scholarly journals Mechanical Properties of a 3D Printed Wall Segment Made with an Earthen Mixture

Author(s):  
Elena Ferretti ◽  
Massimo Moretti ◽  
Alberto Chiusoli ◽  
Lapo Naldoni ◽  
Francesco De Fabritiis ◽  
...  

This paper is part of the research on 3D printing of earthen housing modules, made with earth taken in situ. Previous studies have already led to the definition of 3D printed earthen elements for the external cladding of single-story wooden load-bearing structures. With this work, we intend to take a step forward in the use of 3D printed earthen elements, studying their load-bearing capacity for vertical loads. The goal is to create load-bearing structures entirely in earth, with two or more floors. To this end, the present work investigates two of the major presumed criticalities of 3D printed elements under vertical load, namely the detachments due to poor cohesion between extruded layers and the detachments between internal infill and external coating. The uniaxial compression test on a specially 3D printed wall segment did not actually show any particular danger for the stability of the structure, due to detachment phenomena. Rather, the experimental results showed some quite anomalous mechanical behaviors for a brittle construction material (studied at the mesoscale), especially as regards Poisson’s modulus and volumetric strain. The main experimental finding concerns the contribution of the internal infill, which seems to have a structural function and not just a filling function.

Author(s):  
J. R. Reed ◽  
D. J. Michel ◽  
P. R. Howell

The Al6Li3Cu (T2) phase, which exhibits five-fold or icosahedral symmetry, forms through solid state precipitation in dilute Al-Li-Cu alloys. Recent studies have reported that the T2 phase transforms either during TEM examination of thin foils or following ion-milling of thin foil specimens. Related studies have shown that T2 phase transforms to a microcrystalline array of the TB phase and a dilute aluminum solid solution during in-situ heating in the TEM. The purpose of this paper is to report results from an investigation of the influence of ion-milling on the stability of the T2 phase in dilute Al-Li-Cu alloy.The 3-mm diameter TEM disc specimens were prepared from a specially melted Al-2.5%Li-2.5%Cu alloy produced by conventional procedures. The TEM specimens were solution heat treated 1 h at 550°C and aged 1000 h at 190°C in air to develop the microstructure. The disc specimens were electropolished to achieve electron transparency using a 20:80 (vol. percent) nitric acid: methanol solution at -60°C.


Moreana ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 40 (Number 153- (1-2) ◽  
pp. 219-239
Author(s):  
Anne Lake Prescott

Thomas More is often called a “humanist,” and rightly so if the word has its usual meaning in scholarship on the Renaissance. “Humanist” has by now acquired so many different and contradictory meanings, however, that it needs to be applied carefully to the likes of More. Many postmodernists tend to use the word, pejoratively, to mean someone who believes in an autonomous self, the stability of words, reason, and the possibility of determinable meanings. Without quite arguing that More was a postmodernist avant la lettre, this essay suggests that he was not a “humanist” who stalks the pages of much recent postmodernist theory and that in fact even while remaining a devout Catholic and sensible lawyer he was quite as aware as any recent critic of the slipperiness of human selves and human language. It is time that literary critics tightened up their definition of “humanist,” especially when writing about the Renaissance.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2830
Author(s):  
Sili Wang ◽  
Mark P. Panning ◽  
Steven D. Vance ◽  
Wenzhan Song

Locating underground microseismic events is important for monitoring subsurface activity and understanding the planetary subsurface evolution. Due to bandwidth limitations, especially in applications involving planetarily-distributed sensor networks, networks should be designed to perform the localization algorithm in-situ, so that only the source location information needs to be sent out, not the raw data. In this paper, we propose a decentralized Gaussian beam time-reverse imaging (GB-TRI) algorithm that can be incorporated to the distributed sensors to detect and locate underground microseismic events with reduced usage of computational resources and communication bandwidth of the network. After the in-situ distributed computation, the final real-time location result is generated and delivered. We used a real-time simulation platform to test the performance of the system. We also evaluated the stability and accuracy of our proposed GB-TRI localization algorithm using extensive experiments and tests.


Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1885
Author(s):  
Xinyu Wu ◽  
Feng Yang ◽  
Jian Gan ◽  
Zhangqian Kong ◽  
Yan Wu

The silver particles were grown in situ on the surface of wood by the silver mirror method and modified with stearic acid to acquire a surface with superhydrophobic and antibacterial properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray energy spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyze the reaction mechanism of the modification process. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and contact angle tests were used to characterize the wettability and surface morphology. A coating with a micro rough structure was successfully constructed by the modification of stearic acid, which imparted superhydrophobicity and antibacterial activity to poplar wood. The stability tests were performed to discuss the stability of its hydrophobic performance. The results showed that it has good mechanical properties, acid and alkali resistance, and UV stability. The durability tests demonstrated that the coating has the function of water resistance and fouling resistance and can maintain the stability of its hydrophobic properties under different temperatures of heat treatment.


Materials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2313
Author(s):  
Maria Luisa Beconcini ◽  
Pietro Croce ◽  
Paolo Formichi ◽  
Filippo Landi ◽  
Benedetta Puccini

The evaluation of the shear behavior of masonry walls is a first fundamental step for the assessment of existing masonry structures in seismic zones. However, due to the complexity of modelling experimental behavior and the wide variety of masonry types characterizing historical structures, the definition of masonry’s mechanical behavior is still a critical issue. Since the possibility to perform in situ tests is very limited and often conflicting with the needs of preservation, the characterization of shear masonry behavior is generally based on reference values of mechanical properties provided in modern structural codes for recurrent masonry categories. In the paper, a combined test procedure for the experimental characterization of masonry mechanical parameters and the assessment of the shear behavior of masonry walls is presented together with the experimental results obtained on three stone masonry walls. The procedure consists of a combination of three different in situ tests to be performed on the investigated wall. First, a single flat jack test is executed to derive the normal compressive stress acting on the wall. Then a double flat jack test is carried out to estimate the elastic modulus. Finally, the proposed shear test is performed to derive the capacity curve and to estimate the shear modulus and the shear strength. The first results obtained in the experimental campaign carried out by the authors confirm the capability of the proposed methodology to assess the masonry mechanical parameters, reducing the uncertainty affecting the definition of capacity curves of walls and consequently the evaluation of seismic vulnerability of the investigated buildings.


Author(s):  
Josep Miquel Bauça ◽  
Andrea Caballero ◽  
Carolina Gómez ◽  
Débora Martínez-Espartosa ◽  
Isabel García del Pino ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectivesThe stability of the analytes most commonly used in routine clinical practice has been the subject of intensive research, with varying and even conflicting results. Such is the case of alanine aminotransferase (ALT). The purpose of this study was to determine the stability of serum ALT according to different variables.MethodsA multicentric study was conducted in eight laboratories using serum samples with known initial catalytic concentrations of ALT within four different ranges, namely: <50 U/L (<0.83 μkat/L), 50–200 U/L (0.83–3.33 μkat/L), 200–400 U/L (3.33–6.67 μkat/L) and >400 U/L (>6.67 μkat/L). Samples were stored for seven days at two different temperatures using four experimental models and four laboratory analytical platforms. The respective stability equations were calculated by linear regression. A multivariate model was used to assess the influence of different variables.ResultsCatalytic concentrations of ALT decreased gradually over time. Temperature (−4%/day at room temperature vs. −1%/day under refrigeration) and the analytical platform had a significant impact, with Architect (Abbott) showing the greatest instability. Initial catalytic concentrations of ALT only had a slight impact on stability, whereas the experimental model had no impact at all.ConclusionsThe constant decrease in serum ALT is reduced when refrigerated. Scarcely studied variables were found to have a significant impact on ALT stability. This observation, added to a considerable inter-individual variability, makes larger studies necessary for the definition of stability equations.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinchen Du ◽  
Le Wu ◽  
Hongyu Yan ◽  
Zhuyan Jiang ◽  
Shilin Li ◽  
...  

AbstractDeveloping an anti-infective shape-memory hemostatic sponge able to guide in situ tissue regeneration for noncompressible hemorrhages in civilian and battlefield settings remains a challenge. Here we engineer hemostatic chitosan sponges with highly interconnective microchannels by combining 3D printed microfiber leaching, freeze-drying, and superficial active modification. We demonstrate that the microchannelled alkylated chitosan sponge (MACS) exhibits the capacity for water and blood absorption, as well as rapid shape recovery. We show that compared to clinically used gauze, gelatin sponge, CELOX™, and CELOX™-gauze, the MACS provides higher pro-coagulant and hemostatic capacities in lethally normal and heparinized rat and pig liver perforation wound models. We demonstrate its anti-infective activity against S. aureus and E. coli and its promotion of liver parenchymal cell infiltration, vascularization, and tissue integration in a rat liver defect model. Overall, the MACS demonstrates promising clinical translational potential in treating lethal noncompressible hemorrhage and facilitating wound healing.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (a1) ◽  
pp. C94-C94
Author(s):  
Pawel Kuczera ◽  
Walter Steurer

