Continuous Shear Research Articles

Internet of Things Geosensor Network for Cost-Effective Landslide Early Warning Systems.

Worldwide, cities with mountainous areas struggle with an increasing landslide risk as a consequence of global warming and population growth, especially in low-income informal settlements. Landslide Early Warning Systems (LEWS) are an effective measure to quickly reduce these risks until long-term risk mitigation measures can be realized. To date however, LEWS have only rarely been implemented in informal settlements due to their high costs and complex operation. Based on modern Internet of Things (IoT) technologies such as micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) sensors and the LoRa (Long Range) communication protocol, the Inform@Risk research project is developing a cost-effective geosensor network specifically designed for use in a LEWS for informal settlements. It is currently being implemented in an informal settlement in the outskirts of Medellin, Colombia for the first time. The system, whose hardware and firmware is open source and can be replicated freely, consists of versatile LoRa sensor nodes which have a set of MEMS sensors (e.g., tilt sensor) on board and can be connected to various different sensors including a newly developed low cost subsurface sensor probe for the detection of ground movements and groundwater level measurements. Complemented with further innovative measurement systems such as the Continuous Shear Monitor (CSM) and a flexible data management and analysis system, the newly developed LEWS offers a good benefit-cost ratio and in the future can hopefully find application in other parts of the world.

Time-resolved rheometry of drying liquids and suspensions

From paints to food products, solvent evaporation is ubiquitous and critically impacts product rheological properties. It affects Newtonian fluids by concentrating any nonvolatile components and viscoelastic materials, which harden up. In both of these cases, solvent evaporation leads to a change in the volume of the sample, which makes any rheological measurements particularly challenging with traditional shear geometries. Here, we show that the rheological properties of a sample experiencing “slow” evaporation can be monitored in a time-resolved fashion by using a zero normal force controlled protocol in a parallel-plate geometry. Solvent evaporation from the sample leads to a decrease of the normal force, which is compensated at all times by a decrease of the gap height between the plates. As a result, the sample maintains a constant contact area with the plates, despite the significant decrease of its volume. We validate the method under both oscillatory and continuous shear by accurately monitoring the viscosity of water–glycerol mixtures experiencing evaporation and a relative volume decrease as large as 70%. Moreover, we apply this protocol to drying suspensions. Specifically, we monitor a dispersion of charged silica nanoparticles undergoing a glass transition induced by evaporation. While the decrease in gap height provides a direct estimate of the increasing particle volume fraction, oscillatory and continuous shear measurements allow us to monitor the evolving viscoelastic properties of the suspension in real time. Overall, our study shows that a zero normal force protocol provides a simple approach to bulk and time-resolved rheological characterization for systems experiencing slow volume variations.

Atomic-Scale Observation of O1 Faulted Phase-Induced Deactivation of LiNiO2 at High Voltage.

LiNiO2 and cobalt-free ultrahigh-Ni content cathodes suffer from rapid capacity loss and severe chemomechanical degradation, especially when operated at high voltages. Here, by cycling LiNiO2 up to 4.7 V, we report the atomic-scale observation of O1 faulted phase-induced deactivation of LiNiO2. We find that, although a thin layer of the O3 phase forms on the particle surface by reversible O3 → O1 transformation during discharge, the bulk interior still maintains the O1 faulted phase, leading to rapid capacity loss of LiNiO2. Moreover, the atomic configuration of the O1/O3 interface is investigated comprehensively. We reveal that the misfit along the c axes of the O1 and O3 phases results in the formation of misfit dislocations, whereby cation mixing is promoted at the dislocation cores. A transition zone with continuous shear along the a-b plane is uncovered between the O1 and O3 phases for the first time. Besides, severe oxygen loss-induced pore formation and concurrent rock salt transformation are also identified.

