Composite foundations on Malaysian soft clay soil: applications of innovative techniques

An innovative technique of electro osmosis coupled with vertical surcharge loading to accelerate the consolidation and stiffen Kaolin (China Clay Grade E) was investigated in this study. The geotechnical properties of this China Clay Kaolin Grade E and the design of electro osmotic consolidation chamber are discussed together with an explanation of the procedural concept of the electro osmotic consolidation chamber (i.e., the preparation of the apparatus and the clay sample, assembling of the electro osmotic consolidation chamber; and the experimental work). The plastic limit, liquid limit and plasticity index were 35%, 53% and 18% respectively. Therefore, China Clay Kaolin Grade E is classified as MH soil, and it is predominantly a silt with high plasticity. The specific gravity of the soil is 2.65. To ensure the kaolin is saturated, all samples were prepared in a similar manner with deaired water to produce a slurry at 150% of the liquid limit (initial moisture content of 79.5%). The electro osmotic consolidation chamber was cylindrical and consisted of the body, the base and the top cap. The body and the base of the chamber were constructed of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) tube with a wall thickness of 10.9 mm, 345 mm high and 251 mm inner diameter. The electro osmotic consolidation chamber was assembled together with a 45 mm thick flange and collar. The top cap of this chamber was based on that of a Rowe cell of similar diameter. Twenty one tests were performed in this study with an applied voltage and one test was a control test. The test samples in the twenty one tests were all consolidated to three different phases. In Phases 1 and 2, the samples were consolidated at 15 kPa while in the Phase 3, 50 kPa was used. The electro osmotic process was only performed during Phase 2. The time of treatment, numbers of electrodes, the arrangement of electrodes, and the applied voltages were investigated in these tests. Results from these tests indicated that the China Clay Kaolin Grade E in a 79.5% slurry form responded well to electro osmotic treatment and that electro osmotic process increased the overall stiffness of the soil as indicated by the reduced relative settlement in Phase 3 with a pressure of 50kPa. The water content around the anodes was less than that at the cathode creating zones of higher average constrained stiffness. The tests demonstrated that the longer the time of treatment, the greater the numbers of anodes, the shorter distance between the electrodes and the higher the applied voltages associated with electro osmosis increased the average stiffness of the soil mass confirming the concept of an electro osmotic pile. Keywords: electro osmotic merged vertical loading and electro osmotic, consolidation, electro osmotic consolidation chamber, stiffening

Modeling and controller design of a hot air blower system

This research describes the modeling and controller design of a hot air blower system (HABS). The purpose of this research is to obtain model estimation best fit over 90%. Furthermore, the purpose of this research is to design controllers which the overshoot percentage close to zero percent and obtain a shorter rise time compare to current hot air blower system. The research divided into 3 area of focus, first focus on the development of Pseudo-Random Binary Sequences (PRBS) controller prototype to use as a System Identification Tool. The development of the controller was designed using PIC controllers. Testing was being conducted to ensure the controller is fully operational. Next, the output data from the hot air blower system (HABS) was captured for analysis. Second, the research focused on the modeling of a hot air blower system using System Identification and Estimation approach. By obtaining the mathematical model of a hot air blower system, tuning can be made possible. The output data was being run on MATLAB to compare between several of model structures. Model structures selected for this research are Auto-Regressive with eXogeneous inputs (ARX), Auto-Regressive Moving-Average with eXogeneous inputs (ARMAX), Output Error (OE) and Box–Jenkins (BJ). Result shows the eXogeneous inputs (ARX) obtained the highest best fit which best resemble the dynamic system of a hot air blower system (HABS) and was selected to be implemented in the controllers. Third area of focus is the simulation design of controllers; controllers which were selected for this research were PID controllers, Self-tuning controllers and Fuzzy controllers. The result obtained are shown in the Result and Analysis chapter, all controllers obtained zero overshoot percentage and have a shorter rise time then the current hot air blower system. Results showed the different in rise time, peak time, delay time and percentage overshoot varies depending on the controller. So, depending on the purpose in the industrial application, engineers can pick any controller to meet their desire task

