Acoustic-Physical Properties of Calcareous Seafloor Soils and Their Significance in Engineering Geology

The basic features and acoustic-physical properties of calcareous seafloor soils in the tropic sea area are obviously different from those of sediments mainly composed of terrigenous materials in the South China Sea. Generally calcareous soils, composed of carbonate particles of marine organism remains. have the characteristics of high water content, high porosity, low wet density, high sound velocity and greatly varied comprehensive strength. Recognizing the differences between calcareous soils and terrigenous sediments and engineering geologic significance of calcareous soils is crucial for seafloor geologic research and geotechnical survey for pile-jacket platform foundation design.

Engineering property test of kaolin clay contaminated by diesel oil

Engineering property of kaolin clay contaminated by diesel oil was studied through a series of laboratory experiments.Oil contents(mass fraction) of 4%,8%,12%,16% and 20% were selected to represent different contamination degrees,and the soil specimens were manually prepared through mixing and static compaction method.Initial water content and dry density of the test kaolin clay were controlled at 10% and 1.58 g/cm^3,respectively.Test results indicate that since part of the diesel oil will be released from soil by evaporation,the real water content should be derived through calibration of the quasi water content obtained by traditional test method.As contamination degree of the kaolin clay increases,both liquid limit and plastic limit decrease,but there's only a slight increase for plasticity index.Swelling pressure of contaminated kaolin clay under confined condition will be lowered when oil-content gets higher.Unconfined compressive strength(UCS) of the oil-contaminated kaolin clay is influenced by not only oil content but also curing period.Increase of contamination degree will continually lower UCS of the kaolin clay specimen.In addition,electrical resistivity of the contaminated kaolin clay with given water content decreases with the increase of oil content.However,soil resistivity is in good relationship with oil content and UCS.Finally,oil content of 8% is found to be a critical value for engineering property of kaolin clay to transit from water-dominated towards oil-dominated characteristics.

Engineering properties for high kitchen waste content municipal solid waste

Engineering properties of municipal solid waste （MSW） depend largely on the waste＇s initial compositionand degree of degradation. MSWs in developing countries usually have a high kitchen waste content（called HKWC MSW）. After comparing and analyzing the laboratory and field test results of physicalcomposition, hydraulic properties, gas generation and gas permeability, and mechanical properties forHKWC MSW and low kitchen waste content MSW （called LKWC MSW）, the following findings wereobtained： （1） HKWC MSW has a higher initial water content （IWC） than LKWC MSW, but the field capacitiesof decomposed HKWC and LKWC MSWs are similar; （2） the hydraulic conductivity and gaspermeability for HKWC MSW are both an order of magnitude smaller than those for LKWC MSW; （3）compared with LKWC MSW, HKWC MSW has a higher landfill gas （LFG） generation rate but a shorterduration and a lower potential capacity; （4） the primary compression feature for decomposed HKWCMSW is similar to that of decomposed LKWC MSW, but the compression induced by degradation ofHKWC MSW is greater than that of LKWC MSW; and （5） the shear strength of HKWC MSW changessignificantly with time and strain. Based on the differences of engineering properties between these twokinds of MSWs, the geo-environmental issues in HKWC MSW landfills were analyzed, including highleachate production, high leachate mounds, low LFG collection efficiency, large settlement and slopestability problem, and corresponding advice for the management and design of HKWC MSW landfills wasrecommended.

Calcium phosphate cements for bone engineering and their biological properties

Calcium phosphate cements （CPCs） are frequently used to repair bone defects. Since their discovery in the 1980s, extensive research has been conducted to improve their properties, and emerging evidence supports their increased application in bone tissue engineering. Much effort has been made to enhance the biological performance of CPCs, including their biocompatibility, osteoconductivity, osteoinductivity, biodegradability, bioactivity, and interactions with cells. This review article focuses on the major recent developments in CPCs, including 3D printing, injectability, stem cell delivery, growth factor and drug delivery, and pre- vascularization of CPC scaffolds via co-culture and tri-culture techniques to enhance angiogenesis and osteogenesis.

