Droplet Self-Driven Characteristics on Wedge-Shaped Surface with Composite Gradients:A Molecular Dynamics Study

The self-driven behavior of droplets on a functionalized surface,coupled with wetting gradient and wedge patterns,is systematically investigated using molecular dynamics(MD)simulations.The effects of key factors,including wedge angle,wettability,and wetting gradient,on the droplet self-driving effect is revealed from the nanoscale.Results indicate that the maximum velocity of droplets on hydrophobic wedge-shaped surfaces increases with the wedge angle,accompanied by a rapid attenuation of driving force;however,the average velocity decreases with the increased wedge angle.Conversely,droplet movement on hydrophilic wedge-shaped surfaces follows the opposite trend,particularly in terms of average velocity compared to the hydrophobic case.Both wedge-shaped and composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces are found to induce droplet motion,with droplets exhibiting higher speeds and distances on hydrophobic surfaces compared to hydrophilic surfaces,regardless of surface type.Importantly,the inclusion of wettability gradients significantly influences droplet motion,with hydrophobic composite gradient wedge-shaped surfaces showing considerable improvements in droplet speed and distance compared to their hydrophilic counterparts.By combining suitable wettability gradients with wedge-shaped surfaces,the limitations inherent in the wettability gradient range and wedge-shaped configuration can be mitigated,thereby enhancing droplet speed and distance.The findings presented in this paper offer valuable insights for the design of advanced functional surfaces tailored for manipulating droplets in real-world applications.

Investigation of Refractory Bricks and Oxide Materials Heated in Hydrogen Reduction Conditions

This study aims to provide the basic knowledge for furnace refractory design by investigating refractory property changes occurred in a hydrogen atmosphere.Since refractory bricks are thermodynamically stable in a hydrogen atmosphere at 1100°C,we tried to find out the minute changes.In this experiment,a refractory brick was prepared by andalusite,mullite chamotte,and clay as raw materials and heated to 1100°C in a 100%hydrogen atmosphere for 72 h.It was found that the strength of the brick was decreased and the color was changed to black by the reduction of impurities.And in addition,this study covered research on the slaking risk of MgO raw materials because the minimum temperature is expected to 400°C in fluidized reduction furnaces unlike shaft furnaces.

Visual Analysis of Domestic and Foreign Building Brick Skin Research Based on Citespace

With the progress of the times and the leap of science and technology,the application of brick materials and the research on the brick skin in modern architectural design have shown a dual-track development trend of returning to tradition and innovation.Based on the core collection database resources of Web of Science and the CiteSpace visual analysis tool,this paper constructed and analyzed the spatio-temporal map of keyword co-occurrence network,cluster structure,mutation phenomenon,time course and regional distribution map of building brick skin research.The study revealed that in recent years,the research on brick materials has spanned the study of single material properties and extensively involved in the broad world of construction,especially in the integration of green energy-saving technology,the innovation of fine construction technology of brick skin,and the frontier exploration of digital technology in brick masonry,which has shown particularly significant research vitality and development potential.

Assessment of Cement-Lime as Stabilizer on Mud Bricks

The aim of this study was to evaluate the compressive strength of clay bricks and their stability to water absorption by inserting stabilizers such as lime and cement of 0%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%, 12% to 14%. Spectrometric analysis was used to characterize the various stabilizers and the clay used, and tests of resistance and water absorption were also carried out. The clay was found to be an aluminosilicate (15.55% to 17.17% Al2O3 and 42.12% to 44.15% SiO2). The lime contains 90.84% CaO and the cement has 17.80% SiO2, 3.46% Al2O3, 2.43% Fe2O3 and 58.47% CaO in the combined form of tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate, tricalcium aluminate and ferro-tetra calcium aluminate. The results showed that the insertion of locally available stabilizers (lime and cement) improved the strength of the material by almost 80% when the lime was increased from 0% to 14% for 14 days. For compressed cement, a 65% increase in strength was observed under the same conditions. Strength increases with drying time, with a 52% increase in strength at 28 days compared to 14 days. Furthermore, compressed cement bricks have a more compact structure, absorbing very little water (32%). In view of all these results, cement appears to be the best stabilizer, and compression improves compressive strength and reduces water absorption.

