25 research outputs found

    Study of Surfactant Additives for the Manufacture of Warm Mix Asphalt: From Laboratory Design to Asphalt Plant Manufacture

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    Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA), manufactured at a lower temperature than the traditional Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA), allows for important economic and environmental benefits when considered for application in roads. Nonetheless, despite the benefits, its application in pavement for roads is not as widespread as desired from an environmental point of view; more in-depth studies to investigate its development and wider applicability are required. Thus, the present paper aims to contribute to the implementation of this cleaner technology to produce WMA (based on chemical additives) for its application in pavement for roads, including from the stage of the design of the material in the laboratory (by selecting the most appropriate manufacturing temperature and additive type and dosage) to its production in a conventional industrial plant for its use in a trial section. Results demonstrate that it is possible to reduce the manufacturing temperature of asphalt mixtures by using chemical additives, recording similar mechanical behaviour (or even superior) to conventional hot mixtures when specific studies are developed for the optimal design of the WMA. It was also shown that these mixtures could be produced in a conventional asphalt plant without implementing important changes in equipment, which implies a cost-effective solution that can readily be incorporated into traditional plant procedures

    Reuse of Zeolite By-Products Derived from Petroleum Refining for Sustainable Roads

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    The reduction in consumption of natural resources (fuel, gas, etc.) and contaminant emissions (CO2, CO, NOx, etc.) during the production of asphalt mixtures has become one of the main challenges in road engineering. Warm mix asphalts (WMAs) have been developed in order to achieve this objective while ensuring the mechanical performance and durability of traditional hot mix asphalts (HMAs). However, these materials are commonly manufactured using additives or products whose production could reduce both their environmental benefits and cost effectiveness. /is paper presents a research study that aims to analyse the reuse of zeolite wastes derived from petroleum refining in the production of warm mix asphalts. For this purpose, two different types of zeolite wastes were analysed as additives for the manufacture of two warm mix asphalts, whose mechanical performance was compared with conventional WMA and hot mix asphalt. /e results indicate that zeolite wastes with a lower particles size presented higher capacity to absorb water, while its dosage at 0.3% allows for producing warm mix asphalts at temperatures around 145°C, with comparable workability and densification to conventional HMA at 165°C without reducing its bearing capacity, fatigue life, and resistance to water action and plastic deformation.“Soluciones de Pavimentación Ecológicamente Sostenibles: Ecoasfaltos” funded by the Ministry of Economy and Knowledge of Andalusia and the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain in the framework of CTA (Corporación Tecnológica de Andalucía)

    A Critical Review of Sensors for the Continuous Monitoring of Smart and Sustainable Railway Infrastructures

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    Real-time and continuous monitoring through smart sensors is considered to be the evolution of traditional track testing, enabling the earlier detection of the main failure modes that degrade railway tracks. Through carrying out preventive maintenance operations, infrastructure resources may be optimized, leading to smarter and more sustainable infrastructure. For this reason, under the larger goal of creating a synergy with various types of sensors for railway tracks, this article presents a critical review on the di erent, currently available sensors for smart and continuous monitoring. Specifically, the most appropriate monitoring technologies for each of the main railway track failure modes have been assessed and identified, thus deriving the advantages and capacities of each solution. Furthermore, this review presents some of the main experiences carried out to date in literature by using sensor technologies, such as strain gauges, piezoelectric sensors, fiber-optics, geophones and accelerometers. These technologies have proven to o er appropriate characteristics and accuracy for the continuous monitoring of a railway track’s structural state, being capable of measuring di erent parameters, such as deflections, deformations, stresses or accelerations that would permit the technical tracking of various forms of degradation

    GRIDMAT—A Sustainable Material Combining Mat and Geogrid Concept for Ballasted Railways

