Effect of Testing Rate on Adhesion Properties of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber/Standard Malaysian Rubber Blend-Based Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive

The dependence of loop tack, peel strength, and shear strength of NBR/SMR L blend-based pressure-sensitive adhesives on the rate of testing was investigated using coumarone-indene resin and toluene as the tackifier and solvent, respectively. A 40% NBR content in the NBR/SMR L blend was used throughout the experiment.The adhesion properties weremeasured by a Lloyd Adhesion Tester operating at different rates of testing. The result indicates that loop tack, peels strength, and shear strength increase with the rate of testing due to the viscoelastic response of the adhesive. At low testing rate, the failure mode is cohesive in nature whereas adhesion failure mode occurs at higher testing rates. Adhesion properties also increase with the increase in adhesive coating thickness, an observation which is attributed to the wettability of the adhesive and viscoelastic behavior of the rubber blend

Dependence of Adhesion Property of Epoxidized Natural Rubber (ENR 25)/Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Rubber Blend Adhesives Crosslinked by Benzoyl Peroxide

The loop tack, peel strength, and shear strength of crosslinked epoxidized natural rubber (ENR 25)/ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM) blend adhesives were investigated. Coumarone-indene resin, toluene, and benzoyl peroxide were used as the tackifier, solvent, and crosslinking agent, respectively, throughout the experiment. The adhesive was coated on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using a SHEEN hand coater at 6

Dependence of Adhesion Properties on Blend Ratio of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Rubber/Standard Malaysian Rubber Blend Adhesive

Viscosity, tack and, peel and shear strengths of ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM)/standard Malaysian rubber (SMR L) blend adhesive were studied using various blend ratios of the two rubbers, ranging from 0 to 100% EPDM. Coumarone-indene resin, toluene, and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) were used as the tackifier, solvent, and coating substrate, respectively. The tackifier content was fixed at 40 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr). A SHEEN hand coater was used to coat the adhesive on PET film at four coating thicknesses, that is, 30, 60, 90, and 12

Adhesion Properties of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene Rubber/Standard Malaysian Rubber Blend Based Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive

Viscosity and adhesion properties of NBR/SMR L blend based pressure-sensitive adhesive were investigated using coumaroneindene resin, toluene, and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) as tackifier, solvent, and coating substrate, respectively. Coumaroneindene resin content was fixed at 40 parts per hundred parts of rubber (phr) in the adhesive formulation.The ratio of NBR/SMR L blend used was 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100% of NBR content. Four different thicknesses, that is, 30, 60, 90, and 12

The influence of sediment compositions on the decline of Metapenaeus dalli in a temperate Australian estuary

Abundances of the western school prawn (Metapenaeus dalli) in the Swan-Canning Estuary have declined markedly in the last fifty years. Together with the decrease in abundance, there is strong anecdotal evidence from recreational fishers that the spatial distribution of this penaeid has changed as this species no longer being caught in the middle and upper reaches of the estuary. This is a marked shift in distribution, as work conducted in the 1980s showed that individuals of this species moved upstream from the lower reaches of estuary once salinity in these upstream areas reached 30. While, declining rainfall has resulted in these waters being more saline, our data show that these reaches are not utilised to the same extent by individuals of M. dalli. The research presented in this poster investigates the hypothesis that changes in sediment composition may be responsible for this shift in the spatial and temporal use of the estuary by this species. The implications of this research on the restocking program for M. dalli are discussed

Assessing the sediment preference of a penaeid prawn to inform release strategies

The abundance of the Western School Prawn (Metapenaeus dalli) declined markedly in the Swan-Canning Estuary after the 1960s, resulting in the initiation of a restocking program in 2012. Further to the decline in abundance, anecdotal evidence from recreational fishers indicated that there had been a spatial shift in the distribution of this prawn. To test the hypothesis that a change in sediment composition may be responsible, the density of M. dalli, recorded monthly between October 2013 and August 2014, was correlated against sediment organic matter content and grain size distribution. Densities of M. dalli were found to differ among sediment types in summer, but not winter. Controlled laboratory experiments were used to investigate whether M. dalli exhibited a preference for sediments from either the upper or lower reaches of their distribution within the estuary. Prawns exhibited a preference for nearshore and offshore sediments that contained a lower percentage contribution of larger grain sizes and/or a higher percentage contribution of finer grain sizes, i.e. sediments from the lower rather than upper reaches. These experiments also revealed that emergence and activity rates of M. dalli are strongly related to photoperiod, with individuals preferring to remain buried during daylight hours and become active during darkness. Visual observations also indicated that the prawns were able to bury more rapidly in finer than coarse sediments, thus reducing their length of exposure to predators. The implications of these findings on the current restocking program for M. dalli in the Swan-Canning Estuary are discussed

