• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.64 no.4
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• pp.427-436
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• 2017

Concrete technologists have used ultrasonic pulse velocity test for decades to evaluate the properties of concrete. However, the presented research work focuses on the use of ultrasonic pulse velocity test to study the degradation in steel-concrete bond subjected to increasing loading. A detailed experimental investigation was conducted by testing five identical beam specimens under increasing loading. The loading was increased from zero till failure in equal increments. From the experimentation, it was found that as the reinforced concrete beams were stressed from control unloaded condition till complete failure, the propagating ultrasonic wave velocity reduced. This reduction in wave velocity is attributed to the initiation, development, and propagation of internal cracking in the concrete surrounding the steel reinforcement. Using both direct and semidirect methods of testing, results of reduction in wave velocity with evidence of internal cracking at steel-concrete interface are presented. From the presented results and discussion, it can be concluded that the UPV test method can be successfully employed to identify zones of poor bonding along the length of reinforced concrete beam. The information gathered by such testing can be used by engineers for localizing repairs thereby leading to saving of time, labor and cost of repairs. Furthermore, the implementation strategy along with real-world challenges associated with the application of the proposed technique and area of future development have also been presented.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.405-408
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• 2012

$TiO_2$ particles with various shapes were synthesized by using a modified sol-gel method with binary ionic liquids. The structural properties of the particles were significantly affected by the composition of ionic liquids. This is mainly attributed to the interaction between the organic solvent and ionic liquid at the interface leading to the formation of particle structure. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared samples was also examined for the degradation of 4-chlorophenol. Among the particles, $TiO_2$ prepared with 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate and 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate showed the best photocatalytic performance.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.45 no.11
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• pp.667-674
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• 2008

In this study, we prepared Fe-activated carbon fiber(ACF)/$TiO_2$ composites with titanium (VI) n-butoxide (TNB) as the titanium source for ACF pre-treated with iron compounds through the impregnation method. In terms of textural surface properties, the composites demonstrate a slight decrease in the BET surface area of the samples and an increase in the amount of iron compounds treated. The surface morphology of the Fe-ACF/$TiO_2$ composites was characterized by means of SEM. The composites have a porous texture with homogenous compositions of Fe and titanium dioxide distributed on the sample surfaces. The phase formation and structural transition of the iron compounds and titanium dioxide were observed in X-ray diffraction patterns of the Fe-ACF/$TiO_2$ composites. The chemical composition of the Fe-ACF/$TiO_2$ composites, which was investigated with EDX shows strong peaks for the C, O, Fe and Ti elements. The photo degradation results confirm that the Fe-ACF/$TiO_2$ composites show excellent removal activity for the COD in piggery waste due to photocatalysis of the supported $TiO_2$, radical reaction by Fe species, and the adsorptivity and absorptivity of ACF.

• Ceramist
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.402-416
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• 2019

The development of next-generation secondary batteries, including lithium-ion batteries (LIB), requires performance enhancements such as high energy/high power density, low cost, long life, and excellent safety. The discovery of new materials with such requirements is a challenging and time-consuming process with great difficulty. To pursue this challenging endeavor, it is pivotal to understand the structure and interface of electrode materials in a multiscale level at the atomic, molecular, macro-scale during charging / discharging. In this regard, various advanced material characterization tools, including the first-principle calculation, high-resolution electron microscopy, and synchrotron-based X-ray techniques, have been actively employed to understand the charge storage- and degradation-mechanisms of various electrode materials. In this article, we introduce and review recent advances in in-situ synchrotron-based x-ray techniques to study electrode materials for LIBs during thermal degradation and charging/discharging. We show that the fundamental understanding of the structure and interface of the battery materials gained through these advanced in-situ investigations provides valuable insight into designing next-generation electrode materials with significantly improved performance in terms of high energy/high power density, low cost, long life, and excellent safety.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.145-158
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• 2001

An experimental study was conducted to evaluate the effects of loading sequence and lateral bracing on the behavior of reduced beam section (RBS) steel moment frame connections. Four full-scale moment connections were cyclically tested-two with a standard loading history and the other two with a near-fault loading history. All specimens reached at least 0.03 radian of plastic rotation without brittle fracture of the beam flange groove welds. Two specimens tested with the nearfault loading protocol reached at least 0.05 radian of plastic rotation, and both experienced smaller buckling amplitudes at comparable drift levels. Energy dissipation capacities were insensitive to the types of loading protocol used. Adding a lateral bracing near the RBS region produced a higher plastic rotation; the strength degradation and buckling amplitude were reduced. A non-linear finite element analysis of a one-and-a-half-bay beam-column subassembly was also conducted to study the system restraint effect. The study showed that the axial restraint of the beam could significantly reduce the strength degradation and buckling amplitude at higher deformation levels.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.29 no.11 s.242
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• pp.1480-1487
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• 2005

