Search results for "Mechanical engineering"
showing 10 items of 4245 documents
A note on the higher order strain and stress tensors within deformation gradient elasticity theories: Physical interpretations and comparisons
2016
Abstract Higher order strain and stress tensors encompassed within gradient elasticity theories are discussed with a particular concern to the physical meaning of double and triple stresses. A single rule is shown to hold for the physical interpretation of the indices of a higher order stress tensor both within distortion gradient and strain gradient theories, whereas the analogous Mindlin’s rule holds only within distortion gradient theories. Double and triple stresses are discussed separately with the aid of simple illustrative examples. A corrigendum to a previous paper by the author (IJSS 50 (2013) 3749–3765) is also presented.
A nonhomogeneous nonlocal elasticity model
2006
Nonlocal elasticity with nonhomogeneous elastic moduli and internal length is addressed within a thermodynamic framework suitable to cope with continuum nonlocality. The Clausius–Duhem inequality, enriched by the energy residual, is used to derive the state equations and all other thermodynamic restrictions upon the constitutive equations. A phenomenological nonhomogeneous nonlocal (strain difference-dependent) elasticity model is proposed, in which the stress is the sum of two contributions, local and nonlocal, respectively governed by the standard elastic moduli tensor and the (symmetric positive-definite) nonlocal stiffness tensor. The inhomogeneities of the elastic moduli and of the int…
Hydration Chemistry of Cement Studied by Near Infrared Spectroscopy
2018
Cement is a complex mixture of inorganic compounds which mainly composed of calcium silicates and calcium aluminates. Cement is mixed with water to form concrete. During the mixing calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) and calcium hydroxide are formed. The ratio of water/cement (w/c ratio) is important to obtain a mixture that gives optimum strength to the concrete. In this work, three different cement samples were mixed with water in four different ratios, including 0.35, 0.40, 0.45 and 0.55, respectively. The hydration process of cement was investigated by using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy over a period of 28 days. The combination frequency of OH stretching and bending of water molecules gi…
Quantitative Determination of Calcium Hydroxide by using Near Infrared Spectroscopy
2018
Calcium hydroxide (CH) is a by-product from hydration reaction of cement along with calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) gel. It helps to protect the steel reinforcements in concrete structures from corrosion process due to carbonation. The presence of calcium hydroxide provides a basic environment (pH˃10) that induces the formation of passive oxide film and keeps steel structures from corrosion. The detection and quantification of calcium hydroxide in concrete structures are important to understand the nature and state of the steel structures in concretes. In this research work, the variation of calcium hydroxide to calcium silicate ratios in cement were measured by using near-infrared spectro…
Photocatalytic Properties of Cement-Based Plasters and Paints Containing Mineral Pigments
2010
Innovative cement-based premix products for surface coating of buildings that possess photocatalytic activity arouse great interest because of the results they can achieve in reducting air pollution and maintaining aesthetics. This photoactivity is induced by a photocatalyst, titanium dioxide, that can accelerate the oxidation processes of air pollutants, particularly nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, which are mainly produced by incomplete combustion of fuel and are present in urban environments through the exhaust gases of motor vehicles. Surfaces that are coated with these products acquire a self-cleaning characteristic (maintenance of original color) because the decomposi…
Variational approach to the mechanics of metal V-belt systems
2005
The mechanical behaviour of metal V-belt drives is strongly dependent on the elastic properties of both the belt and the pulley, which influence the belt penetration into the groove and the sliding on the pulley wall. The distribution of tension and penetration is quite different from the rubber belts, which may be dealt with in the assumption of perfectly rigid pulleys. The restoring effect of the centrifugal forces of the plate elements has also to be taken into account. The present analysis considers the combination of all those effects, choosing a three parameter deformation function to describe the plate bending and applying the principle of virtual work for the calculation of the unkn…
Theoretical study on travelling web dynamics and instability under non-homogeneous tension
2013
Problems of dynamics and stability of a moving web, travelling between two rollers at a constant velocity, are studied using analytical approaches. Transverse vibrations of the web are described by a partial differential equation that includes the centrifugal force, in-plane tension, elastic reaction and nonstationary inertial terms. The model of a thin elastic plate subjected to bending and non-homogeneous tension is used to describe the bending moment and the distribution of membrane forces. The stability of the plate is investigated with the help of studies of small out-of-plane vibrations. The influence of linearly distributed in-plane tension on the characteristics of the web vibration…
Static instability analysis for travelling membranes and plates interacting with axially moving ideal fluid
2010
The out-of-plane instability of a moving plate, travelling between two rollers with constant velocity, is studied, taking into account the mutual interaction between the buckled plate and the surrounding, axially flowing ideal fluid. Transverse displacement of the buckled plate (assumed cylindrical) is described by an integro-differential equation that includes the centrifugal force, the aerodynamic reaction of the external medium, the vertical projection of membrane tension, and the bending force. The aerodynamic reaction is found analytically as a functional of the displacement. To find the critical divergence velocity of the moving plate and its corresponding buckling mode, an eigenvalue…
Centrifuge tests on strip footings on sand with a weak layer
2017
Tests on small-scale physical models of a strip footing resting on a dense sand bed containing a thin horizontal weak soil layer were carried out at normal gravity (1 g ). The results, reported in a companion paper, point out that the weak layer plays an important role in the failure mechanism and the ultimate bearing capacity of the footing if it falls within the ground volume relevant to the behaviour of the sand–footing system. The same problem was also investigated by means of centrifuge tests on reduced-scale models at 25 g and 40 g . The results of these tests, reported and discussed in this paper, confirm that failure mechanisms are governed substantially by the presence of the weak…
Microstructure and mechanical effects of spark plasma sintering in alumina monolithic ceramics
2013
The specific effects of spark plasma sintering (SPS) on the creep behavior, microstructure and mechanical properties of alumina monolithic ceramic were investigated. SPS introduces strains that concentrate at grain boundaries and inhibit crack growth, resulting in an improvement in the flexural strength and fracture toughness. However, creep blocks grain boundary movements and decreases the reliability of the material. These strains can be removed by a post-sintering thermal treatment, which plays an important role in the distribution of dislocations.