Analysis of the performance of under-sleeper pads in highspeed line transition zones

[EN] In many high-speed railway lines, the zones between embankments and structures may present some discontinuities, in terms of track geometry and track stiffness, which may create discomfort for passengers, induce deterioration of track and vehicle materials and even raise the risk of derailment to dangerous levels. In the attempt to attenuate the consequences of such problems, some solutions pointing at progressively changing the vertical stiffness in the railway track have been tested, such as transition zones or pads placed either between the rails and the sleepers or under the sleepers. The contribution of under-sleeper pads in transition regions and their effect on the railway infrastructure is specifically analysed in the present paper. The results obtained are of interest since they provide useful information for railway managers on infrastructure design and justify the need to implement such transition ones.Insa Franco, R.; Salvador Zuriaga, P.; Inarejos Mesa, J.; Medina González, L. (2014). Analysis of the performance of under-sleeper pads in highspeed line transition zones. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Transport. 167(2):63-77. doi:10.1680/tran.11.00033S6377167

Using waste to reduce slope erosion on road embankments

“Permission is granted by ICE Publishing to print one copy for personal use. Any other use of these PDF files is subject to reprint fees" (www.transport-ice.com). http://dx.doi.org/10.1680/tran.2006.159.1.15Urban waste may be used to reduce slope erosion of highway embankments. Whereas different kinds of compost have been tested in the USA for highway revegetation, sewage sludge has been used only for agricultural purposes. This paper presents the results of research carried out in order to study the viability of the application of sewage sludge compared with compost. Test areas measuring 4 m 3 5 m were constructed on a new highway embankment with 2 : 1 and 3 : 2 side slopes in the south of Spain. Crop cover and erosion were evaluated for plots with application of three dosages of compost and three dosages of sludge. Also, the costs of the proposed application are analysed. This treatment costs, on average, 0.24% of the budget for new roads infrastructure, and reduces soil loss by up to 30% on average. Based on these results, compost and sludge can be successfully used to reduce slope erosion on highway embankments. However, standards and specifications are required for their routine application.Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, Spai

Influence of highway 3D coordination on drivers' perception of horizontal curvature and available sight distance

"This paper is a preprint of a paper submitted to [journal] and is subject to Institution of Engineering and Technology Copyright. If accepted, the copy of record will be available at IET Digital Library"Drivers' road perception is an important human factor of comfort and safety on driving. Available sight distance of crest vertical curves superimposed on horizontal curves can be geometrically optimised by applying 3D coordination criteria. However, drivers might not perceive available sight distance improvements. Two approaches were used to investigate the effect of geometrical optimised design on perceived sharpness and visibility of isolated crest vertical curves overlapped with horizontal curves. A survey-based approach was used to evaluate subjective perception of 100 drivers. Three-dimensional renderings were displayed to subjects; who were asked to rank the curves by sharpness and sight distance. Moreover, 50 of those drivers previously participated on a driving simulation experiment involving the same curves, so objective driving data were collected too. Drivers' survey results indicate that driver's curve perception depends on the algebraic difference of grades while coordination of vertical and horizontal curves does not appear to affect this perception. On the other hand, the operating speeds on different curves were not statistically different from each other. Surprisingly, the operating speeds on a flat curve tended to be lower than on the vertical crest curves superimposed on the same horizontal curve. Likely causes are discussed in the paper.Moreno Chou, AT.; García García, A.; Camacho Torregrosa, FJ.; Llorca Garcia, C. (2013). Influence of highway 3D coordination on drivers' perception of horizontal curvature and available sight distance. IET Intelligent Transport Systems. 7(2):244-250. doi:10.1049/iet-its.2012.0146S24425072Hassan, Y., & Easa, S. M. (2000). Modeling of Required Preview Sight Distance. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 126(1), 13-20. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-947x(2000)126:1(13)García, A. (2004). Discussion of «Optimal Vertical Alignment Analysis for Highway Design» by T. F. Fwa, W. T. Chan, and Y. P. Sim. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 130(1), 138-138. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-947x(2004)130:1(138)Bidulka, S., Sayed, T., & Hassan, Y. (2002). Influence of Vertical Alignment on Horizontal Curve Perception: Phase I: Examining the Hypothesis. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1796(1), 12-23. doi:10.3141/1796-02Hassan, Y., Sayed, T., & Bidulka, S. (2002). Influence of Vertical Alignment on Horizontal Curve Perception: Phase II: Modeling Perceived Radius. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1796(1), 24-34. doi:10.3141/1796-03Hasan, M., Sayed, T., & Hassan, Y. (2005). Influence of vertical alignment on horizontal curve perception: effect of spirals and position of vertical curve. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 32(1), 204-212. doi:10.1139/l04-090Wang, F., & Easa, S. M. (2009). Validation of Perspective-View Concept for Estimating Road Horizontal Curvature. Journal of Transportation Engineering, 135(2), 74-80. doi:10.1061/(asce)0733-947x(2009)135:2(74)Bella, F. (2007). Parameters for Evaluation of Speed Differential. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2023(1), 37-43. doi:10.3141/2023-05Ben-Bassat, T., & Shinar, D. (2011). Effect of shoulder width, guardrail and roadway geometry on driver perception and behavior. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 43(6), 2142-2152. doi:10.1016/j.aap.2011.06.004Jia, L., Wang, J., & Lu, M. (2011). Using real-world data to calibrate a driving simulator measuring lateral driving behaviour. IET Intelligent Transport Systems, 5(1), 21-31. doi:10.1049/iet-its.2009.0094Antonson, H., Mårdh, S., Wiklund, M., & Blomqvist, G. (2009). Effect of surrounding landscape on driving behaviour: A driving simulator study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29(4), 493-502. doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.03.005Land, M. F., & Lee, D. N. (1994). Where we look when we steer. Nature, 369(6483), 742-744. doi:10.1038/369742a0Zuriaga, A. M. P., García, A. G., Torregrosa, F. J. C., & D’Attoma, P. (2010). Modeling Operating Speed and Deceleration on Two-Lane Rural Roads with Global Positioning System Data. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2171(1), 11-20. doi:10.3141/2171-02Kweon, B.-S., Ellis, C. D., Lee, S.-W., & Rogers, G. O. (2006). Large-Scale Environmental Knowledge. Environment and Behavior, 38(1), 72-91. doi:10.1177/001391650528009

