extension of the plasticity-based crack sliding model originally developed for plain concrete beams. The crack sliding model has been improved in order to take into account several aspects: the arch effect for deep beams, the post-cracking tensile strength of steel fibre reinforced concrete and its ability to control sliding along shear cracks, and the mitigation of the shear size effect due to presence of fibres. The results obtained by the model have been validated by a large set of experimental tests taken from literature, compared with several models proposed in literature, and numerical analyses are carried out showing the influence of fibres on the beam failure mode.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.418-426
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• 2019

Current available commercial membranes are not robust and are therefore destroyed if left to dry out or handled roughly. Woven fibre microfiltration (WFMF) membranes have advantages over its competitors with respect to durability, thus, favourable for the developing economies and operation during rough conditions. Evaluation of the effects of aeration and brushing as a flux enhancement strategies for WFMF membrane was the purpose of this study. The WFMF membrane was found to be susceptible to pore plugging by colloidal material and adsorption/attachment by microbiological contaminants. This led to a 50% loss in flux. Aeration as a single flux enhancement strategy proved insufficient to maintain high flux successfully. Therefore combined flux enhancement strategies yielded the best results.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제60권1호
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• pp.51-61
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• 2022

Gas separation via hollow fibre membrane modules (HFMM) is deemed to be a promising technology for natural gas sweetening, particularly for lowering the level of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in natural gas, which can cause various problems during transportation and process operation. Separation performance via HFMM is affected by membrane properties, module specifications and operating conditions. In this study, a mathematical model for HFMM is developed, which can be used to assess the effects of the aforementioned variables on separation performance. Appropriate boundary conditions are imposed to resolve steady-state values of permeate variables and incorporated in the model equations via an iterative numerical procedure. The developed model is proven to be reliable via model validation against experimental data in the literature. Also, the model is capable of capturing axial variations of process variables as well as predicting key performance indicators. It can be extended to simulate a large-scale plant and identify an optimal process design and operating conditions for improved separation efficiency and reduced cost.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• 제81권6호
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• pp.729-736
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• 2022

Earth is facing a serious problem of pollution and scarcity of energy sources. The synthetic fibers used in automobile and Aerospace manufacturing sectors are non-renewable and harmful to environment. International Agency such as FAA and SAE is forcing for green fuel, green materials and structures. Further exploration is much needed to understand its potential in structural applications. In the current study, hemp and Jute fibre based composites were developed and tested for assessing their suitability for possible applications in automobile and aerospace sectors. Composites were undergone tensile test, water absorption test, and fatigue analysis to understand its behavior under various loading conditions. The finite element analysis has been carried out to understand the fatigue behaviour of composites. The results revealed that the usage of hemp and jute fibre reinforced composites can improve mechanical properties and have shown a viable alternative to replace synthetic fibres such as glass fibres for specific applications. Hemp reinforced bio-composites have shown better performance as compared to Jute reinforced bio-composites while water resistance characteristics for hemp is poorer to jute fibres.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제20권10호
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• pp.1496-1502
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• 2007

The roles of melatonin in the control of deiodinase (MD) activity in cashmere goat skin and associated cashmere fibre growth were investigated. Eighteen half-sib Chinese Inner Mongolia cashmere wethers were allocated randomly to two groups (n = 9/group). One group was implanted subcutaneously with melatonin (2 mg/kg BW) at three 2-monthly intervals while the other group served as a control. All goats were maintained under natural photoperiodic conditions and were grazed on natural pasture. The plasma melatonin concentration showed a significant difference (p<0.01) between the implant group (M) and the control group (C) but plasma $T_4$ (or $T_3$) showed no significant difference (p>0.05). The monodeiodinase type II (MDII) activity in skin tended to increase gradually from the summer solstice to November. During July and August, the activity of MDII for the M group was higher (p<0.05) than that of the C group; also during this period, there was a significant positive correlation between MDII activity of skin and cashmere fibre growth rate. The monodeiodinase type III (MDIII) activity and the ratio of MDIII and MDII tended to decrease from the summer solstice to November. The ratio of MDIII and MDII for the M group was lower (p<0.05) than that of the C group in July and August. The cashmere fibre growth rate of the M group was significantly greater than that of the C group in July (p<0.01), August (p<0.001) and September (p<0.05). The cashmere fibre diameter and guard hair and body weight were not influenced (p>0.05) by melatonin implantation. The results demonstrate that melatonin plays an important role in the regulation of skin MD activity. Simultaneously, the cashmere fibre elongation stimulated by melatonin may result from enhanced MDII activity during a period of two months after melatonin treatment.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제37권2호
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• pp.274-283
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• 2024

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the physicochemical properties (nutrient composition, pH, water content and activity, sorption properties) and mechanical properties (compression force and energy) of granulated feed mixtures with various inclusion levels of crude fibre concentrates ARBOCEL and VITACEL for broiler chickens, i.e. +0.0% (control group - group C), +0.3%, +0.8%, +1.0%, +1.2%. Methods: The feed mixtures were analyzed for their physicochemical properties (nutrient composition by near-infrared spectroscopy, pH with the use a CP-401 pH meter with an IJ-44C glass electrode, water content was determined with the drying method and activity was determined with the Aqua Lab Series 3, sorption properties was determined with the static method) and mechanical properties (compression force and energy with the use TA-HD plus texture analyzer). The Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) model applied in the study correctly described the sorption properties of the analyzed feed mixtures in terms of water activity. Results: The fibre concentrate type affected the specific surface area of the adsorbent and equilibrium water content in the GAB monolayer (p≤0.05) (significantly statistical). The type and dose of the fibre concentrate influenced the dimensionless C and k parameters of the GAB model related to the properties of the monolayer and multilayers, respectively (p≤0.05). They also affected the pH value of the analyzed feed mixtures (p≤0.05). In addition, crude fibre type influenced water activity (p≤0.05) as well as compression energy (J) and compression force (N) (p≤0.001) (highly significantly statistical) of the feed mixtures. Conclusion: The physicochemical analyses of feed mixtures with various inclusion levels (0.3%, 0.8%, 1.0%, 1.2%) of crude fiber concentrates ARBOCEL or VITACEL demonstrated that both crude fiber types may be used in the feed industry as a feedstuff material to produce starter type mixtures for broiler chickens.