Study of Sands from Bamendou-West Cameroon: Valorization for Concrete Mix Design

Bamendou (West Cameroon), has a huge potential in natural resources, especially sands. However, the use of these materials in civil engineering works leads to the appearance of numerous pathologies which in some cases lead to the total ruin of the works. In order to overcome these infrastructural problems, the main objective of this study is set at the improvement of the service life of structures built in Cameroon using local materials formed under climatic, geological and geotechnical conditions similar to those of materials in Bamendou. Eight sand samples were taken from the most representative and exploited quarries. The identification and classification of the sand taken from the most representative quarries in the study area show that they are mainly clayey, with an average sand equivalent of 57.54. In terms of granulometry, the curves of several sand samples do not fall within the granular range of sands used in the formulation of concrete. The modulus of fineness obtained by particle size analysis varies from 2.91 to 3.92 with an average of 3.31.

Substitution of Aggregates in Concrete and Mortar with Coltan Mining Waste: Mechanical, Environmental, and Economic Impact Case Study

The mining process involves drilling and excavation, resulting in the production of waste rock and tailings. The waste materials are then removed and stored in designated areas. This study aims to evaluate the mechanical strength and the environmental and economic impact of using Coltan Mining Waste (CMW) as a substitute for aggregates in concrete and mortar production. To achieve this, the CMW needs to be characterised. The Dreux Gorisse method was primarily used to produce concrete with a strength of 20 MPa at 28 days. The mortars, on the other hand, were formulated according to the NF P 18-452 standard. The environmental impact of using CMW as substitutes for natural aggregates in the production of concrete and mortar was analysed using SimaPro software. The results showed that mortars and concrete made with CMW have comparable compressive strengths to the reference mortar and concrete;reduce the negative impact on ecosystem quality, human health, resources, and climate change. It has also been shown that the substitution of aggregates by CMW reduces the cost of concrete and mortar as a function of the distance from the aggregate footprint.

Concrete Based on Recycled Aggregates for Their Use in Construction: Case of Goma (DRC)

The following study is aimed at valorizing an important part of waste from building demolition, particularly concrete as a source of aggregates for their usage in new hydraulic concrete formulation. The experimental study mainly consisted of physical characterization of natural and recycled aggregates respectively and the impact of the latter on some properties of the new formulated concrete, actually their respective consistencies for fresh concrete and mechanical strength for the hardened one. The outcome of the study shows that the recycled aggregates are more heterogeneous and have a high capacity of water absorption, but which still respects the current standards of concrete. The need for additional water has been observed for recycled aggregates-based concrete so as to have the same workability. About the compressive strength, mechanical properties obviously show that, at 28 days from setting up, concretes from recycled aggregates can reach compressive strengths range between 20 and 25 MPa without any sophisticated technology. So, these results show that we can efficiently contribute to the protection of environment by valorizing waste from concrete-based building demolition on the one hand;and the preservation of natural reserve on the other. And both advantages contribute to sustainable development overall goals.

Exact solitary wave solutions of a nonlinear Schrdinger equation model with saturable-like nonlinearities governing modulated waves in a discrete electrical lattice

In this paper, we introduce and propose exact and explicit analytical solutions to a novel model of the nonlinear Schr¨odinger(NLS) equation. This model is derived as the equation governing the dynamics of modulated cutoff waves in a discrete nonlinear electrical lattice. It is characterized by the addition of two terms that involve time derivatives to the classical equation. Through those terms, our model is also tantamount to a generalized NLS equation with saturable;which suggests that the discrete electrical transmission lines can potentially be used to experimentally investigate wave propagation in media that are modeled by such type of nonlinearity. We demonstrate that the new terms can enlarge considerably the forms of the solutions as compared to similar NLS-type equations. Sine–Gordon expansion-method is used to derive numerous kink, antikink, dark, and bright soliton solutions.

Geotechnical Identification and Classification of Soils as Flexible Pavement Subgrade of the Section Fongo Tongo-Melong

The present study is inscribed within the framework of the geotechnical characterization of the soils of the Santchou plain, their classification for employment as pavement subgrade, various identification tests were carried out on the samples. The results obtained showed that with a wide range of different grain sizes, the studied soils showed low content in clay grains and dominance of either sand grains or silt grains, this can be explaining how most of these soil are poorly graded. According to the USDA textural classification, the grain size distribution of these soils makes them to be classified as Silty Loam types to Sandy Loam types. Despite of their organic matter content which is less than 10%, according to their respective methylene blue values, the soils studied along the section should be mainly loamy soil of medium plasticity to clayed soil, therefore showing a sensibility of its behavior to variation of water content. That last one is confirmed by the consistency parameters of these soils which show intermediate plasticity to highly plastic. Also, the bearing capacity proposed by these soils at their respective optimum dry densities is relatively small, although most of these experimental CBR values of the studied soils are more important than the ones prescribed by the AASHTO Classification system for A5, A6, and A7 types, and the French Highway Earthworks Manual Classifications system (GTR) for the corresponding A2 and A3 types.