Analysis of the residual safety level in R/C slabs with severe joist corrosion

An analysis until the failure on a series of one-way slabs with severe corrosion at the lower reinforcement of the R/C joists is presented. Different positions in the slab and number of damaged joists have been studied, obtaining the residual safety assessment in cases of slabs damaged by flexural failure mechanisms. Since the boundary conditions have proved decisive for obtaining the behavior, the damaged slab has been evaluated as part of the entire building, as precisely as possible, taking into account the different phases of the construction process and deterioration in time, and the complex behavior of concrete, steel and masonry. The results of the proposed methodology are consistent with the pathology of the observed cases. As a result of this study the authors propose practical recommendations to help in making decisions about the magnitude of the intervention, always necessary in this type of pathology.Vercher Sanchis, JM.; Gil Benso, E.; Mas Tomas, MDLA.; Cubel Arjona, FJ. (2014). Analysis of the residual safety level in R/C slabs with severe joist corrosion. Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities. 1-14. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000608S11

Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of blended cement concrete including carbonation and durability

The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0614-0Purpose Blended cements use waste products to replace Portland cement, the main contributor to CO2 emissions in concrete manufacture. Using blended cements reduces the embodied greenhouse gas emissions; however, little attention has been paid to the reduction in CO2 capture (carbonation) and durability. The aim of this study is to determine if the reduction in production emissions of blended cements compensates for the reduced durability and CO2 capture. Methods This study evaluates CO2 emissions and CO2 capture for a reinforced concrete column during its service life and after demolition and reuse as gravel filling material. Concrete depletion, due to carbonation and the unavoidable steel embedded corrosion, is studied, as this process consequently ends the concrete service life. Carbonation deepens progressively during service life and captures CO2 even after demolition due to the greater exposed surface area. In this study, results are presented as a function of cement replaced by fly ash (FA) and blast furnace slag (BFS). Results and discussion Concrete made with Portland cement, FA (35%FA), and BFS blended cements (80%BFS) captures 47, 41, and 20 % of CO2 emissions, respectively. The service life of blended cements with high amounts of cement replacement, like CEM III/A (50 % BFS), CEM III/B (80 % BFS), and CEMII/B-V (35%FA), was about 10%shorter, given the higher carbonation rate coefficient. Compared to Portland cement and despite the reduced CO2 capture and service life, CEM III/B emitted 20 % less CO2 per year. Conclusions To obtain reliable results in a life cycle assessment, it is crucial to consider carbonation during use and after demolition. Replacing Portland cement with FA, instead of BFS, leads to a lower material emission factor, since FA needs less processing after being collected, and transport distances are usually shorter. However, greater reductions were achieved using BFS, since a larger amount of cement can be replaced. Blended cements emit less CO2 per year during the life cycle of a structure, although a high cement replacement reduces the service life notably. If the demolished concrete is crushed and recycled as gravel filling material, carbonation can cut CO2 emissions by half. A case study is presented in this paper demonstrating how the results may be utilized.This research was financially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (research project BIA2011-23602). The authors thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and useful suggestions. The authors are also grateful for the thorough revision of the manuscript by Dr. Debra Westall.García Segura, T.; Yepes Piqueras, V.; Alcalá González, J. (2014). Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of blended cement concrete including carbonation and durability. International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment. 19(1):3-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-013-0614-0S312191Aïtcin PC (2000) Cements of yesterday and today: concrete of tomorrow. Cem Concr Res 30(9):1349–1359Angst U, Elsener B, Larsen C (2009) Critical chloride content in reinforced concrete—a review. Cement Concr Res 39(12):1122–1138Berge B (2000) The ecology of building materials. Architectural Press, OxfordBertolini L, Elsener B, Pedeferri P, Polder R (2004) Corrosion of Steel in Concrete—Prevention Diagnosis. Repair, Wiley-VCH, WeinheimBörjesson P, Gustavsson L (2000) Greenhouse gas balances in building construction: wood versus concrete from life cycle and forest land-use perspectives. 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European Commission, Hellerup: http://www.eco-serve.net/uploads/479998_baseline_report_final.pdf , accessed 10 September 2012European Federation of Concrete Admixtures Associations (2006) Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for Normal Plasticizing admixtures. Environmental Consultant, Sittard: http://www.efca.info/downloads/324%20ETG%20Plasticiser%20EPD.pdf , accessed 13 October 2012Galán I (2011) Carbonatación del hormigón: combinación de CO2. Dissertation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, SpainGalán I, Andrade C, Mora P, Sanjuan MA (2010) Sequestration of CO2 by concrete carbonation. Environ Sci Technol 44(8):3181–3186Flower DJM, Sanjayan JG (2007) Greenhouse gas emissions due to concrete manufacture. Int J Life Cycle Assess 12(5):282–288Guzmán S, Gálvez JC, Sancho JM (2011) Cover cracking of reinforced concrete due to rebar corrosion induced by chloride penetration. Cement Concr Res 41(8):893–902Houst YF, Wittmann FH (2002) Depth profiles of carbonates formed during natural carbonation. C Cement Concr Res 32(12):1923–1930Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (2010) Conversion factors of primary energy and CO2 emissions of 2010. M. Industria, Energía y Turismo, Madrid, Spain: http://www.idae.es/index.php/mod.documentos/mem.descarga?file=/documentos_Factores_Conversion_Energia_y_CO2_2010_0a9cb734.pdf , accessed 10 September 2012ISO (2005) ISO/TC 71—Business plan. Concrete, reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete. International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, SwitzerlandISO (2006) ISO 14040: Environmental management—life-cycle assessment—principles and framework. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, SwitzerlandJiang L, Lin B, Cai Y (2000) A model for predicting carbonation of high-volume fly ash concrete. 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Caloric beverage consumption patterns in Mexican children

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mexico has seen a very steep increase in child obesity level. Little is known about caloric beverage intake in this country as well as all other countries outside a few high income countries. This study examines overall patterns and trends in all caloric beverages from two nationally representative surveys from Mexico.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The two nationally representative dietary intake surveys (1999 and 2006) from Mexico are used to study caloric beverage intake in 17, 215 children. The volume (ml) and caloric energy (kcal) contributed by all beverages consumed by the sample subjects were measured. Results are weighted to be nationally representative.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The trends from the dietary intake surveys showed very large increases in caloric beverages among pre-school and school children. The contribution of whole milk and sugar-sweetened juices was an important finding. Mexican pre-school children consumed 27.8% of their energy from caloric beverages in 2006 and school children consumed 20.7% of their energy from caloric beverages during the same time. The three major categories of beverage intake are whole milk, fruit juice with various sugar and water combinations and carbonated and noncarbonated sugared-beverages.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Mexican government, greatly concerned about obesity, has identified the large increase in caloric beverages from whole milk, juices and soft drinks as a key target and is initiating major changes to address this problem. They have already used the data to shift 20 million persons in their welfare and feeding programs from whole to 1.5% fat milk and in a year will shift to nonfat milk. They are using these data to revise school beverage policies and national regulations and taxation policies related to an array of less healthful caloric beverages.</p

