Advanced Visualization and Accessibility to Heterogeneous Monitoring Data

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is a promising tool for better management of infrastructure. However, failure to manage large amounts of SHM data properly is a big barrier for its widespread application. Data management is especially challenging when heterogeneous data are involved and combined with camera images. Various sensors based on different technologies can measure many parameters such as strain, tilt, weather, etc., whereas live cameras can visualize traffic response. In addition, all the data streams can be registered both statically and dynamically. Data management is even more complex if multiple users access the data and have diverse backgrounds and interests (e.g., the owner/manager of the structure, operator, responsible engineer, and academic). In this article, general principles for SHM data management are researched, established, and proposed by the authors, and an original solution for data management based on these principles is presented. For validation purposes, the proposed principles were implemented in novel data management software and applied to a signature bridge. Feedback from interested groups including the managers, operators, engineers of record, and academics is used for validation. Thus, this article details the researched and proposed accessibility and visualization principles, and conceptual development of novel solution for data management, which combines computer science, internet omnipresence, and structural engineering.     

The use of nanoclay in preparation of epoxy anticorrosive coatings

Epoxy/clay nanocomposites (NC) have become a very interesting topic among researchers in the past two decades because nanoclays have a positive effect on the mechanical, thermal and especially barrier and anticorrosive performances of the polymers. In this study epoxy NCs and NC-based epoxy coatings were prepared by the solution intercalation method using Cloisite 30B as nanoclay. WAXD and SEM analyses revealed that a mainly exfoliated structure was obtained in epoxy NC with 1 wt% clay content, while higher clay loadings reduced the number of exfoliated clay nanolayers and produced a mainly intercalated structure. EIS, TGA and DMA analyses showed that epoxy NCs with clay content below 5 wt% exhibited increased corrosion stability, thermal stability, glass transition temperature (T_g) and storage modulus (G′), in both glassy and rubbery states due to the nanoscale dispersion of Cloisite 30B and the barrier effect of individual nanolayers. Enhanced mechanical properties were also noticed at higher clay loadings, but the rate of improvement was lower. The highest extent of exfoliation and the most homogeneous macromolecular network was found for NC with 1 wt% of clay, leading to the highest improvement of thermal and anticorrosive properties. The salt spray test results showed that anticorrosive properties of epoxy coatings in the presence of 3 wt% and especially 1 wt% of Cloisite 30B were significantly better, thus indicating that nanoclay efficiently modifies the commercial epoxy coatings.     

Inhibition of hydrogen oxidation by HBr and Br2

The high-temperature bromine chemistry was updated and the inhibition mechanisms involving HBr and Br₂ were re-examined. The thermochemistry of the bromine species was obtained using the Active Thermochemical Tables (ATcT) approach, resulting in improved data for, among others, Br, HBr, HOBr and BrO. Ab initio calculations were used to obtain rate coefficients for selected reactions of HBr and HOBr, and the hydrogen/bromine/oxygen reaction mechanism was updated. The resulting model was validated against selected experimental data from the literature and used to analyze the effect of HBr and Br₂ on laminar, premixed hydrogen flames. Our work shows that hydrogen bromide and molecular bromine act differently as inhibitors in flames. For HBr, the reaction HBr + H ? H₂ + Br (R2) is rapidly equilibrated, depleting HBr in favor of atomic Br, which is the major bromine species throughout the reaction zone. The chain-breaking steps are then H + Br + M → HBr + M (R1), Br + HO₂ → HBr + O₂ (R7), and Br + Br + M → Br₂ + M (R8). In Br₂-doped flames, the reaction Br₂ + H ? HBr + Br (R9) is far from equilibration and serves to deplete H in the reaction zone by competing with H + O₂ → O + OH. The inhibition is augmented by recombination of Br (R8). If the inlet Br₂ mole fraction exceeds about 20%, reactions (R8), (R2) are both reversed, now acting to promote chain branching and increase the flame speed. According to the present model, cycles involving HOBr are not important for generation or removal of chain carriers in these flames.     

Distributed measurement and control system based on microcontrollers with automatic program generation

The paper describes an open architecture microcontroller based distributed measurement and control system with automatic generation of application program. Interpretation of functions and generation of program for control of the newly added distributed unit or distributed unit of a new type connected to the system performs automatically, without user assistance. The elements of the system are interconnected by means of a serial common bus according to the reduced OSI protocol. The proposed concept was tested in a system developed by using 8-bit Atmel microcontrollers of 89S and 89C series. Apart from the central unit, intelligent distributed units were developed for the control of a stepper motor, programmable linear movement, control of halogen lamps, acquisition and generation of analogue, digital and timing pulses and a real time clock (RTC).     

