Effects of Fe_2O_3 Nanoparticles on Water Permeability and Strength Assessments of High Strength Self-Compacting Concrete

In this work, compressive, flexural and split tensile strength together with coefficient of water absorption of high performance self-compacting concrete containing different amount of Fe2Os nanoparticles have been investigated. The strength and the water permeability of the specimens have been improved by adding Fe2Os nanoparticles in the cement paste up to 4.0 wt%. Fe203 nanoparticle as a foreign nucleation site could accelerate C-S-H gel formation as a result of increased crystalline Ca（OH）2 amount especially at the early age of hydration and hence increase the strength of the specimens. In addition, Fe203 nanoparticles are able to act as nanofillers and recover the pore structure of the specimens by decreasing harmful pores to improve the water permeability. Several empirical relations have been presented to predict the flexural and the split tensile strength of the specimens by means of the corresponding compressive strength at a certain age of curing. Accelerated peak appearance in conduction calorimetry tests, more weight loss in thermogravimetric analysis and more rapid appearance of peaks related to hydrated products in X-ray diffraction results indicate that Fe203 nanoparticles up to 4 wt% could improve the mechanical and the physical properties of the specimens.

Water permeability in MXene membranes: Process matters

Recent studies have shown impressive transport behaviors of water and ions within lamellar MXene membranes,which endows great promise in developing advanced separation application based high performance MXene membranes.However,most of the researches focused on modification of MXene nanoflakes and optimizing interlayer distance,leaving the impact of membrane fabrication process marginal.In this work,we studied the water flux of membranes made by vacuum filtration using delaminated MXene nanoflakes as the building-blocks.Our results show that the water permeability is extremely sensitive to the process,especially at the drying process,loading and deposit rate of nanoflakes(the feeding concentration).We find that the voids from less ordered stack rather than in-plane defects and interlayer galleries contribute to the large water permeability.The voids can be effectively avoided via deposition of MXene nanoflakes at a slow rate.Manipulating the stack of MXene nanoflakes during vacuum filtration and drying are critical for development of MXene membranes with desired performance for water permeation.

Self-sealing of fractures in indurated claystones measured by water and gas flow

Self-sealing of fractures in the indurated Callovo-Oxfordian(COX)and Opalinus(OPA)claystones,which are considered as host rocks for disposal of radioactive waste,was investigated on artificially fractured samples.The samples were extracted from four lithological facies relatively rich in clay mineral,carbonate and quartz,respectively.The self-sealing of fractures was measured by fracture closure,water permeability variation,gas penetration,and recovery of gas-induced pathways.Most of the fractured samples exhibited a dramatic reduction inwater permeability to low levels that is close to that of intact rock,depending on their mineralogical composition,fracture intensity,confining stress,and load duration.The self-sealing capacity of the clay-rich samples is higher than that of the carbonate-rich and sandy ones.Significant effects of sample size and fracture intensity were identified.The sealed fractures become gas-tight for certain in-jection pressures.However,the measured gas breakthrough pressures are still lower than the confining stresses.The gas-induced pathways can recover when contacting water.These important findings imply that fractures in such indurated claystones can effectively recover to hinder water transport but allow gas release under relatively low pressures without compromising the rock integrity.

AN EXTENSION OF THE METHOD FOR PREDICTING PERMEABILITY THROUGH POLYMER MEMBRANES FROM SIMPLE GASES TO WATER VAPOR

It is found that there is a linear relationship between log P-w, and the parameter term V-f/0.5 E(coh) [1+(delta(w) - delta(p))(2)/delta(p)(2), from the water permeability (P-w) data of 21 polymers covering 4 orders of magnitude. This correlation may be useful in choosing membrane materials for dehumidification of gases.

Unraveling the hydraulic properties of loess for landslide prediction:A study on variations in loess landslides in Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,China

Loess has distinctive characteristics,leading to frequent landslide disasters and posing serious threats to the lives and properties of local re sidents.The involvement of water repre sents a critical factor in inducing loess landslides.This study focuses on three neighboring cities sequentially situated on the Loess Plateau along the direction of aeolian deposition of loess,namely Lanzhou,Dingxi,and Tianshui,which are densely populated and prone to landslide disasters.The variations in hydraulic properties,including water retention capacity and permeability,are investigated through Soil Water Characteristic Curve(SWCC)test and hydraulic conductivity test.The experimental findings revealed that Tianshui loess exhibited the highest water retention capacity,followed by Dingxi loess,while Lanzhou loess demonstrated the lowest water retention capacity.Contrastingly,the results for the saturated permeability coefficient were found to be the opposite:Tianshui loess showed the lowest permeability,whereas Lanzhou loess displayed the highest permeability.These results are supported and analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observation.In addition,the water retention capacity is mathematically expressed using the van Genuchten model and extended to predict unsaturated hydraulic properties of loess.The experimental results exhibit a strong accordance with one another and align with the regional distribution patterns of disasters.