Distribution and engulfment behavior of TiB_2 particles or clusters in wedge-shaped copper casting ingot

Wedge-shaped copper casting experiment was conducted to study the engulfment behavior of TiB2 particle and the interaction between particle or cluster and the solid/liquid front in commercial pure aluminum matrix. The experimental results show that the particle size distribution obeys two separate systems in the whole wedge-cast sample. Furthermore, it is found that the big clusters are pushed to the center of the wedge shaped sample and the single particle or small clusters consisting of few particles are engulfed into the α-Al in the area of the sample edge. The cluster degree of particles varies in different areas, and its value is 0.2 and 0.6 for the cluster fraction in the edge and in the center of the wedge sample, respectively. The cluster diameter does not obey the normal distribution but approximately obeys lognormal distribution in the present work. More importantly, in the whole sample, the particle size obeys two separate log-normal distributions.

The interaction between a screw dislocation and a wedge-shaped crack in one-dimensional hexagonal piezoelectric quasicrystals

Based on the fundamental equations of piezoelasticity of quasicrystal material,we investigated the interaction between a screw dislocation and a wedge-shaped crack in the piezoelectricity of one-dimensional hexagonal quasicrystals.Explicit analytical solutions are obtained for stress and electric displacement intensity factors of the crack,as well as the force on dislocation.The derivation is based on the conformal mapping method and the perturbation technique.The influences of the wedge angle and dislocation location on the image force are also discussed.The results obtained in this paper can be fully reduced to some special cases already available or deriving new ones.

Tailored deep-eutectic solvent method to enable 3D porous iron fluoride bricks for conversion-type lithium batteries

Conversion-type fluoride cathode can provide considerable energy density for Li batteries,however its scalable and facile synthesis strategies are still lacking.Here,a novel Fe-based deep eutectic solvent composed of nitrite and methylsulfonylmethane is proposed as both the reaction medium and precursor to synthesize O-doped FeF3porous bricks.This method is cheaper,safe,mildly operable,environmentally friendly and recyclable for non-fluorinated metal cations.The homogenization of charge and mass transport in cathode network effectively mitigates the volume extrusion and electrode coarsening even for the micro-sized monolithic particles.The Co-solvation modulated fluoride cathode delivers high reversible capacity in a wide temperature range(486 and 235 mA h g^(-1)at 25℃ and-20℃ respectively),excellent rate performance(312 mA h g^(-1)at 1000 mA g^(-1)),corresponding to an energy density as high as672.1 W h kg^(-1)under a power density of 2154.3 W kg^(-1).The successful operation of fluoride pouchcell with a capacity exceeding 450 mA h g^(-1)(even under thin Li foil and lean electrolyte conditions) indicates its potentiality of commercial application.

The role of cholesterol in modifying the lipid-lowering effects of Fuzhuan brick-tea in Caenorhabditis elegans via SBP-1/SREBP

Fuzhuan brick-tea(FZT)has long been consumed for its supposed weight loss and lipid-lowering benefi ts.In this study,we show that the regulation of fat storage in Caenorhabditis elegans from a water extract of FZT was affected by cholesterol levels.We found that FZT signifi cantly decreased fat storage under normal cholesterol levels or in a cholesterol-free diet,while lipid accumulation was increased for a high cholesterol diet.Moreover,this mechanism may involve the conserved sterol regulatory element-binding protein(SREBP)/mediator-15(MDT-15)signaling pathway and the nuclear hormone receptor NHR-80.In addition,lipid synthesis-related genes inhibited by FZT were partially affected by a cholesterol-free diet.Thus,our fi ndings suggested that the potential lipid-lowering effects of FZT may depend on the cholesterol level,which may help to improve the consumption of FZT.

Numerical prediction of thermo-hydrodynamics on the gas-lubricated film in wedge-shaped microchannel

One wedge-shaped microchannel was established,and the hydrodynamic properties of the wedge-shaped gas film were comprehensively investigated.The Navier-Stokes equations coupled with the full energy equation were adopted to mainly analyze the lubrication hydrodynamics of the gas film,as the horizontal plate was viewed as the adiabatic wall or the horizontal plate temperature was equal to the tilt plate temperature.A higher gas film temperature strengthened the rarefaction effect,and the more rarefied gas weakened the squeeze.Meanwhile,the vertical flow across the gas film could indicate the relation between the velocity vector and the gas film squeeze and expansion.The adiabatic horizontal plate could resist the heat conduction and enhance the rarefaction effect,and thus the direction of motion of the gas molecules was easier to be changed.

