New global communication process in thermodynamics and its impact on quality of published experimental data

Thermodynamic data are a key resource in the search for new relationships between properties of chemical systems that constitutes the basis of the scientific discovery process. In addition, thermodynamic information is critical for development and improvement of all chemical process technologies. Historically, peer-reviewed journals are the major source of this information obtained by experimental measurement or prediction. Technological advances in measurement science have propelled enormous growth in the scale of published thermodynamic data (almost doubling every 10 years). This expansion has created new challenges in data validation at all stages of the data delivery process. Despite the peer-review process, problems in data validation have led, in many instances, to publication of data that are grossly erroneous and, at times, inconsistent with the fundamental laws of nature. A new global data communication process in thermodynamics and its impact in addressing these challenges, as well as in streamlining the delivery of the thermodynamic data from “data producers” to “data users” will be discussed

ADAPTING A GENERALIZED PLASTICITY MODEL TO REPRODUCE THE STRESS-STRAIN RESPONSE OF SILTY SOILS FORMING THE VENICE LAGOON BASIN

A Generalized Plasticity model, originally developed for the analysis of sandy soil behaviour, is modified in order to properly simulate the stress-strain response of a wide class of non-active natural soils, forming the upper profile of the Venice Lagoon basin. The main modification consists in introducing a state-dependent dilatancy, which allows proper modelling of granular soils over a wide range of pressures and densities, fulfilling at the same time basic premises of critical state soil mechanics. Moreover, according to recent developments on the isotropic compression of granular soils, few adjustments are introduced in the plastic modulus expression. The approach is validated by comparing the model predictions with experimental data obtained from drained triaxial compression tests on natural and reconstituted samples of soils having different fine contents