Modified Concrete Using Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste as a Partial Replacement for Coarse Aggregate

The present work evaluated the properties of modified concrete using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle waste as a partial replacement for coarse aggregate. Modified concrete samples were designed using a water/cement (W/C) ratio of 0.50 and varying percentages of PET replacement (3%, 7%, 10%, and 15% by volume). Dreux Gorisse’s formulation approach was used to make the final products, and the mechanical properties of the samples were determined using Controlab presses. This modified concrete with PET chips has shown that with a 10% replacement of PET chips, the fresh density decreases by 3.56%, and the hardened state density decreases by 2.01%. The water absorption and thermal conductivity of the formulated concretes decreased. However, the results showed that the slump of these fresh concretes increased as the percentage of plastic aggregate replacement increased. Based on the results, incorporating PET aggregates into concrete contributes to good workability, and lightweight concrete structures, and provides some thermal comfort in concrete structures.

Combustion Properties of Metal Particles as Components of Modified Double-Base Propellants

Metal particles such as aluminum（ Al）,magnesium（ Mg）,boron（ B） and nickel（ Ni）,as well as Mg/Al alloy（ Mg/Al = 3/4） are currently the most widely used ingredients in modified doublebase propellants. In this contribution,the combustion properties of the metal species are studied by means of the high-speed photography technique and the non-contact wavelet-based measurement of flame temperature distribution. The combustion process of the Al,Mg and Mg/Al samples shows both gas phase reaction and surface oxidation,which yield volatile and nonvolatile products,corresponding to the oxide and suboxide respectively. However,the combustion of B and Ni shows only gas phase reaction,due to their high melting point as well as high enthalpy of vaporization. In addition to the experiments,a hypothetical combustion model has been proposed to clarify the combustion characteristics of metal species in modified double-base propellants.

On the Damping Properties of Modified Ground Rubber Tires

Large amounts of used rubber tires are discarded annually. A long time is needed for them to degrade naturally. This poses two major problems: environmental pollution and wastage of valuable rubber. On the other hand, with the harm of vibration and noise widely recognized, desires to control them intensify. As an important means of vibration control, viscoelastic damping technology has advanced greatly. The need for cheap and high quality viscoelastic damping materials increases rapidly. This paper made a trial to use ground rubber tire (GRT) recovered from old tires to make damping materials. The GRT is treated specially first. Then it was pressed into slabs and vulcanized. Finally, the product was cut into test samples. An Oberst beam was used to determine the loss factor βand storage modulus E. Results show that the damping materials exhibit good damping α-bility.

Forced vibration analysis of nano-composite rotating pressurized microbeam reinforced by CNTs based on MCST with temperature-variable material properties

In this study, free and forced vibration analysis of nano-composite rotating pressurized microbeam reinforced by carbon nanotubes （CNTs） under magnetic field based on modify couple stress theory （MCST） with temperature-variable material propertiesis presented. Also, the boundary conditions at two ends of nano-composite rotating pressurized microbeam reinforced by CNTs are considered as simply supported. The governing equations are obtained based on the Hamilton＇s principle and then computed these equations by using Navier＇s solution. The magnetic field is inserted in the thickness direction of the nano-composite microbeam. The effects of various parameters such as angular velocity, temperature changes, and pressure between of the inside and outside, the magnetic field, material length scale parameter, and volume fraction of nanocomposite microbeam on the natural frequency and response systemare studied. The results show that with increasing volume fraction of nano-composite microbeam, thickness, material length scale parameter, and magnetic fields, the natural frequency increases. The results of this research can be used for optimization of micro-structures and manufacturing sensors, displacement fluid, and drug delivery.