High Performance Concrete and Its Typical Mixes

With the modern development of chemical and mineral admixtures, it is now possible to produce much higher performance concrete than before. Higher performance does not only mean higher strength, but also better durability, lower risk of thermal cracking and higher dimensional stability etc. The three most effective admixtures for producing high performance concrete are superplastieizer, pulverized fuel ash and condensed silica fume. This paper outlines the properties of these materials and presents some practical guidelines for their usage.

Evaluation of environmental factors to fatigue performance of asphalt mixes

This paper studies the effect of different environmental factors, including the axle load weight, environmental temperature, vehicle speed, and the aging level of asphalt, on the fatigue performance of asphalt mixes based on four-point bending beam fatigue tests. A fractional factorial design method named ＂uniform design＂ was applied in experimental design. The relations of the environmental factors to initial stiffness, fatigue life, phase angle and cumulative dissipated energy were established with the general linear modeling method. It is found that there exists very good correlativity between the environmental factors and the fatigue performance indices of asphalt mixes. The coefficients of total correlation are mainly beyond 0. 95. The results indicate that the consideration of the effect of environmental factors is necessary in the fatigue performance evaluation on real asphalt pavement.

Effect of Al Addition on Properties of Al_2O_3-SiC-C Dry Ramming Mixes for BF Trough

Aluminium powders were introduced to Al2O3-SiC-C dry ramming mixes in order to improve sintering properties and oxidation resistance according to their service conditions and installation methods. Properties such as bulk density, porosity, modulus of rupture, crushing strength and hot modulus of rupture as a function of aluminium addition were investigated in the present work. The microstructure and thermodynamics for the heat treated specimens were also analyzed. The results show that as aluminium addition increasing, the bulk density of the specimen treated at 220℃ tends to decrease and the apparent porosity increases, the strength of the specimens treated at 1100℃ and 1450℃ increases markedly, the bulk density tends to increase, apparent porosity and linear shrinkage decrease. The HMOR at 1400℃ is enhanced from 1.0 MPa to 3.5 MPa with 3% aluminium. Aluminium is served as sintering agent and anti-oxidant and it will react with CO and CO2 forming Al2O3 , which is helpful to enhance the strength, densify the structure and improve the overall properties.

Application of nano silica to improve self-healing of asphalt mixes

Nano silica due to its spherical shape, tiny size and higher density compared to bitumen, may have an inherent potential to improve hot mix asphalt(HMA) self-healing. In this research scanning electron microscopy(SEM) images were used to investigate size, morphology and dispersion of nano silica particles. Additionally, HMA self-healing mechanism was also examined by SEM. Furthermore, dynamic indirect tensile test(IDT) was used to evaluate HMA self-healing index. The SEM results indicated that bitumen mortar flowing into micro cracks may be one of the most important mechanisms of HMA self-healing. The experiment results also showed that modification of bitumen by nano silica promotes the ability of the HMA self-healing.

Influence of Raw Material on the Properties of MgO-Al_2O_3-Cr_2O_3 Ramming Mixes

Mg0-Al2O3-Cr2O3 ramming mixes made of different raw materials have different mineral structure and different physical properties though with the identical particle size distribution, the same amount of binder and chemical composition . The residual carbon content of the fused magnesia-chrome material made in reducing atmosphere is very high, if this material is used in the MgO-Al203-Cr2O3 ramming mix , it would cause spalling of the furnace lining during drying-out.

Effect of Magnesia-Chrome Synthetic Materials on Magnesia-Alumina-Chrome Ramming Mixes

Magnesia-alumina-chrome ramming mixes with same chemical compositions were prepared by using different raw materials such as fused magnesia-chrome synthetic materials and sintered one, wasted bricks and magnesia-alumina spinels. Their physical properties were tested and microstructures were analyzed. The results show that the ramming mixes made of different raw materials bring about different microstructures and properties although the mixes have the same chemical composition, binder content and aggregate size composition.