Antitumor activity against murine lymphoma L5178Y model of proteins from cacao (Theobroma cacao L.) seeds in relation with in vitro antioxidant activity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, proteins and peptides have become an added value to foodstuffs due to new knowledge about its structural analyses as related to antioxidant and anticancer activity. Our goal was to evaluate if protein fractions from cacao seeds show antitumor activity on lymphoma murine L5178Y model. The antioxidant activity of these fractions was also evaluated with the aim of finding a correlation with the antitumor activity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Differential extraction of proteins from unfermented and semi-fermented-dry cacao seeds was performed and characterized by SDS-PAGE and FPLC size-exclusion chromatography. Antitumor activity was evaluated against murine lymphoma L5178Y in BALB/c mice (6 × 10⁴cells i.p.), with a treatment oral dose of 25 mg/kg/day of each protein fraction, over a period of 15 days. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by the ABTS⁺and ORAC-FL assays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Albumin, globulin and glutelin fractions from both cacao seed type were obtained by differential solubility extraction. Glutelins were the predominant fraction. In the albumin fraction, polypeptides of 42.3 and 8.5 kDa were found in native conditions, presumably in the form of two peptide chains of 21.5 kDa each one. The globulin fraction presented polypeptides of 86 and 57 kDa in unfermented cacao seed that produced the specific-cacao aroma precursors, and after fermentation the polypeptides were of 45 and 39 kDa. The glutelin fraction presented proteins >200 kDa and globulins components <100 KDa in lesser proportion. Regarding the semifermented-dry cacao seed, it was observed that the albumin fraction showed antitumoral activity, since it caused significant decreases (p < 0.05) in the ascetic fluid volume and packed cell volume, inhibiting cell growth in 59.98 ± 13.6% at 60% of the population; while the greatest antioxidant capacity due to free radical scavenging capacity was showed by the albumin and glutelin fraction in both methods assayed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study is the first report on the biological activity of semifermented-dry cacao protein fractions with their identification, supporting the traditional use of the plant. The albumin fraction showed antitumor and free radical scavenging capacity, however both activities were not correlated. The protein fractions could be considered as source of potential antitumor peptides.</p

