Search results for "stiffne"
showing 10 items of 533 documents
FATTORI ASSOCIATI ALLA DISCORDANZA TRA ALTERAZIONI DELLA PULSE WAVE VELOCITY AORTICA E AUMENTO DELLO SPESSORE MIO-INTIMALE CAROTIDEO IN SOGGETTI IPER…
2014
Numerosi studi hanno dimostrato come lo spessore mio-intimale carotideo (IMTc), valutato mediante eco-color-Doppler, sia un importante marcatore di danno d’organo subclinico nonché espressione di alterazione vascolare sistemica. Recenti dati, d’altro canto, hanno evidenziato come anche la pulse wave velocity aortica (PWVa), nota misura di stiffness arteriosa, sia indice di precoce danno vasale. Pur dipendendo parzialmente da comuni fattori patogenetici, IMTc e PWVa non hanno un significato clinico del tutto sovrapponibile e risultano non raramente discordanti tra loro. Appare pertanto interessante identificare quali siano i fattori associati al divergente comportamento di tali parametri. So…
Layer thickness optimisation in a laminated composite
1997
Abstract The paper describes a method to optimise the thickness balance within a composite laminate with layers oriented according to a limited set of angles. The laminate must be symmetric, balanced and loaded in-plane. The optimisation process is particularly suited to be used in conjunction with a finite element program. It provides the designer with the optimal overall engineering characteristics anda list of all the possible orientation combinations ranked with respect to their safety factor. The optimisation method is based on the first order gradient optimum search method and operates iteratively in the engineering elastic characteristics field. The cost function implemented up to no…
Microstructural manipulation of electrospun scaffolds for specific bending stiffness for heart valve tissue engineering
2012
Biodegradable thermoplastic elastomers are attractive for application in cardiovascular tissue construct development due to their amenability to a wide range of physical property tuning. For heart valve leaflets, while low flexural stiffness is a key design feature, control of this parameter has been largely neglected in the scaffold literature where electrospinning is being utilized. This study evaluated the effect of processing variables and secondary fiber populations on the microstructure, tensile and bending mechanics of electrospun biodegradable polyurethane scaffolds for heart valve tissue engineering. Scaffolds were fabricated from poly(ester urethane) urea (PEUU) and the deposition…
Ocean acidification bends the mermaid's wineglass
2015
Ocean acidification lowers the saturation state of calcium carbonate, decreasing net calcification and compromising the skeletons of organisms such as corals, molluscs and algae. These calcified structures can protect organisms from predation and improve access to light, nutrients and dispersive currents. While some species (such as urchins, corals and mussels) survive with decreased calcification, they can suffer from inferior mechanical performance. Here, we used cantilever beam theory to test the hypothesis that decreased calcification would impair the mechanical performance of the green alga Acetabularia acetabulum along a CO 2 gradient created by volcanic seeps off Vulcano, Italy. Cal…
Experimental Survey on Dry Asphalt Rubber Concrete for Sub-ballast Layers
2012
The railway traffic through a town or near built-up areas causes heavy effects such as noise and vibration on surroundings. In order to minimize the level of these impacts the railway companies with researchers and practitioners seek suitable solutions especially in the field of the rail-track because the main source of the ground borne vibrations and noise is the bad wheel-track contact. In particular, a big effort is addressed to new materials with high mechanical and environmental performance that can be utilized within the sub-ballast layer. This paper presents the results of an experimental survey on the potential application of Dry Asphalt Rubber Concrete (DARC) in sub-ballast layers …
DAMPING AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF DRY ASPHALT RUBBER FOR SUB-BALLAST LAYERS
2011
The passage of railway lines through a town or near built-up areas poses serious environmental problems such as noise and vibration. Consequently railway companies have shown an increasing interest in developing new materials with high mechanical and environmental performance. This paper presents the results of an experimental research on the potential application of Dry Asphalt Rubber (DAR) in sub-ballast layers by measuring its damping and mechanical properties. An experimental survey based on four point bending and Marshall tests was carried to measure the stiffness modulus and damping ratio both of a standard bituminous mixture and of dry asphalt rubber mixture with a rubber content equ…
Performance improvements of asphalt mixtures by dry addition of polymeric additives
2017
This paper shows the results of an experimental study concerning the development and optimization of asphalt mixtures for binder and base courses, improved with specifically engineered additives. The focus was on the mechanical improvements of the mixtures as achievable via dry modification with polymeric additives by making use of aggregate and bitumen of average quality, as locally available, in order to limit the consumption of virgin materials. The results allowed interesting conclusions to be drawn about the use of polymeric additives for these mixtures. In particular, the modified mixtures proved to have better performance in terms of both permanent deformation resistance and stiffnes…
1D Compression Behaviour of Opalinus Clay
2017
One of the main concerns related to tunnel excavations, drilling operations and wellbore stability in shales is the generation of excess pore water pressure due to changes in mechanical stress; therefore the consolidation of shales is a fundamental process that must be considered. This paper presents a compre- hensive methodology for analysing the compression and consolidation behaviour of shales. An apparatus to perform high-pressure oedometric tests is presented and an analytical method is introduced to analyse the shale consolidation behaviour, which allows information to be gathered on the coeffi cient of consolidation, stiffness, poroelastic properties, and permeability of the tested m…
The Effects of Structure on the One Dimensional Compression Behaviour of a Porous Calcarenite
2019
Human settlements built on weak rock deposits are often characterized by instabilities or collapse that may involve the underground cavities and consequently the above buildings. Underground calcarenite quarries in Marsala have been involved in a number of collapses that have seriously damaged numerous buildings. Unfortunately proper engineering solutions have not yet been identified according to the different and special cases and to the properties of this structured material. In order to investigate structure effects on the behaviour of the porous calcarenite of Marsala, this paper presents a comparison between the one dimensional compression behaviour of the intact rock and of the same w…
Hardening structures isolated by double sliding devices: Seismic reliability-based design approach
2019
This study deals with seismic reliability-based design (SRBD) relationships in terms of behavior factors and displacement demands for hardening structures equipped with double friction pendu-lum system (DFPS) bearings. An equivalent 3dof system having a hardening post-yield slope is adopted to describe the superstructure behavior, whereas velocity-dependent laws are assumed to model the responses of the two surfaces of the DFPS. The yielding characteristics of the super-structures are defined for increasing behavior factors in compliance with the seismic hazard of L’Aquila site (Italy) and with NTC18 assuming a lifetime of 50 years. Considering several natural seismic records and building p…