Study on the optical property and biocompatibility of a tissue engineering cornea

AIM: To study the optical property and biocompatibility of a tissue engineering cornea. METHODS: The cross-linker of N- (3-Dimethylaminoropyl)-N'ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/ N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) was mixed with Type I collagen at 10% (weight/volume). The final solution was molded to the shape of a corneal contact lens. The collagen concentrations of 10%, 12.5%, 15%, 17.5% and 20% artificial corneas were tested by UV/vis-spectroscopy for their transparency compared with normal rat cornea. 10-0 sutures were knotted on the edges of substitute to measure the corneal buttons's mechanical properties. Normal rat corneal tissue primary culture on the collagen scaffold was observed in 4 weeks. Histopathologic examinations were performed after 4 weeks of in vitro culturing. RESULTS: The collagen scaffold appearance was similar to that of soft contact lens. With the increase of collagen concentration, the transparency of artificial corneal buttons was diminished, but the toughness of the scaffold was enhanced. The scaffold transparency in the 10% concentration collagen group resembled normal rat cornea. To knot and embed the scaffold under the microscope, 20% concentration collagen group was more effective during implantation than lower concentrations of collagen group. In the first 3 weeks, corneal cell proliferation was highly active. The shapes of cells that grew on the substitute had no significant difference when compared with the cells before they were moved to the scaffold. However, on the fortieth day, most cells detached from the scaffold and died. Histopathologic examination of the primary culture scaffold revealed well grown corneal cells tightly attached to the scaffold in the former culturing. CONCLUSION: Collagen scaffold can be molded to the shape of soft contact corneal lens with NHS/EDC. The biological stability and biocompatibility of collagen from animal species may be used as material in preparing to engineer artificial corneal scaffold.

Engineering properties and microstructure of expansive soil treated with nanographite powder

To reduce geological disasters caused by expansive soil,it is crucial to use a new type of modified material to rapidly improve soil strength instead of traditional soil improvement materials such as lime and cement.Nanographite powder(NGP)has excellent properties,such as high adsorption,conductivity,and lubrication,since it has the characteristics of small size,large specific surface area,and high surface energy.However,previous studies on the improvement of expansive soil with NGP are not processed enough.To study the improvement effect of NGP on expansive soil,non-load swelling ratio tests,consolidation tests,unconfined compressive strength tests,mercury injection tests,and micro-CT tests on expansive soil mixed with different NGP contents were performed.The results show that the non-load swelling ratio,mechanical properties,and porosity of expansive soil show some increasement after adding NGP.The strength of expansive soil reaches the maximum when the NGP content is 1.450%.The cumulative mercury volume and compressive strain of expansive soil reach the maximum with the 2.0%NGP content.Finally,the modification mechanism of swelling,compressibility,microstructure,and compressive strength of expansive soil by NGP is revealed.

Effect of textural characteristics on engineering properties of some sedimentary rocks

As it is commonly known,the estimation of physical and mechanical characteristics of rocks is very important issue in various geotechnical projects.The characteristics are mainly influenced by the microfabric-texture features of rocks.In this research,dry unit weight,effective porosity,point load index,Schmidt rebound hardness,uniaxial compressive strength,and texture coefficient were measured with the aim of correlating the physical and mechanical properties to the texture coefficient.For this purpose,a comprehensive laboratory testing program was conducted after collecting twenty sedimentary block samples including nine limestones and eleven mudstones,taken from Kalidromo(central Greece)in accordance with ASTM and ISRM standards.Also,mineralogical and petrographic properties,textural characteristics as well as X-ray diffractions were studied and the obtained results were statistically described and analysed.The maximum and minimum values of the texture coefficient were 0.13 and 0.50,respectively.The highest value was obtained for the rocks with a large amount of grains.Regression analyses were used to investigate the relationships between the texture coefficient and the engineering properties.Thus,empirical equations were developed and because of the good determination coefficients,they showed that all of the engineering properties were well correlated to the texture coefficient.