Effect of Calcium Aluminate Cement Addition on Properties of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) Based Gunning Mixes

Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) based gunning mixes were prepared with electric porcelain waste,silica fume,bauxite,quartz powder,and calcium aluminate cement(CAC)of different additions as raw materials firing at different temperatures to research the effect of the CAC addition on their phase change and properties.The results show that:from theoretical analysis of the phase diagram,with the CAC addition increasing from 8%to 14%,anorthite increases from 40.0%to 77.7%,by mass.With the rising CAC addition,the permanent linear change on heating of specimens increases;for the specimens dried at 110℃or hot-treated at 1000℃,the bulk density and the mechanical properties increase,and the apparent porosity decreases;and for those hottreated at 1300℃,the bulk density and the mechanical properties firstly increase,and then decrease,while the apparent porosity shows an opposite trend.Taking into account the phases at high temperatures and the properties,the optimal CAC addition of Al_(2)O_(3)-SiO_(2) based gunning mixes is 12%.

Experimental Alternative to the Determination of the Thermal Dependence of the Complex Modulus of Asphalt Mixes in Dry Tropical Areas

Current pavement design methods do not allow for the reduction of early deformation of the surface layers of bituminous pavements in the city of Ouagadougou. Weather conditions combined with traffic, particularly during heat waves, are factors. The temperature at the surface of the bituminous pavement can reach 62˚C but the complex modulus associated with this temperature is not taken into account in the design, hence the interest in proposing laws of dependence of the complex moduli is taken into account in the maximum temperatures of the pavement surface. The objective of this paper is to propose an experimental method to determine the temperature dependence of the complex moduli of asphalt mixes for temperatures between 40˚C and 70˚C. This experimental method consists of performing axial compression tests on cylindrical asphalt specimens. It was applied to three different formulas of bituminous mixes, intended for the wearing course, obtained from mixes of crushed granites, granular classes 6/10, 4/6 and 0/4, pure bitumens of grade 50/70, 35/50 and modified bitumen of grade 10/65. The comparative study of the experimental results obtained with the results of a semi-empirical methodology revealed a root mean square deviation from the mean of between 6.58% and 14.8% of the norms of the complex moduli (modulus of rigidity) of the asphalt mixes for a fixed frequency of solicitations of 10 Hz. The consistency of these results with data from the literature led to the initial conclusion that asphalt mixes formulated with 35/50 and 10/65 bitumen would have better compressive strength than those formulated with 50/70 bitumen, for exposure temperatures between 40˚C and 70˚C. This experimental approach could be an alternative to the complex modulus test for determining the modulus of rigidity for design purposes under real pavement exposure conditions in the city of Ouagadougou during heat waves.

How Will Different Types of Regional Innovation Policy and Their Mixes Affect the Innovation Performance of Enterprises: An Empirical Study Based on Shenzhen

Evaluating the functional boundary of different types of innovation policy instruments and their mixes on innovation performance of enterprises is an important but unresolved key issue.This paper,based on the systematically carding the quantization of 155 innovation policies issued by Shenzhen governmental departments from 2011 to 2019,analyzed the characteristics from different types of innovation instruments and their mixes.The results show that Shenzhen governmental has constantly enriched innovation policy instruments for encouraging enterprise innovation,but there are structural unbalances in the issued innovation policy manifested as follows:firstly supply-side policy and environmental-side policy were promulgated more than demand-side policy;secondly the specific instruments employed by Shenzhen governmental were also uneven in different type of innovation policy,like supply-side policy focused on the instruments of government procurement and R&D outsourcing,demand-side policy employed human resource training,innovation infrastructure and fiscal support most,and environmental-side policy main used target planning,intellectual property protection and financial support.This study expands and understanding empirical implementation of different reginal innovation policy instruments,and has implication for Shenzhen governmental in improving the applicability ability of policies in the enterprises innovation.

Dendroclimatological study of Sabina saltuaria and Abies faxoniana in the mixed forests of the Qionglai Mountains,eastern Tibetan Plateau

Tree-ring chronologies were developed for Sabina saltuaria and Abies faxoniana in mixed forests in the Qionglai Mountains of the eastern Tibetan Plateau.Climate-growth relationship analysis indicated that the two co-exist-ing species reponded similarly to climate factors,although S.saltuaria was more sensitive than A.faxoniana.The strong-est correlation was between S.saltuaria chronology and regional mean temperatures from June to November.Based on this relationship,a regional mean temperature from June to November for the period 1605-2016 was constructed.Reconstruction explained 37.3%of the temperature variance during th period 1961-2016.Six major warm periods and five major cold periods were identified.Spectral analysis detected significant interannual and multi-decadal cycles.Reconstruction also revealed the influence of the Atlantic Multi-decadal Oscillation,confirming its importance on climate change on the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

