A coupled hydro-mechanical analysis for prediction of hydraulic fracture propagation in saturated porous media using EFG mesh-less method

The details of the Element Free Galerkin (EFG) method are presented with the method being applied to a study on hydraulic fracturing initiation and propagation process in a saturated porous medium using coupled hydro-mechanical numerical modelling. In this EFG method, interpolation (approximation) is based on nodes without using elements and hence an arbitrary discrete fracture path can be modelled.The numerical approach is based upon solving two governing partial differential equations of equilibrium and continuity of pore water simultaneously. Displacement increment and pore water pressure increment are discretized using the same EFG shape functions. An incremental constrained Galerkin weak form is used to create the discrete system of equations and a fully implicit scheme is used for discretization in the time domain. Implementation of essential boundary conditions is based on the penalty method. In order to model discrete fractures, the so-called diffraction method is used.Examples are presented and the results are compared to some closed-form solutions and FEM approximations in order to demonstrate the validity of the developed model and its capabilities. The model is able to take the anisotropy and inhomogeneity of the material into account. The applicability of the model is examined by simulating hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation process from a borehole by injection of fluid. The maximum tensile strength criterion and Mohr-Coulomb shear criterion are used for modelling tensile and shear fracture, respectively. The model successfully simulates the leak-off of fluid from the fracture into the surrounding material. The results indicate the importance of pore fluid pressure in the initiation and propagation pattern of fracture in saturated soils. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Porous boron-doped diamond/carbon nanotube electrodes.

Nanostructuring boron-doped diamond (BDD) films increases their sensitivity and performance when used as electrodes in electrochemical environments. We have developed a method to produce such nanostructured, porous electrodes by depositing BDD thin film onto a densely packed "forest" of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The CNTs had previously been exposed to a suspension of nanodiamond in methanol causing them to clump together into "teepee" or "honeycomb" structures. These nanostructured CNT/BDD composite electrodes have been extensively characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Not only do these electrodes possess the excellent, well-known characteristics associated with BDD (large potential window, chemical inertness, low background levels), but also they have electroactive areas and double-layer capacitance values ∼450 times greater than those for the equivalent flat BDD electrodes.

Enhancing the carbonation of MgO cement porous blocks through improved curing conditions

The use of reactive magnesia (MgO) as the binder in porous blocks demonstrated significant advantages due to its low production temperatures and ability to carbonate, leading to significant strengths. This paper investigates the enhancement of the carbonation process through different curing conditions: water to cement ratio (0.6-0.9), CO2 concentration (5-20%), curing duration (1-7 days), relative humidity (55-98%), and wet/dry cycling frequency (every 0-3 days), improving the carbonation potential through increased amounts of CO2 absorbed and enhanced mechanical performance. UCS results were supported with SEM, XRD, and HCl acid digestion analyses. The results show that CO2 concentrations as low as 5% can produce the required strengths after only 1 day. Drier mixes perform better in shorter curing durations, whereas larger w/c ratios are needed for continuous carbonation. Mixes subjected to 78% RH outperformed all the others, also highlighting the benefits of incorporating wet/dry cycling to induce carbonation. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Analysis of steric mass-action model for protein adsorption equilibrium onto porous anion-exchange adsorbent

The ion-exchange equilibrium of bovine serum albumin (BSA) to an anion exchanger, DEAE Spherodex M, has been studied by batch adsorption experiments at pH values ranging from 5.26 to 7.6 and ionic strengths from 10 to 117.1 mmol/l. Using the unadjustable adsorption equilibrium parameters obtained from batch experiments, the applicability of the steric mass-action (SMA) model was analyzed for describing protein ion-exchange equilibrium in different buffer systems. The parametric sensitivity analysis was performed by perturbing each of the model parameters, while holding the rest constant. The simulation results showed that, at high salt concentrations or low pHs close to the isoelectric point of the protein, the precision of the model prediction decreased. Parametric sensitivity analysis showed that the characteristic charge and protein steric factor had the largest effects on ion-exchange equilibrium, while the effect of equilibrium constant was about 70%-95% smaller than those of characteristic charge and steric factor under all conditions investigated. The SMA model with the relationship between the adjusted characteristic charge and the salt concentration can well predict the protein adsorption isotherms in a wide pH range from 5.84 to 7.6. It is considered that the SMA model could be further improved by taking into account the effect of salt concentration on the intermolecular interactions of proteins. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence factors on wear resistance of two alumina matrix composites