Analysis on the development of chemically-improved soil in railway engineering

Purpose-Explore the development trend of chemically-improved soil in railway engineering.Design/methodology/approach–In this paper,the technical standards home and abroad were analyzed.Laboratory test,field test and monitoring were carried out.Findings–The performance design system of the chemically-improved soil should be established.Originality/value–On the basis of the performance design,the test methods and standards for various properties of chemically-improved soil should be established to evaluate the improvement effect and control the engineering quality.

Reduced graphene oxide-grafted bovine serum albumin/bredigite nanocomposites with high mechanical properties and excellent osteogenic bioactivity for bone tissue engineering

The optimization of the scaffolds to provide a suitable matrix and accelerate the regeneration process is vital for bone tissue engineering.However,poor mechanical and biological characteristics remain the primary challenges that must be addressed.For example,although bredigite(Br)has shown great potential for application in bone tissue engineering,it easily fails in replacement.In the present work,these challenges are addressed by reinforcing the Br matrix with nanosheets of graphene oxide(rGO)that have been reduced by bovine serum albumin(BSA)in order to enhance the mechanical properties and biological behavior.The reduction of graphene oxide by BSA improves the water stability of the nanosheets and provides an electrostatic interaction between theBSA-rGO nanosheets and theBr particles.The high thermal conductivity of theBSA-rGO nanosheets decreases the porosity of the Br by transferring heat to the core of the tablet.Furthermore,the addition of BSA-rGO nanosheets into the Br matrix enhances the adhesion of G-292 cells on the surface of the tablets.These findings suggest that the tablet consisting of BSA-rGO-reinforced Br has encouraging potential for application in bone tissue engineering.

Engineering Properties of Unstabilized Rammed Earth with Different Clay Contents

The physical and mechanical properties of unstabilized rammed earth with different clay contents were studied, which could provide a theoretical basis for the understanding of mechanical properties of unstabilized rammed earth and improve the construction design method and specification of RE buildings for sustainable development. The experimental results show that clay content has significant influences on the engineering properties of unstabilized rammed earth. For the fine-grained soil, the liquid limit, plastic limit and plasticity index increase gradually with the increase of the clay content. The influence of clay content on the optimum moisture content compared with the maximum dry density is more significant. The mechanical properties of unstabilized rammed earth are significantly affected by the clay content. There exist good linear relationships, which can be used for the mutual verification or calculation among the mechanical properties. An empirical model of unconfined compression strength with the FA/CA ratio as the main parameter is established, and the UCS may obtain the maximum with a FA/CA ratio of 5.77.

Engineering Properties of Expansive Soil

The components of expansive soil were analyzed with EDAX, and it is shown that the main contents of expansive soil in the northern Hubei have some significant effects on engineering properties of expansive soil. Furthermore, the soil modified by lime has an obvious increase of Ca^(2+) and an improvement of connections between granules so as to reduce the expansibility and contractility of soil. And it also has a better effect on the modified expansive soil than the one modified by pulverized fuel ash.

Ability of rotary compactor in compacting consistent slabs and effect of rotary compaction on engineering properties of stone mastic asphalt mixtures

A new automatic rotary compactor and its abilities in compacting stone mastic asphalt （SMA） are presented. Following an overview of the rotary compactor and the compaction procedure, it is demonstrated that the rotary compactor is able to produce uniform slabs with the desired thickness of 65 mm all over around. Furthermore, 132 cored samples from the rotary compactor had been compacted uniformly with approximately 4% optimum air void content. In addition, performance tests results indicate that the rotary compactor produces asphalt mixturures with the requirements of resilient modulus, Marshall stability and flow. A weight factor was introduced for each fraction of aggregates in the degradation analysis to compensate the crushing effect of aggregates during mixing and compacting.