Empirical Equation for Limit of Hygroscopicity

ABSTRACT

In this paper we are promoting the properties related to wood anatomy and chemical composition as the factor of influence to limit of hygroscopicity of wood (LH).

The wood samples of the most important domestic Hood species: oak Ouercus robur, beech Fogus sylvatica, fir Abies alba and spruce Picea abies were selected for this investigation.

For determining LH in our investigations we have applied the method of compression strength parallel to grain.

The results of experimental measurements were statistically analyzed and the empirical equation for LH dependance upon the significant (influential) factors: temperature. cellullse content and wood density in oven dry state is defined.     

Designing monotonic low-pass filters—comparison of some methods and criteria

A New Approach Has Been Presented To Find Characteristic Functions Of A Certain Class Of Monotonic Low-Pass Filters Of Non-Maximally Flat Type. The Well-Known Legendre Filters, And The More Recently Introduced Class H Filters, Both Belonging To This Class, Are Derived As Special Cases Of The Application Of Least-Squares Approximation Technique By Optimizing The Asymptotic Loss. It Is Shown That Class H Filters Provide Higher Stopband Attenuation Than The Legendre Filters But Have Less Favourable Passband Magnitude Response. On The Other Hand, If The Minimization Of The Passband Loss Is At A Premium Then The Unconstrained Least-Squares Monotonic Approximants, Referred To As Lsm Filters, Yield The Best Results. Therefore, Among All Filters With Monotonic Magnitude Response, The Legendre Filters Have Neither Optimum Passband, Nor Optimum Stopband Performance, Though They Are Suitable For Some Applications.     

Towards understanding the influence of porosity on mechanical and fracture behaviour of quasi-brittle materials: experiments and modelling

In this work, porosity-property relationships of quasi-brittle materials are explored through a combined experimental and numerical approach. In the experimental part, hemihyrate gypsum plaster powder (\(\hbox {CaSO}_{4}\cdot 1/2\hbox {H}_{2}\hbox {O}\)) and expanded spherical polystyrene beads (1.5–2.0 mm dia.) have been mixed to form a model material with controlled additions of porosity. The expanded polystyrene beads represent pores within the bulk due to their light weight and low strength compared with plaster. Varying the addition of infill allows the production of a material with different percentages of porosity: 0, 10, 20, 30 and 31 vol%. The size and location of these pores have been characterised by 3D X-ray computed tomography. Beams of the size of \(20 \times 20 \times 150\) mm were cast and loaded under four-point bending to obtain the mechanical characteristics of each porosity level. The elastic modulus and flexural strength are found to decrease with increased porosity. Fractography studies have been undertaken to identify the role of the pores on the fracture path. Based on the known porosity, a 3D model of each microstructure has been built and the deformation and fracture was computed using a lattice-based multi-scale finite element model. This model predicted similar trends as the experimental results and was able to quantify the fractured sites. The results from this model material experimental data and the lattice model predictions are discussed with respect to the role of porosity on the deformation and fracture of quasi-brittle materials.     

APRIORI-SD: ADAPTING ASSOCIATION RULE LEARNING TO SUBGROUP DISCOVERY

This paper presents a subgroup discovery algorithm APRIORI-SD, developed by adapting association rule learning to subgroup discovery. The paper contributes to subgroup discovery, to a better understanding of the weighted covering algorithm, and the properties of the weighted relative accuracy heuristic by analyzing their performance in the ROC space. An experimental comparison with rule learners CN2, RIPPER, and APRIORI-C on UCI data sets demonstrates that APRIORI-SD produces substantially smaller rulesets, where individual rules have higher coverage and significance. APRIORI-SD is also compared to subgroup discovery algorithms CN2-SD and SubgroupMiner. The comparisons performed on U.K. traffic accident data show that APRIORI-SD is a competitive subgroup discovery algorithm.     

Regulation of International Watercourses under the UN/ECE Regional Agreements

Abstract

This article deals with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) regional agreements, and their use as implementing instruments for protecting and managing international water courses. The background and issues of the regional instruments developed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe are addressed. The contents of the 1992 Helsinki Convention and its implementation are described, as well as the recent development of the Protocol on Water and Health. The relationship to the 1991 Espoo Convention and a comparison with the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of International Watercourses are also included. The potential of the UN/ECE conventions as tools to promote conflict prevention and dispute settlement is discussed. Lessons and conclusions are drawn from the experience on the management of transboundary waters in Europe.