Asymmetric and Single-Side Splitting of Dissipative Solitons in Complex Ginzburg–Landau Equations with an Asymmetric Wedge-Shaped Potential

We report some novel dynamical phenomena of dissipative solitons supported by introducing an asymmetric wedge-shaped potential(just as a sharp ‘razor') into the complex Ginzburg–Landau equation with the cubicquintic nonlinearity. The potentials corresponding to a local refractive index modulation with breaking symmetry can be realized in an active optical medium with respective expanding antiwaveguiding structures. Using the razor potential acting on a central dissipative soliton, possible outcomes of asymmetric and single-side splitting of dissipative solitons are achieved with setting different strengths and steepness of the potentials. The results can potentially be used to design a multi-route splitter for light beams.

Design of a Wedge-Shaped Toroidal Field Winding for KTX Device

The KTX device is a reversed field pinch （RFP） device currently under construction. Its maximum plasma current is designed as 1 MA with a discharge time longer than 100 ms. Its major radius is 1.4 m and its minor radius is 0.55 m. One of the most important problems in the magnet system design is how to reduce the TF magnetic field ripple and error field. A new wedge- shaped TF coil is put forward for the KTX device and its electromagnetic properties are compared with those of rectangular-shaped TF coils. The error field B,I/Bt of wedge-shaped TF coils with 6.4 degrees is about 6% as compared with 8% in the case of a rectangular-shaped TF coil. Besides, the wedge-shaped TF coils have a lower magnetic field ripple at the edge of the plasma region, which is smaller than 7.5% at R=1.83 m and 2% at R=l.07 m. This means that the tokamak operation mode may be feasible for this device when the plasma area becomes smaller, because the maximum ripple in the plasma area of the tokamak model is always required to be smaller than 0.4%. Detailed analysis of the results shows that the structure of the wedged-shape TF coil is reliable. It can serve as a reference for TF coil design of small aspect ratio RFPs or similar torus devices.

Triaxial elastoplastic damage constitutive model of unreinforced clay brick masonry wall

Due to differences in the properties of composition materials and construction techniques,unreinforced masonry is characterized by low strength,anisotropy,nonuniformity,and low ductility.In order to accurately simulate the mechanical behavior of unreinforced brick masonry walls under static and dynamic loads,a new elastoplastic damage constitutive model was proposed and the corresponding subroutine was developed based on the concrete material constitutive model.In the proposed constitutive model,the Rankine strength theory and the Drucker-Prager strength theory were used to define the tensile and compressive yield surface function of materials,respectively.Moreover,the stress updating algorithm was modified to consider the tensile plastic permanent deformation of masonry materials.To verify the accuracy of the proposed constitutive model,numerical simulations of the brick masonry under monotonic and cyclic uniaxial tension and compression loads were carried out.Comparisons among the numerical and theoretical and experimental results show that the proposed model can properly reflect the masonry material mechanical properties.Furthermore,the numerical models of four pieces of masonry walls with different mortar strengths were established.Low cyclic loadings were applied and the results show that the proposed constitutive model can properly simulate the wall shear failure characteristics,and the force-displacement hysteretic curves obtained by numerical simulation are in good agreement with the tests.Overall,the proposed elastic-plastic damage constitutive model can simulate the nonlinear behavior of unreinforced brick masonry walls very well,and can be used to predict the structural response of masonry walls.

Modeling of Fixed Bed Adsorption Column Parameters of Iron(II) Removal Using Ferrihydrite Coated Brick

Fixed-bed operating experimental column conditions were studied to evaluate the performance of brick from Bangui Region (in Central African Republic), coated with iron oxyhydroxide (ferrihydrite) for the removal of iron(II) from aqueous solution. The prediction of theoretical breakthrough profiles using Bohart and Adams sorption model was employed to achieve characteristic parameters such as depth of exchange zone, time required for exchange zone to move vertically, moving rate for the exchange zone and adsorption capacity useful for fixed-bed column reactor was investigated under varying operating conditions. The effects of bed depth and flow rate on iron(II) adsorption were studied. Our finding revealed that the Brick from Bangui Region (in Central African Republic), coated with ferrihydrite was a very efficient media for the removal of Fe(II) ions from water. The experimental data showed that the depth and the moving rate (10.3 ± 0.6 cm) and (0.208 ± 0.006 cm/min) respectively of the exchange zone (adsorption zone) were independent of variability of the height of the adsorbent bed column, however the variations of the flow rate affect the moving rate of the exchange zone. The bed depth service time (BDST) model was used and permitted us to predict the service times of columns operated at various flow rates and bed depths and these predicted values were compared with the experimental values.

