Prediction of the Pore-Pressure Built-Up and Temperature of Fire-Loaded Concrete with Pix2Pix

Concrete subjected to fire loads is susceptible to explosive spalling, which can lead to the exposure of reinforcingsteel bars to the fire, substantially jeopardizing the structural safety and stability. The spalling of fire-loaded concreteis closely related to the evolution of pore pressure and temperature. Conventional analytical methods involve theresolution of complex, strongly coupled multifield equations, necessitating significant computational efforts. Torapidly and accurately obtain the distributions of pore-pressure and temperature, the Pix2Pix model is adoptedin this work, which is celebrated for its capabilities in image generation. The open-source dataset used hereinfeatures RGB images we generated using a sophisticated coupled model, while the grayscale images encapsulate the15 principal variables influencing spalling. After conducting a series of tests with different layers configurations,activation functions and loss functions, the Pix2Pix model suitable for assessing the spalling risk of fire-loadedconcrete has been meticulously designed and trained. The applicability and reliability of the Pix2Pix model inconcrete parameter prediction are verified by comparing its outcomes with those derived fromthe strong couplingTHC model. Notably, for the practical engineering applications, our findings indicate that utilizing monochromeimages as the initial target for analysis yields more dependable results. This work not only offers valuable insightsfor civil engineers specializing in concrete structures but also establishes a robust methodological approach forresearchers seeking to create similar predictive models.

On the energy conservation and critical velocities for the propagation of a "steady-shock" wave in a bar made of cellular material

The propagation of shock waves in a cellular bar is systematically studied in the framework of continuum solids by adopting two idealized material models, viz. the dynamic rigid, perfectly plastic, locking （D-R-PP-L） model and the dynamic rigid, linear hardening plastic, locking （D-R-LHP-L） model, both considering the effects of strain-rate on the material properties. The shock wave speed relevant to these two models is derived. Consider the case of a bar made of one of such material with initial length L 0 and initial velocity v i impinging onto a rigid target. The variations of the stress, strain, particle velocity, specific internal energy across the shock wave and the cease distance of shock wave are all determined analytically. In particular the ＂energy conservation condition＂ and the ＂kinematic existence condition＂ as proposed by Tan et al. （2005） is re-examined, showing that the ＂energy conservation condition＂ and the consequent ＂critical velocity＂, i.e. the shock can only be generated and sustained in R-PP-L bars when the impact velocity is above this critical velocity, is incorrect. Instead, with elastic deformation, strain-hardening and strain-rate sensitivity of the cellular materials being considered, it is appropriate to redefine a first and a second critical impact velocity for the existence and propagation of shock waves in cellular solids. Starting from the basic relations for shock wave propagating in D-R-LHP-L cellular materials, a new method for inversely determining the dynamic stress-strain curve for cellular materials is proposed. By using e.g. a combination of Taylor bar and Hopkinson pressure bar impact experimental technique, the dynamic stress-strain curve of aluminum foam could bedetermined. Finally, it is demonstrated that this new formulation of shock theory in this one-dimensional stress state can be generalized to shocks in a one-dimensional strain state, i.e. for the case of plate impact on cellular materials, by simply making proper replacements of the elastic and plastic constants.

Influences of Stress Wave Propagation upon Studying Dynamic Response of Materials at High Strain Rates

How the wave propagation analysis plays a key role in the studies of dynamic response of materials at high strain rates is analyzed. For the wave propagation technique, the followings are important: the loading and unloading constitutive relation presumed, the positions of the sensors embedded, the interactions between loading waves and unloading waves. For the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) technique, the assumption of one-dimensional stress wave propagation and the assumption of stress uniformity along the specimen should be satisfied. When the larger diameter bars are employed, the wave dispersion effects should be considered, including the high frequency oscillations, non-uniform stress distribution across the bar section, increase of rise time, and amplitude attenuation. The stress uniformity along the specimen is influenced by the reflection times in specimen, the wave impedance ratio of the specimen and the bar, and the waveform.

Dynamic crushingof cellular materials: a particle velocity-based analytical method and its application

Cellular material under high-velocity impacthas a typical feature oflayer-wise collapse.A cell-based finite element model is employed to simulate the direct impact of closed-cell foam, and one-dimensional velocity field distributionsareobtained to characterize thecrushing bandpropagating through a cellular material. An explicit expression of continuous velocity distribution is derivedbased on the features of velocity gradient distribution. The velocity distribution function is adopted to determine the dynamic stress-strain statesof cellular materials under dynamic loading.The local stress-strain history distribution reveals that sectional cells experience a process from the precursor of elastic behavior to the shock stress state, through the dynamic initial crushing state. A power-law relation between the dynamic initial crushing stress andthe strainrate isestablished, which confirms the strain-rate effect of cellular materials. By extracting the critical points immediately before the unloading stage on the local dynamic stress-strain history curves, the dynamic stress-strain statesof cellular materials are determined. They exhibit loading rate-dependence but are independent of the initial impact velocity.Furthermore, with the increase of relative density, the dynamic hardening behaviorof cellular specimen is enhanced and the crushing process event is advanced. The particle velocity-based analytical method is appliedto analyze the dynamic responses of cellular materials.This method is better than continuum-based shock models, since itdoes not require a pre-assumed constitutive relation.Therefore,the particle velocity-based analytical method proposed in this study may provide new ideas to carry out dynamic experimental measurement, which is especially applicable toinhomogeneous materials.

