Search results for: interface soil layer

Authors: Kanchan Vishwakarma, Shivesh Sharma, Nitin Kumar

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Soil is incoherent matter on Earth’s surface having organic and mineral content. The spatial variation of 4 soil enzyme activities and microbial biomass were assessed for two seasons’ viz. monsoon and winter along the latitudinal gradient in North-central India as the area of this study is fettered with respect to national status. The study was facilitated to encompass the effect of climate change, enzyme activity and biomass on nutrient cycling. Top soils were sampled from 4 sites in North-India. There were significant correlations found between organic C, N & P wrt to latitude gradient in two seasons. This distribution of enzyme activities and microbial biomass was consequence of alterations in temperature and moisture of soil because of which soil properties change along the latitude transect.

Keywords: latitude gradient, microbial biomass, moisture, soil, organic carbon, temperature

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Authors: Shreya Thusoo, Karan Modi, Ankit Kumar Jha, Rajesh Kumar

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Since the evolution of computational tools and simulation software, there has been considerable increase in research on Soil Structure Interaction (SSI) to decrease the computational time and increase accuracy in the results. To aid the designer with a proper understanding of the response of structure in different soil types, the presented paper compares the deformation, shear stress, acceleration and other parameters of multi-storey building for a specific input ground motion using Response-spectrum Analysis (RSA) method. The response of all the models of different heights have been compared in different soil types. Finite Element Simulation software, ANSYS, has been used for all the computational purposes. Overall, higher response is observed with SSI, while it increases with decreasing stiffness of soil.

Keywords: soil-structure interaction, response spectrum, analysis, finite element method, multi-storey buildings

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Authors: Hanamariam Mekonnen

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Ethiopian farmers traditionally produce charcoal under several kilns on cultivated land: particularly in Kasiry micro-watershed Fagita Lekoma district of Northwestern Ethiopia. However, the effects of such soil heating and remnants of charcoal leftover on soils have not been adequately documented. Hence, this study tried to quantify the effects of such kiln sites on selected soil properties and wheat crop performance. Soils from four kiln sites were thus purposively sampled at depths of 0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm and were compared with the respective soil layers of none-kiln sites from similar adjacent fields. While soil moisture content was sampled at kiln and none-kiln site in wet and dry seasons from each depth. In addition, a pot experiment was conducted using two sources of biochar (Acacia decurrens and Eucalyptus Camaldulensis) with four rates (0, 10, 20, and 40 t/ha) and compared with crops grown from soils of 1kiln sites without biochar application laid out in a CRD with three replications. The data were analyzed using SAS software Version 9.4.The result revealed notable variations of kiln site soils and along soil depth. The appreciable increased (p<0.05) soil pH (5.5 to 5.74), organic carbon (3.89 to 4.27%), TN (0.30 to 0.32%), CEC (32.59 to 35.23 cmolckg-1), Ca (6.44 to 7.9 cmolckg-1), Mg (4.48 to 5.46 cmolckg-1), and significantly (p<0.01) Av. P (30.25 to 46.4 ppm) and K (2.11 to 2.82 cmolckg-1) were recorded from the none-kiln to kiln soils, respectively. On the other hand, ex. acidity and aluminum, available Fe and Mn were reduced from 2.20 to 1.54, 1.95 to 1.31 cmolckg-1 and 57.46 to 41.40 and 5.65 to 3.86 ppm, respectively, from the control to the kiln. Soil texture was significantly affected by soil heating and along soil depth. The sand content was (p<0.05) varied between the value of 23% to 29% from none-kiln to kiln site, and clay content was (p<0.01) increased from 0-20 cm (32%) soil depth to 40-60 cm (43%) deeper soil. Significantly (p<0.05) higher Soil moisture content was recorded at none-kiln site (45.85%) compared to kiln (40.44%) in wet season, whereas in dry season, lower moisture content was revealed at kiln site (26%) compared to none-kiln (30.7%). As wet to dry season, soil moisture was decreased from 43% to 28% respectively. Bulk density (P<0.01) varied between 0.88 to 0.94 gcm-3 from control to kiln in dry season. Similarly, the value of soil pH (6.10), Av. P (58.12), exchangeable bases (Ca (9.83), Mg (6.19) and K (3.67)) were (p<0.01) higher at the 0-20 cm soil depth as compared to the deeper soils, the result of soil moisture (30 to 42%) and CEC (31 to 36 cmolckg-1) increased down the soil profile. After wheat harvest, soil pH, Av. P, CEC, and exchangeable bases (Mg, K and Na) were significantly higher in the kiln soil, while soil moisture and OC increased by the applied biochar of 20 and 40 ton/ha. High yield 2.28 gpot-1 (p<0.01) was recorded in kiln soil, growth parameters of wheat were significantly increased with increasing biochar rates.