Deformation and water/gas flow properties of claystone/bentonite mixtures

As a potential engineered barrier material for disposal of radioactive waste in clay formations,claystone aggregate excavated from the Opalinus clay(OPA),its mixture with bentonite MX80 in a mass ratio of 7/3,and pure bentonite were extensively investigated with respect to the hydro-mechanical properties and performances.With these materials,a series of parallel experiments was performed under sequentially applied conditions of hydration with synthetic porewater of the clay formation,consolidation and water flow under increased stresses,and gas injection into the water-saturated and compacted materials under loading.Significant responses of the clay mixtures were observed.Main findings include:(1)the hydration and induced swelling of the mixtures are mainly dominated by bentonite content and dry density;(2)the consolidation decreases the porosity and water permeability exponentially by 2-3 orders of magnitude to low values of 10^(-18)-10^(-20) m^(2) at stresses of 2-5 MPa,depending upon bentonite content;and(3)the gas penetration in the water-saturated and compacted bentonite is characterised by a cyclic pressure rising/dropping process limited in between the upper breakthrough and lower shut-off boundaries,whereas the compacted claystone and claystone/bentonite mixture allow for gas release at low and moderate pressures.The results are helpful for design of the engineered barriers for safe isolation of radioactive waste in repositories.

Water Efflux in Red Blood Cells of Sickle Cell Patients under Spontaneous Deoxygenation

The water transport through Red Blood Cells (RBC) membrane has been previously studied in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) using oxygenated RBC or under complete deoxygenation. In this work, the water efflux in RBC of sickle cell patients was studied under spontaneous deoxygenation conditions. With that purpose, a magnetic resonance method was used to evaluate the water exchange time (τe) and the permeability through the erythrocyte membrane (P) measuring the spin-spin relaxation time (T2) in doped and non-doped RBC. Carr-Purcell-Meiboon-Gill (CPMG) pulse sequence was used to measure T2 in a magnetic resonance console coupled to one homogeneous magnet system (0.095 T). An increase of the water transport in RBC from sickle cell patients was observed and characterized with a τe value of 15.2 ± 0.8 ms. The abnormal activation of the Psickle, Gardos, and potassium chloride cotransporter channels starting from deoxygenation, as well as, the possible appearance of new pores due to the increase of the hemoglobin-membrane interaction, are suggested to explain this abnormal transport phenotype. The change of the water volume to surface ratio (V/S) in the sickle cells is also suggested to be considered in P calculation under deoxygenation. The results obtained in this work increase the fundamental knowledge about molecular mechanism involved in SCD and could be useful in the development of new methods for diagnostic and treatment evaluation.

Coupled hydro-mechanical effect of a fractured rock mass under high water pressure

To explore the variation of permeability and deformation behaviors of a fractured rock mass in high water pressure,a high pressure permeability test（HPPT）,including measuring sensors of pore water pressure and displacement of the rock mass,was designed according to the hydrogeological condition of Heimifeng pumped storage power station.With the assumption of radial water flow pattern in the rock mass during the HPPT,a theoretical formula was presented to estimate the coefficient of permeability of the rock mass using water pressures in injection and measuring boreholes.The variation in permeability of the rock mass with the injected water pressure was studied according to the suggested formula.By fitting the relationship between the coefficient of permeability and the injected water pressure,a mathematical expression was obtained and used in the numerical simulations.For a better understanding of the relationship between the pore water pressure and the displacement of the rock mass,a 3D numerical method based on a coupled hydro-mechanical theory was employed to simulate the response of the rock mass during the test.By comparison of the calculated and measured data of pore water pressure and displacement,the deformation behaviors of the rock mass were analyzed.It is shown that the variation of displacement in the fractured rock mass is caused by water flow passing through it under high water pressure,and the rock deformation during the test could be calculated by using the coupled hydro-mechanical model.

