l-Detect: Life Detection Under Debris in Disaster Zones

The recent spate of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods destroyed buildings and caused loss of lives. Many times, the loss of life is attributed to slow response and not being able to reach the survivors. In such scenarios, the staggering number of deaths in the aftermath of a disaster can be reduced if information about survivors...

Assessing potential financial and environmental benefits of Brick-to-Brick manufacturing

Due to a lack of high value applications for masonry debris, there is currently no incentive to separate it from other stony fractions. Within this paper the potential environmental and financial advantages and drawbacks related to the production of 1 ton of load-bearing clay bricks with a compressive strength of 15MPa, in which the coarsening...

Preliminary Assessment of Debris Flow Hazard in a Catchment under Extreme Condition

Due to hilly terrain and frequent heavy rainstorms, debris flow is one of the most common and catastrophic hazards in Hong Kong. To mitigate the debris flow risk, prediction of the magnitude and consequence of debris flow is essential. The objective of this paper is to simulate debris flow hazards in a study area in Hong Kong. Assessment of the...

Mitigating the effects of space debris on composite structures embedding self healing and carbon nanotube nanocomposite materials

The presence in space of micrometeoroids and orbital debris, particularly in the lower earth orbit, presents a continuous hazard to orbiting satellites, spacecrafts and the international space station. Space debris includes all non-functional, man-made objects and fragments. As the population of debris continues to grow, the probability of...

Experimental study on entrainment of large wood in lowland rivers

Wood transport in rivers, typically occurring during flood events, represents a relevant hazard for its potential to create obstruction at bridges and narrow cross-sections. Therefore, the understanding and prediction of entrainment and transport dynamics of woody material of different shapes, density and dimensions is of great interest for...