Keywords: biochar, kasiry micro-watershed, kiln site, none-kiln site, soil properties

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Authors: Jacqueline Michella Anak Nathen

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Subgrade soil is an essential component in the design of road structures as it provides lateral support to the pavement. One of the main reasons for the failure of the pavement is the settlement of the subgrade and the high susceptibility to moisture, which leads to a loss of strength of the subgrade. Construction over weak or soft subgrade affects the performance of the pavement and causes instability of the pavement. If the mechanical properties of the subgrade soils are lower than those required, the soil stabilisation method can be an option to improve the soil properties of the weak subgrade. Soil stabilisation is one of the most popular techniques for improving poor subgrade soils, resulting in a significant improvement in the subgrade soil’s tensile strength, shear strength, and bearing capacity. Soil stabilisation encompasses the various methods used to alter the properties of soil to improve its engineering properties. Soil stabilisation can be broadly divided into four types: thermal, electrical, mechanical, and chemical. The most common method of improving the physical and mechanical properties of soils is stabilisation using binders such as cement and lime. However, soil stabilisation with conventional methods using cement and lime has become uneconomical in recent years, so there is a need to look for an alternative, such as fiber. Although not a new technique, adding fiber is a very practical alternative to soil stabilisation. Various types of fibers, such as natural, synthetic, and waste fibers, have been used as stabilising agents to improve the strength and durability of subgrade soils. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of the effectiveness of natural, synthetic, and waste fibers in stabilising subgrade soils.

Keywords: subgrade, soil stabilisation, pavement, fiber, stabiliser

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Authors: Jeferson Brito Fernades, Breno Padovezi Rocha, Roger Augusto Rodrigues, Heraldo Luiz Giacheti

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The geotechnical projects demand the appropriate knowledge of soil characteristics and parameters. The determination of geotechnical soil parameters can be done by means of laboratory or in situ tests. In countries with tropical weather, like Brazil, unsaturated soils are very usual. In these soils, the soil suction has been recognized as an important stress state variable, which commands the geo-mechanical behavior. Triaxial and direct shear tests on saturated soils samples allow determine only the minimal soil shear strength, in other words, no suction contribution. This paper briefly describes the triaxial test with controlled suction as well as discusses the influence of suction on the shear strength parameters of a lateritic tropical sandy soil from a Brazilian research site. In this site, a sample pit was excavated to retrieve disturbed and undisturbed soil blocks. The samples extracted from these blocks were tested in laboratory to represent the soil from 1.5, 3.0 and 5.0 m depth. The stress curves and shear strength envelopes determined by triaxial tests varying suction and confining pressure are presented and discussed. The water retention characteristics on this soil complement this analysis. In situ CPT tests were also carried out at this site in different seasons of the year. In this case, the soil suction profile was determined by means of the soil water retention. This extra information allowed assessing how soil suction also affected the CPT data and the shear strength parameters estimative via correlation. The major conclusions of this paper are: the undisturbed soil samples contracted before shearing and the soil shear strength increased hyperbolically with suction; and it was possible to assess how soil suction also influenced CPT test data based on the water content soil profile as well as the water retention curve. This study contributed with a better understanding of the shear strength parameters and the soil variability of a typical unsaturated tropical soil.

Keywords: site characterization, triaxial test, CPT, suction, variability

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Authors: H. Masaeli, R. Ziaei, F. Khoshnoudian

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Shock response analysis of the soil–structure systems induced by near–fault pulses is investigated. Vibration transmissibility of the soil–structure systems is evaluated by Shock Response Spectra (SRS). Medium–to–high rise buildings with different aspect ratios located on different soil types as well as different foundations with respect to vertical load bearing safety factors are studied. Two types of mathematical near–fault pulses, i.e. forward directivity and fling step, with different pulse periods as well as pulse amplitudes are selected as incident ground shock. Linear versus nonlinear Soil–Structure Interaction (SSI) condition are considered alternatively and the corresponding results are compared. The results show that nonlinear SSI is likely to amplify the acceleration responses when subjected to long–period incident pulses with normalized period exceeding a threshold. It is also shown that this threshold correlates with soil type, so that increased shear–wave velocity of the underlying soil makes the threshold period decrease.