Characterization of LUSI Mud as Geopolymer Raw Material

The mud of mud volcano samples were collected from an eruption site named ‘LUSI’ (Lumpur “mud” –Sidoarjo), East Java, Indonesia for characterization. Analysis showed that, the major constituents of mud are SiO2 and Al2O3 which are higher than those in fly ash. The particle of mud has a flake-shaped particle and the overall particle size is dominated by particles between 2.5μm – 25.0μm. The results of XRD shows that mud of mud volcano have a characteristic of structurally disordered compounds, and a set of peaks corresponding to minor crystalline phases such as quartz, feldspars, and kaolinite. FTIR adsorption bands of the raw material of mud have the chemical bonding between bands 1-5

Reviews on the Properties of Aggregates made with or without Geopolymerisation Method

Aggregates are popular for use in concrete and lightweight concrete applications. Recent research shows that the by-product materials such as fly ash can be used as raw material in producing aggregates and lightweight aggregates. The usage of this material can improve the quality of the aggregates produced compared to conventional in term of structurally strong, physically stable, durable, and environmentally inert. This paper summarized the process and mechanical testing on the fly ash aggregates and lightweight aggregates to be used in concrete

Attenuation of River Contaminant using River Bank Infiltration in Jenderam Hilir, Dengkil, Selangor

Bank infiltration (BI) refers to the process of surface water seeping from the bank or bed of a river to the groundwater production wells. During the water’s passage through the ground, its quality changes due to microbial, chemical and physical processes, and due to mixing with groundwater in the aquifer. The BI study in Jenderam Hilir, Selangor is a pilot project to develop a better and sustainable source of water, and will provide a good platform to introduce this method in Malaysia. BI has been successfully implemented in many Asian and European countries. This site was chosen due to the high water demand in the area and groundwater is seen as one of the source with very high potential to be developed as supplementary source to meet the high public water supply demand. The objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of BI and improving the quality of river water, and to determine the effective rate of water extraction from the alluvium in the study area. Twenty five (25) monitoring wells and 2 test wells were constructed at the study site and pumping tests have been carried on these two test wells. The pumping tests at the 2 test wells indicated that DW1 and DW2 were able to produce more than 15.9 m3/hr (0.3816 MLD) and 128m3/hr (3.072 MLD) respectively during the duration of 72 hours pumping tests with drawdown for DW1 was 4.17 m and DW2 was 2.63 m. The distance between the river and the test well is more than 18 m and the shortest travel time is 10 days. The river water was filtered through a 16 m thick silty sand for DW1 and 13 m thick gravelly sand for DW2. Both wells are located in confined aquifer adjacent to the Sungai Langat. Water quality analyses carried out for water from the Sungai Langat and groundwater from the wells showed decreased in turbidity, nitrate, aluminium and sulphate in groundwater which were very high in the Sungai Langat. Microorganism counting (E. coli, total coliform, Cryptosporidium and Giardia) was also carried out. Results of sampling from the 2 test wells confirmed that the microorganism counts were significantly reduced during the passage in BI which is capable to achieve more than 99.9 % removal of E. coli, total coliform and Giardia. The study on the effectiveness of BI method is a proactive effort of NAHRIM to improve surface water quality as a source for domestic water of the modern urbanised area

The Effect of Soaking Zeolite Stones and Activated Charcoal on the Survival of Red Tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) Raised in Oil Palm Plantation Wastewater (Elaeis guineensis)

Ikan nila merah merupakan salah satu jenis ikan air tawar yang memiliki tingkat toleransi lingkungan yang luas, termasuk pada lingkungan dengan toksisitas tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui dan mengevaluasi pengaruh perendaman batu zeolit dan arang aktif terhadap kelangsungan hidup ikan nila merah yang dipelihara di air limbah perkebunan kelapa sawit. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah metode eksperimen RAL (Rancangan Acak Lengkap) dengan 4 perlakuan dan 3 ulangan. Perlakuan perendaman yang digunakan adalah P1 tanpa dosis/kontrol/10 L air limbah, P2 dengan takaran zeolit dan arang aktif dengan perbandingan 50 gr : 50 gr/10 L air limbah, P3 dengan takaran zeolit dan arang aktif. arang dengan perbandingan 100 gr:100 gr/10 L air limbah, dosis P4 zeolit dan arang aktif dengan perbandingan 150 gr:150 gr/10 L air limbah. Data yang diperoleh dianalisis dengan menggunakan uji Anova dan Duncan. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa perendaman pada batu zeolit dan arang aktif berpengaruh terhadap kelangsungan hidup ikan nila merah. Kelangsungan hidup tertinggi terdapat pada perlakuan P3 dengan hasil 90±10b, disusul P4 dengan hasil 83,33±5,77b, kemudian disusul P2 dengan hasil 76,67±5,77b, dan kelangsungan hidup terendah terdapat pada P1 dengan hasil 76,67±5,77b. hasil 66.67±5.77a.Kata Kunci: Nila merah, kualitas air, zeolit, arang aktif, kelangsungan hidup

