(Table 2) Actual and synthetic mass accumulation rate data and their absolute differences for ODP Site 115-707

Synthetic mass accumulation rates have been calculated for ODP Site 707 using depth-density and depth-porosity functions to estimate values for these parameters with increasing sediment thickness, at 1 Ma time intervals determined on the basis of published microfossil datums. These datums were the basis of the age model used by Peterson and Backman (1990, doi:10.2973/odp.proc.sr.115.163.1990) to calculate actual mass accumulation rate data using density and porosity measurements. A comparison is made between the synthetic and actual mass accumulation rate values for the time interval 37 Ma to the Recent for 1 Myr time intervals. There is a correlation coefficient of 0.993 between the two data sets, with an absolute difference generally less than 0.1 g/cm**2/kyr. We have used the method to extend the mass accumulation rate analysis back to the Late Paleocene (60 Ma) for Site 707. Providing age datums (e.g. fossil or magnetic anomaly data) are available the generation of synthetic mass accumulation rates can be calculated for any sediment sequence.

Comparisons of observed ice properties and Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) data during Nathanial B. Palmer cruise NBP09-01 and Oden cruise OSO08/09

Envisat Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR) Wide Swath Mode (WSM) images are used to derive C-band HH-polarization normalized radar cross sections (NRCS). These are compared with ice-core analysis and visual ship-based observations of snow and ice properties observed according to the Antarctic Sea Ice Processes and Climate (ASPeCt) protocol during two International Polar Year summer cruises (Oden 2008 and Palmer 2009) in West Antarctica. Thick first-year (TFY) and multi-year (MY) ice were the dominant ice types. The NRCS value ranges between -16.3 ± 1.1 and -7.6 ± 1.0 dB for TFY ice, and is -12.6 ± 1.3 dB for MY ice; for TFY ice, NRCS values increase from ~-15 dB to -9 dB from December/January to mid-February. In situ and ASPeCt observations are not, however, detailed enough to interpret the observed NRCS change over time. Co-located Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) vertically polarized 37 GHz brightness temperatures (TB37V), 7 day and 1 day averages as well as the TB37V difference between ascending and descending AMSR-E overpasses suggest the low NRCS values (-15 dB) are associated with snowmelt being still in progress, while the change towards higher NRCS values (-9dB) is caused by commencement of melt-refreeze cycles after about mid-January.

Near-coastal circum-Antarctic iceberg size distributions determined from Synthetic Aperture Radar images

The Radarsat-1 Antarctic Mapping Project (RAMP) compiled a mosaic of Antarctica and the adjacent ocean zone from more than 3000 high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images acquired in September and October 1997. The mosaic with a pixel size of 100 m was used to determine iceberg size distributions around Antarctica, combining an automated detection with a visual control of all icebergs larger than 5 km**2 and correction of recognized false detections. For icebergs below 5 km**2 in size, the numbers of false detections and accuracies of size retrievals were analyzed for three test sites. Nearly 7000 icebergs with horizontal areas between 0.3 and 4717.7 km**2 were identified in a near-coastal zone of varying width between 20 and 300 km. The spatial distributions of icebergs around Antarctica were calculated for zonal segments of 20° angular width and related to the types of the calving fronts in the respective section. Results reveal that regional variations of the size distributions cannot be neglected. The highest ice mass accumulations were found at positions of giant icebergs (> 18.5 km) but also in front of ice shelves from which larger numbers of smaller icebergs calve almost continuously. Although the coastal oceanic zone covered by RAMP is too narrow compared to the spatial coverage needed for oceanographic research, this study nevertheless demonstrates the usefulness of SAR images for iceberg research and the need for repeated data acquisitions extending ocean-wards over distances of 500 km and more from the coast to monitor iceberg melt and disintegration and the related freshwater input into the ocean.

P-wave velocities and applied bed thickness and velocity changes for synthetic seismograms, ODP Leg 188 and Leg 119 sites

Synthetic seismograms provide a crucial link between lithologic variations within a drill hole and reflectors on seismic profiles crossing the site. In essence, they provide a ground-truth for the interpretation of seismic data. Using a combination of core and logging data, we created synthetic seismograms for Ocean Drilling Program Sites 1165 and 1166, drilled during Leg 188, and Site 742, drilled during Leg 119, all in Prydz Bay, Antarctica. Results from Site 1165 suggest that coring penetrated a target reflector initially thought to represent the onset of drift sedimentation, but the lithologic change across the boundary does not show a change from predrift to drift sediments. The origin of a shallow reflector packet in the seismic line across Site 1166 and a line connecting Sites 1166 and 742 was resolved into its constituent sources, as this reflector occurs in a region of large-scale, narrowly spaced impedance changes. Furthermore, Site 1166 was situated in a fluvio-deltaic system with widely variable geology, and bed thickness changes were estimated between the site and both seismic lines.