Keywords: nonlinear soil–structure interaction, shock response spectrum, near–fault ground shock, rocking isolation

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Authors: Allamula Ashok, Peela Lasya, Daljin Jacob, P. Muhammed Razi, Satyesh Kumar Yadav

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We report zinc (Zn) as a seed layer material and a need for a specific disposition sequence to grow ultrathin silver (Ag) films on quartz (SiO₂). Ag films of thickness 4, 6, 8 and 10 nm were deposited by DC magnetron sputtering without and with Zn seed layer thickness of 1, 2 and 4 nm. The effect of Zn seed layer thickness and its annealing on the surface morphology, sheet resistance, and stability of ultrathin Ag films is investigated. We show that by increasing Zn seed layer thickness from 1 to 2 nm, there is a 5-order reduction in sheet resistance of 6 nm Ag films. We find that annealing of the seed layer is crucial to achieving stability of ultrathin Ag films. 6 nm Ag film with 2 nm Zn is unstable to 100 oC annealing, while the 6 nm Ag film with annealed 2 nm Zn seed layer is stable. 2 nm Zn seeded 8 nm Ag film maintained a constant sheet resistance of 7 Ω/□ for all 6 months of exposure to ambient conditions. Among the ultrathin film grown, 8nm Ag film with 2nm Zn seed layer had the best figure of merit with sheet resistance of 7 Ω/□, mean absolute surface roughness (Ra) ~1 nm, and optical transparency of 61 %. Such stable exposed ultrathin Ag films can find applications as catalysts, sensors, and transparent and conductive electrodes for solar cells, LEDs and plasmonic devices.

Keywords: ultrathin Ag films, magnetron sputtering, thermal stability, seed layer, exposed silver, zinc.

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Authors: S. Taghvamanesh

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Modern landfills are highly engineered containment systems that are designed to reduce the environmental and human health impacts of solid waste (trash). In modern landfills, waste is contained by a liner system. The primary goal of the liner system is to isolate the landfill contents from the environment, thereby protecting the soil and groundwater from pollution caused by the leachate of a landfill. Landfill leachate is the most serious threat to groundwater. Therefore, it is necessary to design a system that prevents the penetration of this dangerous substance into the environment. These layers are made up of two basic elements: clay and geosynthetics. Hydraulic conductivity and flexibility are two desirable properties of these materials. There are three different types of liner systems that will be discussed in this paper. According to available data, the current article analyzed materials and methods for constructing liner layers made of distinct leachates, including various harmful components and heavy metals from all around the world. Also, this study attempted to gather data on leachates for each of the sites discussed. In conclusion, every landfill requires a specific type of liner, which depends on the type of leachate that it produces daily. It should also be emphasized that, based on available data, this article focused on the number of landfills that each country or continent possesses.

Keywords: landfill, liner layer, impervious layer, barrier layer

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Authors: Issamaldin Mohammed, Ahmed Abdalla, Hatim Elobied

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Soil erosion is globally known for adverse effects on social, environmental and economical aspects which directly or indirectly influence the human life. The area under study suffers from problems like water quality, river and agricultural canals bed rise due to high sediment load brought by Algash River from upstream (Eritrea high land), the current study utilized from remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) to estimate the annual soil loss using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). The USLE is widely used over the world which basically relies on rainfall erosivity factor (R), soil erodibility factor (K), topographic factor (LS), cover management factor (C) and support practice factor (P). The result of the study showed high soil loss in the study area, this result was illustrated in a form of map presenting the spatial distribution of soil loss amounts which classified into seven zones ranging from very slight zone (less than 2 ton/ha.year) to very severe (100-500 ton/ha.year), also the total soil loss from the whole study area was found to be 32,916,840.87 ton/ha.year. These kinds of results will help the experts of land management to give a priority for the severely affected zones to be tackled in an appropriate way.

Keywords: Geographical Information System, remote sensing, sedimentation, soil loss

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Authors: H. Aissa, L. Mouzai, M. Bouhadef

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The effects of down slope steepness on soil splash distribution under a water drop impact have been investigated in this study. The equipment used are the burette to simulate a water drop, a splash cup filled with sandy soil which forms the source area and a splash board to collect the ejected particles. The results found in this study have shown that the apparent mass increased with increasing downslope angle following a linear regression equation with high coefficient of determination. In the same way, the radial soil splash distribution over the distance has been analyzed statistically, and an exponential function was the best fit of the relationship for the different slope angles. The curves and the regressions equations validate the well known FSDF and extend the theory of Van Dijk.

Keywords: splash distribution, water drop, slope steepness, soil detachment

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Authors: Dhaladhuli Pranavi, Amirtham Rajagopal

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There are various failure modes in ceramic matrix composites; notable ones are fiber breakage, matrix cracking and fiber matrix debonding. Crack nucleation and propagation in microstructure of such composites requires an understanding of interaction of crack with the multiple inclusion heterogeneous system and interfaces. In order to assess structural integrity, the material parameters especially of the interface that governs the crack growth should be determined. In the present work, a nonlocal phase field approach is proposed to model the crack interface interaction in such composites. Nonlocal approaches help in understanding the complex mechanisms of delamination growth and mitigation and operates at a material length scale. The performance of the proposed formulation is illustrated through representative numerical examples. The model proposed is implemented in the framework of the finite element method. Several parametric studies on interface crack interaction are conducted. The proposed model is easy and simple to implement and works very well in modeling fracture in composite systems.

