Search results for "engineering.material"
showing 10 items of 2352 documents
Earth Construction: The Mechanical Properties of Adobe with the Addition of Laponite
2015
The contribution describes testing of compression strength, flexural strength and abrasion resistance of adobe made up of soil, water and sand (AS), soil, water, sand and straw (ASP), soil, water, sand and laponite nanoparticles (ASN). Embodied energy in materials presents an increasingly high percentage of the energy spent in the whole life cycle of a building. The same applies for carbon dioxide (CO2). Therefore, the development of new sustainable construction materi- als with lower embodied energy and lower CO2 emissions is needed. The use in construction of the brick made from soil, water and sand or straw, called adobe, boasts a millenary tradition and in recent years there has been re…
Soil decomposer animal community in heavy-metal contaminated coniferous forest with and without liming
2002
Abstract Responses of decomposer animals to heavy-metal contamination were studied near a Cu–Ni smelter in Finland. Samples were taken 0.5, 2 and 8 km from the smelter. In addition, plots fertilised with lime were sampled. Decomposer community in coniferous forest soil appeared to be quite resistant to heavy-metals. Only in the vicinity (0.5 km) of the smelter, were numbers of soil animals clearly decreased and their community structure strongly altered as compared to the control site (8 km). At the 2-km site, the community structure was only slightly changed. Most of the collembolan species were still found at the 0.5-km site. High metal sorption capacity of the humus, and heterogeneous di…
A study of chemical characteristics of soil in relation to street trees status in Riga (Latvia)
2013
Abstract The chemical composition of soil and appropriate supply of nutrients are very important factors for normal plant growth and development. Lime tree ( Tilia x vulgaris H.), is a popular tree species used for urban landscaping in Europe. However, there is little information on the chemical element concentrations available to and recommended for T. x vulgaris in urban soils. The objectives of this study were: (1) to investigate the amount of nutrients, de-icing salts and heavy metals available for uptake by trees in the city centre on a seasonal scale; and (2) to assess the relationship between the vitality of T. x vulgaris and soil chemistry. The research was carried out in five stree…
Acute toxicity tests using earthworms to estimate ecological quality of compost and digestate
2017
Ecological quality of compost and digestate, used as fertilizers for agricultural use, was assessed through an acute ecotoxicological bioassay testing the earthworm Eisenia fetida (Annelida). The test evaluates the earthworm’s attitude to dig within 15 min into a soil medium constituted by a mixture of a standardized soil and different concentrations of compost/digestate. According to different classes of behavior responses, the sample is classified as good or bad quality (ON/OFF). The validity of this test was confirmed comparing the observations with the results from a standard chronic test developed by OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Considering samples fro…
Capacity of various organic residues to support adequate earthworm biomass for vermicomposting
1986
We tested the potential of different kinds and combinations of wastes to support the biomass ofEisenia fetida (Sav.) capable of processing a given amount of waste in a period of ca. 1 month. Mixed miscellaneous wastes and activated sewage sludge mixed with or embedded in sieved pine bark showed capacity to maintain the required biomass for a long period. Wastes were converted into odourless castings of good physical structure, provided that a sufficient population was present from the beginning and fresh waste was added regularly. A horizontally working “worm bed compost” was designed instead of the “load-on-top” principle.
Study Regarding Process of the Electrical Discharge Machining with Magnetic Activation of the Welded Joints of some Materials High Alloy Steel
2021
The scientific paper presents an extensive research on modeling and optimizing the technological parameters of the process for processing by processing electric discharges with massive electrode with and without magnetic activation. Scientific research is based on real data collected from the process of electrical discharges performed on various samples extracted from areas of welded joints of metal components made of high alloy steel. The processing of experimental data was performed both classically and actively, especially the method of the central factorial experiment composed of orthogonal and rotary. The process parameters that were initially modeled and subsequently optimized were ba…
Twofold Electrochemical Amination of Naphthalene and Related Arenes
2017
The twofold, electrochemical amination reaction of polycyclic arenes, e.g. naphthalene (4), via Zincke intermediates is demonstrated for the first time. The installation of the nitrogen functionalities occurs regioselectively in positions 1 and 5 of naphthalene (4). The key for this electro-conversion is boron-doped diamond as anode material. The method of the multi-amination reaction is expanded to other aromatic substrates. A detailed study is provided, covering electrolysis parameters, e.g. anode material, electrolyte system, current density, separator, etc. Despite the moderate yields, this approach offers the first direct electro-synthetic access to diaminated products.
Effect of coatings on long term behaviour of a commercial stainless steel for solid oxide electrolyser cell interconnect application in H2 /H2O atmos…
2014
Abstract K41X (AISI 441) stainless steel evidenced a high electrical conductivity after 3000 h ageing in H 2 /H 2 O side when used as interconnect for solid oxide electrolyser cells (SOEC) working at 800 °C. Perovskite (La 1 − x Sr x MnO 3 − δ ) and spinel (Co 3 O 4 ) oxides coatings were applied on the surface of the ferritic steel for ageing at 800 °C for 3000 h. Both coatings improved the behaviour of the steel and give interesting opportunities to use the K41X steel as interconnect for hydrogen production via high temperature steam electrolysis. Co 3 O 4 reduced into Co leading to a very good Area Specific Resistance (ASR) parameter, 0.038 Ω cm 2 . Despite a good ASR (0.06 Ω cm 2 ), La …
Dual atmosphere study of the K41X stainless steel for interconnect application in high temperature water vapour electrolysis
2015
Abstract High temperature water vapour electrolysis (HTE) is one of the most efficient technologies for mass hydrogen production. A major technical difficulty related to high temperature water vapour electrolysis is the development of interconnects working efficiently for a long period. Working temperature of 800 °C enables the use of metallic materials as interconnects. High temperature corrosion behaviour and electrical conductivity of a commercial stainless steel, K41X (AISI 441), were tested in HTE dual atmosphere (95%O 2 -5%H 2 0/10%H 2 -90%H 2 O) at 800 °C. The alloy exhibits a very good oxidation resistance compared to single atmosphere tests. However, a supplied electrical current s…
Effect of Vacancies on Positron Annihilation and Hyperfine Interactions in Fe-Al Alloys - <i>Ab Initio</i> Study
2012
Vacancies occupying different sub-lattices of D03 structure of Fe3Al alloy were investigated by the full potential linearized augmented plane wave method. The calculations basing on the super-cell approach have been performed for the vacancy concentrations of 1.6 and 3 at.%. For both concentrations the sub-lattice preference for vacancy location was determined. The dependence of vacancy formation energy on magnetic state of structure has been found. The positron lifetimes for the annihilation in the bulk (Fe3Al) and in vacancies have been investigated basing on the ab initio results for the electron density. The effect of vacancies on spin magnetic moment and hy-perfine parameters of Fe ato…