Concrete structures Externally Bonded Reinforced (EBR) with Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) have been studied and used since the end of the last century. However, several issues need to be better studied in order to improve performance. The influence of size of anchorage plates used on Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures strengthened with EBR FRP composites, the external compressive stress to be applied on the anchorage plate and the numerical simulation of this region are some of the topics that need to be more carefully studied in order to clarify the performance of the FRP-to-concrete interface within the anchorage plate region. This study proposes a design methodology to estimate the amount of external compressive stress necessary to be applied on the anchorage plate of EBR systems with FRP composites, in order to avoid premature debonding. The external compressive stress imposed on the FRP composite is intended to simulate the effect produced by a mechanical anchorage system tightened to the EBR system. The results from the design proposal, when compared with the numerical ones, were efficient enough on the prediction of the bond strength improvement of FRP-to-concrete interfaces. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd

This study presents two alternative methods to determine the cohesive law of bovine cortical bone under mode II loading, employing the End Notched Flexure (ENF) test. The direct method results from the combination of the progress of the mode II strain energy release rate with the crack tip shear displacement, obtained by digital image correlation. The resulting cohesive law is determined by differentiation of this relation relatively to the crack shear displacement. The inverse method employs finite element analyses with cohesive zone modelling, in association with an optimization procedure. The resulting strategy enables determining the cohesive law without establishing a pre-defined shape. The significant conclusion that comes out of this work is that both methods offer consistent results regarding the estimation of the cohesive law in bone. Given that the inverse method dispenses the use of sophisticated equipment to obtain the cohesive law in bone, it can be used as a more convenient procedure to accomplish efficient studies in the context of bone fracture characterization under mode II loading.

This paper presents the determination of the crack resistance curve of the unidirectional carbon-epoxy composite material IM7-8552 for intralaminar fiber tensile failure under dynamic loading. The methodology, proposed by Catalanotti et al. (2014) for quasi-static loading conditions, was enhanced to high rate loading in the order of about 60 ?s-1. Dynamic tests were performed using a split-Hopkinson tension bar, while quasi-static reference tests were conducted on a standard electromechanical testing machine. Double-edge notched tension specimens of different sizes were tested to obtain the size effect law, which in combination with the concepts of the energy release rate is used to measure the entire crack resistance curve for the fiber tensile failure mode. Digital image correlation is applied to further verify the validity of the experiments performed at both static and dynamic loading. The data reduction methodology applied in this paper is suitable for intralaminar fiber failure modes without significant delamination. Sufficient proof is given that quasi-static fracture mechanics theory can also be used for the data reduction of the dynamic tests. It is shown, that the intralaminar fracture toughness for fiber tensile failure of UD IM7-8552 increases with increasing rate of loading.

The prediction of the fracture behaviour through reliable and practical criteria in the design of structural timber elements and connections has become of great importance and demands a proper fracture characterization of the material. Eucalyptus globulus Labill is envisioned as a hardwood species with great potential for high performance structural purposes because of its major mechanical and durability properties, being so far mainly used in paper industry. Experimental research on the identification of the resistance curves to derive the critical strain energy release rate in Eucalyptus globulus L. under pure mode I and RL crack propagation system is performed by means of Double Cantilever Beam tests. Three different data reduction schemes are compared: the Modified Experimental Compliance Method; and two approaches of the Compliance Based Beam Method. These methods take into account the non negligible damage mechanisms at the fracture process zone and have the advantage of being based exclusively on the specimen compliance following an equivalent crack concept, for which crack length monitoring during testing is not required. The Compliance Based Beam Method turns out to be the most appropriate data reduction scheme to obtain the critical energy release rate in eucalyptus because of its simplicity. Concerning this, a high average value of 720�J/m2 was obtained confirming Eucalyptus globulus L. as a promising hardwood species for timber structural design.

The monitoring of structures has undergone important advances with the improvements of digital cameras available on the market. Thus, the Digital Image Correlation (DIC) technique has become a viable way of studying engineering problems. Recently it has been used in the debonding failure process between the reinforcement and the substrate. The methods or methodologies that should be followed to obtain the results associated to the debonding phenomenon using the DIC technique need to be better understood and studies on this topic are scarce. The present work therefore proposes a new and inexpensive method to monitor the interfacial behaviour between a reinforcement material and a substrate by combining the use of the DIC technique and a simplified nonlinear bond-slip model. For the validation of the proposed method, a series of single-lap shear tests with a sufficient long bond length carried out by the authors are used. Based on the slip distribution obtained from the DIC technique, it was found that a third-degree polynomial function can be used to approximate the interfacial bond-slip curve of the joint. The validation of the model is made with several analytical solutions using the proposed bond-slip model. © 2018 Politechnika Wrocławska

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In this paper, we study the performance of a portable energy dispersive X‐ray fluorescence spectrometer by making use of different filter configurations at the X‐ray tube output. To fulfill this purpose,...

Nowadays technology follows us everywhere. However, it is often overlooked when dealing with social issues, despite how easily it might improve the life of countless handicapped individuals. In other words, small pieces of software, under the form of games, can help the individual remain focus and go through treatments and therapies effortlessly. But game development is tricky because simply adopting a software development approach is not enough, as it assumes that games as a software can be developed through the commonly used systematic processes, yet these do have specific requirements. This paper proposes a new game development model to successfully deliver a quality serious game, towards social causes, bearing in mind the specific aspects both from games as a special kind of software and from the target players introducing a therapeutic/clinical perspective in the games development model.

Abstract Bone histology is an important tool for uncovering life history traits of extinct animals, particularly those that lack modern analogs, such as the non-avian dinosaurs. In most studies, histological analyses preferentially focus on long bones for understanding growth rates and determining age. Here we show, by analyzing ornithischians (a stegosaur and an ornithopod), saurischians (a sauropod and a theropod), and a crocodile, rib histology is a suitable alternative. The estimated age for all sampled taxa ranges between 14 to 17 years for Lourinhanosaurus antunesi and 27 to 31 years estimated for Draconyx loureiroi. The theropod Baryonyx was skeletally mature around 23–25 years of age but showed unfused neurocentral sutures, a paedomorphic feature possibly related to aquatic locomotion. Our results show that ribs can contain a nearly complete growth record, and reveal important information about individual age, point of sexual maturity, and, in some cases, sex. Because ribs are more available than long bones, this method opens new possibilities for studying rare and incomplete fossils, including holotypes.

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Weathering imposes vital effects on stony monuments. Mostly, the degree of weathering is determined by simple test results, ignoring simultaneous effects of various weathering factors. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to develop prediction models with fuzzy inference systems to determine the weathering degree of the Persepolis stone, using various accelerated ageing tests in laboratory condition and to extrapolate the results to the natural condition, considering climatic information. The results suggest reliable conformity between the prediction of the weathering degree of the stone and the weathering degree observed in the Persepolis complex in natural condition.

Abstract This work addresses the determination of the cohesive law under mode I loading of bovine cortical bone tissue using the Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) test. Direct and inverse methods were proposed to assess the cohesive laws representative of bone fracture under mode I loading. The direct method combines the evolution of the strain energy release rate under mode I loading with the crack tip opening displacement that is monitored by digital image correlation technique. According to this method, the cohesive law is obtained by differentiation of such relation with respect to the crack opening. The inverse procedure is performed through a finite element analysis including cohesive zone modelling, conjointly with a developed optimization algorithm. This identification strategy does not require a pre-established shape of the cohesive law as with the conventional inverse based procedures, which is viewed as a novelty of this work. It was concluded that both methods provide consistent results, being appellative tools concerning systematic and methodical studies dedicated to bone fracture characterization.