Keywords: composite, interface, nonlocal, phase field

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Authors: Tauhidur Rahman, Kasturi Bhuyan

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In the present paper, Ground Response Analysis at the Rukni irrigation project has been thoroughly investigated. Surface level seismic hazard is mainly used by the practical Engineers for designing the important structures. Surface level seismic hazard can be obtained accounting the soil factor. Structures on soft soil will show more ground shaking than the structure located on a hard soil. The Surface level ground motion depends on the type of soil. Density and shear wave velocity is different for different types of soil. The intensity of the soil amplification depends on the density and shear wave velocity of the soil. Rukni irrigation project is located in the North Eastern region of India, near the Dauki fault (550 Km length) which has already produced earthquakes of magnitude (Mw= 8.5) in the past. There is a probability of a similar type of earthquake occuring in the future. There are several faults also located around the project site. There are 765 recorded strong ground motion time histories available for the region. These data are used to determine the soil amplification factor by incorporation of the engineering properties of soil. With this in view, three of soil bore holes have been studied at the project site up to a depth of 30 m. It has been observed that in Soil bore hole 1, the shear wave velocity vary from 99.44 m/s to 239.28 m/s. For Soil Bore Hole No 2 and 3, shear wave velocity vary from 93.24 m/s to 241.39 m/s and 93.24m/s to 243.01 m/s. In the present work, surface level seismic hazard at the project site has been calculated based on the Probabilistic seismic hazard approach accounting the soil factor.

Keywords: Ground Response Analysis, shear wave velocity, soil amplification, surface level seismic hazard

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Authors: K. Yang, Y. Wei, M. Zhang, S. Yong, R. Torah, J. Tudor, S. Beeby

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E-textiles are traditional textiles with integrated electronic functionality. It is an emerging innovation with numerous applications in fashion, wearable computing, health and safety monitoring, and the military and medical sectors. The piezoelectric effect is a widespread and versatile transduction mechanism used in sensor and actuator applications. Piezoelectric materials produce electric charge when stressed. Conversely, mechanical deformation occurs when an electric field is applied across the material. Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) is a widely used piezoceramic material which has been used to fabricate e-textiles through screen printing, electro spinning and hydrothermal synthesis. This paper explores an alternative fabrication process: Spray coating. Spray coating is a straightforward and cost effective fabrication method applicable on both flat and curved surfaces. It can also be applied selectively by spraying through a stencil which enables the required design to be realised on the substrate. This work developed a sprayable PZT based piezoelectric ink consisting of a binder (Fabink-Binder-01), PZT powder (80 % 2 µm and 20 % 0.8 µm) and acetone as a thinner. The optimised weight ratio of PZT/binder is 10:1. The components were mixed using a SpeedMixer DAC 150. The fabrication processes is as follows: 1) Screen print a UV-curable polyurethane interface layer on the textile to create a smooth textile surface. 2) Spray one layer of a conductive silver polymer ink through a pre-designed stencil and dry at 90 °C for 10 minutes to form the bottom electrode. 3) Spray three layers of the PZT ink through a pre-designed stencil and dry at 90 °C for 10 minutes for each layer to form a total thickness of ~250µm PZT layer. 4) Spray one layer of the silver ink through a pre-designed stencil on top of the PZT layer and dry at 90 °C for 10 minutes to form the top electrode. The domains of the PZT elements were aligned by polarising the material at an elevated temperature under a strong electric field. A d33 of 37 pC/N has been achieved after polarising at 90 °C for 6 minutes with an electric field of 3 MV/m. The application of the piezoelectric textile was demonstrated by fabricating a pressure sensor to switch an LED on/off. Other potential applications on e-textiles include motion sensing, energy harvesting, force sensing and a buzzer.

Keywords: piezoelectric, PZT, spray coating, pressure sensor, e-textile

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Authors: Ali H. Mahfouz, Gao Ming-Jun, Mohamad Sharif

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Slurry dredged soil at coastal area has a high water content, poor permeability, and low surface intensity. Hence, it is infeasible to use vacuum preloading method to treat this type of soil foundation. For the special case of super soft ground, a floating bridge is first constructed on muddy soil and used as a service road and platform for implementing the modified vacuum preloading method. The modified technique of vacuum preloading and its construction process for the super soft soil foundation improvement is then studied. Application of modified vacuum preloading method shows that the technology and its construction process are highly suitable for improving the super soft soil foundation in coastal areas.