An integrated MINLP model for multi-party coordination in downstream oil supply chain

Cooperation among enterprises can bring overall and individual performance improvement,and a smooth coordination method is indispensable.However,due to the lack of customized coordination methods,cooperation in the downstream oil supply chain cannot be carried out smoothly.This paper intends to propose a multi-party coordination method to promote cooperation between oil shippers and pipeline operator by optimizing oil transportation,oil substitution and pipeline pricing schemes.An integrated game-theoretic modeling and analysis approach is developed to characterize the operation behaviors of all stakeholders in the downstream oil supply chain.The proposed mixed integer nonlinear programming model constrains supply and demand capacity,transportation routes,oil substitution rules and pipeline freight levels.Logarithm transformation and price discretization are introduced for model linear approximation.Simulation experiments are carried out in the oil distribution system in South China.The results show that compared to the business-as-usual scheme,the new scheme saves transportation cost by 3.48%,increases pipeline turnover by 5.7%,and reduces energy consumption and emissions by 7.66%and 6.77%.It is proved that the proposed method improves the revenue of the whole system,achieves fair revenue distribution,and also improves the energy and environmental benefits of the oil supply chain.

Amino-functionalized UiO-66-doped mixed matrix membranes with high permeation performance and fouling resistance

For the reduction of bovine serum proteins from wastewater,a novel mixed matrix membrane was prepared by functionalizing the substrate material polyaryletherketone(PAEK),followed by carboxyl groups(C-SPAEKS),and then adding amino-functionalized UiO-66-NH_(2)(Am-UiO-66-NH_(2)).Aminofunctionalization of UiO-66 was accomplished by melamine,followed by an amidation reaction to immobilize Am-UiO-66-NH_(2),which was immobilized on the surface of the membrane as well as in the pore channels,which enhanced the hydrophilicity of the membrane surface while increasing the negative potential of the membrane surface.This nanoparticle-loaded ultrafiltration membrane has good permeation performance,with a pure water flux of up to 482.3 L·m^(-2)·h^(-1) for C-SPAEKS/AmUiO-66-NH_(2) and a retention rate of up to 98.7%for bovine serum albumin(BSA)-contaminated solutions.Meanwhile,after several hydrophilic modifications,the flux recovery of BSA contaminants by this series of membranes increased from 56.2%to 80.55%of pure membranes.The results of ultra-filtration flux time tests performed at room temperature showed that the series of ultrafiltration membranes remained relatively stable over a test time of 300 min.Thus,the newly developed mixed matrix membrane showed potential for high efficiency and stability in wastewater treatment containing bovine serum proteins.

A strategy for strengthening chaotic mixing of dual shaft eccentric mixers by changing non-Newtonian fluids kinetic energy distribution

Efficiently modulating the velocity distribution and flow pattern of non-Newtonian fluids is a critical challenge in the context of dual shaft eccentric mixers for process intensification,posing a significant barrier for the existing technologies.Accordingly,this work reports a convenient strategy that changes the kinetic energy to controllably regulate the flow patterns from radial flow to axial flow.Results showed that the desired velocity distribution and flow patterns could be effectively obtained by varying the number and structure of baffles to change kinetic energy,and a more uniform velocity distribution,which could not be reached normally in standard baffle dual shaft mixers,was easily obtained.Furthermore,a comparative analysis of velocity and shear rate distributions is employed to elucidate the mechanism behind the generation of flow patterns in various dual-shaft eccentric mixers.Importantly,there is little difference in the power number of the laminar flow at the same Reynolds number,meaning that the baffle type has no effect on the power consumption,while the power number of both unbaffle and U-shaped baffle mixing systems decreases compared with the standard baffle mixing system in the transition flow.Finally,at the same rotational condition,the dimensionless mixing time of the U-shaped baffle mixing system is 15.3%and 7.9%shorter than that of the standard baffle and the unbaffle mixing system,respectively,which shows the advantage of the U-shaped baffle in stirring rate.