Oscillatory shear stress promotes angiogenic effects in arteriovenous malformations endothelial cells

BackgroundVascular endothelial cells (ECs) are subject to continuous shear stress due to blood circulation. Mechanical stress due to high shear flow can also cause arteriovenous malformation (AVM) when ECs respond hyper-sensitively to shear flow. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that angiogenesis could be promoted in response to mechanical stress via regulation of pro-angiogenic factors in AVM cells.MethodsECs were extracted from the tissue samples from six AVM patients and six normal patients. Shear stress at 7 dynes/cm2 were applied for 24 h. Before and after application of shear stress to each group, RT-PCR was performed to access the expression levels of angiopoietin2(AGP2), aquaporin1(AQP1) and TGFβR1. Immunofluorescences was also performed to evaluate the level of protein expressions.ResultsIn both normal and AVM tissues, AGP2 and TGFβR1 under the shear stress showed increased expression in the ECs compared to the non-sheared samples. When AVMs and normal arterial vasculature were compared, the expression levels of both AGP2 and TGFβR1 in AVMs were higher when compared to normal arterial vasculature with or without shear stress. Immunofluorescence-based protein analysis also confirmed shear-induced AGP2 and TGFβR1 in both samples of normal and AVM patients.ConclusionsAVMs exhibited higher sensitivity to shear stress by producing higher expressions of some marked genes and proteins that regulate the endothelial functions upon exposure to shear stress. While the physiological mechanism for AVMs remain elusive, our study shows the plausibility of physical stress imposed by the shearing flow can cause the occurrence of AVMs.

Inhibiting effect of superheated steam processing on milling characteristics deterioration induced by storage of common buckwheat

Superheated steam (SS) was used to improve the milling characteristics of common buckwheat grains during storage. The changes in milling characteristics, pasting properties, micro-mechanical behavior and protein-starch interactions of buckwheat during storage were investigated. Results showed that the average particle size, color and pasting viscosities of untreated buckwheat decreased during storage, while the damaged starch content increased significantly. SS slowed down these deteriorations of milling characteristics by alleviating intracellular cleavage of starch during the process of buckwheat milling. SS also kept pasting properties of starch stable during the continuous heating and shearing process. X-ray diffraction showed less variation in crystallinity and stable structure of starch induced by SS. The results from SDS-PAGE and confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that these stabilizations were associated with the disulfide bonds of protein and its interaction with starch granules. It meant SS processing retarded the quality deterioration during storage and protected buckwheat starch against mechanical damage by promoting protein aggregation and letting the starch to be wrapped tightly by the protein, so as to protect the swollen starch granules from disintegration. Therefore, SS processing was potentially applicable for improving milling characteristics of buckwheat.

Electrowetting Induced Droplet Generation in T-Junctions

Abstract In this study, droplet generation in a T-junction fluidic channel device was studied by using electrowetting actuation with the consideration of different droplet forming regimes. For this purpose, the finite element method (FEM) was used to solve the unsteady Naiver–Stokes equation. In addition, the level set method was applied to capture the interface between two phases. It was shown that there was a good agreement between obtained data and other work during the process of droplet generation in the absence of electrowetting actuation which results in the decrease in the size of the droplet with increasing the velocity ratios. In the shearing regime, the effectiveness of electrowetting on the droplet generation frequency as well as droplet size is visible in a T-junction fluidic channel since after applying voltages, specified with nondimensional electrowetting numbers of η=0.5 and 1.2, dispersed phase is pulled out into the oil phase. In fact, by applying the voltage on the top wall, the droplet breakup time was decreased and smaller droplets were produced. Finally, different important parameters such as pressure difference across the interface as well as shear stress exerted from the continuous phase shear stress were examined in detail.