Evaluation of the Effect of Lime Content on the California Bearing Ratio of Silty Soils: Case of Fombap District

The present study is inscribed within the framework of the amelioration of the soils of the Santchou plain for employment as pavement subgrade. The bearing capacity proposed by these soils at their respective optimum dry densities is relatively small, although most of these experimental California Bearing Ratio (CBR) values of the studied soils are more important than the ones prescribed by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Classification system (AASHTO) for A5, A6, and A7 types. The stabilization of this soils with lime has been chosen to improve the bearing capacity and by association, their resilient modulus. The results of this study show that the increase of lime content is not proportional with the increase of the expected mechanical performances. In fact, the literature explains that when the lime content arrives at an optimum, the mechanical parameters no longer increase, but decrease significantly. After this optimum, the soil stabilization no longer shows advantages in the increase of geo-mechanical properties of soils.

Recovery of Mining Wastes in Building Materials: A Review

The use of materials from waste in buildings compensates for the lack of natural resources, solves the problem of waste management and provides an alternative technique for protection of the environment. There are a large number of industrial wastes that are used for full or partial replacement of raw materials in some construction materials. This review assesses mining waste in concrete as a substitute for aggregates and cement;in fired bricks as a substitute for soil;and in road backfill as a substitute for soil. This paper reviews some mining tailings, mine waste rocks and some slags obtained in the exploitation and/or processing of some ores including iron, gold, lead, phosphate, copper, coal, etc. Different physical properties, mechanical properties, chemical properties, heavy metal content, mineralogic composition, geotechnical properties and environmental properties (leaching test) of the mine wastes were examined. The physical, mechanical and environmental properties of the materials obtained by substitution of raw materials by mine waste were examined and compared to reference materials. Mining waste in cementitious materials offers good compressive strengths, while the porosity of the concrete and/or mortar is a factor influencing its toxicity. As for the waste in fired bricks, fired at a temperature of 900°C or more, it offers convincing compressive and flexural strengths. The few research studies obtained on the use of mining waste in road embankments have shown that mining waste can be used as a sub-base layer and backfill as long as it is not toxic. In addition, several other mining wastes require special attention as substitutes for raw materials in construction materials, such as coltan, cobalt.

Contribution to the Characterization of Lateritic Soils for the Manufacture of Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks

The aim of this study is to contribute to the mastery of the physical characteristics of lateritic soils in order to improve their use for the manufacture of Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks (CSEB) in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study of the physical characteristics of lateritic soils was carried out. Samples were subjected to experimental identification tests on the physical characteristics (water content, density characteristics, particle size distribution and consistency). The results of the laboratory analysis of soil samples show that the water content varies between 5.4% and 36.99%. The density of the solid grains has an arithmetic mean of 2.5 g/cm3. The apparent density varies from 0.83 to 1.35 g/cm3. As for the dry density, it is in the range of 0.61 to 1.25 g/cm3. These relatively low densities indicate that the material studied has a significant degree of deformability. From the particle size analysis, it appears that the material studied contains an important fraction of fine particles. According to the consistency study, the soils studied are plastic clay as Ap class according to the Central Laboratory for Roads and Bridges (CLRB) geotechnical classification system. The particle size curves of the studied samples are within the preferential range of good soils for the manufacture of CSEB. The points representing the studied samples are within the preferential plasticity range of good soils for the manufacture of CSEB. From the above parameters, it appears that the studied material is well adapted for the manufacture of the Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks.

Electrical Power Losses in a Photovoltaic Solar Cell Operating under Partial Shading Conditions

The aim of this paper is to determine the power losses recorded by a PV generator operating under partial shading conditions. These losses are evaluated through two distinct methods. The first method is based on mathematical modeling, while the second is based on Simulink’s physical model. The losses recorded are considerable and increase as a function of the increase in the percentage of shading up to a limit value where they become constant in the case where an ideal by-pass diode is connected in parallel with the modules. This limit value is non-existent in the case where the bypass diode is not ideal, which in fact corresponds to the real model. However, it emerges that the power losses are minimized in a PV system comprising bypass diodes, in particular in the case where the partial shading is considerable.

Exact transverse solitary and periodic wave solutions in a coupled nonlinear inductor-capacitor network

Through two methods, we investigate the solitary and periodic wave solutions of the differential equation describing a nonlinear coupled two-dimensional discrete electrical lattice. The fixed points of our model equation are examined and the bifurcations of phase portraits of this equation for various values of the front wave velocity are presented. Using the sineGordon expansion method and classic integration, we obtain exact transverse solutions including breathers, bright solitons,and periodic solutions.