Hannah Arendt on the Concept of “Evil”

Hannah Arendt carried out deep thinking on the evil’s problem under the rule of totalitarian terror, it reflected in the two dimensions: “Radical evil” and “Banality of evil”. The former core content is that totalitarianism completely changes human nature, people will become superfluous; the latter is that the evildoers are incogitant、shallow and inane. “Banality of Evil” is the product of dialectical negation to “Radical Evil”, marks the completion and maturity of the system about Arendt on the concept of “evil”. Arendt on the concept of “evil” deeply criticized the totalitarian reign of terror changed human nature completely from the social and individual perspectives

Engineering Illustrations of Correcting Building Inclination by Stress Redistribution Method

By drilling large diameter holes in foundation soil and digging out soils to release (or redistribute) lateral stress in subsoil so as to create new settlement, a new method, which is called stress redistribution method, has been developed for correcting inclined building on soft foundation soil. Using this method, tens buildings with inclination up to 1-2% have been corrected and resumed their normal function in Wuhan, China. Some typical case histories are selected to illustrate the sensitive, controllable, and reliable characteristics of this method. The technical problems encountered in correcting process, such as the induced settlement, its influence on neighbour building, the digging scheme adopted, etc., are analysed. Two operating procedure have been summarized based on the practice of correcting. Lastly, the possibility of correcting the inclination of the tower of Pisa is discussed

In situ fabrication of carbon fibre–reinforced polymer composites with embedded piezoelectrics for inspection and energy harvesting applications

Yan, X., Courtney, C. R., Bowen, C. R., Gathercole, N., Wen, T., Jia, Y., & Shi, Y. (2020). In situ fabrication of carbon fibre–reinforced polymer composites with embedded piezoelectrics for inspection and energy harvesting applications. Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, 31(16), 1910-1919. doi:10.1177/1045389X20942315. Copyright © 2020 (Copyright Holder). Reprinted by permission of SAGE Publications.Current in situ damage detection of fibre-reinforced composites typically uses sensors which are attached to the structure. This may make periodic inspection difficult for complex part geometries or in locations which are difficult to reach. To overcome these limitations, we examine the use of piezoelectric materials in the form of macro-fibre composites that are embedded into carbon fibre–reinforced polymer composites. Such a multi-material system can provide an in situ ability for damage detection, sensing or energy harvesting. In this work, the piezoelectric devices are embedded between the carbon fibre prepreg, and heat treated at elevated temperatures, enabling complete integration of the piezoelectric element into the structure. The impact of processing temperature on the properties of the macro-fibre composites are assessed, in particular with respect to the Curie temperature of the embedded ferroelectric. The mechanical properties of the carbon fibre–reinforced polymer composites are evaluated to assess the impact of the piezoelectric on tensile strength. The performance of the embedded piezoelectric devices to transmit and receive ultrasonic signals is evaluated, along with the potential to harvest power from mechanical strain for self-powered systems. Such an approach provides a route to create multi-functional materials

Revealing of the Activation Pathway and Cathode Electrolyte Interphase Evolution of Li-Rich 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 Cathode by in Situ Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance.

The first-cycle behavior of layered Li-rich oxides, including Li2MnO3 activation and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) formation, significantly influences their electrochemical performance. However, the Li2MnO3 activation pathway and the CEI formation process are still controversial. Here, the first-cycle properties of xLi2MnO3·(1- x) LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 ( x = 0, 0.5, 1) cathode materials were studied with an in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). The results demonstrate that a synergistic effect between the layered Li2MnO3 and LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 structures can significantly affect the activation pathway of Li1.2Ni0.12Co0.12Mn0.56O2, leading to an extra-high capacity. It is demonstrated that Li2MnO3 activation in Li-rich materials is dominated by electrochemical decomposition (oxygen redox), which is different from the activation process of pure Li2MnO3 governed by chemical decomposition (Li2O evolution). CEI evolution is closely related to Li+ extraction/insertion. The valence state variation of the metal ions (Ni, Co, Mn) in Li-rich materials can promote CEI formation. This study is of significance for understanding and designing Li-rich cathode-based batteries