Keywords: super soft foundation, dredger fill, vacuum preloading, foundation treatment, construction technology

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Authors: Apolinar Picado, Ronald Solís, Rafael Gamero

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The thin-layer drying characteristics of instant coffee solution were investigated in a laboratory tunnel dryer. Drying experiments were carried out at three temperatures (80, 100 and 120 °C) and an air velocity of 1.2 m/s. Drying experimental data obtained are fitted to six (6) thin-layer drying models using the non-linear least squares regression analysis. The acceptability of the thin-layer drying model has been based on a value of the correlation coefficient that should be close to one, and low values for root mean square error (RMSE) and chi-square (x²). According to this evaluation, the most suitable model for describing drying process of thin-layer instant coffee solution is the Page model. Further, the effective moisture diffusivity and the activation energy were computed employing the drying experimental data. The effective moisture diffusivity values varied from 1.6133 × 10⁻⁹ to 1.6224 × 10⁻⁹ m²/s over the temperature range studied and the activation energy was estimated to be 162.62 J/mol.

Keywords: activation energy, diffusivity, instant coffee, thin-layer models

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Authors: Juan Francisco Morales Arteaga, Simon Gluhar, Anela Kaurin, Domen Lestan

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Contaminated soils are recognized as one of the most pressing global environmental problems. As is one of the most hazardous elements: chronic exposure to arsenic has devastating effects on health, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and eventually death. Pb, Zn and Cd are very highly toxic metals that affect almost every organ in the body. With this in mind, new technologies for soil remediation processes are urgently needed. Calcareous artificially contaminated soil containing 231 mg kg-1 As and historically contaminated with Pb, Zn and Cd was washed with a 1:1.5 solid-liquid ratio of 90 mM EDTA, 100 mM oxalic acid, and 50 mM sodium dithionite to remove 59, 75, 29, and 53% of As, Pb, Zn, and Cd, respectively. To reduce emissions of residual EDTA and chelated metals from the remediated soil, zero valent iron (ZVI) was added (1% w/w) to the slurry of the washed soil immediately prior to rinsing. Experimental controls were conducted without the addition of ZVI after remediation. The use of ZVI reduced metal leachability and minimized toxic emissions 21 days after remediation. After this time, NH4NO3 extraction was performed to determine the mobility of toxic elements in the soil. In addition, Unified Human BioaccessibilityMethod (UBM) was performed to quantify the bioaccessibility levels of metals in stimulated human gastric and gastrointestinal phases.

Keywords: soil remediation, soil science, soil washing, toxic metals removal

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Authors: Miroslav Dumbrovsky, Lucie Larisova

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The infiltration characteristic of the soil surface is one of the major factors that determines the potential soil degradation risk. The physical, chemical and biological characteristic of soil is changed by the processing of soil. The infiltration soil ability has an important role in soil and water conservation. The subject of the contribution is the evaluation of the influence of the conventional tillage and reduced tillage technology on soil surface crusting processing and infiltration properties of the soil in the North Bohemia region. Field experimental work at the area was carried out in the years 2013-2016 on Cambisol district medium-heavy clayey soil. The research was conducted on sloping erosion-endangered blocks of compacted arable land. The areas were chosen each year in the way that one of the experimental areas was handled by conventional tillage technologies and the other by reduced tillage technologies. Intact soil samples were taken into Kopecký´s cylinders in the three landscape positions, at a depth of 10 cm (representing topsoil) and 30 cm (representing subsoil). The cumulative infiltration was measured using a mini-disc infiltrometer near the consumption points. The Zhang method (1997), which provides an estimate of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity K(h), was used for the evaluation of the infiltration tests of the mini-disc infiltrometer. The soil profile processed by conventional tillage showed a higher degree of compaction and soil crusting processing. The bulk density was between 1.10–1.67 g.cm⁻³, compared to the land processed by the reduced tillage technology, where the values were between 0.80–1.29 g.cm⁻³. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values were about one-third higher within the reduced tillage technology soil processing.

Keywords: soil crusting processing, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, cumulative infiltration, bulk density, porosity

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Authors: Santosh Kumar Biswal, Ramakar Jha

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Soil erosion is a slow and continuous process and one of the prominent problems across the world leading to many serious problems like loss of soil fertility, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, sedimentation deposits etc. In this paper remote sensing and GIS based methods have been applied for the determination of soil erosion and sediment yield. Tel River basin which is the second largest tributary of the river Mahanadi laying between latitude 19° 15' 32.4"N and, 20° 45' 0"N and longitude 82° 3' 36"E and 84° 18' 18"E chosen for the present study. The catchment was discretized into approximately homogeneous sub-areas (grid cells) to overcome the catchment heterogeneity. The gross soil erosion in each cell was computed using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). Various parameters for USLE was determined as a function of land topography, soil texture, land use/land cover, rainfall, erosivity and crop management and practice in the watershed. The concept of transport limited accumulation was formulated and the transport capacity maps were generated. The gross soil erosion was routed to the catchment outlet. This study can help in recognizing critical erosion prone areas of the study basin so that suitable control measures can be implemented.

