Indentation based strength analysis of adhesively bonded leading-edge composite joints in wind turbine blades.

Wind turbine is a source of non-polluting renewable energy. Whether a wind turbine is viable depends entirely on the structural integrity of turbine blade. To assess the structural integrity of wind turbine blades it is necessary to investigate the loading behaviour of adhesively bonded composite joints. Finite Element (FE) along with Cohesive Zone Modelling (CZM) methods were implemented to investigate the elastic indentation contact of adhesively bonded leading-edge composite joints in wind turbine blades. The CZM was validated by replicating existing experimental and numerical work on composite-to-adhesive bonds applied to wind turbine structures. This validated model was then used to investigate the structural integrity of a variety of leading-edge joint configurations, adhesive thicknesses and bond finishes under indentation. Numerical results showed that an off-centre adhesive joint configuration was desirable and capable of withstanding between 39-96% more load than centred joints. Direct indenter to adhesive contact was shown to reduce fracture resistance by up to 4.7%. An adhesive joint based on a lap joint configuration was proposed as an alternative to current designs

The beginning of time? Evidence for catastrophic drought in Baringo in the early nineteenth century

New developments in the collection of palaeo-data over the past two decades have transformed our understanding of climate and environmental history in eastern Africa. This article utilises instrumental and proxy evidence of historical lake-level fluctuations from Baringo and Bogoria, along with other Rift Valley lakes, to document the timing and magnitude of hydroclimate variability at decadal to century time scales since 1750. These data allow us to construct a record of past climate variation not only for the Baringo basin proper, but also across a sizable portion of central and northern Kenya. This record is then set alongside historical evidence, from oral histories gathered amongst the peoples of northern Kenya and the Rift Valley and from contemporary observations recorded by travellers through the region, to offer a reinterpretation of human activity and its relationship to environmental history in the nineteenth century. The results reveal strong evidence of a catastrophic drought in the early nineteenth century, the effects of which radically alters our historical understanding of the character of settlement, mobility and identity within the Baringo–Bogoria basin

From Romantic Gothic to Victorian Medievalism: 1817 and 1877

"The Cambridge History of the Gothic was conceived in 2015, when Linda Bree, then Editorial Director at Cambridge University Press, first suggested the idea to us

Hawley & Johnson Ltd.: plan of factory, 1920

Ground plan of Hawley & Johnson factory at Abbey Park Road, Leiceste

Plan 100-J W Spurway Semis 1915

Design for two semi-detached houses on Swithland Lane for client J W Spurway. Prepared by a Leicester firm which included Thomas H Fosbrooke, who had been resident on the Ridgeway from before 1911. Examples of architectural plans submitted by clients of Rothley Temple Estates

Benjamin Russell and Sons Ltd.: plans of extension to factory, 1924

Floor, basement and site plans and elevations of major extension to factor

Plan 116-RWay J A Hilton Motor Home 1920

Much more than a simple place to house a car at J A Hilton's house on the Ridgeway. This one has an electricity generating plant with associated Accumulator Room. Examples of architectural plans submitted by clients of Rothley Temple Estates

Hawley & Johnson Ltd.: plan of extension at North Bridge Works, 1914

Ground and site plans and elevations of single storey extension to North Bridge Work