Strengthening of RC slabs with large penetrations using anchored FRP composites

Large penetrations are routinely made in existing reinforced concrete (RC) slabs due to structural and/or functional changes. Externally bonded fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites can in turn be bonded to the tension face of the slab in the immediate vicinity of the penetration in order to restore the strength of the slab due to the lost internal steel reinforcement. In order to prevent premature debonding failure of the FRP strengthening, anchors can be applied. The results of tests on the strength and behaviour of one-way spanning RC slabs with large central penetrations which have been strengthened with unanchored and anchored FRP composites are presented in this paper. The FRP strengthening was found to be effective in strengthening penetrated slabs and the anchors were found to be effective in controlling the propagation of debonding cracks.published_or_final_versionThe 2nd Official International Conference of International Institute for FRP in Construction for Asia-Pacific Region (APFIS 2009), Seoul, Korea, 9-11 December 2009. In Proceedings of the 2nd APFIS, 2009, p. 111-11

Design and Fabrication of Electrolyte-Supported Tubular SOFC Combined with Supercritical Water Oxidation on Biomass Gas

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are relatively simple and environmental friendly devices for the production of electricity from hydrocarbons. The use of a high pressure supercritical water (SCW) reactor containing a SOFC has the potential for using a multitude of logistical liquid fuels that would otherwise not be possible in a regular SOFC system. A SOFC-SCW system was designed to allow the anode to be exposed to the pressure and chemical milieu of the supercritical water oxidation reactor. The effects of the amount of water/fuel and oxygen fed into the reactor under SCW conditions at 400 degrees C were studied. The effects on electrochemical performance as well as preliminary results on a number of feed stocks, for example pectin, are also described.open1111Nsciescopu

Effect of surface preparation on the strength of FRP-to-mild steel and FRP-to-stainless steel joints

A detailed understanding of the strength and behaviour of the bond between fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites to metals is an ongoing field of research. The many different geometrical and ma-terial parameters make for extensive research demands. This paper in turn reports a series of tests on the shear strength and behaviour of FRP-to metal joints in which the main test parameters, which have received limited attention to date, consists of (i) type of metal (i.e. non-galvanised mild steel and stainless steel), and (ii) sur-face preparation technique (i.e. different mechanical abrasion methods). All specimens are loaded in dis-placement control which enables the failure process to be followed and identification of different failure modes to be made. The results enable the effectiveness of different surface preparation techniques upon the bond of FRP to different types of metals to be made.postprintThe 5th International Conference on FRP Composites in Civil Engineering (CICE 2010), Beijing, China, 27-29 September 2010. In proceedings of the 5th CICE, 2010, p. 869-87

Caractéristiques de la population étudiante collégiale : valeurs, besoins, intérêts, occupations, aspirations, choix de carrière. Données provenant du Sondage provincial sur les étudiants des cégeps (SPEC) administré aux étudiants nouvellement admis aux études collégiales à l’automne 2016

La production de ce rapport a été rendue possible grâce à la contribution financière de la Fédération étudiante collégiale du Québec et d’ÉCOBES - Recherche et transfert ainsi que par la coordination des travaux menée par la Fédération des cégeps

Impacts of Water Clarity Variability on Temperature and Biogeochemistry in the Chesapeake Bay

Estuarine water clarity depends on the concentrations of aquatic constituents, such as colored dissolved organic matter, phytoplankton, inorganic suspended solids, and detritus, which are influenced by variations in riverine inputs. These constituents directly affect temperature because when water is opaque, sunlight heats a shallower layer of the water compared to when it is clear. Despite the importance of accurately predicting temperature variability, many numerical modeling studies do not adequately account for this key process. In this study, we quantify the effect of water clarity on heating by comparing two simulations of a hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model of the Chesapeake Bay for the years 2001-2005, in which (1) water clarity is constant in space and time for the computation of solar heating, compared to (2) a simulation where water clarity varies with modeled concentrations of light-attenuating materials. In the variable water clarity simulation, the water is more opaque, particularly in the northern region of the Bay. This decrease in water clarity reduces the total heat, phytoplankton, and nitrate throughout the Bay. During the spring and summer months, surface temperatures in the northern Bay are warmer by 0.1 degrees C and bottom temperatures are colder by 0.2 degrees C in the variable light attenuation simulation. Warmer surface temperatures encourage phytoplankton growth and nutrient uptake near the head of the Bay, and fewer nutrients are transported downstream. These impacts are greater during higher river flow years, when differences in temperature, nutrients, phytoplankton, and zooplankton extend further seaward compared to other years. This study demonstrates the consequences of utilizing different light calculations for estuarine heating and biogeochemistry

Mechanisms of grain refinement by intensive shearing of AZ91 alloy melt

The official published version of the article can be accessed at the link below.It has been demonstrated recently that intensive melt shearing can be an effective approach to the grain refinement of both shape casting and continuous casting of Mg alloys. In the present study, the mechanisms of grain refinement by intensive melt shearing were investigated through a combination of both modelling and experimental approaches. The measurement of the cooling curves during solidification, quantification of grain size of the solidified samples, and image analysis of the MgO particle size and size distribution in the pressurized filtration samples were performed for the AZ91 alloy with and without intensive melt shearing. The experimental results were then used as input parameters for the free growth model to investigate the mechanisms of grain refinement by intensive melt shearing. The experimental results showed that, although intensive melt shearing does not change the nucleation starting temperature, it increases the nucleation finishing temperature, giving rise to a reduced nucleation undercooling. The theoretical modelling using the free growth model revealed quantitatively that intensive melt shearing can effectively disperse MgO particles densely populated in the oxide films into more individual particles in the alloy melt, resulting in an increase in the MgO particle density by three orders of magnitude and the density of active nucleating MgO particles by a factor of 20 compared with those of the non-sheared melt. Therefore, the grain refining effect of intensive melt shearing can be confidently attributed to the significantly increased refining efficiency of the naturally occurring MgO particles in the alloy melt as potent nucleation sites.Financial support under Grant EP/H026177/1 from the EPSRC