Modelling the effect of hydraulic conductivity on one dimensional contaminant transport in RBF system

Riverbank filtration (RBF) system is a surface water technology that is based on the natural treatment of filtration instead of the use of chemicals, to pretreat surface water and provides public water supplies. Hydraulic conductivity value is one of the significant factors affecting the water quality in RBF systems. In this article, an analytical modelling is developed to investigate the effect of this parameter on one dimensional contaminant transport in RBF system. The model is solved by using Green’s function approach. The model is applied for the first RBF system conducted in Malaysia. Generally, the results show that increasing the hydraulic conductivity value lead to an increase in contaminant concentration in pumping well area

The Preference and Prospects of Sugar Needs in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Industries of Food and Beverage in Surabaya City

This purpose of this research is to learn about the preference and prospect of need for granulated sugar to the MSME (Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises) industries of food and beverage in Surabaya City. A qualitative research type was used in this research. The subjects in this research are three informants, which are the MSME Industries of Food and Beverage; and one informant which is an active sugar producer. The analytic techniques used is this qualitative analysis are data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The result of this research shows that the attribute of taste preference became the most important factor for consumers in buying sugar products with points in the amount of 20. Then the second most important preference attribute is health, with 19 points. Then followed price as third most important attribute with 17 points. The physical looks attribute is placed in fourth most important with 15 points. Texture also earned eight points as the fifth most important. And aroma as sixth most important with seven points. The conclusion of this research is that the most important attributes in influencing consumer preferences of MSME Industries of Food and Beverage in choosing sugar products are: sweet tastes, healthiness (natural sugar material), the prices appropriate to its product quality, physical performance such as colour and the brand of sugar, the texture of the sugar which shapes as soft granules, and neutral sugar aromas

Groundwater and surface-water utilisation using a bank infiltration technique in Malaysia

Bank infiltration (BI) is one of the solutions to providing raw water for public supply in tropical countries. This study in Malaysia explores the use of BI to supplement a polluted surface-water resource with groundwater. Three major factors were investigated: (1) contribution of surface water through BI to the resulting abstraction, (2) input of local groundwater, and (3) water-quality characteristics of the resulting water supply. A geophysical method was employed to define the subsurface geology and hydrogeology, and isotope techniques were performed to identify the source of groundwater recharge and the interaction between surface water and groundwater. The physicochemical and microbiological parameters of the local surface-water bodies and groundwater were analyzed before and during water abstraction. Extracted water revealed a 5–98 % decrease in turbidity, as well as reductions in HCO3 −, Cl−, SO4 2−, NO3 −, Ca2+, Al3+ and As concentrations compared with those of Langat River water. In addition, amounts of E. coli, total coliform and Giardia were significantly reduced (99.9 %). However, water samples from test wells during pumping showed high concentrations of Fe2+ and Mn2+. Pumping test results indicate that the two wells used in the study were able to sustain yields

Optimization of NaOH Molarity, LUSI Mud/Alkaline Activator, and Na2SiO3/NaOH Ratio to Produce Lightweight Aggregate-Based Geopolymer

This paper presents the mechanical function and characterization of an artificial lightweight geopolymer aggregate (ALGA) using LUSI (Sidoarjo mud) and alkaline activator as source materials. LUSI stands for LU-Lumpur and SI-Sidoarjo, meaning mud from Sidoarjo which erupted near the Banjarpanji-1 exploration well in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia on 27 May 2006. The effect of NaOH molarity, LUSI mud/Alkaline activator (LM/AA) ratio, and Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio to the ALGA are investigated at a sintering temperature of 950 °C. The results show that the optimum NaOH molarity found in this study is 12 M due to the highest strength (lowest AIV value) of 15.79% with lower water absorption and specific gravity. The optimum LUSI mud/Alkaline activator (LM/AA) ratio of 1.7 and the Na2SiO3/NaOH ratio of 0.4 gives the highest strength with AIV value of 15.42% with specific gravity of 1.10 g/cm3 and water absorption of 4.7%. The major synthesized crystalline phases were identified as sodalite, quartz and albite. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image showed more complete geopolymer matrix which contributes to highest strength of ALGA produced