Metal matrix composites(MMCs) have been rapidly becoming one of the strongest candidates for structural materials fur many high temperature application. However, among the various high temperature environments in which metal matrix composites was applied, thermal shock is known to cause significant degradation in most MMC system. Due to the appreciable difference in coefficient of thermal expansion(CTE) between reinforcement and metal matrix, internal stresses are generated following temperature changes. Infernal stresses affect degradation of mechanical properties of MMC by causing microscopic damage in interface and matrix during thermal cycling. Therefore, the nondestructive evaluation on thermal shock damage behavior of SiC/A16061 composite has been carried out using ultrasonics. For this study, SiC fiber reinforced metal matrix composite specimens fabricated by a squeeze casting technique were thermally cycled in the temperature range 298$\~$673 K up to 1000cyc1es. Three point bending test was conducted to investigate the efffct of thermal shock damage on mechanical properties. The relationship between thermal shock damage behavior and the propagation characteristics of surface wave and SH-ultrasonic wave was discussed by considering the result of SEM observation of fracture surface.

• Elastomers and Composites
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.286-300
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• 2016

$MoS_2$ precursors were synthesized by reacting thioacetamide ($C_2H_5NS$) with sodium molybdate dihydrate ($Na_2MoO_4{\cdot}2H_2O$) in aqueous HCl solution. $MoS_2$ nanoparticles were prepared from dried $MoS_2$ precursors by calcination in an electric furnace at $700^{\circ}C$ for 2 h under an inert argon atmosphere. $MoS_2-C_{60}$ nanocomposites were obtained by heating $MoS_2$ nanoparticles and fullerene ($C_{60}$) together in an electric furnace at $700^{\circ}C$ for 2 h. Their morphological and the structural properties were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The $MoS_2$ nanoparticles and $MoS_2-C_{60}$ nanocomposites were used as catalysts in the reductions of 2-, 3-, and 4-nitrophenol in the presence of sodium borohydride. The photocatalytic activities of the $MoS_2$ nanoparticles and $MoS_2-C_{60}$ nanocomposites were evaluated in the degradation of organic dyes (brilliant green, methylene blue, methyl orange, and rhodamine B) under ultraviolet light (254 nm).

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.627-639
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• 2004

The objective of this research was to evaluate the performance of metal-plate-connected truss joints subjected to cyclic loading conditions that simulated seismic events in the lives of the joints. We also investigated the duration of load factor for these joints. We tested tension splice joints and heel joints from a standard 9.2-m Fink truss constructed from $38-{\times}89-mm$ Douglas-fir lumber: 10 tension splice joints for static condition and for each of 6 cyclic loading conditions (70 joints total) and 10 heel joints for static condition and for each of 3 cyclic loading conditions (40 joints total). We evaluated results by comparing the strengths of the control group (static) with those of the cyclic loading groups. None of the cyclic loading conditions showed any strength degradation; however, there was significant stiffness degradation for both types of joint. The results of this research show that the current duration of load factor of 1.6 for earthquake loading is adequate for these joints.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.5
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• pp.649-673
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• 2012

Recent studies have highlighted the importance of accounting for aging and deterioration of bridges when estimating their seismic vulnerability. Effects of structural degradation of multiple bridge components, variations in bridge geometry, and comparison of different environmental exposure conditions have traditionally been ignored in the development of seismic fragility curves for aging concrete highway bridges. This study focuses on the degradation of multiple bridge components of a geometrically varying bridge class, as opposed to a single bridge sample, to arrive at time-dependent seismic bridge fragility curves. The effects of different exposure conditions are also explored to assess the impact of severity of the environment on bridge seismic vulnerability. The proposed methodology is demonstrated on a representative class of aging multi-span reinforced concrete girder bridges typical of the Central and Southeastern United States. The results reveal the importance of considering multiple deterioration mechanisms, including the significance of degrading elastomeric bearings along with the corroding reinforced concrete columns, in fragility modeling of aging bridge classes. Additionally, assessment of the relative severity of exposure to marine atmospheric, marine sea-splash and deicing salts, and shows 5%, 9% and 44% reduction, respectively, in the median value bridge fragility for the complete damage state relative to the as-built pristine structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.775-792
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• 2014

Static loading tests were carried out in this study to investigate the effect of bar cutoff on the resistance of RC beam-column sub-assemblages under column loss. Two specimens were designed with continuous main reinforcement. Four others were designed with different types of bar cutoff in the mid-span and/or the beam-end regions. Compressive arch and tensile catenary responses of the specimens under gravitational loading were compared. Test results indicated that those specimens with approximately equal moment strength at the beam ends had similar peak loading resistance in the compressive arch phase but varied resistance degradation in the transition phase because of bar cutoff. The compressive bars terminated at one-third span could help to mitigate the degradation although they had minor contribution to the catenary action. Among those cutoff patterns, the K-type cutoff presented the best strength enhancement. It revealed that it is better to extend the steel bars beyond the mid-span before cutoff for the two-span beams bridging over a column vulnerable to sudden failure. For general cutoff patterns dominated by gravitational and seismic designs, they may be appropriately modified to minimize the influence of bar cutoff on the progressive collapse resistance.