On the stress–strain states of cellular materials under high loading rates

A virtual Taylor impact of cellular materials is analyzed with a wave propagation technique, i.e. the Lagrangian analysis method, of which the main advantage is that no pre-assumed constitutive relationship is required. Time histories of particle velocity, local strain, and stress profiles are calculated to present the local stress-strain history curves, from which the dynamic stress-strain states are obtained. The present results reveal that the dynamic-rigid-plastic hardening （D-R-PH） material model introduced in a previous study of our group is in good agreement with the dynamic stress-strain states under high loading rates obtained by the Lagrangian analysis method. It directly reflects the effectiveness and feasibility of the D-R-PH material model for the cellular materials under high loading rates.

Measurement of Critical Impact Velocity of Copper in Tension

Critical impact velocity （CIV） of oxygen-free high-conductivity （OFHC） copper is experimentally measured with a novel facility in a gas gun system. The results are compared with the theoretical predictions using the typical constitutive relations, and the measured CIV value is much lower than the predictions. The difference of physical mechanisms in experiment and in theoretical calculation is discussed. It is suggested that the reduction of CIV in experiment would be related with the damage evolution in tensile copper that needs to be considered in the computation model.

EQUIVALENT MODEL OF EXPANSION OF CEMENT MORTAR UNDER SULPHATE EROSION

The expansion property of cement mortar under the attack of sulfate ions is studied by experimental and theoretical methods. First, cement mortars are fabricated with the ratio of water to cement of 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8. Secondly, the expansion of specimen immerged in sulphate solution is measured at different times. Thirdly, a theoretical model of expansion of cement mortar under sulphate erosion is suggested by virtue of represent volume element method. In this model, the damage evolution due to the interaction between delayed ettringite and cement mortar is taken into account. Finally, the numerical calculation is results indicate that the model perfectly describes performed. The numerical and experimental the expansion of the cement mortar.

Stress Wave Dispersion in Large-Diameter SHPB and Its Manifold Manifestations

The wave dispersion due to the lateral inertia in the split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB) with large-(diameter) bar is numerically analyzed by means of the LS-DYNA3D code. The results show that, ① the stress distribution across the bar section is non-uniform along the radius direction and such non-uniformity depends on the material Poisson ratio and propagation distance; ② with increasing the bar diameter, the high frequency oscillations are notably enhanced and the rise time of wave front becomes longer, meanwhile the amplitude of the stress wave attenuates; ③ with decreasing the rise time of wave front, the wave dispersion markedly enhanced, particularly in the large diameter bar. All of those effects should not be neglected in order to obtain accurate results by the SHPB test..

Dynamic Fracture Behaviors of Selected Aluminum Alloys Under Three-point Bending

The dynamic fracture behaviors of the extruded 2024-T4 and 7075-T6 aluminum alloys are investigated by using an instrumented drop tower machine.The specimens are made from a 25 mm diameter extruded circular rod.The dynamic three-point bending tests of each alloy are carried out at different impact velocities.The initiation fracture toughness and average propagation fracture toughness of 2024-T4 and 7075-T6 are determined at different loading rates.The results show that both the initiation toughness and the propagation toughness increase with the loading rate.Further,the difference between the fracture toughness behaviors of 2024-T4 and 7075-T6 is found to be dependent on the variation of fracture mechanism.The comprehensive fractographic investigations of the fracture surfaces clearly demonstrate that the fracture mode of 2024-T4 is predominantly transgranular fracture with high density small-sized dimples,and the fracture mode of 7075-T6 is mainly intergranular fracture with many intermetallic particles in the bottom of voids located in the fracture surface.

Exact thickness-shear resonance frequency of electroded piezoelectric crystal plates

The determination of the precise thickness-shear frequency of electroded crystal plates has practical importance in quartz crystal resonator design and fabricatiom especially when the high fundamental thickness-shear frequency has reduced the crystal plate thickness to such a degree that proper consideration of the effect of electrodes is very important. The electrodes effect as mass loading in the estimation of the resonance frequency has to be modified to consider the stiffness of electrodes, as the relative strength is increasingly noticeable. By following a known procedure in the determination of the thickness-shear frequency of an infinite AT-cut crystal plate, frequency equations of crystal plate without and with piezoelectric effect are obtained in terms of elastic constants and the electrode material density. After solving these equations for the usual design parameters of crystal resonators, the design process can be optimized to pinpoint the precise configuration to avoid time-consuming trial and reduction steps. Since these equations and solutions are presented for widely used materials and parameters, they can be easily integrated into the existing crystal resonator design and manufacturing processes.

