Cumulonimbus convection and large-scale shower rainfall

Imperial Users onl

The Dynamics of Store Hour Changes and Consumption Behavior: Results of a Longitudinal Study of Consumer Attitudes toward Saturday Shopping in Germany

Americans who travel internationally are often shocked to discover retail outlets closed during weekend and evening hours in cities such as Paris, Rome and Berlin. Fortunately, based on the implicit assumption that demand clearly exists, retailers at various locations throughout the globe have increased their hours of operation. While political debate regarding a variety of issues (costs, the rights of labor, religion, etc.) often rages, there has been an implicit assumption that latent demand for longer hours of operation exists. Our study investigates through a longitudinal examination consumer perceptions of Saturday shopping in a country where such an activity was previously restricted. Specifically, we study perceptions of Saturday shopping among a sample of German college students who were raised with limited Saturday shopping hours. Data were gathered in 1996 – the year German legislation allowed expanded hours for retailers – and again in 1999, and comparisons are made. Strong differences are found between consumer attitudes towards Saturday shopping at the time of expansion and three years later, indicating the need for differentiating retail strategies in Germany and in other parts of the world that may soon be providing similar expanded retail access.Agribusiness,

Rebuilding by Design in Post-Sandy New York

What is the scope for local planning in large-scale infrastructure projects today? Stephen J. Collier, Savannah Cox, and Kevin Grove explore the multiple publics of flood control in New York Cit

Multi-scale modelling of moisture diffusion coupled with stress distribution in CFRP laminated composites

Laminated composite structures operating in a marine environment are subject to moisture ingress. Due to the slow diffusion process of moisture, the distribution of moisture is not uniform so that the laminates can develop hygrothermal stresses. An accurate prediction of the moisture concentration and the associated hygrothermal stress is vital to the understanding of the effect of marine environment on failure initiation. The present paper investigates the time-dependent moisture diffusion and the stress distribution in carbon fibre reinforced polymeric (CFRP) composites by means of experimental study and Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Samples were made from CFRP pre-preg autoclave-cured, and then immersed in fresh water and sea water at a constant 50 °C for accelerated moisture diffusion. Laminates with [0]16, [90]16, [±45]4s lay-up sequences were investigated. A multiscale 3D FEA model was developed to evaluate the interfacial stresses between polymer matrix and carbon fibre and the stress distribution in the composite laminates. The analysis revealed that both the stress distribution and stress level are time-dependent due to moisture diffusion, and the interphase between fibres and matrix plays an important role in both the process of moisture diffusion and the stress/strain transfer. The interlaminar shear stresses of the laminates induced by hygrothermal expansion exhibited a significant specimen edge effect. This is correlated with the experimental observations of the flexural failure of laminates

Effects of hygrothermal stress on the failure of CFRP composites

This paper investigates the hygrothermal effects on the failure mechanisms in bending of carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites. Accelerated diffusion testing was carried out by immersion at 50 °C constant temperature and 70 bar hydrostatic pressure to study the effects of fresh or sea water diffusion into pre-preg CFRP laminates. Consequently the composite laminates were tested in bending after 1 and 3 months’ immersion. A three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) model was developed to couple the moisture diffusion, hygrothermal expansion and bending. Optical and field emission scanning electronic microscope (SEM) were employed to analyse the failure mechanisms of CFRP composites in bending after immersion. The study showed that the mechanical properties are significantly reduced after short term immersion due to the edge effects, while the damage to the fibre/polymer interface becomes more significant to laminate degradation after longer-term immersion

The effects of unequal compressive/tensile moduli of composites

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of unequal compressive and tensile moduli of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites. The basic assumption is based on the statistics that the compressive modulus is a fraction lower than the tensile modulus. Data evaluated by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model, Classical Laminate Theory (CLT) model, and experiment are used to investigate these effects. The terms of compressive modulus are successfully introduced into the Tsai–Wu failure criterion for the production of failure envelops, into the Classical Beam Theory (CBT) and CLT for the investigation of flexural behaviour as well as the fibre microbuckling model for the analysis of compressive failure. The study shows that the failure criteria shift from stress domain to strain domain when the compressive modulus is considered, and the strain dominated failure criteria could generally provide more accurate prediction in composite material. Therefore it is proposed to apply strain dominated failure criteria for composite design, testing and certificate.Abstract This paper investigates the effects of unequal compressive and tensile moduli of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) composites. The basic assumption is based on the statistics that the compressive modulus is a fraction lower than the tensile modulus. Data evaluated by Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model, Classical Laminate Theory (CLT) model, and experiment are used to investigate these effects. The terms of compressive modulus are successfully introduced into the Tsai–Wu failure criterion for the production of failure envelops, into the Classical Beam Theory (CBT) and CLT for the investigation of flexural behaviour as well as the fibre microbuckling model for the analysis of compressive failure. The study shows that the failure criteria shift from stress domain to strain domain when the compressive modulus is considered, and the strain dominated failure criteria could generally provide more accurate prediction in composite material. Therefore it is proposed to apply strain dominated failure criteria for composite design, testing and certificate

Functions of Sport: a Study of Perceptions and Involvement

Sociolog

Mosaics of canopy openness induced by tropical cyclones in lowland rain forests with contrasting management histories in northeastern Australia

Tropical Cyclone 'Rona' crossed the coast of the Daintree lowlands of northeastern Australia in 1999. This study reports on its impact on forest canopy openness at six lowland rain forest sites with contrasting management histories (old-growth, selectively logged and regrowth). Percentage canopy openness was calculated from individual hemispherical photographs taken from marked points below the forest canopy at nine plots per site 3±4 mo before the cyclone, and at the same points a month afterwards. Before the cyclone, when nine sites were visited, canopy openness in old-growth and logged sites was similar, but significantly higher in regrowth forest. After the cyclone, all six revisited sites showed an increase in canopy openness, but the increase was very patchy amongst plots and sites and varied from insignificant to severe. The most severely impacted site was an old-growth one, the least impacted a logged one. Although proneness to impact was apparently related to forest management history (old-growth being the most impacted), underlying local topography may have had an equally strong influence in this case. It was concluded that the likelihood of severe impact may be determined at the landscape-scale by the interaction of anthropogenic with meteorological, physiographic and biotic factors. In the long term, such interactions may caution against pursuing forest management in cyclone-prone areas

Survey of southern Missouri Plethodontidae in Ozark caves

Plethodontidae is a large family of salamanders with a distribution ranging from eastern North Americato northern South America. Three genera and nine species occur in Missouri, most of which are typically found in cavesfor at least part of their lives. These species have been recorded to emerge from hibernation in early April and throughoutMay. This study shares the species abundance and diversity in ten Missouri Ozark caves: seven near St. Louis andthree near Springfield. Each cave was surveyed at least once between November 2021 and September 2022 using visualencounter surveys. Observational data were recorded without handling any individuals to minimize disturbance. Thethree caves near St. Louis had few to no salamanders present in early April, despite optimal weather conditions, buttended to have larger populations throughout the summer. Two caves near Springfield held at least a dozen individualsof multiple species in mid-April. Few individuals were recorded in the most southwestern cave sampled, potentiallydue to pollution or recent flooding. Our findings could aid others studying plethodontid salamanders to determine theprime conditions for emergence from hibernation, optimal habitats for different species in each cave zone, and potentialbiological or chemical impacts that could affect salamander abundance in caves