Residual effect of natural and synthetic zinc chelates on zinc in a soil solution of a waterlogged acidic soil. Evolution of the pH and redox potential.

Zinc chelates have been widely used to correct deficiencies in this micronutrient in different soil types and under different moisture conditions. The aging of the metal in soil could cause a change in its availability. Over time the most labile forms of Zn could decrease in activity and extractability and change to more stable forms. Various soil parameters, such as redox conditions, time, soil type and moisture conditions, affect the aging process and modify the solubility of the metal. In general, redox conditions influence pH and also the chemical forms dissolved in the soil solution. Soil pH also affects Zn solubility; at high pH values, most of the Zn is present in forms that are not bioavailable to plants. The objective of this study was to determine the changes in Zn over time in a soil solution in a waterlogged acidic soil to which synthetic and natural chelates were applied

Residual effect of synthetic Zn chelates on the availability of this metal in different soils under waterlogged conditions.

Adding Zn improves crop growth, increases seed yield and also positively affects nutritional quality. After Zn fertilization, there is normally a period of several years in which residual effects provide an adequate supply of Zn to successive crops. Immediately after the application of Zn sources water-soluble Zn slowly but continually decreases. Various factors, including time and moisture conditions, affect the aging process and modify the solubility of the metal in soil and therefore its availability. In previous experiments, we studied the residual effect of synthetic chelates, obtained that the amounts of potentially available Zn decreased in the second cropping year due to aging processes. The present study was undertaken to verify variations in the residual effects of applying four different synthetic Zn sources

Multipath Reflectivity Estimation in Urban Environments for Synthetic Aperture Radar Images

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images a target region reflectivity function in the multi-dimensional spatial domain of range and cross-range. SAR synthesizes a large aperture radar in order to achieve a finer azimuth resolution than the one provided by any on-board real antenna. Conventional SAR techniques assume a single reflection of transmitted waveforms from targets. Nevertheless, today¿s new scenes force SAR systems to work in urban environments. Consequently, multiple-bounce returns are added to directscatter echoes. We refer to these as ghost images, since they obscure true target image and lead to poor resolution. By analyzing the quadratic phase error (QPE), this paper demonstrates that Earth¿s curvature influences the defocusing degree of multipath returns. In addition to the QPE, other parameters such as integrated sidelobe ratio (ISLR), peak sidelobe ratio (PSLR), contrast (C) and entropy (E) provide us with the tools to identify direct-scatter echoes in images containing undesired returns coming from multipath.

Crack width control in RC elements with recycled steel fibres and applications to integral structures : theoretical and experimental study