Optimization of concrete I-beams using a new hybrid glowworm swarm algorithm

In this paper a new hybrid glowworm swarm algorithm (SAGSO) for solving structural optimization problems is presented. The structure proposed to be optimized here is a simply-supported concrete I-beam defined by 20 variables. Eight different concrete mixtures are studied, varying the compressive strength grade and compacting system. The solutions are evaluated following the Spanish Code for structural concrete. The algorithm is applied to two objective functions, namely the embedded CO2 emissions and the economic cost of the structure. The ability of glowworm swarm optimization (GSO) to search in the entire solution space is combined with the local search by Simulated Annealing (SA) to obtain better results than using the GSO and SA independently. Finally, the hybrid algorithm can solve structural optimization problems applied to discrete variables. The study showed that large sections with a highly exposed surface area and the use of conventional vibrated concrete (CVC) with the lower strength grade minimize the CO2 emissionsGarcía Segura, T.; Yepes Piqueras, V.; Martí Albiñana, JV.; Alcalá González, J. (2014). Optimization of concrete I-beams using a new hybrid glowworm swarm algorithm. Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures. 11(7):1190-1205. doi:10.1590/S1679-78252014000700007S11901205117Alinia Ahandani, M., Vakil Baghmisheh, M. T., Badamchi Zadeh, M. A., & Ghaemi, S. (2012). Hybrid particle swarm optimization transplanted into a hyper-heuristic structure for solving examination timetabling problem. Swarm and Evolutionary Computation, 7, 21-34. doi:10.1016/j.swevo.2012.06.004Chen, S.-M., Sarosh, A., & Dong, Y.-F. (2012). Simulated annealing based artificial bee colony algorithm for global numerical optimization. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 219(8), 3575-3589. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2012.09.052Collins, F. (2010). Inclusion of carbonation during the life cycle of built and recycled concrete: influence on their carbon footprint. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 15(6), 549-556. doi:10.1007/s11367-010-0191-4Dutta, R., Ganguli, R., & Mani, V. (2011). Swarm intelligence algorithms for integrated optimization of piezoelectric actuator and sensor placement and feedback gains. Smart Materials and Structures, 20(10), 105018. doi:10.1088/0964-1726/20/10/105018Fan, S.-K. S., & Zahara, E. (2007). A hybrid simplex search and particle swarm optimization for unconstrained optimization. European Journal of Operational Research, 181(2), 527-548. doi:10.1016/j.ejor.2006.06.034García-Segura, T., Yepes, V., & Alcalá, J. (2013). Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of blended cement concrete including carbonation and durability. The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, 19(1), 3-12. doi:10.1007/s11367-013-0614-0Gong, Q. Q., Zhou, Y. Q., & Yang, Y. (2010). Artificial Glowworm Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Solving 0-1 Knapsack Problem. Advanced Materials Research, 143-144, 166-171. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.143-144.166Hare, W., Nutini, J., & Tesfamariam, S. (2013). A survey of non-gradient optimization methods in structural engineering. Advances in Engineering Software, 59, 19-28. doi:10.1016/j.advengsoft.2013.03.001He, S., Prempain, E., & Wu, Q. H. (2004). An improved particle swarm optimizer for mechanical design optimization problems. Engineering Optimization, 36(5), 585-605. doi:10.1080/03052150410001704854Karaboga, D., & Basturk, B. (2008). On the performance of artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. Applied Soft Computing, 8(1), 687-697. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2007.05.007Khan, K., & Sahai, A. (2012). A Glowworm Optimization Method for the Design of Web Services. International Journal of Intelligent Systems and Applications, 4(10), 89-102. doi:10.5815/ijisa.2012.10.10Kicinger, R., Arciszewski, T., & Jong, K. D. (2005). Evolutionary computation and structural design: A survey of the state-of-the-art. Computers & Structures, 83(23-24), 1943-1978. doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2005.03.002Kirkpatrick, S., Gelatt, C. D., & Vecchi, M. P. (1983). Optimization by Simulated Annealing. Science, 220(4598), 671-680. doi:10.1126/science.220.4598.671Koide, R. M., França, G. von Z. de, & Luersen, M. A. (2013). An ant colony algorithm applied to lay-up optimization of laminated composite plates. Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures, 10(3), 491-504. doi:10.1590/s1679-78252013000300003Krishnanand, K. N., & Ghose, D. (2009). Glowworm swarm optimisation: a new method for optimising multi-modal functions. International Journal of Computational Intelligence Studies, 1(1), 93. doi:10.1504/ijcistudies.2009.025340Li, L. J., Huang, Z. B., & Liu, F. (2009). A heuristic particle swarm optimization method for truss structures with discrete variables. Computers & Structures, 87(7-8), 435-443. doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2009.01.004Liao, W.-H., Kao, Y., & Li, Y.-S. (2011). A sensor deployment approach using glowworm swarm optimization algorithm in wireless sensor networks. Expert Systems with Applications, 38(10), 12180-12188. doi:10.1016/j.eswa.2011.03.053Luo, Q. F., & Zhang, J. L. (2011). Hybrid Artificial Glowworm Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Solving Constrained Engineering Problem. Advanced Materials Research, 204-210, 823-827. doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.204-210.823Martí, J. V., Gonzalez-Vidosa, F., Yepes, V., & Alcalá, J. (2013). Design of prestressed concrete precast road bridges with hybrid simulated annealing. Engineering Structures, 48, 342-352. doi:10.1016/j.engstruct.2012.09.014Martinez-Martin, F. J., Gonzalez-Vidosa, F., Hospitaler, A., & Yepes, V. (2013). A parametric study of optimum tall piers for railway bridge viaducts. 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Applied Mathematics and Computation, 218(8), 4365-4383. doi:10.1016/j.amc.2011.10.012Sideris, K. K., & Anagnostopoulos, N. S. (2013). Durability of normal strength self-compacting concretes and their impact on service life of reinforced concrete structures. Construction and Building Materials, 41, 491-497. doi:10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2012.12.042Valdez, F., Melin, P., & Castillo, O. (2011). An improved evolutionary method with fuzzy logic for combining Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithms. Applied Soft Computing, 11(2), 2625-2632. doi:10.1016/j.asoc.2010.10.010Wang, H., Sun, H., Li, C., Rahnamayan, S., & Pan, J. (2013). Diversity enhanced particle swarm optimization with neighborhood search. Information Sciences, 223, 119-135. doi:10.1016/j.ins.2012.10.012Yepes, V., Gonzalez-Vidosa, F., Alcala, J., & Villalba, P. (2012). CO2-Optimization Design of Reinforced Concrete Retaining Walls Based on a VNS-Threshold Acceptance Strategy. Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering, 26(3), 378-386. doi:10.1061/(asce)cp.1943-5487.000014