A hydrodynamic-plastic formulation for modelling sand using a minimal set of parameters

Conventional plasticity models follow rich mathematical formulations. However, they typically lack a physical basis, so their predictive quality is strongly correlated with the number of fitting parameters used. More recent hydrodynamic principles inject physical clarity by separating scales using distinct thermal and granular temperatures. However, existing hydrodynamic models also require many parameters to reproduce a wide variety of experimental observations. This paper combines the advantages of these two approaches to construct a new physics-based hydrodynamic-plasticity model formulation, which is comprehensively predictive. An illustrative model is developed that relies on only five parameters, all of which have been previously defined and calibrated. Four parameters are easily determined from common geotechnical experiments and address diverse rate-independent phenomena, including pressure and density dependent elasticity, pressure- and density-dependent dilation behaviours, critical state relationships under continuous shearing, liquefying cyclic hystereses, and initial stress-ratio dependent extensional shear response. The one remaining parameter enables the recovery of the rate-dependent rheology of friction and density during steady flow, as well as material response during transient loading. A key feature that further distinguishes the current formulation from previous hydrodynamic ones is that here granular temperature is being related to the measurable kinetic pressure.

Centrifuge modelling of rainfall-induced slope failure in variably saturated soil

This paper presents the results of centrifuge tests on rainfall-induced instabilities in variably saturated slopes. The roles of rainfall intensity and initial conditions, such as slope angle, porosity and degree of saturation of the soil, in the failure initiation and postfailure kinematics are considered. The failure patterns, infiltration profile and deformation at prefailure and postfailure stages are characterized. The results indicate that rainfall-induced slope failures usually follow one of the following two failure modes, i.e. slide-to-flow and flowslide failure modes. The former pattern is characterized by soil mass flow after initial failure along a continuous shear surface, while the latter is more relevant to the rapid increase in the saturation at the slope surface, resulting in surface erosion channels followed by the acceleration of the soil mass. The flowslide failure pattern usually gives rise to several superficial shear surfaces and longer run-out distances. The rainfall intensity and profiles of the degree of saturation play the key roles in initiating the slope failure at the prefailure stage and subsequently in mobilizing the soil mass at the postfailure stage. Our test data, together with the data from the literature, are presented in two threshold curves to define the critical condition of slope failure under rainfall infiltration.

Research and development of ultra-high temperature delayed crosslinking acid system

The average burial depth of carbonate reservoirs in Shunbei area exceeds 7300 meters, and the bottom hole temperature is as high as 160°C. The commonly used cross-linked acid system cannot meet the needs of acid fracturing. Therefore, this article uses AM, AMPS, acrylamide (AM) modified monomers, acrylic acid (AA) modified monomers to synthesize thickener SBCH-1, the organic zirconium crosslinking agent SBJL1 was synthesized with zirconium oxychloride, isopropanol, citric acid and diethanolamine. And other auxiliary agents are selected, and the final formula is determined as: 220% HCl+0.8% SBCH-1 thickener +0.8% SBJL-lcrosslinking agent +0.8% SBYC-1 crosslinking retarder +2% SBHS-1A high temperature corrosion inhibitor +2% SBHS-1B high temperature corrosion inhibitor +1% SBTW-4 iron ion stabilizer +1% SBZP-2 drainage aid +1% SBPR-1 demulsifier. The viscosity of the system stabilized above 200mPa⋅s after continuous shearing at 160°C, 170s-1 for 30min.

Shear-lag modelling of surface-bonded magnetostrictive transducers for shear horizontal wave generation in a non-ferromagnetic plate

The fundamental shear horizontal (SH) wave in thin-walled structures shows appealing features for structural health monitoring (SHM) applications. Its efficient generation and reception however remain a critical and challenging issue. Magnetostrictive transducers (MsTs) show proven ability in exciting strong SH waves due to the high piezomagnetic coefficient of the ferromagnetic foil. In this study, to investigate the fundamental SH wave generation using MsTs and their design, a theoretical model is established based on the shear-lag model and the normal mode expansion method. The coupling of an MsT with a host plate is achieved by a bonding layer, whose mechanical property is modelled through the continuous shear stress across the thickness. The theoretical model is validated using finite element simulations in terms of generation mechanism and some typical features associated with the fundamental SH wave component. Meanwhile, wave field is visualized using a 3D Laser scanning vibrometer system. Experimental results within a wide frequency range show a good agreement with the theoretically predicted results. Influences of the coil configuration and bonding conditions are further investigated using the proposed model. The study offers guidelines to system design and optimization for fundamental SH wave generation in views of guided-wave-based SHM applications.

