Towards the development of a simplified LCA-based model for buildings: recycling aspects

Disponible à l'adresse : http://leso.epfl.ch/files/content/sites/leso/files/download/publications/cisbat_proceedings_final_download.pdfInternational audienceThe building sector identified as a main contributor of energy and resources consumption contributes to many environmental impacts such as resources depletion or climate change. The identification, quantification and analysis of the main flows of matter, energy and pollution through the building system by means of appropriate methods can help to provide knowledge and tools for decision making. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is, in this context, a method which can be applied to study the environmental impacts of buildings. Several LCA-based environmental analysis tools have been developed over the past few years. However, the relevance of such tools is often questioned. The methodological choices seriously influence the results of the analysis particularly in terms of data quality, type and number of environmental indicators, recycling take-account, modelling of the end of life (EOL) and more widely the chosen system boundaries. As a result of all of these shortcomings, the LCA studies are often seen as being too complex for application in the design process. In this article, we present the current LCA models characteristics for buildings. Then, we focus the analysis on the recycling and EOL of products by presenting the current practices. It has been found that current LCA models do account for material, recycling and end of life aspects but in a way so that it is not an easy task to evaluate the design choices for these aspects. Through the adopted methodology, main recycling criteria of LCA models were identified and consequences of defining a proper boundary system for a LCA model are discussed. We conclude by discussing the challenges of improving the LCA methodology for buildings

Durées de vie de prothèses de hanche en biocéramiques soumises à des dégradations par chocs

National audienceLes prothèses de hanche visent à remplacer l'articulation coxo-fémorale. Les céramiques, notamment l'alumine, sont très utilisées pour la réalisation des têtes fémorales et des cupules cotyloïdiennes. Grâce à une machine unique en Europe, on peut tester dans des conditions sévères, le comportement des prothèses de hanche soumises aux chocs, afin d'estimer leur durée de vie. Le cycle de force appliqué est un pic de force de 9 kN pendant 30 ms à une fréquence de 2 Hz. Les essais ont été menés à sec, articulation non lubrifiée, ou en solution (sérum bovin). L'ensemble tête-cupule est incliné à 45° pour respecter la position anatomique. Les prothèses étudiées sont en alumine. Les essais, doublés ou triplés selon le milieu, sont conduits jusqu'à 800000 cycles ou jusqu'à la rupture de la cupule. A sec, la rupture est intervenue pour 254000 ± 43000 cycles. En solution, aucune rupture n'a été observée après 800000 cycles. Des ruptures intergranulaire et intragranulaire ont été observées au Microscope Electronique à Balayage (MEB). Pour tous les essais, on met en évidence des bandes d'usure sur la tête, analogues à celles observées ex vivo. Cette dégradation est plus rapide pour les essais à sec qu'en solution. La rupture de la cupule se produit lorsque la bande d'usure supérieure est voisine de 4 mm. Les analyses de rugosité par Microscopie à Force Atomique (AFM) ont montré que, pour les zones non usées, Ra-3D (rugosité 3D) = 9,1 ± 5,1 nm et pour les zones usées Ra-3D = 277,9 ± 29,4 nm ; ces valeurs sont comparables avec celles mesurées ex vivo. Ces résultats valident la machine de chocs comme un dispositif qui permet de reproduire et de comprendre les mécanismes d'endommagement des prothèses de hanche en biocéramique. Enfin, ces travaux expérimentaux nous permettront d'obtenir des résultats de référence et de les comparer à ceux qui découleront d'investigations autour de la modélisation multi-échelles

Long term variability of the blazar PKS 2155-304

International audienceTime variability of the photon flux is a known feature of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and in particular of blazars. The high frequency peaked BL Lac (HBL) object PKS 2155-304 is one of the brightest sources in the TeV band and has been monitored regularly with different instruments and in particular with the H.E.S.S. experiment above 200 GeV for more than 11 years. These data together with the observations of other instruments and monitoring programs like SMARTS (optical), Swift-XRT/RXTE/XMM-Newton (X-ray) and Fermi-LAT (100 MeV < E < 300 GeV) are used to characterize the variability of this object in the quiescent state over a wide energy range. Variability studies are made by looking at the lognormality of the light curves and at the fractional root mean square (rms) variability F var in several energy bands. Lognormality is found in every energy range and the evolution of F var with the energy shows a similar increase both in X-rays and in TeV bands

Structural transformations of bioactive glass 45S5next term with thermal treatments

