The Influence of Atmospheric Pressure on Air Content and Pore Structure of Air-entrained Concrete

To study the effect of atmospheric pressure on the properties of fresh and hardened airentrained concrete, three kinds of air entraining agents were used for preparing air-entrained concrete in the plateaus(Lhasa, 61 kPa) and the plains(Beijing, 101 kPa). Air content, slump, compressive strength and pore structure of the three air-entrained concretes were tested in these two places. It is found that the air content of concrete under low atmospheric pressure(LAP) is 4%-36% lower than that of concrete under normal atmospheric pressure(NAP), which explaines the decrease of slump for air-entrained concrete under LAP. Pore number of hardened concrete under LAP is reduced by 48%-69%. While, the proportion of big pores(pore diameter >1 200 μm) and air void spacing factor are increased by 1.5%-7.3% and 51%-92%, respectively. The deterioration of pore structure results in a 3%-9% reduction in the compressive strength of concrete. From the results we have obtained, it can be concluded that the increase of critical nucleation energy of air bubbles and the decrease of volumetric compressibility coefficient of air in the concrete are responsible for the variation of air content and pore structure of concrete under LAP.

Study on Floating Properties and Stability of Air Floated Structures

In this paper, the buoyancy, kinetic properties and stability of air floated structures have been studied by theoretical and experimental methods. The equations for calculation of the buoyancy of the air floated buoy are derived according to the Boyler law and the equilibrium equations of the air floated structure are established. Through simplification of the air floated structure as a single freedom rigid body and spring system, the natural period of heaving and some kinetic properties are discussed. In the stability analysis, the formulas for calculation of the meta centric height are presented. The theoretical results are in good agreement with the data observed from the model test and prototype test. The air buoyancy decrease coefficient presented in this paper has a large influence on the floating state, stability and dynamic properties of the air floated structure. The stability of the air floated structure can also be judged by the parameter of meta centric height, and calculations show that the air floated structure is less stable than the conventional float.

Distribution Properties of Internal Air Voids in Ultrathin Asphalt Friction Course

The distribution characteristics of air voids in ultrathin asphalt friction course(UAFC) samples with different gradations and compaction methods were statistically analyzed using X-ray computed tomography(CT) and image analysis techniques. Based on the results, compared with the AC-5 sample, the OGFC-5mixture has a higher air void ratio, a larger air void size and a greater number of air voids, with the distribution of internal air voids being more uniform and their shapes being more rounded. The two-parameter Weibull function was applied to fit the gradation of air voids. The fitting results is good, and the function parameters are sensitive to changes in both mineral gradation and compaction method. Moreover, two homogeneity indices were proposed to evaluate the compaction uniformity of UAFC samples. Compared with the Marshall method,the SGC method is more conducive to improve the compaction uniformity of UAFC samples. The compaction method significantly influences the air void distribution characteristics and compaction uniformity of AC-5sample, but has a less significant impact on OGFC-5 sample. The experimental results in the study provides a solid foundation for further explorations on the internal structure and mixture design of UAFC.

Experimental Study of Effect of Air Duct Structures on Heat Dissipation of Heating-Only Fan Coil

Heating-only fan coil(HFC)is one of the suited end users,which is not only compact but also highly efficient.And the major factors affecting the heat dissipation performance of HFC include leakage through coil bypass,distance between fan and coil,fan structure and air inlet type.Under natural air convection or forced,experimental studies were made on the effects of these factors upon the heat dissipation performance of HFC.The results show that:1)After reducing the leakage through coil bypass,the heat dissipation of HFC increases 16.9% under natural convection,and increases 8.3% under forced convection.2)After the distance between fan and coil be raised from 23.2cm to 41.7cm,the heat dissipation of HFC decreases 21.3% under natural convection,but increases12.8% under forced convection.3)After changing the fan structure,the heat dissipation of HFC increases 41.8% under natural convection,and the heat dissipation per motor power increases 96.1% under forced convection.4)The heat dissipations of HFC with round pass,slit and strip type of air inlet are different,whose proportion is about 100%,110%,136% under natural convection,and 100%,105%,116% under forced convection.

