This article investigates the development of the following material properties of concrete with time: compressive strength, tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, and fracture energy. These properties were determined at seven different hydration ages (18 h, 30 h, 48 h, 72 h, 7 days, 14 days, 28 days) for four pure cement concrete mixes totaling 336 specimens tested throughout the study. Experimental data obtained were used to assess the relationship of the above properties with the concrete compressive strength and how these relationships are affected with age. Further, this study investigates prediction models available in literature and recommendations are made for models that are found suitable for application to early age conc

This study, establishes two stochastic monotonicity results concerning the run length of an upper one –sided Exponentially Weighted Moving Average (EWMA) control charts, based on the logarithm of the sample variance, for monitoring a process standard deviation, these properties cast interesting light on the control chart performance, and their extension to other one –sided EWMA control charts.

This contribution aims to investigate volume-dependent thermal and mechanical properties of the two most studied phases of molybdenum nitride (c-MoN and h-MoN) by means of the quasi-harmonic approximation approach (QHA) via first-principles calculations up to their melting point and a pressure of 12 GPa. Lattice constants, band gaps, and bulk modulus at 0 K match corresponding experimental measurements well. Calculated Bader’s charges indicate that Mo–N bonds exhibit a more ionic nature in the cubic MoN phase. Based on estimated Gibbs free energies, the cubic phase presents thermodynamic stability higher than that detected for hexagonl, with no phase transition observed in the selected T–P conditions as detected experimentall

Lithium doped Nickel-Zinc ferrite material with chemical formula Ni0.9−2x Zn0.1LixFe2+xO4, where x is the ratio of lithium ions Li+ (x = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04) prepared by using sol-gel auto combustion technique. X-ray diffraction results showed that the material have pure cubic spinal structure with space group Fd-3m. The experimental values of the lattice constant (aexp) were decreased from 8.39 to 8.35 nm with doped Li ions. It was found that the decreasing of the crystallite size with addition of lithium ions concentration. The radius of tetrahedral (rtet) and octahedral (roct) site were computed from cation distribution. SEM images have been taken to show the morphology of compound. The dielectric parameters [dissipation fa

Vanadium dioxide nanofilms are one of the most essential materials in electronic applications like smart windows. Therefore, studying and understanding the optical properties of such films is crucial to modify the parameters that control these properties. To this end, this work focuses on investigating the opacity as a function of the energy directed at the nanofilms with different thicknesses(1–100) nm. Effective mediator theories(EMTs), which are considered as the application of Bruggeman’s formalism and the Looyenga mixing rule, have been used to estimate the dielectric constant of VO2 nanofilms. The results show different opacity behaviors at different wavelength ranges(ultraviolet, visible, and infrared). The results depict that th

Nanoferrite materials have been synthesized by sol-gel auto combustion method. The effect of doping different percentages of Y₂O₃ (0.34 µm) on the physical and mechanical properties of selected mixed ferrite [(Li_2.5Fe_0.5) 0.9(Co₄Fe₂O₄) _0.1] by adding 10% Cobalt ferrite was studied. Physical properties (i.e. .density, porosity and water absorption) were affected by the doping, where the density increased about 32% at 6 wt% Y₂O₃, while porosity has a drastically decreased about 80% at 6% Y₂O₃ and has a correlation effect on the mechanical properties(Splitting  tensile strength and Vicker

Natural bitumen (NB) is a highly precious material and has drawn increasing attention due to its unique properties, especially since it is available in large quantities and has been used in limited fields. In this research, the exploitation of NB from sulfur springs as an alternative energy resource in the production of asphalt pavement is evaluated. It can be concluded from the experimental results that the chemical composition and surface morphology of NB samples are different from those of base asphalt. Besides, the rheological properties of virgin NB are not sufficient for paving work. To overcome this obstacle, NB from five different springs is modified with limestone filler (LSF) to enhance its properties. LSF is a natural material an

Within this paper, we developed a new series of organic chromophores based on triphenyleamine (TPA) (AL1, AL-2, AL-11 and AL-22) by engineering the structure of the electron donor (D) unit via replacing a phenyle ring or inserting thiophene as a π-linkage. For the sake of scrutinizing the impact of the TPA donating ability and the spacer upon the photovoltaic, absorptional, energetic, and geometrical characteristic of these sensitizers, density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) have been utilized. According to structural characteristics, incorporating the acceptor, π-bridge and TPA does not result in a perfect coplanar conformation in AL-22. We computed EHOMO, ELUMO and bandgap (Eg) energies by performing frequency a

Cover crops (CC) improve soil quality, including soil microbial enzymatic activities and soil chemical parameters. Scientific studies conducted in research centers have shown positive effects of CC on soil enzymatic activities; however, studies conducted in farmer fields are lacking in the literature. The objective of this study was to quantify CC effects on soil microbial enzymatic activities (β-glucosidase, β-glucosaminidase, fluorescein diacetate hydrolase, and dehydrogenase) under a corn (Zea mays L.)–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) rotation. The study was conducted in 2016 and 2018 in Chariton County, Missouri, where CC were first established in 2012. All tested soil enzyme levels were significantly different between 2016 and 2018

Activated carbon prepared from date stones by chemical activation with ferric chloride (FAC) was used an adsorbent to remove phenolic compounds such as phenol (Ph) and p-nitro phenol (PNPh) from aqueous solutions. The influence of process variables represented by solution pH value (2-12), adsorbent to adsorbate weight ratio (0.2-1.8), and contact time (30-150 min) on removal percentage and adsorbed amount of Ph and PNPh onto FAC was studied. For PNPh adsorption,( 97.43 %) maximum removal percentage and (48.71 mg/g) adsorbed amount was achieved at (5) solution pH,( 1) adsorbent to adsorbate weight ratio, and (90 min) contact time. While for Ph adsorption, at (4) solution pH, (1.4) absorbent to adsorbate weight ratio, and (120 min) contact