Search results for "Durability."
showing 10 items of 105 documents
Durability of Basalt/Hemp Hybrid Thermoplastic Composites
2019
The Achilles heel of thermoplastic natural fibre composites is their limited durability. The environmental degradation of the mechanical properties of hemp and hemp/basalt hybrid-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) composites has been investigated with a special focus on the effects of water ageing and accelerated ageing, including hygrothermal and UV radiation. Modification of the matrix was carried out using a maleic anhydride high-density polyethylene copolymer (MAPE) as a compatibilizer. Hybridization of hemp fibres with basalt fibres and the incorporation of MAPE were found to significantly decrease the water uptake (up to 75%) and increase the retention of mechanical propertie…
Bitumen stabilized ballast: a potential solution for railway track-bed
2016
Railway ballast degradation under dynamic loads progressively leads to loss of mechanical performance and geometry of the track, so that maintenance interventions are frequently needed. In order to system- atically avoid this issue, recently solutions have been proposed to reinforce track-bed by using polyur- ethane and/or resins as well as asphalt layers among others. Nonetheless, their main limitations are related to the high initial cost and low productivity. To cope with these limitations, in this study, bitumen stabilized ballast (BSB) is proposed as a new solu- tion for ballast stabilization. This method aims at improving durability and reducing settlement by mod- ifying both stiffnes…
Durability evaluations on the bridge over the Ruwais lagoon at Jeddah
2008
The bridge over the Ruwais Lagoon at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, has been built in the first half of 80s within a large-scale program project concerning the "corniche", a seafront boulevard running more than 30 Km from its northern to its southern end.
Friction and wear of lubricated M3 Class 2 sintered high speed steel with and without TiC and MnS additives
2005
Abstract M3/2 sintered high speed steel and composite materials processed by initial admixing of 5 wt.% TiC (to decrease wear) and 5 wt.% MnS (to minimise friction) powders, singly and in combination, were assessed in pin-on-disc tribometers specially constructed to simulate use in the automotive valve train. Pins were of the sintered materials and the mating tribological material discs of T1 high speed steel. For comparison with existing conventional materials, identical tests were performed with discs and pins of two types of spheroidal cast iron. Testing at ∼110 °C, employing a few drops of fresh Shell Helix Standard SAE: 15W-40, API: SJ/CF oil, in daily segments of 5000 m of sliding dis…
Experimental evaluation of plasters durability aimed at maintenance planning and scheduling
2011
The phase of building management has a strategic importance because of the necessary scheduling of maintenance during executive planning. Moreover, in order to obtain the greatest sustainability of the intervention, a reasonable duration of service life must be balanced with global quality-cost ratio. A contribution towards this objective is given by the reduction in the achievable resources and raw materials consumption through the improvement of the durability requirement of building and its parts. This is true even for the interventions on the existing public building stock, especially if there is lacking of maintenance planning and scheduling. This work, taking cues from a maintenance i…
Durability of Biodegradable Polymer Nanocomposites
2021
Biodegradable polymers (BP) are often regarded as the materials of the future, which address the rising environmental concerns. The advancement of biorefineries and sustainable technologies has yielded various BP with excellent properties comparable to commodity plastics. Water resistance, high dimensional stability, processability and excellent physicochemical properties limit the reviewed materials to biodegradable polyesters and modified compositions of starch and cellulose, both known for their abundance and relatively low price. The addition of different nanofillers and preparation of polymer nanocomposites can effectively improve BP with controlled functional properties and change the…
Experimental evaluation of the durability of innovative cementitious coatings: photocatalytic activity and colour
2012
Today, in a world context characterized by high pollution levels and increasingly limited natural resources, even in the building sector, focusing on environmental issues, through energy saving and a more rational use of these resources, both during construction and management, is fundamental. An important contribution in this direction is given by the knowledge of the durability of products and building components, especially when innovative products are applied and no information are available on the reliability and service life. The research concerns the evaluation of the durability of cement-based photocatalytic coatings ("rasanti" in the Italian diction), containing different types of …
Estimation of durability of new surface courses using accelerated load test and expert's opinions
2022
There is an increasing interest among road authorities in studying sustainability assessment of road infrastructure. The durability of the surface course is a critical factor in these calculations and must be carefully considered in the analysis. New types of asphalt mixes with the potential to improve the results in the sustainability assessment have no proven track record and are thus more likely not to be used until solid performance data is available. To bridge the gap and diminish the uncertainty about the durability of Green asphalt mixes for surface courses, a combination of laboratory tests and tests in a circular road simulator were performed. Eight mixes were tested in total, four…
Non-conventional Ce:YAG nanostructures via urea complexes
2019
AbstractCe:YAG nanostructures (Ce:YAG = Cerium in Yttrium Aluminium Garnet), easy to control and shape, have been prepared via templating approach using natural and synthetic materials (i.e. paper, cotton wool and glass wool) previously soaked with a gel-like metals precursor and then thermally treated to achieve the wished morphology. The final material, otherwise difficult to process, can be easily moulded, it is lightweight, portable and forms, at the nanoscale, homogeneous layers of interconnected but not agglomerated nanoparticles (15 ± 5 nm). Using the same synthetic route, called Urea-Glass-Route, but in absence of a template, extremely pure Ce:YAG nanoparticle (45 ± 5 nm) can be als…
Effect of Cu-Zn coated steel fibers on high temperature resistance of reactive powder concrete
2019
Abstract Even though many studies have reported about the impacts of shape, length and distribution of steel fiber reinforcement on global concrete properties, there is a lack of information about the influence of coating type of steel fibers on high temperature resistance of concrete. This paper describes the effect of Cu-Zn coated steel fibers on selected properties of reactive powder concrete (RPC) after exposure to elevated temperatures. The initial corrosion of zinc in Cu-Zn surface layer is found to be already activated by the alkaline environment of the fresh concrete. The RPC samples reinforced with Cu-Zn coated steel fibers are heated to 600 °C and 1000 °C, and the influence of the…