El presente trabajo trata de elementos reforzados con barras de armadura y Fibras Metálicas Recicladas (FMR). El objetivo principal es mejorar el comportamiento a fisuración de elementos sometidos a flexión pura y a flexión compuesta, aumentando en consecuencia las prestaciones en servicio de aquellas estructuras con requerimientos estrictos con respecto al control de fisuración. Entre éstas últimas se encuentran las estructuras integrales, es decir aquellas estructuras sin juntas (puentes o edificios), sometidas a cargas gravitatorias y deformaciones impuestas en los elementos horizontales debidas a retracción, fluencia y temperatura. Las FMR son obtenidas a partir de los neumáticos fuera de uso, y puesto que el procedimiento de reciclado se centra en el caucho en vez que en el acero, su forma es aleatoria y con longitud variable. A pesar de que la eficacia del fibrorefuerzo mediante FMR ha sido demostrada en investigaciones anteriores, la innovación que representa este trabajo consiste en proponer la acción combinada de barras convencionales y FMR en la mejora del comportamiento a fisuración. El objetivo es por tanto mejorar la sostenibilidad del proyecto de la estructura en HA al utilizar materiales reciclados por un lado, y aumentando por el otro la durabilidad. En primer lugar, se presenta el estado del arte con respecto a la fisuración en elementos de HA, que sucesivamente se amplía a elementos reforzados con barras y fibras. Asimismo, se resume el método simplificado para el análisis de columnas de estructuras sin juntas ya propuesto por Pérez et al., con particular énfasis en aquellos aspectos que son incompatibles con la acción de las fibras a nivel seccional. A continuación, se presenta un modelo para describir la deformabilidad seccional y la fisuración en elementos en HA, que luego se amplía a aquellos elementos reforzados con barras y fibras, teniendo en cuenta también los efectos debidos a la retracción (tension stiffening negativo). El modelo es luego empleado para ampliar el método simplificado para el análisis de columnas. La aportación consiste por tanto en contar con una metodología amplia de análisis para este tipo de elementos. Seguidamente, se presenta la campaña experimental preliminar que ha involucrado vigas a escala reducida sometidas a flexión simple, con el objetivo de validar la eficiencia y la usabilidad en el hormigón de las FMR de dos diferentes tipos, y su comportamiento con respecto a fibras de acero comerciales. Se describe a continuación la campaña principal, consistente en ensayos sobre ocho vigas en flexión simple a escala 1:1 (variando contenido en FRM, Ø/s,eff y recubrimiento) y doce columnas a flexión compuesta (variando contenido en FMR, Ø/s,eff y nivel de fuerza axil). Los resultados obtenidos en la campaña principal son presentados y comentados, resaltando las mejoras obtenidas en el comportamiento a fisuración de las vigas y columnas, y la rigidez estructural de las columnas. Estos resultados se comparan con las predicciones del modelo propuesto. Los principales parámetros estudiados para describir la fisuración y el comportamiento seccional de las vigas son: la separación entre fisuras, el alargamiento medio de las armaduras y la abertura de fisura, mientras que en los ensayos de las columnas se ha contrastado las leyes momento/curvatura, la tensión en las barras de armadura y la abertura de fisura en el empotramiento en la base. La comparación muestra un buen acuerdo entre las predicciones y los resultados experimentales. Asimismo, se nota la mejora en el comportamiento a fisuración debido a la incorporación de FMR en aquellos elementos con cuantías de armadura bajas en flexión simple, en elementos con axiles bajos y para el control de la fisuración en elementos con grandes recubrimientos, siendo por tanto resultados de inmediato impacto en la práctica ingenieril (diseño de losas, tanques, estructuras integrales, etc.). VIIIComo punto final, se presentan aplicaciones de las FMR en estructuras reales. Se discuten dos casos de elementos sometidos a flexión pura, en particular una viga simplemente apoyada y un tanque para el tratamiento de agua. En ambos casos la adicción de FMR al hormigón lleva a mejoras en el comportamiento a fisuración. Luego, utilizando el método simplificado para el análisis en servicio de columnas de estructuras sin juntas, se calcula la máxima longitud admisible en casos típicos de puentes y edificación. En particular, se demuestra que las limitaciones de la práctica ingenieril actual (sobre todo en edificación) pueden ser aumentadas considerando el comportamiento real de las columnas en HA. Finalmente, los mismos casos son modificados para considerar el uso de MFR, y se presentan las mejoras tanto en la máxima longitud admisible como en la abertura de fisura para una longitud y deformación impuesta. This work deals with elements reinforced with both rebars and Recycled Steel Fibres (RSFs). Its main objective is to improve cracking behaviour of elements subjected to pure bending and bending and axial force, resulting in better serviceability conditions for these structures demanding keen crack width control. Among these structures a particularly interesting type are the so-called integral structures, i.e. long jointless structures (bridges and buildings) subjected to gravitational loads and imposed deformations due to shrinkage, creep and temperature. RSFs are obtained from End of Life Tyres, and due to the recycling process that is focused on the rubber rather than on the steel they come out crooked and with variable length. Although the effectiveness of RSFs had already been proven by previous research, the innovation of this work consists in the proposing the combined action of conventional rebars and RSFs to improve cracking behaviour. Therefore, the objective is to improve the sustainability of RC structures by, on the one hand, using recycled materials, and on the other improving their durability. A state of the art on cracking in RC elements is firstly drawn. It is then expanded to elements reinforced with both rebars and fibres (R/FRC elements). Finally, the simplified method for analysis of columns of long jointless structures already proposed by Pérez et al. is resumed, with a special focus on the points that conflict when taking into account the action of fibres. Afterwards, a model to describe sectional deformability and cracking of R/FRC elements is presented, taking also into account the effect of shrinkage (negative tension stiffening). The model is then used to implement the simplified method for columns. The novelty represented by this is that a comprehensive methodology to analyse this type of elements is presented. A preliminary experimental campaign consisting in small beams subjected to pure bending is described, with the objective of validating the effectiveness and usability in concrete of RSFs of two different types, and their behaviour when compared with commercial steel fibres. With the results and lessons learnt from this campaign in mind, the main experimental campaign is then described, consisting in cracking tests of eight unscaled beams in pure bending (varying RSF content, Ø/s,eff and concrete cover) and twelve columns subjected to imposed displacement and axial force (varying RSF content, Ø/s,eff and squashing load ratio). The results obtained from the main campaign are presented and discussed, with particular focus on the improvement in cracking behaviour for the beams and columns, and structural stiffness for the columns. They are then compared with the proposed model. The main parameters studied to describe cracking and sectional behaviours of the beam tests are crack spacing, mean steel strain and crack width, while for the column tests these were moment/curvature, stress in rebars and crack with at column embedment. The comparison showed satisfactory agreement between experimental results and model predictions. Moreover, it is pointed out the improvement in cracking behaviour due to the addition of RSF for elements with low reinforcement ratios, elements with low squashing load ratios and for crack width control of elements with large concrete covers, thus representing results with a immediate impact in engineering practice (slab design, tanks, integral structures, etc.). Applications of RSF to actual structures are finally presented. Two cases of elements in pure bending are presented, namely a simple supported beam and a water treatment tank. In both cases the addition of RSF to concrete leads to improvements in cracking behaviour. Then, using the simplified model for the serviceability analysis of columns of jointless structures, the maximum achievable jointless length of typical cases of a bridge and building is obtained. In XIIparticular, it is shown how the limitations of current engineering practice (this is especially the case of buildings) can be increased by considering the actual behaviour of RC supports. Then, the same cases are modified considering the use of RSF, and the improvements both in maximum achievable length and in crack width for a given length and imposed strain at the deck/first floor are shown.