A mixed-coordination electron trapping-enabled high-precision touch-sensitive screen for wearable devices

Touch-sensitive screens are crucial components of wearable devices.Materials such as reduced graphene oxide(rGO),carbon nanotubes(CNTs),and graphene offer promising solutions for flexible touch-sensitive screens.However,when stacked with flexible substrates to form multilayered capacitive touching sensors,these materials often suffer from substrate delamination in response to deformation;this is due to the materials having different Young’s modulus values.Delamination results in failure to offer accurate touch screen recognition.In this work,we demonstrate an induced charge-based mutual capacitive touching sensor capable of high-precision touch sensing.This is enabled by electron trapping and polarization effects related to mixed-coordinated bonding between copper nanoparticles and vertically grown graphene nanosheets.Here,we used an electron cyclotron resonance system to directly fabricate graphene-metal nanofilms(GMNFs)using carbon and copper,which are firmly adhered to flexible substrates.After being subjected to 3000 bending actions,we observed almost no change in touch sensitivity.The screen interaction system,which has a signal-to-noise ratio of 41.16 dB and resolution of 650 dpi,was tested using a handwritten Chinese character recognition trial and achieved an accuracy of 94.82%.Taken together,these results show the promise of touch-sensitive screens that use directly fabricated GMNFs for wearable devices.

Synergistic anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system with high emulsification efficiency for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

Emulsification is one of the important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. To improve oil recovery for low permeability reservoirs, a highly efficient emulsification oil flooding system consisting of anionic surfactant sodium alkyl glucosyl hydroxypropyl sulfonate(APGSHS) and zwitterionic surfactant octadecyl betaine(BS-18) is proposed. The performance of APGSHS/BS-18 mixed surfactant system was evaluated in terms of interfacial tension, emulsification capability, emulsion size and distribution, wettability alteration, temperature-resistance and salt-resistance. The emulsification speed was used to evaluate the emulsification ability of surfactant systems, and the results show that mixed surfactant systems can completely emulsify the crude oil into emulsions droplets even under low energy conditions. Meanwhile,the system exhibits good temperature and salt resistance. Finally, the best oil recovery of 25.45% is achieved for low permeability core by the mixed surfactant system with a total concentration of 0.3 wt%while the molar ratio of APGSHS:BS-18 is 4:6. The current study indicates that the anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system can improve the oil flooding efficiency and is potential candidate for application in low permeability reservoirs.

Multistate transition and coupled solid-liquid modeling of motion process of long-runout landslide

The recognition,repetition and prediction of the post-failure motion process of long-runout landslides are key scientific problems in the prevention and mitigation of geological disasters.In this study,a new numerical method involving LPF3D based on a multialgorithm and multiconstitutive model was proposed to simulate long-runout landslides with high precision and efficiency.The following results were obtained:(a)The motion process of landslides showed a steric effect with mobility,including gradual disintegration and spreading.The sliding mass can be divided into three states(dense,dilute and ultradilute)in the motion process,which can be solved by three dynamic regimes(friction,collision,and inertial);(b)Coupling simulation between the solid grain and liquid phases was achieved,focusing on drag force influences;(c)Different algorithms and constitutive models were employed in phase-state simulations.The volume fraction is an important indicator to distinguish different state types and solid‒liquid ratios.The flume experimental results were favorably validated against long-runout landslide case data;and(d)In this method,matched dynamic numerical modeling was developed to better capture the realistic motion process of long-runout landslides,and the advantages of continuum media and discrete media were combined to improve the computational accuracy and efficiency.This new method can reflect the realistic physical and mechanical processes in long-runout landslide motion and provide a suitable method for risk assessment and pre-failure prediction.

Tuning Li/Ni mixing by reactive coating to boost the stability of cobalt-free Ni-rich cathode

Cobalt-free cathode materials are attractive for their high capacity and low cost,yet they still encounter issues with structural and surface instability.AlPO_(4),in particular,has garnered attention as an effective stabilizer for bulk and surface.However,the impact of interfacial reactions and elemental interdiffusion between AlPO_(4) and LiNi_(0.95)Mn_(0.05)O_(2) upon sintering on the bulk and surface remains elusive.In this study,we demonstrate that during the heat treatment process,AlPO_(4) decomposes,resulting in Al doping into the bulk of the cathode through elemental interdiffusion.Simultaneously,PO_(4)^(3-)reacts with the surface Li of material to form a Li_3PO_(4) coating,inducing lithium deficiency,thereby increasing Li/Ni mixing.The suitable Li/Ni mixing,previously overlooked in AlPO_(4) modification,plays a pivotal role in stabilizing the bulk and surface,exceeding the synergy of Al doping and Li_3PO_(4) coating.The presence of Ni^(2+)ions in the lithium layers contributes to the stabilization of the delithiated structure via a structural pillar effect.Moreover,suitable Li/Ni mixing can stabilize the lattice oxygen and electrode-electrolyte interface by increasing oxygen removal energy and reducing the overlap between the Ni^(3+/4+)e_g and O^(2-)2p orbitals.These findings offer new perspectives for the design of stable cobalt-free cathode materials.