Enhanced air filtration performance under high-humidity condition through electrospun membranes with optimized structure

The separation stability under high-humidity is significant in practical applications for air filters.Herein,hydrophobic polyvinyl chloride(PVC)nanofiber filters with bead-on-string structure are designed to steadily remove particle matter under high relative humidity of 90%-95%.The developed hydrophobic filters possess comparable separation performance with the hydrophilic one,but greatly enhanced stability.After the introduction of beadon-string structure,the filtration performance can be furtherly improved due to the formed large cavities and hydrophobicity.Such hydrophobic PVC filters can be promising candidates for air purification in practical applications especially in wet seasons.

A Numerical Study on the Water Impact of the Rigid/Elastic Box-Like Structure

Recent damages to the box-like structures caused by wave slamming have made it necessary to study the impact problems of this kind of structure. This paper showed findings from numerical simulations of the rigid/elastic structures, aiming to gain insights into the characteristics of the problem. The results of the rigid cases showed the significance of air compressibility during the impact process, while the slamming phenomena became quite different without the effect. In the elastic cases, the trapped air made the structure vibrate at frequencies much smaller than its eigenfrequencies. Besides, the structural deformation made it easy for the trapped air to escape outwards, which weakened the air cushioning effect, especially at high impact velocities. The above analysis gives the results when the structural symmetry axis was vertical to the water(vertical impacts). In addition, the results were given when the axis was oblique to the water(oblique impacts). Compared with the vertical cases, the impact phenomena and structural response showed asymmetry. This work used the computational fluid dynamics(CFD) method to describe fluid motion and the finite element method(FEM) for the deformable structure. A two-way coupling approach was used to deal with the fluid-structure interaction in the elastic cases.

Hierarchical Carbon Microtube@Nanotube Core-Shell Structure for High-Performance Oxygen Electrocatalysis and Zn-Air Battery

Zinc-air batteries(ZABs)hold tremendous promise for clean and efficient energy storage with the merits of high theoretical energy density and environmental friendliness.However,the performance of practical ZABs is still unsatisfactory because of the inevitably decreased activity of electrocatalysts when assembly into a thick electrode with high mass loading.Herein,we report a hierarchical electrocatalyst based on carbon microtube@nanotube core-shell nanostructure(CMT@CNT),which demonstrates superior electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction with a small potential gap of 0.678 V.Remarkably,when being employed as air-cathode in ZAB,the CMT@CNT presents an excellent performance with a high power density(160.6 mW cm^−2),specific capacity(781.7 mAhgZn^−1)as well as long cycle stability(117 h,351 cycles).Moreover,the ZAB performance of CMT@CNT is maintained well even under high mass loading(3 mg cm−2,three times as much as traditional usage),which could afford high power density and energy density for advanced electronic equipment.We believe that this work is promising for the rational design of hierarchical structured electrocatalysts for advanced metal-air batteries.

On the Formation of a Bead Structure of Spark Channels during a Discharge in Air at Atmospheric Pressure

The conditions for the formation of spark channels with a bead structure in an inhomogeneous electric field at different polarities of voltage pulses are studied.Voltage pulses with an amplitude of up to 150 kV and a rise time of≈1.5μs were applied across a 45-mm point-to-plane gap.Under these conditions,spark channels consisting of bright and dim regions(bead structure)were observed.It is shown that when current is limited,an increase in the rise time and the gap length does not affect the formation of the bead structure.It was found that an increase in the amplitude of voltage pulses leads to an increase in the length of beads.The appearance of the bead structure is more likely at negative polarity of the pointed electrode.The formation of spark channels was studied with a four-channel ICCD camera.

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON TURBULENT COHERENT STRUCTURES NEAR A SHEARED AIR-WATER INTERFACE

The turbulence structures near a sheared air-water interface were experimentally investigated with the hydrogen bubble visualization technique. Surface shear was imposed by an airflow over the water flow which was kept free from surface waves. Results show that the wind shear has the main influence on coherent structures under air-water interfaces. Low- and high- speed streaks form in the region close to the interface as a result of the imposed shear stress. When a certain airflow velocity is reached, “turbulent spots” appear randomly at low-speed streaks with some characteristics of hairpin vortices. At even higher shear rates, the flow near the interface is dominated primarily by intermittent bursting events. The coherent structures observed near sheared air-water interfaces show qualitative similarities with those occurring in near-wall turbulence. However, a few distinctive phenomena were also observed, including the fluctuating thickness of the instantaneous boundary layer and vertical vortices in bursting processes, which appear to be associated with the characteristics of air-water interfaces.

