The laser-assisted cold spray process

Thick metal coatings are currently deposited via two well established routes, Laser or arc based cladding, and thermal spray. A new coating technique known as Laser-assisted Cold Spray (LCS), which aims to expand on the capabilities of the two process routes currently available, is under development at the University of Cambridge in the UK. LCS is a development of the Cold Spray process (CS) in which coatings are built up from powder particles which are entrained within a gas stream and accelerated through a de Laval nozzle, impacting the substrate at supersonic speeds that exceed a material dependent critical velocity.

Laser slotting: a new laser machining technique

This work describes a new technique for the selective removal of steel using a conventional CO2 laser beam and a novel arrangement of inert and reactive gas jets to produce the gas equivalent of a rotary cutter.

Cementation liquefaction remediation for existing buildings

Many typical liquefaction remediation techniques are not appropriate for application under existing buildings and more novel techniques are required. This paper describes centrifuge tests investigating the performance of cementation as a liquefaction remediation method. Two soil profiles with the same superstructure were tested under earthquake shaking. The first profile consisted of a deep layer of loose, liquefiable sand. The second comprised a shallow layer of loose sand overlying dense sand. Centrifuge tests were carried out with a cemented zone underneath the structure, through the full depth of the liquefiable layers and also partial depth. The superstructure was modelled as a single-degree-offreedom system. It is found that a cemented zone through the full depth of a liquefiable layer results in considerable reduction of structural settlements. Increased magnitude and higher frequency accelerations are transmitted to the structure but, depending on the building characteristics, it is likely that improved overall seismic performance can be achieved. Improvements in structural settlements can also be obtained with partialdepth remediation, if the depth of the cemented zone is greater than the depth of liquefaction. This type of remediation seems to have little effect on the accelerations transmitted to the structure.

Sustainable binders for soil stabilisation

Portland cement is the most commonly and widely used binder in ground improvement soil stabilisation applications. However, many changes are now affecting the selection and application of stabilisation additives. These include the significant environmental impacts of Portland cement, increased use of industrial by-products and their variability, increased range of application of binders and the development of alternative cements and novel additives with enhanced environmental and technical performance. This paper presents results from a number of research projects on the application of a number of Portland cement-blended binders, which offer sustainability advantages over Portland cement alone, in soil stabilisation. The blend materials included ground granulated blastfurnace slag, pulverised fuel ash, cement kiln dust, zeolite and reactive magnesia and stabilised soils, ranging from sand and gravel to clay, and were assessed based on their mechanical performance and durability. The results are presented in terms of strength and durability enhancements offered by those blended binders.

Tailored sustainability assessment for urban masterplanning

Tailored sustainability assessment represents one approach to addressing sustainability issues on large-scale urban projects with varying geographical, social and political constraints and diverse incentives among stakeholders. This paper examines the value and limitations of this approach. Three case studies of tailored systems developed by the authors for three unique masterplanning projects are discussed in terms of: contextual sustainability drivers; nature and evolution of systems developed; outcomes of implementation; and overall value delivered. Analysis Leads to conclusions on the key features of effective tailored assessment, the value of tailored sustainability assessment from various perspectives (including client, designer, end-users and the environment), and the limitations of tailored assessment as a tool for comparative analysis between projects. Although systems considered here are specific to individual projects and developed commercially, the challenges and lessons learned are relevant to a range of sustainability assessment approaches developed under different conditions.

Losses in self-oscillating ballasts for electrode-type compact fluorescent lamps

Commercially available integrated compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) use self-resonant ballasts on grounds of simplicity and cost. To understand how to improve ballast efficiency, it is necessary to quantify the losses. The losses occurring in these ballasts have been directly measured using a precision mini-calorimeter. In addition, a Pspice model has been used to simulate the performance of an 18 W integrated CFL. The lamp has been represented by a behavioural model and Jiles-Atherton equations were used to model the current transformer core. The total loss is in close agreement with measurements from the mini-calorimeter, confirming the accuracy of the model. The total loss was then disaggregated into component losses by simulation, showing that the output inductor is the primary source of loss, followed by the inverter switches. © 2011 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.