Analysis of factors impacting postoperative pain and quality of life in patients with mixed hemorrhoids:A retrospective study

BACKGROUND Hemorrhoids are among the most common and frequently encountered chronic anorectal diseases in anorectal surgery.They are venous clusters formed by con-gestion,expansion,and flexion of the venous plexus in the lower part of the rec-tum.Mixed hemorrhoids bleed easily and recurrently,and this can result in severe anemia.Hence,they may have a negative effect on the health of the patient and surgical treatment is required.Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy has been widely used since 1937 for the treatment of grade III and IV hemorrhoids.How-ever,most patients experience different degrees of postoperative pain that may cause anxiety.with mixed hemorrhoids post-surgery.METHODS The clinical data of patients with mixed hemorrhoids who underwent Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy were collected retrospectively.The basic character-istics of the enrolled patients with mixed hemorrhoids were recorded,and based on the Goligher clinical grading system,the hemorrhoids were classified as grades III or IV.The endpoint of this study was the disappearance of pain in all patients.Quantitative data were presented as mean±SD,such as age,pain score,and QoL score.Student’s t-test was used to compare the groups.RESULTS A total of 164 patients were enrolled.The distribution of the visual analog scale pain scores of all patients at 3,7,14 and 28 d after surgery showed that post-surgery pain was significantly reduced with the passage of time.Fourteen days after the operation,the pain had completely disappeared in some patients.Twenty-eight days after the surgery,none of the patients experienced any pain.Comparing the World Health Or-ganization Quality of Life-BREF self-reporting questionnaire scores of patients between 14 and 28 d after surgery,we observed that the quality-of-life scores of the patients post-surgery had significantly improved.There were six items that were compared at 14-and 28-d post-surgery.The mean QoL score 28 d after surgery(4.79±0.46)was higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(3.79±0.57).The mean health condition score 28 d after surgery(4.80±0.41)was also higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(4.01±0.62).The mean physical health score 28 d after surgery(32.10±2.96)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(23.41±2.85).The mean psychological health score 28 d after surgery(27.22±1.62)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(21.37±1.70).The mean social relations score 28 d after surgery(12.21±1.59)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(6.32±1.66).The mean surrounding environment score 28 d after surgery(37.13±2.88)was significantly higher than that at 14 d post-surgery(28.42±2.86).The differences in quality-of-life scores at day 14 and day 28 post-surgery were ob-served to be statistically significant(P<0.001).CONCLUSION Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy can significantly improve the postoperative QoL of patients.Age,sex,and the number of surgical resections were important factors influencing Milligan-Morgan hemorrhoidectomy.

Utilization of inferior quality aggregates in asphalt mixes:A systematic review

Properties of aggregates are majorly influenced by parameters of source rocks viz.,formation process,chemical composition,impurities,volume of pores,and grain size.The study presents a review of aggregate treatment methods and its efficacy to enhance the quality of aggregate.Various aspects of aggregate treatment methods like processing temperature,the dosage of additives,adaptability in the field is studied for three treatment methods viz.,polymer coating,cementitious coating,and chemical treatments.The paper also presents an insight to understand the effect of different treatment methods on mix properties and performance parameters of asphalt mixes.The review revealed that the shape properties of aggregates can be enhanced by the incorporating suitable crushing process(two-stage or three-stage).Whereas,physical and durability properties of aggregates can be improved by various treatment methods like polymer coating,Zycosoil treatment.It was further inferred from the review that treatment methods can have moderate effects on the mechanical properties of aggregates,since,it is mostly dependent on properties of source rocks.

HIGH ACCURACY FOR MIXES FINITE ELEMENT METHODS IN RAVIART-THOMAS ELEMENT

This paper deals with Raviart-Thomas element (Q(2,1) x Q(1,2) - Q(1) element). Apart from its global superconvergence property of fourth order, we prove that a postprocessed extrapolation can globally increased the accuracy by fifth order.