The content of chlorides in concrete designs: a probabilistic approach to compliance assessment with due regard to the measurement uncertainty

A major factor for the durability of concrete is the protection against corrosion of reinforcing steel. One out of some corrosion agents are dissolved chlorides. Therefore, their contents are limited in the raw materials and subject to a compliance assessment. The concrete standard EN 206-1 provides both a semi-probabilistic calculation method for the design of concrete as regards the input of chlorides through the components and a decision rule for compliance assessment. This paper describes a full probabilistic approach to the compliance assessment taking into account the heterogeneity of the components and the uncertainty of testing. The content of Cl⁻ is defined as the sum of gamma-distributed parameters. The uncertainty data are taken from the test procedures and from effects due to sampling procedures. The proposed approach is quantified for a high-performance and for a simple concrete. It allows calculating upper limits of chloride contents according to the client’s requirements for conformity and/or for producer’s/consumer’s risks. Additionally discussed are the particular financial consequences of incorrect decisions. Major results of the application of the probabilistic approach are that the upper limits of the chloride contents are comparable to those of the semi-probabilistic one and that the risks for high-performance concretes are not negligible. The decision rule given in EN 206-1 is easy to apply but not unambiguous. The probabilistic approach permits to define concepts for decision rules based on the probability of conformity or on the appropriate risks. For risk-based concepts, the individual performance of the testing laboratory can be taken into account.     

Influence of nanoparticle surface functionalization on the thermal stability of colloidal polystyrene films

The installation of large scale colloidal nanoparticle thin films is of great interest in sensor technology or data storage. Often, such devices are operated at elevated temperatures. In the present study, we investigate the effect of heat treatment on the structure of colloidal thin films of polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles in situ by using the combination of grazing incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and optical ellipsometry. In addition, the samples are investigated with optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). To install large scale coatings on silicon wafers, spin-coating of colloidal pure PS nanoparticles and carboxylated PS nanoparticles is used. Our results indicate that thermal annealing in the vicinity of the glass transition temperature T(g) of pure PS leads to a rapid loss in the ordering of the nanoparticles in spin-coated films. For carboxylated particles, this loss of order is shifted to a higher temperature, which can be useful for applications at elevated temperatures. Our model assumes a softening of the boundaries between the individual colloidal spheres, leading to strong changes in the nanostructure morphology. While the nanostructure changes drastically, the macroscopic morphology remains unaffected by annealing near T(g).     

Computing eigenvectors of block tridiagonal matrices based on twisted block factorizations

New methods for computing eigenvectors of symmetric block tridiagonal matrices based on twisted block factorizations are explored. The relation of the block where two twisted factorizations meet to an eigenvector of the block tridiagonal matrix is reviewed. Based on this, several new algorithmic strategies for computing the eigenvector efficiently are motivated and designed. The underlying idea is to determine a good starting vector for an inverse iteration process from the twisted block factorizations such that a good eigenvector approximation can be computed with a single step of inverse iteration.     

Analysis of free-edge effects by boundary finite element method

The scaled boundary finite element method is a novel semi-analytical analysis technique that combines the advantages of the finite element method and the boundary element method. Only a part of the boundary of the considered domain has to be discretized but nevertheless the method is solely finite element based. The governing equations are solved in the so-called scaling direction analytically, whereas a finite element approximation of the solution is performed in the circumferential directions, which form the boundary of the considered domain. Thus, the numerical effort can be reduced considerably when handling stress concentration problems such as e.g. the free-edge effect in laminated plates. In order to analyze the free-edge effect in a semi-infinite half plane, some kinematic coupling equations have to be introduced, that not only couple the degrees of freedom on the boundary, but also within the non-discretized domain. The implementation of kinematic coupling equations within the method is presented. Finally, the efficiency of the new approach is shown in some benchmark examples. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Boundary Finite Element Method for the Efficient Computation of Orders and Modes of Three-Dimensional Stress Singularities

In this contribution the B oundary F inite E lement M ethod (BFEM) is employed for the computation of the orders of stress singularities for several three-dimensional stress concentration problems in linear elastic fracture mechanics. The BFEM combines the advantages of both the FEM and the BEM: while only a discretization on a structural boundary is required, the actual surface mesh consists of standard displacement based finite elements. In contrast to the BEM, no fundamental solution is required. The BFEM is an ef.cient analysis tool which leads to highly accurate results with significantly lesser computational effort when compared to e.g. standard FEM procedures. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

On parabolic systems with variational structure

We prove global existence of strong solutions for two-dimensional parabolic systems of variational flow type subject to the one-sided condition.