Synthetic strategy of porous ZnO and CdS nanostructures doped ferroelectric liquid crystal and its optical behavior

A simple and scalable chemical approach has been proposed for the generation of 1-dimensional nanostructures of two most important inorganic materials such as zinc oxide and cadmium sulfide. By controlling the growth habit of the nanostructures with manipulated reaction conditions, the diameter and uniformity of the nanowires/nanorods were tailored. We studied extensively optical behavior and structural growth of CdS NWs and ZnO NRs doped ferroelectric liquid crystal Felix-017/100. Due to doping band gap has been changed and several blue shifts occurred in photoluminescence spectra because of nanoconfinement effect and mobility of charges.

Processing of ultra-wideband low-frequency signals, for application in Foliage Penetration (FOPEN) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems

Foliage Penetration (FOPEN) radar systems were introduced in 1960, and have been constantly improved by several organizations since that time. The use of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) approaches for this application has important advantages, due to the need for high resolution in two dimensions. The design of this type of systems, however, includes some complications that are not present in standard SAR systems. FOPEN SAR systems need to operate with a low central frequency (VHF or UHF bands) in order to be able to penetrate the foliage. High bandwidth is also required to obtain high resolution. Due to the low central frequency, large integration angles are required during SAR image formation, and therefore the Range Migration Algorithm (RMA) is used. This project thesis identifies the three main complications that arise due to these requirements. First, a high fractional bandwidth makes narrowband propagation models no longer valid. Second, the VHF and UHF bands are used by many communications systems. The transmitted signal spectrum needs to be notched to avoid interfering them. Third, those communications systems cause Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) on the received signal. The thesis carries out a thorough analysis of the three problems, their degrading effects and possible solutions to compensate them. The UWB model is applied to the SAR signal, and the degradation induced by it is derived. The result is tested through simulation of both a single pulse stretch processor and the complete RMA image formation. Both methods show that the degradation is negligible, and therefore the UWB propagation effect does not need compensation. A technique is derived to design a notched transmitted signal. Then, its effect on the SAR image formation is evaluated analytically. It is shown that the stretch processor introduces a processing gain that reduces the degrading effects of the notches. The remaining degrading effect after processing gain is assessed through simulation, and an experimental graph of degradation as a function of percentage of nulled frequencies is obtained. The RFI is characterized and its effect on the SAR processor is derived. Once again, a processing gain is found to be introduced by the receiver. As the RFI power can be much higher than that of the desired signal, an algorithm is proposed to remove the RFI from the received signal before RMA processing. This algorithm is a modification of the Chirp Least Squares Algorithm (CLSA) explained in [4], which adapts it to deramped signals. The algorithm is derived analytically and then its performance is evaluated through simulation, showing that it is effective in removing the RFI and reducing the degradation caused by both RFI and notching. Finally, conclusions are drawn as to the importance of each one of the problems in SAR system design.

