Comparing Monofractal and Multifractal Analysis of Corrosion Damage Evolution in Reinforcing Bars

Based on fractal theory and damage mechanics, the aim of this paper is to describe the monofractal and multifractal characteristics of corrosion morphology and develop a new approach to characterize the nonuniform corrosion degree of reinforcing bars. The relationship between fractal parameters and tensile strength of reinforcing bars are discussed. The results showed that corrosion mass loss ratio of a bar cannot accurately reflect the damage degree of the bar. The corrosion morphology of reinforcing bars exhibits both monofractal and multifractal features. The fractal dimension and the tensile strength of corroded steel bars exhibit a power function relationship, while the width of multifractal spectrum and tensile strength of corroded steel bars exhibit a linear relationship. By comparison, using width of multifractal spectrum as multifractal damage variable not only reflects the distribution of corrosion damage in reinforcing bars, but also reveals the influence of nonuniform corrosion on the mechanical properties of reinforcing bars. The present research provides a new approach for the establishment of corrosion damage constitutive models of reinforcing bars

Higher prevalence of smoking and lower BMI, waist circumference, cholesterol and triacylglyceride levels in Prague's homeless compared to a majority of the Czech population

BACKGROUND: Homeless people have higher morbidity and mortality rates than the general population. Research has shown that cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in older homeless adults. This study was undertaken to describe the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in the homeless population in Prague. METHODS: Data was obtained from a cross-sectional study carried out in 2003. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerides (TAG) and smoking habits were assessed. The homeless participants in the study were recruited from a homeless center run by a Prague charitable organization called Naděje ("Hope") and at Prague's main railway station. Most participants were assessed at the Naděje center (134 persons) while the rest were assessed at Prague's Bulovka University Hospital (67 persons). RESULTS: A total of 201 homeless (174 males and 27 females) aged 19 – 70 years were examined. Mean values of BMI, WC, TC and TAG in homeless men and women were within normal limits. Compared with the majority of the Czech population, the homeless had significantly lower mean levels of TC and TAG and lower BMI and WC values. When compared to the majority of the Czech population, the incidence of smoking among the homeless was significantly higher. Among smokers in both populations, no differences were found in the number of cigarettes smoked per day. CONCLUSION: Classical cardiovascular risk factors such as TC, TAG, BMI and WC, are significantly lower in Prague's homeless minority than in the majority of the Czech population. However, the prevalence of smoking is much higher in the homeless population

PREDICTION OF FRACTURE TOUGHNESS TRANSITION FROM TENSILE TEST DATA APPLYING NEURAL NETWORKS

Reference temperature localizing the fracture toughness temperature diagram on temperature axis was predicted based on tensile test data. Regularization artificial neural network (ANN) was adjusted to solve the interrelation of these properties. For analyses, 29 data sets from low-alloy steels were applied. The fracture toughness transition dependence was quantified by means of master curve concept enabling to represent it using one parameter - reference temperature. Different strength and deformation characteristics from standard tensile specimens and notched specimens, instrumented ball indentation test etc. have been applied. A very promising correlation of predicted and experimentally determined values of reference temperature was found

Effect of hybrid polymer coating of Bioglass® foams on mechanical response during tensile loading

A simplified two-dimensional finite elements model was created for a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) coated BioglassH strut undergoing tensile stresses (loading mode I). The strengthening contributions due to the infiltration of coating into surface cracks and coating's stiffness were evaluated in terms of stress intensity factor KI and tensile stresses σyy in the proximity of the crack tip. The infiltration of the coating until the crack tip resulted as themost effective criterion for the struts strengthening. BioglassH based scaffolds were dip coated into PVA and PVA/microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) aqueous solutions and tested in tensile load. Coated samples exhibited remarkably higher tensile strength than non-coated ones, which further raised with the increased amount of MFC. Contact angle θ and linear viscosity n measurements of PVA/MFCsolutions showedthatMFCcauseda reduction inh andadrastic increase in θ, indicating that a balance between these two effects must be achieved

The Susceptibility of Local Parameters to Steel Microstructure Evaluated Using Charpy Type Specimen

Accepting the Beremin approach to the analysis of cleavage failure criteria the local fracture parameters have been calculated using FEM for Charpy type specimen. Two types of model ferritic microstructures have been selected for presentation differing by carbide thickness and scatter of fracture toughness data. For the microstructures investigated the Weibull stresses (location parameters) were related to cleavage fracture stresses determined supposing deterministic nature of cleavage fracture events at initiation. The results of static three point bending and low blow impact testing were used for these purposes. Microstructural and microfractographic reasons for scatter of data were determined. Relation of microstructural and microfractographic features to local fracture criteria was analysed

Preparation of Silicon Oxycarbide Composites Toughened by Inorganic Fibers via Pyrolysis of Precursor Siloxane Composites

The optimization of silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) synthesis (sol-gel/pyrolysis) is described, starting from methyltriethoxysilane, dimethyldiethoxysilane, tetraethoxysilane, ethyltriethoxysilane and propyltriethoxysilane. Variation of final elemental composition was tested via change of monomer ratios and combinations. The main aim was to achieve low weight losses during cure and pyrolysis and high micromechanical properties. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy was used to analyse the by-products of cure and pyrolysis, indicating a prominent role of cyclosiloxane and polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) oligomers. Best results were obtained with high contents of methyltriethoxysilane in the monomers mixture

Toughened and machinable glass matrix composites reinforced with graphene and graphene-oxide nano platelets

The processing conditions for preparing well dispersed silica–graphene nanoplatelets and silica–graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GONP) composites were optimized using powder and colloidal processing routes. Fully dense silica–GONP composites with up to 2.5 vol% loading were consolidated using spark plasma sintering. The GONP aligned perpendicularly to the applied pressure during sintering. The fracture toughness of the composites increased linearly with increasing concentration of GONP and reached a value of ~0.9 MPa m1/2 for 2.5 vol% loading. Various toughening mechanisms including GONP necking, GONP pull-out, crack bridging, crack deflection and crack branching were observed. GONP decreased the hardness and brittleness index (BI) of the composites by ~30 and ~50% respectively. The decrease in BI makes silica–GONP composites machinable compared to pure silica. When compared to silica–Carbon nanotube composites, silica–GONP composites show better process-ability and enhanced mechanical properties