International audienceWe report on the structural transformations of Bioglass® during thermal treatments. Just after the glassy transition, at 550 °C, a glassy phase separation occurs at 580 °C, with the appearance of one silicate- and one phosphate-rich phase. It is followed by the crystallization of the major phase Na2CaSi2O6, from 610 to 700 °C and of the secondary phase, silico-rhenanite, at 800 °C. The latter evolves from the phosphate-rich glassy phase, which is still present after the first crystallization. In order to control the processing of glass-ceramic products from Bioglass®, crystallization kinetics were studied via differential scanning calorimetry measurements in the range of 620–700 °C and temperature–time–transformation curves were established

Respective roles of organic and mineral components of human cortical bone matrix in micromechanical behavior: An instrumented indentation study

International audienceBone is a multiscale composite material made of both a type I collagen matrix and a poorly crystalline apatite mineral phase. Due to remodeling activity, cortical bone is made of Bone Structural Units (BSUs) called osteons. Since osteon represents a fundamental level of structural hierarchy, it is important to investigate the relationship between mechanical behavior and tissue composition at this scale for a better understanding of the mechanisms of bone fragility. The aim of this study is to analyze the links between ultrastructural properties and the mechanical behavior of bone tissue at the scale of osteon. Iliac bone biopsies were taken from untreated postmenopausal osteoporotic women, embedded, sectioned and microradiographed to assess the degree of mineralization of bone (DMB). On each section, BSUs of known DMB were indented with relatively high load (∼500 mN) to determine local elastic modulus (E), contact hardness (Hc) and true hardness(H) of several bone lamellae. Crystallinity and collagen maturity were measured by Fourier Transform InfraRed Microspectroscopy (FTIRM) on the same BSUs. Inter-relationships between mechanical properties and ultrastructural components were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. This study showed that elastic deformation was only explained by DMB whereas plastic deformation was more correlated with collagen maturity. Contact hardness, reflecting both elastic and plastic behaviors, was correlated with both DMB and collagen maturity. Norelationship was found between crystallinity and mechanical properties at the osteon level

Evidence for the formation of distorted nanodomains involved in the phase transformation of stabilized zirconia by coupling convergent beam electron diffraction and in situ TEM nanoindentation

International audienceThe transformation of zirconia from its tetragonal to its monoclinic phase is an important feature of the zirconia system. First found to be an advantage due to its important toughening effect, it can also be very detrimental when it occurs in the framework of low-temperature degradation, particularly in the case of biomaterial applications. One way to avoid or to control this phase transformation is to understand how it initiates and more particularly the stress states that can trigger it. A new technique available inside a transmission electron microscope seems to be particularly well suited for that type of study: convergent beam electron diffraction, a well-known technique to reveal stresses, was coupled to in situ transmission electron microscopy mechanical nanoindentation. The experiments reveal the presence of sheared nanoregions at grain boundaries. These could act as embryos for tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformations. This is an important first step in the understanding of the earliest stage of zirconia phase transformation

Accurate characterization of pure silicon-substituted hydroxyapatite powders synthesized by a new precipitation route

International audienceThis paper presents a new aqueous precipitation method to prepare silicon-substituted hydroxyapatites Ca10(PO4)6-y(SiO4)y(OH)2-y(VOH)2-y (SiHAs) and details the characterization of powders with varying Si content up to y = 1.25 mol molSiHA−1. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to accurately characterize samples calcined at 400°C for 2 h and 1000°C for 15 h. This method allows the synthesis of monophasic SiHAs with controlled stoichiometry. The theoretical maximum limit of incorporation of Si into the hexagonal apatitic structure is y < 1.5. This limit depends on the OH content in the channel, which is a function of the Si content, temperature and atmosphere of calcination. These results, particularly those from infrared spectroscopy, raise serious reservations about the phase purity of previously prepared and biologically evaluated SiHA powders, pellets and scaffolds in the literature

What future for zirconia as a biomaterial ?

International audienceThe failure events of Prozyr® femoral heads in 2001-2002 have opened a strong, controversial issue on the future of zirconia as a biomaterial. The aim of this paper is to review and analyze the current knowledge on ageing process and on its effect on the long term performance of implants in order to distinguish between scientific facts and speculation. Current state of the art shows the strong variability of zirconia to in vivo degradation, as a consequence of the strong influence of processing on ageing process. As different zirconia from different vendors have different process related microstructure, there is a need to assess their ageing sensitivity with advanced and accurate techniques, and ISO standards should be modified, especially to gain confidence from clinicians. There is a trend today to develop alumina-zirconia composites as an alternative to monolithic alumina and zirconia: the issue of ageing is also discussed for these composites

生体材料としてのジルコニアの未来は何か?

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The H.E.S.S. Extragalactic Sky

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