Various admixtures to mitigate the long-term strength retrogression of Portland cement cured under high pressure and high temperature conditions

In order to investigate the problem of long-term strength retrogression in oil well cement systems exposed to high pressure and high temperature(HPHT)curing conditions,various influencing factors,including cement sources,particle sizes of silica flour,and additions of silica fume,alumina,colloidal iron oxide and nano-graphene,were investigated.To simulate the environment of cementing geothermal wells and deep wells,cement slurries were directly cured at 50 MPa and 200?C.Mineral compositions(as determined by X-ray diffraction Rietveld refinement),water permeability,compressive strength and Young’s modulus were used to evaluate the qualities of the set cement.Short-term curing(2e30 d)test results indicated that the adoption of 6 m m ultrafine crystalline silica played the most important role in stabilizing the mechanical properties of oil well cement systems,while the addition of silica fume had a detrimental effect on strength stability.Long-term curing(2e180 d)test results indicated that nano-graphene could stabilize the Young’s modulus of oil well cement systems.However,none of the ad-mixtures studied here can completely prevent the strength retrogression phenomenon due to their inability to stop the conversion of amorphous to crystalline phases.

Comparative evaluation of data mining methods in predicting the water vapor permeability of cement-based materials

Water vapor permeability of building materials is a crucial parameter for analysing and optimizing the hygrothermal performance of building envelopes and built environments.Its measurement is accurate but time-consuming,while data mining methods have the potential to predict water vapor permeability efficiently.In this study,six data mining methods—support vector regression(SVR),decision tree regression(DT),random forest regression(RF),K-nearest neighbor(KNN),multi-layer perceptron(MLP),and adaptive boosting regression(AdaBoost)—were compared to predict the water vapor permeability of cement-based materials.A total of 143 datasets of material properties were collected to build prediction models,and five materials were experimentally determined for model validation.The results show that RF has excellent generalization,stability,and precision.AdaBoost has great generalization and precision,only slightly inferior to the former,and its stability is excellent.DT has good precision and acceptable generalization,but its stability is poor.SVR and KNN have superior stability,but their generalization and precision are inadequate.MLP lacks generalization,and its stability and precision are unacceptable.In short,RF has the best comprehensive performance,demonstrated by a limited prediction deviation of 26.3%from the experimental results,better than AdaBoost(38.0%)and DT(38.3%)and far better than other remaining methods.It is also found that data mining methods provide better predictions when cement-based materials’water vapor permeability is high.

Thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior of clay rock for deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste

In the context of deep geological disposal of radioactive waste in clay formations, the thermo-hydro- mechanical （THM） behavior of the indurated Callovo-Oxfordian and Opalinus clay rocks has been extensively investigated in our laboratory under repository relevant conditions： （1） rock stress covering the range from the lithostatic state to redistributed levels after excavation; （2） variation of the humidity in the openings due to ventilation as well as hydraulic drained and undrained boundary conditions; （3） gas generation from corrosion of metallic components within repositories; and （4） thermal loading from high-level radioactive waste up to the designed maximum temperature of 90 ~C and even beyond to 150 ~C, Various important aspects concerning the long-term barrier functions of the clay host rocks have been studied： （1） fundamental concept for effective stress in the porous clay-water system; （2） stress- driven deformation and damage as well as resulting permeability changes; （3） moisture influences on mechanical properties; （4） self-sealing of fractures under mechanical load and swelling]slaking of clay minerals upon water uptake; （5） gas migration in fractured and resealed claystones; and （6） thermal impact on the hydro-mechanical behavior and properties, Major findings from the investigations are summarized in this paper,

Effect of Aggregate Gradation with Fuller Distribution on Properties of Sulphoaluminate Cement Concrete

Experimental investigations on mechanical property and durability of sulphoaluminate cement concrete with aggregate gradations according to Fuller distribution are presented in this paper. Compressive strength, water impermeability and resistance capability to sulfate attack of SACC have the same trend of concrete with fine aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation<concrete with coarse aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation<concrete with total aggregates of Fuller distribution gradation. The relationship between bulk density of aggregate and water penetration depth obeyed the second-order polynomial y=0.002x2-6.863 8x +5 862.3, and had a notable correlation R2=0.979 9. The sulphoaluminate cement concrete with total aggregate gradation with Fuller distribution for h=0.50 had the best resistance capability to sulfate attack. It was a second-order polynomial relationship between bulk density of aggregates and water penetration depth of y=0.002x2-6.863 8x+5 862.3 with R2=0.979 9, which indicated notable correlation. The fitting formula between bulk density of aggregates and sulfate resistance coefficient of SACC was y=0.000 5x+0.370 4 with R2=0.958 5.