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    Under ballast mats (UBM) have demonstrated their capacity to reduce section stiffness and ballast degradation. However, UBM can cause ballast destabilisation under some circumstances due to excessive vertical track deflections, requiring the installation of geogrids over the mat which increases costs and time. As alternative to this solution, this paper shows the design of GridMat: a sustainable technology for ballasted railways that combines the concepts of geogrids and under ballast mats (UBM) manufactured from recycled crumb rubber. This aims to provide damping capacity while limiting the oscillations and settlement of ballast layer. To obtain the optimal GridMat design, five different configurations varying the aperture size and void areas were assessed through laboratory box tests reproducing the track section including the GridMat. Results showed that the optimal Gridmat was of 55 mm aperture seize and 25% void area. To evaluate the sustainability of this design, the expected number of conservation and renewal operations were calculated from full-scale laboratory tests and a life-cycle assessment and life-cycle cost analysis were undertaken. GridMat showed long-term reduction in ballast degradation and track settlement, reducing need for maintenance and renewal operations in comparison with standard mats.Spanish Government RTI2018-102124-J-IO

    High-Performance Sustainable Asphalt Mixtures for High-Volume Tra c Roads in Severe Climates

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    This paper summarizes the work carried out in a research project whose main objective was to develop high-performance sustainable bituminous materials (using crumb rubber and additives to reduce their manufacturing temperature) to be used in roads that support high tra c volumes and/or severe environmental conditions. For this purpose, various studies were conducted both in a laboratory and in a real asphalt plant (at binder and mixture level). Later, these materials were used to construct a trial section in a highway at a mountain pass (at more than 1400 m above sea level) supporting more than 2600 heavy vehicles each day under severe environmental conditions (snow during winter, and high temperatures and many hours of solar radiation during the summer). The results indicate the viability of using these materials, since they provide a number of advantages such as improved workability at lower temperatures and an increase in the mechanical resistance against the main sources of distress that a ect asphalt pavements

    Proceso de diseño : reflexión en torno a las herremientas teóricas, metodológicas y de interpretación

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    1 archivo PDF (172 páginas)Al cumplirse treinta años de ser fundada la División de diseño en el tiempo, distinguidos profesores de nuestra comunidad han elaborado doce ensayos para descifrar estas interrogantes en torno al proceso de diseño. Los textos que integran esta publicación necesariamente orientarán a profesionales, especialistas en la materia y por supuesto a los estudiantes de nuestra institución -así como de otras escuelas de educación superior que impartan las carreras de diseño gráfico, arquitectónico o industrial

    Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

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    Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

    Gestión del conocimiento: perspectiva multidisciplinaria. Volumen 12

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    El libro “Gestión del Conocimiento. Perspectiva Multidisciplinaria”, Volumen 12, de la Colección Unión Global, es resultado de investigaciones. Los capítulos del libro, son resultados de investigaciones desarrolladas por sus autores. El libro cuenta con el apoyo de los grupos de investigación: Universidad Sur del Lago “Jesús María Semprúm” (UNESUR), Zulia – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Falcón Alonso Gamero (UPTAG), Falcón – Venezuela; Universidad Politécnica Territorial de Mérida Kleber Ramírez (UPTM), Mérida – Venezuela; Universidad Guanajuato (UG) - Campus Celaya - Salvatierra - Cuerpo Académico de Biodesarrollo y Bioeconomía en las Organizaciones y Políticas Públicas (C.A.B.B.O.P.P), Guanajuato – México; Centro de Altos Estudios de Venezuela (CEALEVE), Zulia – Venezuela, Centro Integral de Formación Educativa Especializada del Sur (CIFE - SUR) - Zulia - Venezuela, Centro de Investigaciones Internacionales SAS (CIN), Antioquia - Colombia.y diferentes grupos de investigación del ámbito nacional e internacional que hoy se unen para estrechar vínculos investigativos, para que sus aportes científicos formen parte de los libros que se publiquen en formatos digital e impreso

    Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

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    Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection ar

    Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Mixes Incorporating Waste Glass

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    This paper shows the results obtained in a research project that analyzes the mechanical performance of asphalt concrete containing waste glass as a substitute of part of the aggregate. The mechanical performance of an AC16S asphalt mix with different percentages of glass (0%, 8% and 15%) and different types of filler was assessed with the moisture sensitivity test, the stiffness modulus test, and the cyclic triaxial compression test in order to analyze their response to moisture action and plastic deformation as well as to calculate their stiffness modulus. Results show that the reuse of waste glass as a substitute for the sand fraction in low dosages (8%) produced asphalt mixes with mechanical properties that were suitable for road surfaces course, being the calcium carbonate the more appropriate filler
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