Mechanical Yielding and Strength Behaviour of OFHC Copper in Planar Shock Waves

It is necessary to study the validation of strength models under planar shock loading in view of the fact that strength models for metals obtained at moderate strain rates are often used in the numerical simulations of shock wave phenomena. The variations of longitudinal stress, transverse stress and yield strength of oxygen-free high conductance （OFHC） copper with time under planar shock loading are obtained by using the manganin stress gauges and compared with the predicted results by the constructed seven constitutive models based on Y/G=constant and on G/B=constant （Y the yield strength, G the shear modulus, B the bulk modulus）, respectively. It seems that the pressure, density, temperature and plastic strain dependence of the yield strength for OFHC copper under planar shock loading is essential to the constitutive description.

Experimental Study on Common and Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Under Dynamic Tensile Stress

Split Hopkinson technique has been developed to test the strength of common concrete and steel fiber reinforced concrete under dynamic tensile stress. Two types of test methods are considered, the splitting tensile test and a modified spalling test in which a specimen is loaded under uniaxial stress. The result shows that the dynamic strength enhancement of concrete is remarkable by using the reinforcing fiber. But for the common concrete, the base of compressive strength seems to show little effect on the tensile strength under dynamic loading. The experimental results also show that the resistance to tensile fracture of the steel fiber reinforced concrete for C100-mix is higher than those of C40-mix..

Microwave-assisted synthesis of CePO_4 nanorod phosphor with violet emission

Monochnic and hexagonal CePO4 nanoparticles and nanorods were successfully synthesized from Ce（NO3）36H2O and Na3PO4 121-120 solu- tions at pH 1-5 by a 180 W microwave radiation for 60 min. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, Fourier transform infrared （FFIR） spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. XRD patterns revealed that the products are hexagonal CePO4 structures at pH 2-5, and monoclinic CePO4 structtLres at pH 1. SEM characterization shows that these products were nanoparticles, short nanorods, and long nanorods, controlled by the pH of the precursor solutions. Optical properties of the nanorods were also investigated by ultraviolet-visible （UV-vis） and photoluminescence （PL） spectroscopy.

Studies on the Coefficient of Friction During the Oblique Impact of a Hard Sphere Against a Ductile Solid Target

Following the original approach of Bowden and Tabor and introducing state variables, an effective friction coefficient μ_e for solid particle erosion is defined as a combination of shearing term and ploughing term. In the case of continuous sliding, based on considering the interaction between asperities under certain condition, it is indicated that during the oblique impact of a hardened steel sphere against a mild steel target, a possible value of μ_e is 0.05, which was chosen in all of the calculations by Hutchings for consistency with both experiments and calculations. In the case of continuous ploughing, it is shown that the value of μ_e is a function of the impact process and the initial impact angle and is greater than 0.05 on an average for Hutchings' experiments. It is suggested that the variation of sliding, rolling and ploughing state at each instant in the impact process makes “the coefficient of friction” equal to 0.05 for Hutchings' experiments, and in general, makes the effective friction coefficient during particle impact on metal far less than the friction coefficient during simple continuous sliding on an average.

Edible Films of Blended Cassava Starch and Rice Flour with Sorbital and Their Mechanical Properties

In this study, the mechanical properties （tensile strength, elongation at break and folding resistance） of edible biopolymer film blends formed from blended cassava starch and rice flour at different compositions with sorbital used as a plasticizer. A suitable ratio of cassava starch and rice flour to water at 10% w/v was used to form a film solution. The addition of a plasticizer agent up to 30% w/w of blending compositions improved the mechanical properties of the generated films. The mechanical properties of the edible blended films with 30% plasticizer were strongly dependent on the blending compositions. Our results pointed out that the cassava starch and rice flour films at a ratio of 70：30 with sorbitol 30% （w/w） had the highest tensile strength which related to folding endurance of the films.