Study on Mechanical Properties and Action Mechanism of Leather Industrial Sludge Aggregate Baking-Free Bricks

Taking an industrial sludge and its preparation of sludge wrap shell aggregates(WSAs)instead of sand to prepare baking-free brick as the research object,the development law of mechanical properties and the influence mechanism of macro and micro characteristic parameters of the bricks under different sludge and WSAs replacement rates were studied through the macroscopic mechanical properties test,with the help of nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),transmission electron microscopy-energy spectrum and other testing technology and pores and cracks analysis system(PCAS)software.The results showed that the compressive strength of each sample decreased with the increase of sludge content.When the sludge content was less than 30%,it was mainly affected by the water-binder ratio.When the sludge content was more than 30%,it was mainly affected by the sludge content.At the age of 7 days,with the increase in replacement rate of WSAs,the compressive strength of the S10 and S30 groups was higher than that of the control group.The compressive strength of the S50 experimental group was 30.38 MPa,and the loss of compressive strength was slight compared with the control group.The water absorption rate of the 28 days S100 experimental group increased by 10.71%compared with the control group.When the content of WSAs was less than 50%,the holes above 0.1μm in the brick can be reduced and transformed into smaller holes,with a decreasing trend of the plane porosity of the brick.The microscopic results of the baking-free brick showed that the three-phase system of WSAs-interface transition area-mortar was poorly bonded and delaminated compared with the gravel aggregate-interface transition area-mortar system,and damage was more likely to occur in the WSAs and interface transition area.The above results show that it is feasible to use sludge and WSAs instead of sand for the preparation of baking-free bricks.This technology not only solves the problem of sludge disposal,but also protects the over-exploitation of mineral resources,and the technology has a broad application prospect and market value.

Thermo-Mechanical Properties Study of Stabilized Soil Bricks to Sugar Cane Molasses and Cassava Starch Binders

The current study deals Swith thermo-mechanical properties of stabilized soil small bricks with the help of organic binders of sugar cane molasses and cassava starch. Different formulations of soil concrete have been suggested after the geotechnical characterization of samples of soil was taken. From these, it arises that the studied soil is the most plastically clay (of type A3) according to GTR classification. Samples made of small bricks and measured out at 4%, 6% and 8% of binders (molasses, starch or molasses + starch) have been warmed up to different temperatures (100°C, 150°C, 200°C and 250°C) for the rising of the thermic behavior under different conditions and submitted to crushing testings for the estimation of characteristic resistances to the compression. According to the mechanical behavior, we note an improvement of resistances for small bricks measured 4%, 6% and 8%, of molasses respectively of 32.44%, 32.06% and 23.43% against the value of reference for small bricks without molasses. In the same way, the binder (molasses + starch) also reveals an improvement of resistance to the compression of 13.27%, 26.17% and 26.17%. On the contrary, the stabilization with the starch binder did not bring a significative improvement. According to the thermic influence, the heating at 100°C of stabilized small bricks at 4%, 6% and 8% of molasses, reveals a significative improvement of resistances. Moreover, the stabilization with the starch reveals on the contrary a good behavior for heatings at 150°C and 250°C. In short, for the binder (molasses + starch), it is the heating at 200°C that shows some improvements of remarkable resistances. Different analyses of realized statistics also show the effectivity of obtained results. For all realized formulations, the measuring out at 6% of binders (molasses, or molasses + starch) seems as optimal in front of the best thermo-mechanical revealed properties.