The structure of d(ecagonal)-Al-Cu-Rh has been studied as a function of temperature by in-situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction in order to contribute to the discussion on energy or entropy stabilization of quasicrystals (QC) [1]. The experiments were performed at 293 K, 1223 K, 1153 K, 1083 K, and 1013 K. A common subset of 1460 unique reflections was used for the comparative structure refinements at each temperature. The results obtained for the HT structure refinements of d-Al-Cu-Rh QC seem to contradict a pure phasonic-entropy-based stabilization mechanism [2] for this QC. The trends observed for the ln func(I(T1 )/I(T2 )) vs.|k⊥ |^2 plots indicate that the best on-average quasiperiodic order exists between 1083 K and 1153 K, however, what that actually means is unclear. It could indicate towards a small phasonic contribution to entropy, but such contribution is not seen in the structure refinements. A rough estimation of the hypothetic phason instability temperature shows that it would be kinetically inaccessible and thus the phase transition to a 12 Å low T structure (at ~800 K) is most likely not phason-driven. Except for the obvious increase in the amplitude of the thermal motion, no other significant structural changes, in particular no sources of additional phason-related configurational entropy, were found. All structures are refined to very similar R-values, which proves that the quality of the refinement at each temperature is the same. This suggests, that concerning the stability factors, some QCs could be similar to other HT complex intermetallic phases. The experimental results clearly show that at least the ~4 Å structure of d-Al-Cu-Rh is a HT phase therefore entropy plays an important role in its stabilisation mechanism lowering the free energy. However, the main source of this entropy is probably not related to phason flips, but rather to lattice vibrations, occupational disorder unrelated to phason flips like split positions along the periodic axis.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 434
Author(s):  
Anca Nicoleta Marginean ◽  
Delia Doris Muntean ◽  
George Adrian Muntean ◽  
Adelina Priscu ◽  
Adrian Groza ◽  
...  

It has recently been shown that the interpretation by partial differential equations (PDEs) of a class of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) supports definition of architectures such as parabolic and hyperbolic networks. These networks have provable properties regarding the stability against the perturbations of the input features. Aiming for robustness, we tackle the problem of detecting changes in chest X-ray images that may be suggestive of COVID-19 with parabolic and hyperbolic CNNs and with domain-specific transfer learning. To this end, we compile public data on patients diagnosed with COVID-19, pneumonia, and tuberculosis, along with normal chest X-ray images. The negative impact of the small number of COVID-19 images is reduced by applying transfer learning in several ways. For the parabolic and hyperbolic networks, we pretrain the networks on normal and pneumonia images and further use the obtained weights as the initializers for the networks to discriminate between COVID-19, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and normal aspects. For DenseNets, we apply transfer learning twice. First, the ImageNet pretrained weights are used to train on the CheXpert dataset, which includes 14 common radiological observations (e.g., lung opacity, cardiomegaly, fracture, support devices). Then, the weights are used to initialize the network which detects COVID-19 and the three other classes. The resulting networks are compared in terms of how well they adapt to the small number of COVID-19 images. According to our quantitative and qualitative analysis, the resulting networks are more reliable compared to those obtained by direct training on the targeted dataset.


2013 ◽  
Vol 671-674 ◽  
pp. 245-250
Author(s):  
Wen Hui Tan ◽  
Ya Liang Li ◽  
Cong Cong Li

At present, in-situ stress was not considered in Limit Equilibrium Method (LEM) of slopes, the influence of in-situ stress is very small on the stability of conventional slopes, but in deep-depressed open-pit mines, the influence should not be neglected. Formula for calculating the Factor of Safety (FOS) under the effect of horizontal in-situ stress was deduced using General Slice Method (GSM) of two-dimensional (2D) limit equilibrium method in this paper,a corresponding program SSLOPE was built, and the software was used in a deep- depressed open-pit iron mine. The results show that the FOS of the slope decreased by 20% when horizontal in-situ stress is considered, some reinforcements must be taken. Therefore, the influence of in-situ stress on slope stability should be taken into account in deep open –pit mines.


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