Estimating predation rates of restocked individuals: The influence of timing-of-release on metapenaeid survival

Abstract The success of aquaculture-based enhancement programs is greatly influenced by the survival of released individuals. Immediate post-release mortality through predation is one of the greatest obstacles to the success of releases, and the choice of a release site or time-of-release can be critical in maximising survival. This paper develops a quantitative method of estimating predation rate to inform release programs, and describes its use in determining whether hatchery-reared Western School Prawns Metapenaeus dalli should be released into the Swan-Canning Estuary in temperate south-western Australia during the night or day. Fish faunal composition was determined during the day and night, both before and after the release of ∼130,000 postlarval M. dalli. Far greater numbers of species and individuals were recorded at night. Stomach contents of 16 abundant teleost species were estimated volumetrically (%V) and any postlarval M. dalli counted. Although diet varied among species, diel phase and size class, crustaceans (including M. dalli) were a key dietary component (>10%V) of 12 species. The data on the abundance of these fish species and the number of M. dalli they consumed were combined and bootstrapped to estimate the total relative number of M. dalli consumed at the time-of-release. The results indicated that while six species consumed M. dalli, two species, Ostorhinchus rueppellii (Apogonidae) and Atherinomorus vaigiensis (Atherinidae), were responsible for ∼99% of the predation, and that the total number of postlarval prawns consumed was 288% higher at night than in the day. These findings suggest that releasing M. dalli during the day will greatly reduce predation and consequently allow a greater survival rate at this release site. The simple methodology developed here could be readily employed to inform release strategies for other species

Influence of physico-chemical and biotic factors on the distribution of a penaeid in a temperate estuary

The distribution, abundance and size structure of a penaeid with tropical affinities (Metapenaeus dalli) was investigated in a temperate, microtidal estuary in south-western Australia. Sampling was conducted every lunar month for two years at 20 sites across five regions (nine subregions) in nearshore waters by hand trawl, and at 16 sites across four regions (eight subregions) in offshore waters by otter trawl. Densities of M. dalli changed markedly seasonally, with greatest values recorded in nearshore waters from October to February, and in offshore waters from March to July. These densities also varied spatially, with the highest recorded in the Lower Canning, Middle Swan, and Upper Melville Water regions. Spearman's rank correlation showed a positive relationship between the density of M. dalli in nearshore waters and surface water temperature in all nine subregions, whilst densities of M. dalli in offshore waters were negatively correlated with bottom water temperature in most of the estuary; these correlations reflect the movement of adult prawns into shallow waters for breeding in summer, as well as the subsequent recruitment and movement back into deeper waters over the winter months. Mean carapace lengths remained relatively unchanged over the late autumn and winter months (May to August), before rapidly increasing with temperature in late spring. The spatial and temporal distribution of M. dalli differed significantly from those of other crustaceans in the estuary, particularly the penaeid Penaeus latisulcatus, which was concentrated mainly in the Lower and Upper Melville Water regions. The distribution of M. dalli was statistically indistinct from that of the apogonid Ostorhinchus rueppellii, which predates heavily on postlarval M. dalli, and very similar to those of two scyphozoans, Aurelia aurita and Phyllorhiza punctata, that likely predate on larval M. dalli. These findings highlight the partitioning of species within the estuary and the significance of site selection for maximising the post-release survival of hatchery-reared M. dalli produced by aquaculture-based enhancement programs

An EnergyPlus whole building energy model calibration method for office buildings using occupant behavior data mining and empirical data

This paper proposes a method comprising procedures to calibrate an EnergyPlus whole building energy model. An occupant behavior data mining procedure is developed and tested in an office building. Workday occupancy schedules are generated by mining the office appliance energy consumption data. Hourly and monthly power, energy, and temperature data are collected and used for lighting, equipment and HVAC systems energy performance calibration. The result shows a 1.27% mean bias error for the total annual energy use intensity. The proposed calibration method provides a scientific and systematic framework to conduct high accuracy EnergyPlus model calibration