Transmission properties of frequency selective structures with air gaps

The transmission properties of compound frequency selective structures with dielectric slab and air gaps were investigated by computation and experimentation. Mechanism analyses were also carried out. Results show that the air gaps have a distinct influence on the transmission properties. Resonant frequency of the structure would increase rapidly when the air gap appears. After the gap gets larger to a specific value, generally 1/5 wavelength corresponding to the resonant frequency, the transmission properties would change periodically with the gap thickness. The change of transmission properties in one period has a close relationship with the dielectric thickness. These results provide a new method for designing a bandpass radome of large incidence angle and low loss with the concept of stealth shield radome.

Investigation on Fabric and Air Permeability in Relation to Its Structure

Five parameters of fabric structure are selected to study the relationship between fabric structure and fabric air permeability by orthogonal test . The influencing rule and influencing order of these factors on air permeability are obtained.

Climate change,ambient air pollution,and students'mental health

The impact of global climate change and air pollution on mental health has become a crucial public health issue.Increased public awareness of health,advancements in medical diagnosis and treatment,the way media outlets report environmental changes and the variation in social resources affect psychological responses and adaptation methods to climate change and air pollution.In the context of climate change,extreme weather events seriously disrupt people's living environments,and unstable educational environments lead to an increase in mental health issues for students.Air pollution affects students'mental health by increasing the incidence of diseases while decreasing contact with nature,leading to problems such as anxiety,depression,and decreased cognitive function.We call for joint efforts to reduce pollutant emissions at the source,improve energy structures,strengthen environmental monitoring and governance,increase attention to the mental health issues of students,and help student groups build resilience;by establishing public policies,enhancing social support and adjusting lifestyles and habits,we can help students cope with the constantly changing environment and maintain a good level of mental health.Through these comprehensive measures,we can more effectively address the challenges of global climate change and air pollution and promote the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Determination of the temporal structure of femtosecond laser pulses by means of laser-induced air plasma

A new approach is presented to reveal the temporal structure of femtosecond laser pulses by recording the correspond- ing time-resolved shadowgraphs of the laser-induced air plasma. It is shown that the temporal structures of femtosecond laser pulses, normally not observable by the ordinary intensity autocorrelator, can be detected through intuitively analyz- ing the ultrafast evolution process of the air plasma induced by the femtosecond laser pulses under examination. With this method, existence of pre- and post-pulses has been clearly unveiled within the time window of 4-150 fs in reference with the main 50-fs laser pulses output from a commercial 1-kHz femtosecond laser amplifier. The unique advantage of the proposed method is that it can directly provide valuable information about the pulse temporal structures＇ effect on the laser-induced ionization or material ablation.

Structure and Combustion Characteristics of Methane/Air Premixed Flame under the Action of Wall

In order to obtain the combustion characteristics of the CH4/Air premixed flame under the action of the wall interaction,a study on the impact of the jet flame on the wall at different separation distances was carried out.The separation distance from the burner outlet to the lower surface of the wall is changed and the flame structure is obtained through experiments.The temperature,velocity and reaction rate are obtained through numerical simulation,and the law of flame characteristics change is obtained through analysis.The results show that as the separation distance increases,the premixing cone inside the flame gradually changes from a horn shape to a complete cone shape and the length of the premixing cone profile increases.Also,the peak temperature and velocity of the mixture in the axial direction gradually increase,and the temperature and velocity in the radial direction first increase and then decrease.The temperature gradient and velocity reach the maximum when the separation distance is 11 mm.The peaks of reactants(CH_(4))net reaction rate intermediate products(CO)and products(CO_(2),H_(2)O)on the axis and the axial distance corresponding to the peaks increase accordingly.The chemical reaction rate near the wall also gradually decreases with the increase of the separation distance.

Influence of Surrounding Structures upon the Aerodynamic and Acoustic Performance of the Outdoor Unit of a Split Air-Conditioner