We measured the wear resistances of alumina, alumina/silicon carbide composite and alumina/mullite composite by abrasive wear. And we studied the influence of fracture mode and worn surface pullout on wear resistance. The results are as follows: the main wear mechanisms of alumina and alumina/silicon carbide were fracture wear and plastic wear respectively, and for alumina/mullite composite, fracture wear and plastic wear mechanisms worked together. The wear resistance of the alumina/silicon carbide composite and the alumina/mullite composite was better by a factor of 1 similar to 3 than that of the monolithic alumina. There were two main reasons for the better wear resistance, i.e., the improved mechanical properties and the more smooth worn surfaces. However, The primary reason was the reduction of area fraction of pullout on the worn surfaces induced by fracture mode transition. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Wear resistance of reaction sintered alumina/mullite composites

Alumina and alumina/mullite composites with mullite content of 0.96-8.72 vol.% were subjected to an abrasive wear test under loads of 0.1-2.0 N with a ball-on-disc apparatus. The wear rate and area fraction of pullout f(po) on the worn surfaces were measured. The wear resistances of the alumina/mullite composites were better by a factor of 1-2 than that of pure alumina. The main wear mechanism of alumina is fracture wear, and for alumina/mullite composites, fracture wear and plastic wear mechanisms work together. The influence of mechanical properties on wear resistance was estimated by Evans' method. It was found that the wear rate depends on f(po), and the primary reason for the better wear resistance of alumina/mullite composites is the reduction off, induced by fracture mode transition. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silica and alumina thin films grown by liquid phase deposition

This work demonstrates the condition optimization during liquid phase deposition (LPD) Of SiO2/GaAs films. LPD method is further applied to form Al2O3 films on semiconductors with poison-free materials. Proceeding at room temperature with inexpensive equipment, LPD of silica and alumina films is potentially serviceable in microelectronics and related spheres.

Net-like ferromagnetic MnSb film deposited on porous silicon substrates

MnSb films were deposited on porous silicon substrates by physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique. Modulation effects due to the substrate on microstructure and magnetic properties of the MnSb film's were studied by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and measurements of hysteresis loops. SEM images of the MnSb films indicate that net-like structures were obtained because of the special morphology of the substrates. The net-like MnSb films exhibit some novel magnetic properties different from the unpatterned referenced samples. For example, in the case of net-like morphology, the coercive field is as low as 60 Oe. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Porous InP array-directed assembly of InAs nanostructure

Fascinating features of porous InP array-directed assembly of InAs nanostructures are presented. Strained InAs nanostructures are grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on electrochemical etched porous InP substrate. Identical porous substrate with different pore depths defines different growth modes. Shallow pores direct the formation of closely spaced InAs dots at the bottom. Deep pores lead to progressive covering of the internal surface of pores by epitaxial material followed by pore mouth shrinking. For any depth an obvious dot depletion feature occurs on top of the pore framework. This growth method presages a pathway to engineer quantum-dot molecules and other nanoelements for fancy physical phenomena. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics.

Porous ZnAl2O4 spinel nanorods doped with Eu3+: synthesis and photoluminescence

Eu3+-doped zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) nanorods with a spinel structure were successfully synthesized via an annealing transformation of layered precursors obtained by a homogeneous coprecipitation method combined with surfactant assembly. These spinel nanorods, which consist of much finer nanofibres together with large quantities of irregular mesopores and which possess a large surface area of 93.2 m(2) g(-1) and a relatively narrow pore size distribution in the range of 6 - 20 nm, are an ideal optical host for Eu3+ luminescent centres. In this nanostructure, rather disordered surroundings induce the typical electric-dipole emission (D-5(0) --> F-7(2)) of Eu3+ to predominate and broaden.

MnSb/porous silicon hybrid structure prepared by physical vapor deposition

MnSb/porous silicon hybrid structure was prepared by physical vapor deposition technique. The structure and surface morphology of the MnSb films were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The magnetic hysteresis loops were obtained by an alternative gradient magnetometer. Based on the measurements, only MnSb phase was found and the surface morphology was rough and island-like. MnSb thin films show ferromagnetism at room temperature. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.