Tensile and tear-type fracture toughness of gypsum material:Direct and indirect testing methods

In this context,four specimens,i.e.(i)circumferentially notched cylindrical torsion(CNCT),(ii)circum-ferentially notched cylindrical direct tension(CNCDT),(iii)edge notch disc bend(ENDB)and(iv)three-point bend beam(3PBB),were utilized to measure the modesⅠandⅢfracture toughness values of gypsum.While the CNCT specimen provides pure modeⅢloading in a direct manner,this pure mode condition is indirectly produced by the ENDB specimen.The ENDB specimen provided lower KⅢc and a non-coplanar(i.e.twisted)fracture surface compared with the CNCT specimen,which showed a planar modeⅢfracture surface.The ENDB specimen is also employed for conducting pure modeⅠ(with different crack depths)and mixed modeⅠ/Ⅲtests.KIc value was independent of the notch depth,and it was consistent with the RILEM and ASTM standard methods.But the modeⅢfracture results were highly sensitive to the notch depth.While the fracture resistance against modeⅢwas significantly lower than that of modeⅠ,the greater work of fracture under modeⅢwas noticeable.

Uniqueness of rate-dependency, creep and stress relaxation behaviors for soft clays

This work focuses on the uniqueness of rate-dependency, creep and stress relaxation behaviors for soft clays under one-dimensional condition. An elasto-viscoplastic model is briefly introduced based on the rate-dependency of preconsolidation pressure. By comparing the rate-dependency formulation with the creep based formulation, the relationship between rate-dependency and creep behaviors is firstly described. The rate-dependency based formulation is then extended to derive an analytical solution for the stress relaxation behavior with defining a stress relaxation coefficient. Based on this, the relationship between the rate-dependency coefficient and the stress relaxation coefficient is derived. Therefore, the uniqueness between behaviors of rate-dependency, creep and stress relaxation with their key parameters is obtained. The uniqueness is finally validated by comparing the simulated rate-dependency of preconsolidation pressure, the estimated values of secondary compression coefficient and simulations of stress relaxation tests with test results on both reconstituted Illite and Berthierville clay.

Building Envelope Rehabilitation Costs： Determination and Variability

In recent decades, there has been a great deal of investment in Portugal in the construction of new buildings to the detriment of the rehabilitation of existing ones. As a result, the historic centres of towns and cities are deteriorating, while their suburbs are spreading. One of the main problems affecting the rehabilitation of residential buildings is that it is extremely difficult to accurately estimate the costs involved. Although there are established methods （and technical documents available） to aid the costing of new buildings, there is a lack of official information about the costs of rehabilitation work, particularly as regards the external envelope of buildings. This article demonstrates how to determine rehabilitation costs （with particular emphasis on the envelope of residential buildings） by gathering information from specialized companies, assessing price variability and consulting databases of rehabilitation costs from other countries. It also presents some examples of costing for particular rehabilitation jobs.