DC-inverter split air-conditioner is widely used in Chinese homes as a result of its high-efficiency and energy-saving. Recently, the researches on its outdoor unit have focused on the influence of surrounding structures upon the aerodynamic and acoustic performance, however they are only limited to the influence of a few parameters on the performance, and practical design of the unit requires more detailed parametric analysis. Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics（CFD） and computational aerodynamic acoustics（CAA） simulation based on FLUENT solver is used to study the influence of surrounding structures upon the aforementioned properties of the unit. The flow rate and sound pressure level are predicted for different rotating speed, and agree well with the experimental results. The parametric influence of three main surrounding structures（i.e. the heat sink, the bell-mouth type shroud and the outlet grille） upon the aerodynamic performance of the unit is analyzed thoroughly. The results demonstrate that the tip vortex plays a major role in the flow fields near the blade tip and has a great effect on the flow field of the unit. The inlet ring＇s size and throat＇s depth of the bell-mouth type shroud, and the through-flow area and configuration of upwind and downwind sections of the outlet grille are the most important factors that affect the aerodynamic performance of the unit. Furthermore, two improved schemes against the existing prototype of the unit are developed, which both can significantly increase the flow rate more than 6 %（i.e. 100 m3·h～（-1）） at given rotating speeds. The inevitable increase of flow noise level when flow rate is increased and the advantage of keeping a lower rotating speed are also discussed. The presented work could be a useful guideline in designing the aerodynamic and acoustic performance of the split air-conditioner in engineering practice.

STUDY OF STRUCTURE AND RIGIDITY OF AIR-JET TEXTURED YARN(ATY)

This paper deals with the structure of air-jet textured yarn(ATY),especilly its core structurein dedail.It is described that overfeed of supply yarn does influence the ATY structure.Then thebending rigidity of ATY has been measured and analyzed.The results shows that various supplyyarns affect the core structure and bending rigidity of ATY.

VARIABLE STRUCTURE CONTROL OF AIRCRAFTFOR ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCE

Variable structure control (VSC) applied to atmospheric disturbance sup-pression is presented. The conditions are stipulated: the sliding mode existenee condi-tion, and invanance condition of atmospheric disturbanee in the variable structuresystem (VSS). A method of eigenstructure assignment technique for switching surfaeedesign is proposed. Based on different atmospheric disturbanee characteristics, such asrandom turbulence, discrete gust and wind shear, two kinds of control laws are derived that possess strong robustness. An example shows that this control approach isfeasible and effective.

THE IMPACT OF AIR-SEA INTERACTIONS ON TYPHOON STRUCTURE

In this work,the results of a coupled experiment and an uncoupled experiment conducted in one of our former works are used to analyze the impact of air-sea interactions on the structure of typhoons.Results reveal that typhoon-induced SST decreases to reduce the latent heat fluxes transporting from the ocean to the atmosphere and cause the flux of sensible heat to transfer downward from the atmosphere to the ocean.Such SST reduction also has remarkable impacts on the typhoon structure by making the typhoon more axisymmetric,especially in the middle and high levels.This study also analyzes the basic characteristics of symmetric typhoon structure.

Experimental investigation on microstructure behavior of premixed methane-air flame-flow interaction in a semi-vented chamber

To explore the premixed methane-air flame microstructure behavior and the flame-flow interaction, the premixed methane/air flame was studied in a semi-vented chamber. A high speed camera and schlieren images methods were used to record the processes of interaction between rare- faction wave and flame. Meanwhile, a pressure sensor was utilized to catch the pressure variation in the process of flame propagation. The experiment results showed that the interference of rarefaction wave on flame caused the flame front structure change, which led to the flame transition from lami- nar to turbulent quickly. The rarefaction wave intervened in the flame by turning the flame front sur- face into dentiform structure. The violent turbulent combustion began to appear in part of the flame front and spreaded to the whole flame front surface. The rarefaction also decreased the flame propa- gation speed.

Effect of the Entrained Air Void on Strength and Interfacial Transition Zone of Air-Entrained Mortar

In order to facilitate the development and application of air entraining agents (AEA) in the high performance concrete, entrained air void structure parameters (air void size range from 10 to 1 600 mu m) of 28 d sifted mortar were measured by image analysis method. The relationship between the air void size distribution and strength of mortar was studied by methods of grey connection analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. The multiple linear regression equation was established with a correlation coefficient of 0.966. The weight of the affection of hierarchical porosity on the compressive strength ratio was also obtained. In addition, the effect of air voids on the paste-aggregate interfacial transition zone (ITZ) was analyzed by microhardness. The results show that the correlation between different pore size range and the compressive strength is negative. The effect of air void size distribution on 28 days compressive strength is different: under the condition of similar total porosity, with the increase of the porosity of the air void size, ranging from 10 to 200 mu m, and the decrease of the porosity, ranging from 200 to 1 600 mu m, the average air void diameter and mean free spacing are decreased; as well as the width of ITZ. On the contrary, the microhardness of the ITZ is increased while the compressive strength loss is decreased.