Platelet Dysfunction During Mechanical Circulatory Support: Elevated Shear Stress Promotes Downregulation of αIIbβ3 and GPIb via Microparticle Shedding Decreasing Platelet Aggregability.

[Figure: see text].

Calcium/protein kinase C signaling mechanisms in shear-induced mechanical responses of red blood cells

Red blood cell (RBC) deformability has vital importance for microcirculation in the body, as RBCs travel in narrow capillaries under shear stress. Deformability can be defined as a remarkable cell ability to change shape in response to an external force which allows the cell to pass through the narrowest blood capillaries. Previous studies showed that RBC deformability could be regulated by Ca2+/protein kinase C (PKC) signaling mechanisms due to the phosphorylative changes in RBC membrane proteins by kinases and phosphatases. We investigated the roles of Ca2+/PKC signaling pathway on RBC mechanical responses and impaired RBC deformability under continuous shear stress (SS). A protein kinase C inhibitor Chelerythrine, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor Calpeptin, and a calcium channel blocker Verapamil were applied into human blood samples in 1 micromolar concentration. Samples with drugs were treated with or without 3 mM Ca2+. A shear stress at 5 Pa level was applied to each sample continuously for 300 s. RBC deformability was measured by a laser-assisted optical rotational cell analyzer (LORRCA) and was calculated as the change in elongation index (EI) of RBC upon a range of shear stress (SS, 0.3–50 Pa). RBC mechanical stress responses were evaluated before and after continuous SS through the parameterization of EI-SS curves. The drug administrations did not produce any significant alterations in RBC mechanical responses when they were applied alone. However, the application of the drugs together with Ca2+ substantially increased RBC deformability compared to calcium alone. Verapamil significantly improved Ca2+-induced impairments of deformability both before and after 5 Pa SS exposure (p < 0.0001). Calpeptin and Chelerythrine significantly ameliorated impaired deformability only after continuous SS (p < 0.05). Shear-induced improvements of deformability were conserved by the drug administrations although shear-induced deformability was impaired when the drugs were applied with calcium. The blocking of Ca2+ channel by Verapamil improved impaired RBC mechanical responses independent of the SS effect. The inhibition of tyrosine phosphatase and protein kinase C by Calpeptin and Chelerythrine, respectively, exhibited ameliorating effects on calcium-impaired deformability with the contribution of shear stress. The modulation of Ca2+/PKC signaling pathway could regulate the mechanical stress responses of RBCs when cells are under continuous SS exposure. Shear-induced improvements in the mechanical properties of RBCs by this signaling mechanism could facilitate RBC flow in the microcirculation of pathophysiological disorders, wherein Ca2+ homeostasis is disturbed and RBC deformability is reduced.

On the attraction power of critical state in granular materials

The aim of this paper is to offer a fresh perspective on the classic concept of critical state (CS) in granular materials by suggesting that CS can be defined through the use of a single proportional strain test. In classic conventional testing, CS manifests itself under constant lateral stress and controlled strain in one given direction whenever continuous shearing is applied without change being induced to material volume. However, a comparison between proportional strain tests and biaxial tests simulated with DEM has clearly shown that the CS line (CSL) characterized by stresses, void ratio and fabric indexes can act as an attractor. The mechanical responses and fabric metrics evolve along dilatant proportional strain loading paths according to similar values after the strain level has become large enough to wipe out the material memory in the homogeneous domains considered in this analysis, i.e., the shear band area in dense samples and the whole area in loose samples. This suggests that the micro-structure of a granular material subjected to any dilatant proportional strain loading paths evolves while preserving its ability to withstand shearing without volume change at any time. Therefore, the CS concept can be generalized to a wide class of loading paths which shows that CS acts as a general attractor irrespective of the loading path considered.