Keywords: Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), GIS, land use, sediment yield,

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Authors: Bryan D. Llenarizas, Maria Carla F. Manzano

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The rapid growth of electricity demand has led to a pursuit of alternative energy sources with high power output and not harmful to the environment. The fuel cell is a device that generates electricity via chemical reactions between the fuel and oxidant. Fuel cells have been known for decades, but the development of high-power output and durability was still one of the drawbacks of this energy source. This study investigates the potential of layer-by-layer composite for fuel cell applications. A two-electrode electrochemical cell was used for the galvanostatic electrochemical deposition method to fabricate a Polypyrrole/rGO|Polypyrrole/ZnO layer-by-layer composite material for fuel cell applications. In the synthesis, the first layer comprised 0.1M pyrrole monomer and 1mg of rGO, while the second layer had 0.1M pyrrole monomer and variations of ZnO concentration ranging from 0.08M up to 0.12M. A constant current density of 8mA/cm² was applied for 1 hour in fabricating each layer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for the fabricated LBL material shows a globular surface with white spots. These white spots are the ZnO particles confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, indicating a successful deposition of the second layer onto the first layer. The observed surface morphology was consistent for each variation of ZnO concentrations. AC measurements were conducted to obtain the AC resistance of the fabricated film. Results show a decrease in AC resistance as the concentration of ZnO increases.

Keywords: anode, composite material, electropolymerization, fuel cell, galvanostatic, polypyrrole

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Authors: Luz Yoali Alfaro Luna, Angélica Hernández Rayas, Teodoro Córdova Fraga

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This work characterizes and calibrates a fluxgate 539 magnetometer sensor, implementing a real-time monitoring interface to measure magnetic fields with high precision. The objective is to develop an innovative prototype integrating the Fluxgate 539 sensor, a WX-DC2412 power supply, and an Arduino UNO. Methods include interface programming and data conversion to Gauss units. The results show accurate measurements after calibrating the sensor, establishing a foundation for further research in magnetobiology.

Keywords: calibration, fluxgate 539, magnetobiology, magnetic field measurement, monitoring interface, sensor characterization

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Authors: Pragyan Paramita Das, Vishwas N. Khatri

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By using the lower- and upper- bound finite elements to limit analysis in conjunction with second-order conic programming (SOCP), the effect of seismic forces on the bearing capacity of surface strip footing resting on dense sand underlain by loose sand deposit is explored. The soil is assumed to obey the Mohr-Coulomb’s yield criterion and an associated flow rule. The angle of internal friction (ϕ) of the top and the bottom layer is varied from 42° to 44° and 32° to 34° respectively. The coefficient of seismic acceleration is varied from 0 to 0.3. The variation of bearing capacity with different thickness of top layer for various seismic acceleration coefficients is generated. A comparison will be made with the available solutions from literature wherever applicable.

Keywords: bearing capacity, conic programming, finite elements, seismic forces

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Authors: Sung-Sik Park, Han Chang, Kyung-Hun Chae, Sae-Byeok Lee

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In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) Particle method without using grid was developed for analyzing large deformation of soils instead of using ordinary finite element method (FEM) or finite difference method (FDM). In the 3D Particle method, the governing equations were discretized by various particle interaction models corresponding to differential operators such as gradient, divergence, and Laplacian. The Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion was incorporated into the 3D Particle method to determine soil failure. The yielding and hardening behavior of soil before failure was also considered by varying viscosity of soil. First of all, an unconfined compression test was carried out and the large deformation following soil yielding or failure was simulated by the developed 3D Particle method. The results were also compared with those of a commercial FEM software PLAXIS 3D. The developed 3D Particle method was able to simulate the 3D large deformation of soils due to soil yielding and calculate the variation of normal and shear stresses following clay deformation.

