Use of radiation sources with mercury isotopes for real-time highly sensitive and selective benzene determination in air and natural gas by differential absorption spectrometry with the direct Zeeman effect

A new analytical portable system is proposed for the direct determination of benzene vapor in the ambient air and natural gas, using differential absorption spectrometry with the direct Zeeman effect and innovative radiation sources: capillary mercury lamps with different isotopic compositions (¹⁹⁶Hg, ¹⁹⁸Hg, ²⁰²Hg, ²⁰⁴Hg, and natural isotopic mixture). Resonance emission of mercury at a wavelength of 254 nm is used as probing radiation. The differential cross section of benzene absorption in dependence on wavelength is determined by scanning of magnetic field. It is found that the sensitivity of benzene detection is enhanced three times using lamp with the mercury isotope ²⁰⁴Hg in comparison with lamp, filled with the natural isotopic mixture. It is experimentally demonstrated that, when benzene content is measured at the Occupational Exposure Limit (3.2 mg/m³ for benzene) level, the interference from SO₂, NO₂, O₃, H₂S and toluene can be neglected if concentration of these gases does not exceed corresponding Occupational Exposure Limits. To exclude the mercury effect, filters that absorb mercury and let benzene pass in the gas duct are proposed. Basing on the results of our study, a portable spectrometer is designed with a multipath cell of 960 cm total path length and detection limit 0.5 mg/m³ at 1 s averaging and 0.1 mg/m³ at 30 s averaging. The applications of the designed spectrometer to measuring the benzene concentration in the atmospheric air from a moving vehicle and in natural gas are exemplified.     

Long-time strength of isotropic polymers in plane stress state

A criterion of strength of isotropic polymers in the form of the critical work done by stress was postulated and shown, by statistical analysis, to be independent of the time and form of loading. The introduction of the time factor in the existing theories of strength of isotropic materials was postulated and experimentally verified with the aid of this criterion.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 2, No. 6, pp. 837–844, 1966     

Creep of reinforced plastics in uniaxial tension along the fibers

Relations are proposed for determining at any moment of time the strains in a reinforced plastic stressed in the resin and the reinforcement by a constant tensile load as a function of the reinforcement ratio and the rheological properties of the reinforcement and resin. The proposed relations agree quite well with the experimental data.Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 1, No. 6, pp. 69–77, 1965     

Properties of fiberglass-plastics reinforced with high-modulus fibers

The question of reinforcement of unidirectional fiberglass-plastic with boron or carbon fibers is considered. Static fatigue curves for the Poisson coefficient and the elastic modulus as functions of the volume content of the glass and the high-modulus fibers have been constructed. The theoretical dependences are compared with the experimental data.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Moscow. Translated from Mekhabika Polimerov, No. 1, pp. 68–74, January–February, 1972.     

Creep and long-time strength of unidirectional reinforced plastics in compression

An attempt is made to predict the creep and long-time strength of unidirectional reinforced plastics in compression in the direction of the reinforcement from the properties of the components. The reinforcement is assumed to be elastic, while the resin is described by a Boltzmann-Volterraintegral equation with fractional-exponential Rabotnov kernel. Experimentally obtained creep and long-time strength curves are presented for unidirectional reinforced plastics.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, No. 5, pp. 830–835, September–October, 1970.     

Strength of reinforced plastics under static loading

The question of the static fatigue of reinforced plastics is considered for plane stress. Relations that predict the static fatigue are given for very simple types of loading. Experimental data are presented for thin-walled tubes of SVAM (5:1) glass-reinforced plastic subjected to long-time tests at constant internal pressure.Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Latvian SSR, Riga. Translated from Mekhanika Polimerov, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 265–273, March–April, 1969.     

Elastic characteristics of a cement-based composite reinforced with steel grid ribbons

A method is proposed for the estimation of elastic characteristics of a cement mortar orthogonally reinforced with punched steel grid ribbons. The method proposed takes into account the geometry of grids, the distance between ribbons, and the elastic properties of cement mortar and steel.     

Shear Strength of Cement-Based Composite Beams

Beams of cement-based composites reinforced with different types of meshes usually do not have stirrups. With good anchoring of the longitudinal tensile reinforcement, such beams break after the development of a critical inclined crack caused by the principal tensile stresses. In this paper, the mechanics of development of such cracks is studied. The results of theoretical investigation based on the structural mechanics of laminates are compared with the results of experimental testing of cement-based composite beams reinforced with punched steel grids.