Rock engineering property of the high-steep open-pit slope and its stability

According to the rock engineering property and stability of high-steep open-pitslopes, various factors were collected on the basis of rock engineering system (RSE) theory,and the interaction matrix of stability evaluation was established.Then, the stabilityevaluation index (S_p) of the slope was put forward.Ranges of the S_p value and the correspondingstable state were given on the basis of thirty-six samples.It is found that the followingrelationships exist: unstable (easy landslide): S_p<-0.20; mid-stable (may be landslide):-0.20<S_p<0.63; stable (no landslide): S_p>0.63.Finally, the stability evaluation indexwas applied on the high-steep open-pit slope of one mine.Analysis results and monitoringdata indicate that the index meets the necessity of the property of slope engineering, and ithas an important engineering purpose for landslide forecasting of high-steep slopes.

Geological and Engineering Properties of Granite Rocks from Aqaba Area, South Jordan

Jordanian granitic rocks (JG) are highly distributed and available in huge quantities in south Jordan, Aqaba area. Granite in south Jordan (JG) is belonging to Aqaba granite complex. This study has been carried out to investigate geological and engineering properties of JG from Aqaba vicinity, south Jordan, in addition to identify and classify the different granitic rocks. 27 random samples of JG were collected from different quarries in three locations from the study area to investigate their characterization. Engineering properties of JG were tested and investigated using ultra sonic velocity test, abrasion test, flexural strength, specific gravity test, and compressive strength test. Engineering tests results show that JG has metal disk abrasion less than 21 mm, flexural strength of 16.9 Mpa, average dry specific gravity of 2.69 and very low absorption while the compressive strength results range between 60 to 90 Mpa. The results show that the engineering characterization of JG is complying with local and international specifications and standards used for classifying the decorative and building granite stones.

Some Engineering Properties of Sunflower Seed and Its Kernel

Some engineering properties of sunflower seed and its kernel, Shahroodi variety as a case study, were investigated at various moisture content levels （3-14% d.b.） for three size categories （large, medium and small）. With increase of moisture content from 3 to 14% d.b., all the main dimensions （length, width and thickness）, geometric mean diameter, porosity, true density, terminal velocity and static coefficient of friction increased while bulk density and rupture force for both sunflower seed and its kernel decreased for all size categories. The results showed that the highest value of static coefficient of friction for both seed and kernel was on the rubber surface, followed by plywood, polyethylene, galvanized iron, and finally aluminium surfaces. The seeds required less compressive force to dehull when loaded under the horizontal as compared to the vertical orientation. But for kernels, the trend was the opposite. Also, the compressive forces needed to initiate rupture of sunflower seed hulls were higher （47.1-94.72 N） than those required to rupture the kernel （8.5-13.4 N） in both orientations.

Impact Properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites with High Volume Fly Ash Using SHPB Test

The split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） testing with diameter 40 mm was used to investigate the dynamic mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composites （ECCs） with different fly ash content. The basic properties including deformation, energy absorption capacity, strain-stress relationship and failure patterns were discussed. The ECCs showed strain-rate dependency and kept better plastic flow during impact process compared with reactive powder concrete （RPC） and concrete, but the critical compressive strength was lower than that of RPC and concrete. The bridging effect of PVA fiber and addition of fly ash can significantly improve the deformation and energy absorption capacities of ECCs. With the increase of fly ash content in ECCs, the static and dynamic compressive strength lowered and the dynamic increase factor enhanced. Therefore, to meet different engineering needs, the content of fly ash can be an important index to control the static and dynamic mechanical properties of ECCs.