Keywords: particle method, large deformation, soil column, confined compressive stress

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Authors: Shetie Gatew

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Current soil maps of Ethiopia do not represent accurately the soils of Nech Sar National Park. In the framework of studies on the ecology of the park, we prepared a soil map based on field observations and a digital terrain model derived from SRTM data with a 30-m resolution. The landscape comprises volcanic cones, lava and basalt outflows, undulating plains, horsts, alluvial plains and river deltas. SOTER-like terrain mapping units were identified. First, the DTM was classified into 128 terrain classes defined by slope gradient (4 classes), relief intensity (4 classes), potential drainage density (2 classes), and hypsometry (4 classes). A soil-landscape relation between the terrain mapping units and WRB soil units was established based on 34 soil profile pits. Based on this relation, the terrain mapping units were either merged or split to represent a comprehensive soil and terrain map. The soil map indicates that Leptosols (30 %), Cambisols (26%), Andosols (21%), Fluvisols (12 %), and Vertisols (9%) are the most widespread Reference Soil Groups of the park. In contrast, the harmonized soil map of Africa derived from the FAO soil map of the world indicates that Luvisols (70%), Vertisols (14%) and Fluvisols (16%) would be the most common Reference Soil Groups. However, these latter mapping units are not consistent with the topography, nor did we find such extensive areas occupied by Luvisols during the field survey. This case study shows that with the now freely available SRTM data, it is possible to improve current soil information layers with relatively limited resources, even in a complex terrain like Nech Sar National Park.

Keywords: andosols, cambisols, digital elevation model, leptosols, soil-landscaps relation

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Authors: Kathleen Moyer, Nora Ait Boucherbil, Murtaza Zohair, Janna Eaves-Rathert, Cary Pint

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This study demonstrates the significance of interface engineering in the field of structural energy by being the first case where the performance of the system with the structural battery is greater than the performance of the same system with a battery separate from the system. The benefits of improving the interface in the structural battery were tested by creating carbon fiber composite batteries (and independent graphite electrodes and lithium iron phosphate electrodes) with and without an improved interface. Mechanical data on the structural batteries were collected using tensile tests and electrochemical data was collected using scanning electron microscopy equipment. The full-cell lithium-ion structural batteries had capacity retention of over 80% exceeding 100 cycles with an average energy density of 52 W h kg−1 and a maximum energy density of 58 W h kg−1. Most scientific developments in the field of structural energy have been done with supercapacitors. Most scientific developments with structural batteries have been done where batteries are simply incorporated into the structural element. That method has limited advantages and can create mechanical disadvantages. This study aims to show that a large improvement in structure energy research can be made by improving the interface between the structural device and the battery.

Keywords: composite materials, electrochemical performance, mechanical properties, polymer interface, structural batteries

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Authors: Seyed Abolhasan Naeini, Mohammad Mahdi Shojaedin

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Oil leakage from the pipelines and the tanks carrying them, or during oil extraction, could lead to the changes in the characteristics and properties of the soil. In this paper, conducting a series of experimental cyclic triaxial tests, the effects of oil contamination on the liquefaction potential of sandy soils is investigated. The studied specimens are prepared by mixing the Firoozkuh sand with crude oil in 4, 8 and 12 percent by soil dry weight. The results show that the oil contamination up to 8% causes an increase in the soil liquefaction resistance and then with increase in the contamination, the liquefaction resistance decreases.

Keywords: cyclic triaxial test, liquefaction resistance, oil contamination, sandy soil

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Authors: Paul Kenneth D. Luzon, Maria Antonia N. Tanchuling

Abstract:

The Quezon City Controlled Dumping facility also known as Payatas produces leachate which can contaminate soil and water environment in the area. The goal of this study is to quantify the leachate produced by the QCCDF using the Hydrologic Evaluation of Landfill Performance (HELP) model. Results could be used as input for groundwater contaminant transport studies. The HELP model is based on a simple water budget and is an essential “model requirement” used by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Annual waste profile of the QCCDF was calculated. Based on topographical maps and estimation of settlement due to overburden pressure and degradation, a total of 10M m^3 of waste is contained in the landfill. The input necessary for the HELP model are weather data, soil properties, and landfill design. Results showed that from 1988 to 2011, an average of 50% of the total precipitation percolates through the bottom layer. Validation of the results is still needed due to the assumptions made in the study. The decrease in porosity of the top soil cover showed the best mitigation for minimizing percolation rate. This study concludes that there is a need for better leachate management system in the QCCDF.