Assessment of Curing Efficiency and Effect of Moist Curing on Performance of Fly Ash Concrete

This study was conducted to evaluate the sensitivity of compressive strength,water permeability and electrical resistance of near-surface layer concrete with different fly ash contents to curing conditions.It is shown that the sensitivity to curing condition and fly ash content descends in the following order：difference between internal and surface resistivity （ρ） at 28 days,water permeability and compressive strength;both of longer duration of moist curing and use of fly ash in concrete enhanced the water penetration resistance.It is indicated that the resistivity difference ρ at 28 days can reflect accurately the curing history of fly ash concrete regardless of mix proportions;and use of fly ash in concrete requires longer moist curing duration.

Influence of Structures on the Mechanical Properties of PET Biotextiles

Occurrence of vascular diseases is increasing and leads to rising demand for the STENT-GRAFT( SG). To ensure the SG function properly,the materials should have low blood permeability and good mechanical properties. So far, there have been few systematic studies on the relationship between textile structures and mechanical properties of the bio-textiles used in the SG. In this study, six types of biomedical PET fabrics with different yarn structures and fabric structures were designed and fabricated. All the SG materials could meet the requirement of thickness,except the sample of 30 d × 20 d with 2 /2 twill construction,which was thicker than 0. 12 mm. Bursting strength and water permeability( WP) of the six samples were also tested. Through the comparison of comprehensive performance,the PET fabric 30 d × 20 d /12 f with2 /2 twill construction with both good resistances to permeability and bursting strength, might have good prospect in applications of vascular engineering.

Effi ciency of Concrete Crack-healing based on Biological Carbonate Precipitation

The aim of this study was to improve the capacity for crack-repair in concrete by developing a new way. The self-healing agent based on biological carbonate precipitation was developed. Crack-healing capacity of the cement paste specimens with this biochemical agent was researched. Scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and X-ray diffraction（XRD） were used to characterize the precipitation in cracks.The healing efficiency was evaluated by measuring the water permeability after crack healing as well.The experimental results show that the applied biochemical agent can successfully improve the self-healing capacity of the cement paste specimens as larger cracks can be healed. The cracks with a width of 0.48 mm in the specimens with the biochemical agent are nearly fully healed by the precipitation after 80 d repair. SEM and XRD analysis results demonstrate that the white precipitation in cracks is calcium carbonate, which displays spherical crystal morphology. Meanwhile, the water permeability test result shows that the biochemical agent can significantly decrease the water permeability of the cement paste specimens, the water permeability of specimens with the biochemical agent respectively decreases by 84% and 96% after 7 d and 28 d immersion in water, however the control specimens only respectively decrease by 41% and 60%, which indicates that the bacteria-based concrete appears to be a promising approach to increase concrete durability.

Effect of Addition of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfite on Physical Properties of Wheat Gluten Films

Films were made from the wheat glutens treated with 5%,10%,15%,20%,25% and 30%(wt% of gluten) of sodium dodecyl sulfite (SDS) in order to improve the properties of the films. Glycerol was used as a plasticizer.An addition of SDS in wheat glutens prior to forming films significantly increased the elongation at break(E) (P<0.05) and reduced notably the water vapor permeability(WVP) (P<0.05). In contrast,a decrease in the tensile strength(TS) of the films from gluten containing-SDS was found.Moreover,a significant decrease in P_(O_2) and P_(CO_2) of films from gluten treated with SDS was noticed. Although SDS-treated gluten film was slightly more yellow and darker than control one, it was not visually detrimental. It is indicated that the treatment with SDS prior to forming films greatly enhances the mechanical properties of wheat gluten films.The obivous improvement in water vapor permeability and extensibility of gluten films means that the use of SDS is a potential choice for improving properties of gluten films. The edible film was used to preserve tomatoes. The experimental results show that the shelf life of tomatoes coated with the edible film is extended, and the nutritional quality is kept well.

