Synergistic toughening and electrical functionalization of an epoxy using MWCNTs and silane- /plasma-activated basalt fibers

This work studied the effects of adding short basalt fibers (BFs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), both separately and in combination, on the mechanical properties, fracture toughness, and electrical conductivity of an epoxy polymer. The surfaces of the short BFs were either treated using a silane coupling agent or further...

Passive visible light networks: Taxonomy and opportunities

Artificial lighting has been used mainly for illumination for more than a century. Only recently, we have started to transform our lighting infrastructure to provide new services such as sensing and communication. These advancements have two key requirements: the ability to modulate light sources (for data transmission) and the presence of...

Efficient C₂-weighting for image warping

Handle-driven image warping based on linear blending is widely used in many applications because of its merits on intuitiveness, efficiency, and ease of implementation. In this paper, we develop a method to compute high-quality weights within a closed domain for image warping. The property of C₂ continuity in weights is guaranteed...

Estimation of volcanic ash emissions using trajectory-based 4D-Var data assimilation

Volcanic ash forecasting is a crucial tool in hazard assessment and operational volcano monitoring. Emission parameters such as plume height, total emission mass, and vertical distribution of the emission plume rate are essential and important in the implementation of volcanic ash models. Therefore, estimation of emission parameters using...

Current State of Applying Smart Materials in Consumer Durables: A Literature Survey

Smart materials have drawn substantial attention and interest in a broad range of applications, due to their unique and superior characteristics. However there is a blurry image over the potential applications of smart materials in consumer durables. This has stalled further research and decision making in initiating the development of consumer...

Materials and manufacturing processes of the Superbus

The Superbus is a new public transportation non polluting, fast, economic, and appealing vehicle developed in The Netherlands as proof of concept for the implementation of a new transportation system which includes totally new infrastructure and logistics. This new vehicle is sustainable, can transport passengers and goods from point to point...

Fracture mechanics of concrete: Will applications start to emerge?

Fracture mechanics of concrete has developed into an active field of research in the past decades. It promises a rational solution technique to structural problems in reinforced concrete in the limit state. Numerical tools have been developed on the basis of fracture mechanics theories. The question to be addressed is how much of the early...

Detached Breakwaters and their Use in Italy

Detached (or "offshore") breakwaters of emerging type are a common and effective approach for beach protection, particularly for areas with small tidal oscillations. This kind of breakwaters aims at acting on sediment transport by decreasing the transport capacity of long-shore currents, thus locally causing settlement of sediments. Unlike...

The potential of combined use of satellite data with topographic information

Landsat Thematic Mapper, SPOT panchromatic and SPOT MSS imagery from 1986 were investigated for their capabilities of keeping topographic maps up to date. Topographic information was digitally combined with satellite data using raster techniques. From the map line-information on roads, naming-conventions, water and housing was used to cover a...

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