Keywords: help model, landfill, payatas trash slide, quezon city controlled dumping facility

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Authors: Mohammed Abaoli, Omer Kara

Abstract:

The current research has investigated the soil quality status under dryland vegetation of Yabello district, Southern Ethiopia in which we should identify the nature and extent of salinity problem of the area for further research bases. About 48 soil samples were taken from 0-30, 31-60, 61-90 and 91-120 cm soil depths by opening 12 representative soil profile pits at 1.5 m depth. Soil color, texture, bulk density, Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Na, K, Mg, Ca, CaCO₃, gypsum (CaSO₄), pH, Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP) were analyzed. The dominant soil texture was silty-clay-loam.  Bulk density varied from 1.1 to 1.31 g/cm³. High SOC content was observed in 0-30 cm. The soil pH ranged from 7.1 to 8.6. The electrical conductivity shows indirect relationship with soil depth while CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ concentrations were observed in a direct relationship with depth. About 41% are non-saline, 38.31% saline, 15.23% saline-sodic and 5.46% sodic soils. Na concentration in saline soils was greater than Ca and Mg in all the soil depths. Ca and Mg contents were higher above 60 cm soil depth in non-saline soils. The concentrations of SO₂^-4 and HCO^-3 were observed to be higher at the most lower depth than upper. SAR value tends to be higher at lower depths in saline and saline-sodic soils, but decreases at lower depth of the non-saline soils. The distribution of ESP above 60 cm depth was in an increasing order in saline and saline-sodic soils. The result of the research has shown the direction to which extent of salinity we should consider for the Commiphora plant species we want to grow on the area. 

Keywords: commiphora species, dryland vegetation, ecological significance, soil quality, salinity problem

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: M. Meftahi, M. Hoseinzadeh, S. A. Naeini

Abstract:

Selection of soil bearing capacity is an important issue that should be investigated under different conditions. The bearing capacity of foundation around of soil slope is based on the active and passive forces. On the other hand, due to extension of urban structures, it is inevitable to put the foundations together. Concerning the two cases mentioned above, investigating the behavior of adjacent foundations which are constructed besides soil slope is essential. It should be noted that, according to the conditions, the bearing capacity of adjacent foundations can be less or more than mat foundations. Also, soil reinforcement increases the bearing capacity of adjacent foundations, and the amount of its increase depends on the distance between foundations. In this research, based on numerical studies, a method is presented for evaluating ultimate bearing capacity of adjacent foundations at different intervals. In the present study, the effect of foundation width, the center to center distance of adjacent foundations and reinforced soil has been investigated on the bearing capacity of adjacent foundations beside soil slope. The results indicate that, due to interference of failure surfaces created under foundation, it depends on their intervals and the ultimate bearing capacity of foundation varies.

Keywords: adjacent foundation, bearing capacity, reinforcements, settlement, numerical analysis

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Authors: Alipanah Masoud, Sheihkei Iman

Abstract:

One day old chicken quality has great deal of contributions in increasing daily weight gain as well as economical productivity of broilers production. On the other hand, eggs are kept in different times in layer hens flocks and subsequently are transported to incubation units. In order to evaluate effects of two factors layer hen age and storage period of eggs on one day old broilers weight gain during feeding, eggs for layer hen gathered on 32 weeks old (young hen) and 74 weeks old (older ones) were used. Storage period for samples was set as 1 and 9 days. Data were analysed in completely randomized design in four replicates by software SAS. Results indicated that one day old broiler chickens from young had less weight gain, although they exhibited higher weight gain during next weeks. At the same time, there was no difference between chickens from eggs stored for nine days and those from stored for one day.

Keywords: egg, chicken, hatchability, layer

Procedia PDF Downloads 420

Authors: Mekdes Lulu

Abstract:

This study assessed the soil organic C (SOC) and soil nutrients in smallholding home garden, woodlot, grazing land, and cropland at two soil depths and two sites in Wolaita Zone, southern Ethiopia. The results showed that soil properties were significantly influenced by land use. The home garden had significantly higher (p < 0.05) SOC and soil nutrients when compared to the cropland. When the home garden was compared to the woodlot and grazing land uses, it had significantly higher (p < 0.05) values except in SOC, total N (TN), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and exchangeable Ca. Cropland, in comparison with grazing land and woodlot, had a non-significant difference except TN. The SOC stock (0–40 cm) in the home garden, woodlot, grazing land and cropland was 79.5, 68.0, 65.0, and 58.1 Mg ha–1, respectively. Home garden significantly differed (p <0.05) in SOC only from cropland, and this was attributed not only to the relatively higher organic input in the home garden but also to the little organic matter input and frequently tillage of the cropland. The similar SOC among the home garden, woodlot and grazing lands may imply that the balance between inputs and outputs could be nearly similar for the land uses. Soil TN and CEC had a nearly similar pattern of difference as in SOC among the land uses because of their close relationship with SOC. In general, the land use influence on soil nutrients can be in the order: home garden > wood land » grazing land » cropland, with home garden showing the least difference from the woodlot and the greatest from the cropland. In the agroecosystem, in general, the influence of smallholding home garden on SOC and soil nutrient was marginally different from Eucalyptus woodlot and grazing lands but evidently different from cropland.

Keywords: cropland, grazing land, home garden, soc stock, soil nutrients, woodlot

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