Surface characterization of recycled tire rubber to be used in cement paste matrix

The surface modification of tire rubber after treatment with saturated NaOH aqueous solution was investigated by HATR infrared analysis, potentiometric titration, and contact angle measurements. Infrared analysis of the powdered treated rubber showed a decrease in absorption at 1540, 1450, and 1395 cm(-1). This decrease is attributed to the removal of zinc stearate, an additive present in tire formulations that often migrates and diffuses to the surface, resulting in poor adhesion between the rubber and other materials. The potentiometric titration of the suspension of powdered rubber in 0.1 M NaCl showed that more hydrochloric acid was consumed by the untreated rubber, most likely a result of the hyrdrolysis of the zinc stearate to the organic acid. Contact angles of flat tire pieces showed an homogeneity enhancement of the treated rubber surface. The decrease of the zinc stearate on the treated rubber surface explains the improvement in the adhesion of this material to the cement matrix, observed in a previous research. The promising results of this study are a starting point for future research on incorporating rubber particles into cementitious materials as a means of successfully utilizing the vast amounts of tire waste currently in landfills.     

Low-frequency dilatational wave propagation through unsaturated porous media containing two immiscible fluids

An analytical theory is presented for the low-frequency behavior of dilatational waves propagating through a homogeneous elastic porous medium containing two immiscible fluids. The theory is based on the Berryman–Thigpen–Chin (BTC) model, in which capillary pressure effects are neglected. We show that the BTC model equations in the frequency domain can be transformed, at sufficiently low frequencies, into a dissipative wave equation (telegraph equation) and a propagating wave equation in the time domain. These partial differential equations describe two independent modes of dilatational wave motion that are analogous to the Biot fast and slow compressional waves in a single-fluid system. The equations can be solved analytically under a variety of initial and boundary conditions. The stipulation of “low frequency” underlying the derivation of our equations in the time domain is shown to require that the excitation frequency of wave motions be much smaller than a critical frequency. This frequency is shown to be the inverse of an intrinsic time scale that depends on an effective kinematic shear viscosity of the interstitial fluids and the intrinsic permeability of the porous medium. Numerical calculations indicate that the critical frequency in both unconsolidated and consolidated materials containing water and a nonaqueous phase liquid ranges typically from kHz to MHz. Thus engineering problems involving the dynamic response of an unsaturated porous medium to low excitation frequencies (e.g., seismic wave stimulation) should be accurately modeled by our equations after suitable initial and boundary conditions are imposed.     

A note on “real and complex Fritz John theorems”

In a recent paper by Craven and Mond a unified proof is given of the Fritz John necessary theorem for nonlinear programming problems over cone domains. This note will underscore some necessary assumptions that are needed to establish this generalization which are not stated, but assumed in the proofs given by Craven and Mond.     

Foundations of the quantum statistics of systems in equilibrium: A measuretheoretic approach

The fundamental equations of equilibrium quantum statistical mechanics are derived in the context of a measure-theoretic approach to the quantum mechanical ergodic problem. The method employed is an extension, to quantum mechanical systems, of the techniques developed by R. M. Lewis for establishing the foundations of classical statistical mechanics. The existence of a complete set of commuting observables is assumed, but no reference is made a priori to probability or statistical ensembles. Expressions for infinite-time averages in the microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles are developed which reduce to conventional quantum statistical mechanics for systems in equilibrium when the total energy is the only conserved quantity. No attempt is made to extend the formalism at this time to deal with the difficult problem of the approach to equilibrium.     

Modified regularity conditions for nonlinear programming problems over mixed cone domains

In earlier results by Sposito and David, Kuhn—Tucker duality was established over nondegenerate cone domains (not necessarily polyhedral) without differentiability under a certain natural modification of the Slater condition, in addition to the convexity of a certain auxiliary set. This note extends Kuhn—Tucker duality to optimization problems with both nondegenerate and degenerate cone domains. Moreover, under a different condition than presented in earlier results by the author, this note develops Kuhn—Tucker duality for a certain class of nonlinear problems with linear constraints and an arbitrary objective function.     

Flocculation Kinetics and Cluster Morphology in Illite/NaCl Suspensions

Interfacial charge in a solid/liquid system is due to interactions of ions with surface sites affected by the electrostatic potential that is a consequence of their accumulation. The present theoretical approach is based on the so-called Surface Complexation Model that has several modifications known as either the 1-pK, the 2-pK, or the "MUSIC" model. These models assume different surface reactions and their equilibrium constants, taking into account electrostatic interactions. For that purpose the relationships between potentials affecting the state of interfacial ions and their surface densities need to be known, so that a certain model of the electrical interfacial layer should be introduced. The complexity of the problem results in the use of a variety of different theoretical approaches that cannot be distinguished experimentally. This article discusses several aspects of the problem, such as counterion association, structure of the electrical interfacial layer, potential-charge relationships, surface potentials, the zero charge condition, enthalpy of surface reactions, and the influence of the interfacial ionic equilibrium on the colloid stability. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.     

Soft lithography microfabrication of functionalized thermoplastics by solvent casting

A soft lithographic method is described for casting functional thermoplastic devices with microscale features without the need for specialized tools or equipment. In the thermoplastic soft lithography process, termed solvent casting, low temperature supersaturated solutions of thermoplastic are poured over solvent permeable PDMS molds which allow omnidirectional solvent removal as they template functional microstructures into the thermoplastic layers. Rapid gelation of supersaturated solutions enables the deposition of multiple patterned layers of varying composition, with self‐adhesion of the solvent‐laden thermoplastic ensuring intimate bonding between adjacent layers. This latter feature is further used in this work to realize sealed thermoplastic microfluidic devices with high fidelity replication of microchannel features with negligible channel deformation. The incorporation of functional dopants into patterned thermoplastic layers allows the fabrication of thermoplastic devices with embedded fluorescent sensors and integrated conductive elements. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2015 , 53, 1315–1323     

Methods of Quantum Field Theory in the Physics of Subsurface Solute Transport

The stochastic theory of subsurface solute transport has received stimulus recently from modeling techniques originating in quantum field theory (QFT), resulting in new calculations of the solute macrodispersion tensor that derive from the solving Dyson equation with a subsequent renormalization group analysis. In this paper, we offer a critical evaluation of these techniques as they relate specifically to the derivation of a field-scale advection–dispersion equation. An approximate Dyson equation satisfied by the ensemble-average solute concentration for tracer movement in a heterogeneous porous medium is derived and shown to be equivalent to a truncated cumulant expansion of the standard stochastic partial differential equation which describes the same phenomenon. The full Dyson equation formalism, although exact, is of no importance to the derivation of an improved field-scale advection–dispersion equation. Similarly, renormalization group analysis of the macrodispersion tensor has not yet provided results that go beyond what is available currently from the cumulant expansion approach.