Spall Strength of Resistance Spot Weld for QP Steel

The spall tests under the plane tensile pulses for resistance spot weld （RSW） of QP980 steel are performed by using a gun system. The velocity histories of free surfaces of the RSWare measured with the laser velocity interferometer system for any reflector. The recovered specimens are investigated with an Olympus GX71 metallographic microscope and a scanning electron microscope （SEM）. The measured velocity histories are explained and used to evaluate the tension stresses in the RSW applying the characteristic theory and the assumption of Gathers. The spall strength （1977 2784MPa） of the RSW for 0,P980 steel is determined based on the measured and simulated velocity histories. The spall mechanism of the RSW is brittle fracture in view of the SEM investigation of the recovered specimen. The micrographs of the as-received QP980 steel, the initial and recovered RSW of this steel for the spall test are compared to reveal the microstructure evolution during the welding and spall process. It is indicated that during the welding thermal cycle, the local martensitic phase transformation is dependent on the location within the fusion zone and the heat affected zone. It is presented that the transformation at high strain rate may be cancelled by other phenomenon while the evolution of weld defects is obvious during the spall process. It may be the stress triaxiality and strain rate effect of the RSW strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of the RSW structure that the spall strength of the RSW for QP980 steel is much higher than the uniaxial compression yield strength （1200 MPa） of the rnartensite phase in 0,P980 steel. Due to the weld defects in the center of the I^SW, the spall strength of the RSW should be less than the conventional spall strength or the dynamic load-carrying capacity of condensed structure.

TRANSVERSAL INERTIAL EFFECT ON RELAXATION/RETARDATION TIME OF CEMENT MORTAR UNDER HARMONIC WAVE

Under dynamic loading, the constitutive relation of the cement mortar will be significantly affected by the transversal inertial effect of specimens with large diameters. In this paper, one-dimensional theoretical analysis is carried out to determine the transversal inertial effect on the relaxation/retardation time of the cement mortar under the harmonic wave. Relaxation time or retardation time is obtained by means of the wave velocity, attenuation coefficient and the frequency of the harmonic wave. Thus, the transversal inertial effect on the relaxation time from Maxwell model, as well as on retardation time from Voigt model is analyzed. The results show that the transversal inertial effect may lead to the increase of the relaxation time, but induce the decrease of the retardation time. Those should be taken into account when eliminating the transversal inertial effect in applications.

A Novel Impact Tension Testing for OFHC Copper Bars under Local Strain Controlled

A novel high-speed tensile facility （HSTF） with special fixture is applied to research the dynamic failure char- acteristics of oxygen-free higfl-conductivity （OFHC） copper bars at different levels of strain. The experimental tests are numerically simulated involving void evolution, It is indicated that the localized strains at necking region computed with the adjusted Johnson Cook model and the Zerilli Armstrong model are consistent with the experimental results.

Moisture Sorption Isotherms of Soy Protein IsolatelCarboxymethyl Chitosan Blend Films

Soy protein isolate/carboxymethyl chitosan （SPI/CMCH） blended films incorporated with glycerol were prepared using solution casting to investigate the effects of the SPI and CMCH ratios （100：0, 88：12, 67：33, 50：50, 33：67, 12：88, 0：100） on the water sorption isotherm. The moisture sorption isotherm of the SPI/CMCH blended films was determined using various relative humidity＇s （16%, 35%, 55% and 76% RH） at 25 ± 1℃. The isotherms showed that the equilibrium moisture content （EMC） of the films increased with increasing CMCH content and the EMC value sharply increased above aw = 0.55. Understanding of sorption isotherms is important for prediction of moisture sorption properties of films via moisture sorption empirical models. The Guggenheim-Oswin, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET）, and Anderson-de Boer （GAB） sorption model predictions were tested against the experimental data. The root mean square （RMS） values from the Oswin, BET, and GAB models respectively ranged from 698.54 to 1,557.54, 38.85 to 58.30, and 52.52 to 95.95. Therefore, the BET model was found to be the best-fit model for SPI/CMCH blended films at 25 ± 1 ℃.

Development of Chitosan Film Incorporating Garlic Oil or Potassium Sorbate as an Antifungal Agent for Garlic Bread

Chitosan is a biopolymer material. Mechanical, physical and barrier properties of different chitosan films incorporating garlic oil at 25, 50 and 100 μL/g chitosan or potassium sorbate at 25, 50 and 100 mg/g chitosan as antifungal agents were studied. Addition of garlic oil or potassium sorbate into the films did not alter their color except at the highest concentration of garlic oil which resulted in a more yellowish film. Garlic oil reduced film strength and elongation but it had no effect on water vapor transmission rate. Potassium sorbate reduced film strength and water vapor transmission rate, but it increased oxygen transmission rate. Films containing garlic oil or potassium sorbate was used to wrap around garlic bread to evaluate its shelf life. The development of mold on the bread surface was observed daily. The results showed that garlic bread wrapped in chitosan film incorporating garlic oil had 23 days shelf life, compared with only 7 days shelf life of garlic bread without wrapping. Garlic bread wrapped by film containing potassium sorbate had 13 days shelf life. Garlic breads wrapped by the films incorporating either garlic oil or potassium sorbate were acceptable in terms of sensory evaluation.