Micromechanics-guided development of strain-hardening alkali-activated composites: Towards a low-carbon built environment

Alkali-activated Materials (AAMs), including those classified as geopolymer, are obtained through the reaction between a solid precursor and an alkaline solution. Compared with ordinary Portland cement (OPC) binders, these materials maintain comparable mechanical properties but have the advantage of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and...

An experimental study on the effects of friction modifiers on wheel–rail dynamic interactions with various angles of attack

By modifying friction to the desired level, the application of friction modifiers (FMs) has been considered as a promising emerging tool in the railway engineering for increasing braking/traction force in poor adhesion conditions and mitigating wheel/rail interface deterioration, energy consumption, vibration and noise. Understanding the...

Molecular dynamics and experimental study on the adhesion mechanism of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber in alkali-activated slag/fly ash

This paper aims to study the adhesion mechanism of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber within alkali-activated slag/fly ash (AASF) matrix using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation in combination with systematic experimental characterization. The adhesion of PVA to C-(N-)A-S-H gel with different Ca/(Si+Al) and Al/Si ratios was modeled using MD...

Effect of lateral reinforcements on the adhesion and friction of micropillar adhesives

Micropillar adhesives have gained increasing attention because they generate high pull-off forces. The generation of high friction, however, has been proven difficult with such geometries, because micropillars tend to buckle under shear loading. Here, we fabricated orthogonal arrays of composite poly-dimethoxysiloxane (PDMS) micropillars with...