Numerical Simulation of the Aerodynamic Behavior of High Velocity Trains under Synthetic Crosswinds of Different Shear and Turbulence Characteristics

A numerical simulation of the aerodynamic behavior of high-speed trains under synthetic crosswinds at a 90º yaw angle is presented. The train geometry is the aerodynamic train model (ATM). Flow description based on numerical simulations is obtained using large eddy simulation (LES) and the commercial code ANSYSFluent V14.5. A crosswind whose averaged velocity and turbulence characteristics change with distance to the ground is imposed. Turbulent fluctuations that vary temporally and spatially are simulated with TurbSim code. The crosswind boundary condition is calculated for the distance the train runs during a simulation period. The inlet streamwise velocity boundary condition is generated using Taylor?s frozen turbulence hypothesis. The model gives a time history of the force and moments acting on the train; this includes averaged values, standard deviations and extreme values. Of particular interest are the spectra of the forces and moments, and the admittance spectra. For comparison, results obtained with LES and a uniform wind velocity fluctuating in time, and results obtained with Reynolds averaged Navier Stokes equations (RANS), and the averaged wind conditions, are also presented.

Numerical simulation of a synthetic jet with OpenFoam

Numerical simulations of flow surrounding a synthetic jet actuating device are presented. By modifying a dynamic mesh technique available in OpenFoam-a well-documented open-source solver for fluid dynamics, detailed computations of the sinusoidal motion of the synthetic jet diaphragm were possible. Numerical solutions were obtained by solving the two dimensional incompressible viscous N-S equations, with the use of a second order implicit time marching scheme and a central finite volume method for spatial discretization in both streamwise and crossflow directions. A systematic parametric study is reported here, in which the external Reynolds number, the diaphragm amplitude and frequency, and the slot dimensions are varied.

Polymer interaction with macroscopic carbon nanotube fibres and fabrication of nanostructured composites

