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The current study focuses on the production and experimental examination of sandwich beams consisting of an aluminum face sheet and 3D-printed honeycomb cores that are filled with magnetorheological elastomer (MRE). These cores are loaded with different ratios of (75/25)% and (50/50)% elastomer and magnetic particles, measured by weight. In order to ascertain the dynamic characteristics of sandwich beams, the constructed specimens were subjected to classic shock (free vibration) experiments, and these experiments were conducted under two conditions: with and without the application of a changing magnetic field at the free end and center of the beam. The results of the experiments suggest that the attenuation of the damping ratio exhibited satisfactory performance, particularly with respect to the structures that were being examined. The sandwich beam constructions proposed exhibited the ability to alter the damping ratio, damping coefficient, and stiffness through the application of a magnetic field. Nevertheless, an escalation in the applied magnetic field resulted in a reduction in stiffness values, while the values of the damping ratio and damping coefficient increased. Furthermore, significant variations in damping were observed when the magnets were located in the central regions of the structures.
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This paper presents an investigation into the ultimate and serviceability behavior of concrete beams strengthened in flexure with basalt-textile-reinforced polymer mortar (BTRM). The bond performance at the interface between the BTRM and concrete was studied by performing single shear tests, and the effectiveness of using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin for bond enhancement was explored. The results suggested that using an adhesion promoter and impregnated resin can improve the interfacial stress transfer and ensure the tensile failure of the basalt textile in BTRM. Afterward, four-point bending tests were conducted to study the flexural performance of strengthened beams. It was found that the flexural strength of strengthened beams increased with the amount of textile, and the strength increase was more prominent for the strengthened beams with end anchorages. The increase in the failure force was up to 37% for the beam strengthened with five layers of the textile and an end anchorage. The calculated flexural strength exhibited a percentage error of no more than 7% compared to the test results. In addition, the Bischoff-I Equation can closely estimate the effective moment of inertia and provide an accurate prediction of deflection for strengthened beams.
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The novelty of the present study is to address the durability of corroded anchors for prestressing CFRP laminates. Two types of steel anchors, clamp anchors and wedge anchors, were used to prestress CFRP laminates and then subjected to steel corrosion through a galvanostatic acceleration approach, which was followed by tensile tests. Compared to clamp anchors, wedge anchors showed a superior durability performance in terms of their prestress retention, anchor efficiency, and resistance to the slippage of the CFRP laminate. After accelerated corrosion for 144 h, the clamp anchor exhibited a prestress retention of 79.1% and an anchorage efficiency of 55%, and the percentages became 9.0% and 100% for the wedge anchor. The slippage rates of the clamp anchor and the wedge anchor were 0.036 mm/kN and 0.026 mm/kN, respectively. Therefore, the wedge anchor, which exhibited higher prestress tension and anchorage efficiency, performed better than the clamp anchor. The present work provides an apparatus for exploring the corrosion-induced durability of steel anchors and experimental evidence that helps refine the provision in the guidelines for addressing anchor durability.
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The mechanical and electrochemical performance of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) were investigated regarding a novel improvement in the load-carrying capacity and durability of reinforced concrete structures by adopting CFRP as both a structural strengthener and an anode of the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system. The mechanical and anode performance of CFRP were investigated in an aqueous pore solution in which the electrolytes were available to the anode in a cured concrete structure. Accelerated polarization tests were designed with different test durations and various levels of applied currents in accordance with the international standard. The CFRP specimens were mechanically characterized after polarization. The measured feeding voltage and potential during the test period indicates CFRP have stable anode performance in a simulated pore solution. Two failure modes were observed through tensile testing. The tensile properties of the post-polarization CFRP specimens declined with an increased charge density. The CFRP demonstrated success as a structural strengthener and ICCP anode. We propose a mathematic model predicting the tensile strengths of CFRP with varied impressed charge densities.
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This paper investigates the deterioration of reinforced concrete with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) anode after polarization. The steel in the concrete was first subjected to accelerated corrosion to various extents. Then, a polarization test was performed with the external attached CFRP as the anode and the steel reinforcement as the cathode. Carbon fiber reinforced mortar and conductive carbon paste as contact materials were used to adhere the CFRP anode to the concrete. Two current densities of 1244 and 2488 mA/m², corresponding to the steel reinforcements were applied for 25 days. Electrochemical parameters were monitored during the test period. The deterioration mechanism that occurred at the CFRP/contact material interface was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The increase of feeding voltage and the failure of bonding was observed during polarization process, which might have resulted from the deterioration of the interface between the contact material and CFRP. The formation and accumulation of NaCl crystals at the contact material/CFRP interface were inferred to be the main causes of the failure at the interface.
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An investigation was performed by using carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) as the anode material in the impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system of steel reinforced concrete structures. The service life and performance of CFRP were investigated in simulated ICCP systems with various configurations. Constant current densities were maintained during the tests. No significant degradation in electrical and mechanical properties was found for CFRP subjected to anodic polarization with the selected applied current densities. The service life of the CFRP-based ICCP system was discussed based on the practical reinforced concrete structure layout.
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BACKGROUND: Despite recent reports on the molecular epidemiology of cryptococcal infections in China, clinical isolates have been mostly reported from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative patients, and environmental isolates from China have rarely been included. The aim of this study was to investigate the ecological profile of Cryptococcus (C.) neoformans and C. gattii in China. METHODS: A survey was performed in 10 cities from 20°N (North latitude) to 50°N and in a Eucalyptus (E.) camaldulensis forestry farm at the Guixi forestry center, China. RESULTS: Six hundred and twenty samples of pigeon droppings from 10 cities and 819 E. camaldulensis tree samples were collected and inoculated on caffeic acid cornmeal agar (CACA). The brown-colored colonies were recultured to observe their morphology, growth on canavanine-glycine-bromothymol-blue (CGB) medium, phenol oxidase and urease activities, serotype and mating type. There were obvious differences in the positive sample rates of C. neoformans in pigeon droppings collected from the different cities, ranging from 50% in the cities located at latitudes from 30°N - 40°N, 29% at 20°N - 30°N and 13% at 40°N - 50°N. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in positive bevy rates (approximately 80%) among the three grouped cities. Mycological tests of 101 isolates purified from pigeon droppings revealed that they were C. neoformans var. grubii. We also observed variable capsular size around the C. neoformans cells in colonies with variable melanin production and the bio-adhesion of the natural C. neoformans cells with other microorganisms. One urease-negative C. neoformans isolate was isolated from pigeon droppings in Jinan city. No C. gattii was isolated in this study.