State of the art review on physiochemical and engineering characteristics of fly ash and its applications

The focus of this study is to critically review the physiochemical and engineering properties of the fly ash and its applications in various fields.The utilization of fly ash has become a widespread area,but the amount of utilization is still a serious issue.It has many beneficial qualities(such as pozzolanic property,fineness,spherical shape,lightweight,etc.),which enhance its properties and make it suitable for its utilization as a new construction material.For the bulk utilization of fly ash,it should be employed in the areas independent of any other parameters.So that,the disposal problem can be reduced significantly.The knowledge of its physiochemical characteristic helps in the judgment of appropriate fly ash for any particular type of work.Fly ash can be utilized in other areas such as asphalt concrete,geopolymer concrete,ground improvement,agricultural sector,roller compacted concrete,brick,etc.that will reduce the existing ashes,and also the disposal problem can be solved appreciably.The implementation of fly ash must be avoided below the natural ground water level and below 4°C temperature conditions.

Mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol-basalt hybrid fiber engineered cementitious composites with impact of elevated temperatures

In the present study,the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-basalt hybrid fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composites(ECC)after exposure to elevated temperatures were experimentally investigated.Five temperatures of 20,50,100,200 and 400℃ were set to evaluate the residual compressive,tensile and flexural behaviors of hybrid and mono fiber ECC.It was shown that partial replacement of PVA fibers with basalt fibers endowed ECC with improved residual compressive toughness,compared to brittle failure of mono fiber ECC heated to 400℃.The tension tests indicated that the presence of basalt fibers benefited the tensile strength up to 200℃,and delayed the sharp reduction of strength to 400℃.Under flexural load,the peak deflections corresponding to flexural strengths of hybrid fiber ECC were found to be less vulnerable ranging from 20 to 100℃.Further,the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)results uncovered that the rupture of basalt fiber at moderate temperature and its pullout mechanism at high temperature was responsible for the mechanical evolution of hybrid fiber ECC.This work develops a better understanding of elevated temperature and basalt fiber impact on the residual mechanical properties and further provides guideline for tailoring ECC for improved fire resistance.

Preparation of polypyrrole-embedded electrospun poly(lactic acid) nanofibrous scaffolds for nerve tissue engineering

Polypyrrole （PPy） is a biocompatible polymer with good conductivity. Studies combining PPy with electrospinning have been reported; however, the associated decrease in PPy conductivity has not yet been resolved. We embedded PPy into poly（lactic acid） （PLA） nanofibers via electrospinning and fabricated a PLA/PPy nanofibrous scaffold containing 15% PPy with sustained conductivity and aligned topog- raphy, qhere was good biocompatibility between the scaffold and human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells as well as Schwann cells. Additionally, the direction of cell elongation on the scaffold was parallel to the direction of fibers. Our findings suggest that the aligned PLA/PPy nanofibrous scaffold is a promising biomaterial for peripheral nerve regeneration.

Parallel Nanoimprint Forming of One-Dimensional Chiral Semiconductor for Strain-Engineered Optical Properties

The low-dimensional,highly anisotropic geometries,and superior mechanical properties of one-dimensional(1D) nanomaterials allow the exquisite strain engineering with a broad tunability inaccessible to bulk or thin-film materials.Such capability enables unprecedented possibilities for probing intriguing physics and materials science in the 1-D limit.Among the techniques for introducing controlled strains in 1D materials,nanoimprinting with embossed substrates attracts increased attention due to its capability to parallelly form nanomaterials into wrinkled structures with controlled periodicities,amplitudes,orientations at large scale with nanoscale resolutions.Here,we systematically investigated the strain-engineered anisotropic optical properties in Te nanowires through introducing a controlled strain field using a resist-free thermally assisted nanoimprinting process.The magnitude of induced strains can be tuned by adjusting the imprinting pressure,the nanowire diameter,and the patterns on the substrates.The observed Raman spectra from the chiral-chain lattice of 1D Te reveal the strong lattice vibration response under the strain.Our results suggest the potential of 1D Te as a promising candidate for flexible electronics,deformable optoelectronics,and wearable sensors.The experimental platform can also enable the exquisite mechanical control in other nanomaterials using substrate-induced,on-demand,and controlled strains.