Experimental and Numerical Study of Mechanical Behaviour of Fired Clay Bricks after Exposure to High Temperatures

This paper reports the modeling of residual compressive strength of fired clay bricks submitted to elevated temperature. Five formulations were used and the explored temperatures were 95˚C, 200˚C, 550˚C, 700˚C and 950˚C. The stress–strain relationships and the mechanical properties (including Young’s modulus and compressive strength) were assessed using a uniaxial compressive strength machine. A proposed model equation was established and found satisfying. The elastic modulus was evaluated and tested with one existing model together with two proposed models. The proposed model was both satisfying and even more precise than the existing one. The overall results show that the effect of temperature on the mechanical properties of clays can be accurately described through the definition of thermal damage using elastic modulus.

Influence of Firing Temperature on Properties of High Alumina Bricks

To reduce production costs and make full and reasonable use of raw materials,high alumina bricks were prepared using tabular corundum and mullite as aggregates,sillimanite as intermediate particles,and white fused corundum powder,α-alumina micropowder,and Suzhou soil as the matrix,firing at different temperatures(1420,1440,1460,1480,1500 and 1520℃)for 4 h.The apparent porosity(AP),the bulk density(BD),the cold crushing strength(CCS),the thermal shock resistance(TSR),the refractoriness under load(RUL)and the creep rate of the samples were tested.The effects of the firing temperature on the creep rate(1450℃×50 h,under a load of 0.2 MPa)of the samples were studied.The results show that with the sillimanite addition of 22.5 mass%,the sample fired at 1460℃for 4 h performs the best comprehensive properties:the AP of 17.5%,the BD of 2.75 g·cm^(-3),the CCS of 100.5 MPa,the TSR number of 35 cycles,the RUL of 1682℃,and the creep rate of-0.428%,which can prolong the service life of furnaces.

Effect of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic Waste on the Physico-Mechanical and Thermal Characteristics of Stabilized Laterite Bricks

The present work investigated the effect of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste on the physico-mechanical and thermal properties of cement-stabilized laterite bricks to see the durability of the modified bricks (CSLB). Samples were formulated by mixing laterite, cement, and different percentages of PET (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) by volume. The bricks were produced using the M7MI Hydraform standard interlocking block and kept in the shade for a curing period of 28 days. The addition of 3% to 5% PET to the laterite stabilized with 10% cement results in a decrease in both dry and wet compressive strength, which is determined using the Controlab compression machine. However, the obtained results are in concordance with the standards. The thermal conductivity of CSLB, determined using the box method with the EI700 measurement cell, decreases as the PET content of the mixture increases. A decrease in bulk density from 1.67 to 1.58 g/cm3 was observed.

Thermal and Mechanical Characterization of Compressed Clay Bricks Reinforced by Rice Husks for Optimizing Building in Sahelian Zone

This article deals with the characterization of local materials used in insulation building heat. These materials are bricks of earth compressed and stabilized with rice husks. Thermal conductivity, the specific heat and the thermal diffusivity of materials based on clay incorporating rate of 0, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10% are determined. The results showed that the clay blocks + rice balls had better thermal insulators than simple clay blocks. However, these composite materials used for the envelope of the building must have sufficient mechanical resistance when used in construction. The measurement of mechanical properties such as compressive strength showed an improvement of 6% and beyond, a drop in resistance when increasing rice husks in clay is observed. These results allow to specify the optimal conditions of use of these materials for the building envelope.

Thermal Properties of Earth Bricks Stabilised with Cement and Sawdust Residue Using the Asymmetrical Hot-Plane Method

This paper presents an experimental study of the characterisation of local materials used in the construction and thermal insulation of buildings. These materials are compressed earth bricks stabilised with cement and sawdust. The thermal conductivity, diffusivity, effusivity, and specific heat of earth-based materials containing cement or sawdust have been determined. The results show that the blocks with earth + sawdust are better thermal insulators than the blocks with simple earth. We observe an improvement in thermal efficiency depending on the presence of sawdust or cement stabilisers. For cement stabilisation, the thermal conductivity increases (λ: 1.04 to 1.36 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 9.82 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 1096 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). For sawdust stabilisation, the thermal conductivity decreases (λ: 1.04 to 0.64 W·m-1·K-1), the diffusivity increases (from 4.32 × 10-7 to 5.9 × 10-7 m2·s-1), and the effusivity decreases (1404 - 906 J·m-2·K-1·s-1/2). Improving the structural and thermal efficiency of BTC via stabilisation with derived binders or cement is beneficial for the load-bearing capacity and thermal performance of buildings.