El ensamblado de nanotubos de carbono (CNT) como una fibra macroscópica en la cual están orientados preferentemente paralelos entre sí y al eje de la fibra, ha dado como resultado un nuevo tipo de fibra de altas prestaciones derivadas de la explotación eficiente de las propiedades axiales de los CNTs, y que tiene un gran número de aplicaciones potenciales. Fibras continuas de CNTs se produjeron en el Instituto IMDEA Materiales mediante el proceso de hilado directo durante la reacción de síntesis por deposición química de vapores. Uno de los objetivos de esta tesis es el estudio de la estructura de estas fibras mediante técnicas del estado del arte de difracción de rayos X de sincrotrón y la elaboración de un modelo estructural de dicho material. Mediciones texturales de adsorción de gases, análisis de micrografías de electrones y dispersión de rayos X de ángulo alto y bajo (WAXS/SAXS) indican que el material tiene una estructura mesoporosa con una distribución de tamaño de poros ancha derivada del amplio rango de separaciones entre manojos de CNTs, así como una superficie específica de 170m2/g. Los valores de dimensión fractal obtenidos mediante SAXS y análisis Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) de mediciones texturales coinciden en 2.4 y 2.5, respectivamente, resaltando el carácter de red de la estructura de dichas fibras. La estructura mesoporosa y tipo hilo de las fibra de CNT es accesible a la infiltración de moléculas externas (líquidos o polímeros). En este trabajo se estudian los cambios en la estructura multiescala de las fibras de CNTs al interactuar con líquidos y polímeros. Los efectos de la densificación en la estructura de fibras secas de CNT son estudiados mediante WAXS/SAXS. El tratamiento de densificación junta los manojos de la fibra (los poros disminuyen de tamaño), resultando en un incremento de la densidad de la fibra. Sin embargo, los dominios estructurales correspondientes a la transferencia de esfuerzo mecánica y carga eléctrica en los nanotubos no son afectados durante este proceso de densificación; como consecuencia no se produce un efecto sustancial en las propiedades mecánicas y eléctricas. Mediciones de SAXS and fibra de CNT antes y después de infiltración de líquidos confirman la penetración de una gran cantidad de líquidos que llena los poros internos de la fibra pero no se intercalan entre capas de nanotubos adyacentes. La infiltración de cadenas poliméricas de bajo peso molecular tiende a expandir los manojos en la fibra e incrementar el ángulo de apertura de los poros. Los resultados de SAXS indican que la estructura interna de la fibra en términos de la organización de las capas de tubos y su orientación no es afectada cuando las muestras consisten en fibras infiltradas con polímeros de alto peso molecular. La cristalización de varios polímeros semicristalinos es acelerada por la presencia de fibras de CNTs alineados y produce el crecimiento de una capa transcristalina normal a la superficie de la fibra. Esto es observado directamente mediante microscopía óptica polarizada, y detectado mediante calorimetría DSC. Las lamelas en la capa transcristalina tienen orientación de la cadena polimérica paralela a la fibra y por lo tanto a los nanotubos, de acuerdo con los patrones de WAXS. Esta orientación preferencial se sugiere como parte de la fuerza impulsora en la nucleación. La nucleación del dominio cristalino polimérico en la superficie de los CNT no es epitaxial. Ocurre sin haber correspondencia entre las estructuras cristalinas del polímero y los nanotubos. Estas observaciones contribuyen a la compresión del fenómeno de nucleación en CNTs y otros nanocarbonos, y sientan las bases para el desarrollo de composites poliméricos de gran escala basados en fibra larga de CNTs alineados. ABSTRACT The assembly of carbon nanotubes into a macroscopic fibre material where they are preferentially aligned parallel to each other and to the fibre axis has resulted in a new class of high-performance fibres, which efficiently exploits the axial properties of the building blocks and has numerous applications. Long, continuous CNT fibres were produced in IMDEA Materials Institute by direct fibre spinning from a chemical vapour deposition reaction. These fibres have a complex hierarchical structure covering multiple length scales. One objective of this thesis is to reveal this structure by means of state-of-the-art techniques such as synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and to build a model to link the fibre structural elements. Texture and gas absorption measurements, using electron microscopy, wide angle and small angle X-ray scattering (WAXS/SAXS), and pore size distribution analysis by Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH), indicate that the material has a mesoporous structure with a wide pore size distribution arising from the range of fibre bundle separation, and a high surface area _170m2/g. Fractal dimension values of 2.4_2.5 obtained from the SAXS and BJH measurements highlight the network structure of the fibre. Mesoporous and yarn-like structure of CNT fibres make them accessible to the infiltration of foreign molecules (liquid or polymer). This work studies multiscale structural changes when CNT fibres interact with liquids and polymers. The effects of densification on the structure of dry CNT fibres were measured by WAXS/SAXS. The densification treatment brings the fibre bundles closer (pores become smaller), leading to an increase in fibre density. However, structural domains made of the load and charge carrying nanotubes are not affected; consequently, it has no substantial effect on mechanical and electrical properties. SAXS measurements on the CNT fibres before and after liquid infiltration imply that most liquids are able to fill the internal pores but not to intercalate between nanotubes. Successful infiltration of low molecular weight polymer chains tends to expand the fibre bundles and increases the pore-opening angle. SAXS results indicate that the inner structure of the fibre, in terms of the nanotube layer arrangement and the fibre alignment, are not largely affected when infiltrated with polymers of relatively high molecular weight. The crystallisation of a variety of semicrystalline polymers is accelerated by the presence of aligned fibres of CNTs and results in the growth of a transcrystalline layer perpendicular to the fibre surface. This can be observed directly under polarised optical microscope, and detected by the exothermic peaks during differential scanning calorimetry. The discussion on the driving forces for the enhanced nucleation points out the preferential chain orientation of polymer lamella with the chain axis parallel to the fibre and thus to the nanotubes, which is confirmed by two-dimensional WAXS patterns. A non-epitaxial polymer crystal growth habit at the CNT-polymer interface is proposed, which is independent of lattice matching between the polymer and nanotubes. These findings contribute to the discussion on polymer nucleation on CNTs and other nanocarbons, and their implication for the development of large polymer composites based on long and aligned fibres of CNTs.