The Influence of Two Natural Reinforcement Fibers on the Hygrothermal Properties of Earthen Plasters in Mogao Grottoes of China

Murals in Mogao Grottoes consist of three parts:support layer,earthen plasters and paint layer.The earthen plasters play a key role in the preservation of murals.It is a mixture of Dengban soil,sand,and plant fiber.Two different natural fibers,hemp fiber and cotton fiber,were reinforced to earthen plasters in the same percentage to evaluate the influence on hygrothermal performance.The two types of earthen plasters were studied:one containing hemp fiber in the fine plaster(HFP)and the other containing cotton fiber in the fine plaster(CFP).Specific heat capacity,dry thermal conductivity,water vapor permeability,and sorption isotherms were investigated.The results showed that the difference between two natural fibers has much more impact on the hygric properties(water vapor permeability and sorption isotherms)of earthen plasters than on their thermal performance(specific heat capacity and dry thermal conductivity).The CFP with higher density has higher thermal conductivity than the HFP with lower density.But no significant differences of specific heat capacity were observed.Compared with HFP,CFP used in murals can reduce the rate of water transfer and prevent salt from transferring water to the mural surface.The overall findings highlight that all these features of CFP are beneficial to the long-term preservation of murals.The study of the earthen plasters in Mogao Grottoes is of general significance,and the measured properties can be used to obtain coupled heat and moisture analysis of the earthen plasters and to dissect the degradation mechanism of murals.

REFLEXION AND TRANSMISSION OF WATER WAVES BY A THIN CURVED PERMEABLE BARRIER

Using the panel method, the problem of reflexion and transmission of water waves by a thin permeable barrier is studied in this paper. It's found that a well- designed curved porous plate has an excellent ability in trapping waves within a wide range of frequency.

Self-healing polyamide reverse osmosis membranes with temperature-responsive intelligent nanocontainers for chlorine resistance

Improving the performance of reverse osmosis membranes remains great challenge to ensure excellent NaCl rejection while maintaining high water permeability and chlorine resistance. Herein, temperature-responsive intelligent nanocontainers are designed and constructed to improve water permeability and chlorine resistance of polyamide membranes. The nanocontainer is synthesized by layer-by-layer self-assembly with silver nanoparticles as the core, sodium alginate and chitosan as the repair materials, and polyvinyl alcohol as the shell. When the polyamide layer is damaged by chlorine attack, the polyvinyl alcohol shell layer dissolves under temperature stimulation of 37 ℃, releasing inner sodium alginate and chitosan to repair broken amide bonds. The polyvinyl alcohol shell responds to temperature in line with actual operating environment, which can effectively synchronize the chlorination of membranes with temperature response and release inner materials to achieve self-healing properties. With adding temperature-responsive intelligent nanocontainers, the NaCl rejection of thin film composite membrane decreased by 15.64%, while that of thin film nanocomposite membrane decreased by only 8.35% after 9 chlorination cycles. Effective repair treatment and outstanding chlorine resistance as well as satisfactory stability suggest that temperature-responsive intelligent nanocontainer has great potential as membrane-doping material for the targeted repair of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes.

A novel mutation at the JK locus causing Jknull phenotype in a Chinese family

Urea transporters are a group of proteins that facilitate urea movement across biological membranes. Kidd blood group (JK antigen) and urea transporter of human erythrocytes are carried by the same protein UT-B. To investigate the molecular basis of the Jknull phenotype in the Chinese population, blood samples from Chinese individuals were screened using the 2 mol/L urea solution hemolysis test. Urea and water permeability of erythrocytes membrane was measured by stopped-flow light scattering. Genomic DNA was extracted from lymphocytes. UT-B gene of Jknull's family was analyzed using genomic PCR by primers designed to cover sequences of all exons and exon-intron boundaries in human UT-B gene. One Jknull subject was found from twenty thousand screened Chinese individuals, and it was confirmed that this individual did not express the erythrocyte urea transporter. Genomic sequence analysis of the Jknull individual showed that there were two point mutations, G→C, which is novel, and G→A, at the 3(-acceptor splice site (AG) of intron 5 of UT-B gene. Exon 6 is spliced out in the UT-B transcript due to either of these mutations. Water permeability in Jknull erythrocytes (Pf, ~0.00037 cm/s) was significantly lower than that in normal erythrocytes (Pf, ~0.00062 cm/s) after HgCl2 incubation, providing evidence for UT-B facilitated water transport in human erythrocytes.