Machinability of wood fiber/polyethylene composite during orthogonal cutting

Wood fiber/polyethylene composite (WFPEC) is composed of a natural wood fiber and a recyclable polyethylene plastic, which is normally used as an environmental protection composite material. However, better knowledge of chip formation and surface damage mechanism of WFPEC is essential to improve its machinability for extending exterior and interior applications. In this article, machinability of WFPEC was investigated by analyzing the disparity between cutting efficiency and surface quality through a group of orthogonal cutting experiments with change of cutting depth. The chip formation process was recorded by a high-speed camera system with 5000 frames per second. Surface topography was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The results showed that the chip morphology changed from continuous cutting governed by a continuous shearing process under the shallow cutting depth, to a discontinuous cutting governed by plastic fracture under the deep cutting depth ahead of the tool tip. Flattened matrix was the main form of surface topography caused by shallow cutting depth, while matrix-fiber tearing was caused by deep cutting depth. Pullout/fracture and debonding of fibers were related to the fiber orientation angle and the diameter of fiber bundles, but not to the cutting depth. Taken together, the toughness of the workpiece material in the cutting region decreased with the increase in cutting depth. To avoid matrix-fiber tearing, shallow cutting depth should be used during finishing to maintain surface quality. In contrast, pre-cutting can be performed with a deep cutting depth in order to improve the cutting efficiency.

Reliability performance of bridges designed according to TMH7 NA load model

The current code of practice for the design of highway bridges in South Africa is called Technical Methods for Highways 7 (TMH7). It was first published in 1981 and is largely based on the loading provisions of the BS5400. The purpose of this study is to carry out an investigation into the reliability performance of new highway bridges designed according to TMH7. Past studies have identified deficiencies in the traffic load model. A case study considering isolated traffic load effects and sagging moment on a simply supported bridge indicates that NA loading generally performs well for spans ranging from 15 to 50 metres. However, a poor reliability performance is seen for short-span narrow bridges, especially for 5 m and 10 m spans where the number of traffic lanes is equal to the number of notional lanes for NA loading. To study the reliability performance of a critical element, flexural behaviour of a 20 m twin-spine simply supported deck is then investigated. The results agree with the first case study. It is, however, recommended to verify the presented findings by investigation based on data from other heavy-freight routes and to account for continuous structures and shear load effects.

Extending the annular in-plane torsional shear test specimen to applications at high strain rates

In-plane torsional shear testing is a well-established material testing technique in the metal forming community. The corresponding specimen is designed to be machined from sheet metal with a continuous annular shear zone intended to deform in simple shear. Consequently, there are no geometric discontinuities or “edge-effects” to induce volumetric changes or instabilities with the result that large true plastic strains up to 1.0 can be achieved. This paper presents an extension of the in-plane torsional shear test to the dynamic regime. Dynamic experiments were performed using a torsional split Hopkinson bar (TSHB) on specimens manufactured from Al 1050 H14. The experimental results show that the adopted technique can be used to determine the material behavior accurately and reliably in the dynamic regime.

Experimental and FEM analysis of innovative bridge design

Bridges with embedded continuous shear connectors are getting more and more being used as a solution for the question of short-span bridges. They bring advantages such as low construction height – which can be helpful in reconstructions; easy construction process due to the prefabrication and overall effectivity of the beams with such cross-sections. At Technical University of Košice, Faculty of Civil Engineering several types of the connectors have been designed and tested. In this article, one of them is presented. Its geometry as well as geometry of the beam; analytical study; the tests performed at Laboratory of Excellent Research and FEM analysis and briefly described.

Development of Real-Time Transendothelial Electrical Resistance Monitoring for an In Vitro Blood-Brain Barrier System.

Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures and organs-on-a-chip have been developed to construct microenvironments that resemble the environment within the human body and to provide a platform that enables clear observation and accurate assessments of cell behavior. However, direct observation of transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) has been challenging. To improve the efficiency in monitoring the cell development in organs-on-a-chip, in this study, we designed and integrated commercially available TEER measurement electrodes into an in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB)-on-chip system to quantify TEER variation. Moreover, a flowing culture medium was added to the monolayered cells to simulate the promotion of continuous shear stress on cerebrovascular cells. Compared with static 3D cell culture, the proposed BBB-on-chip integrated with electrodes could measure TEER in a real-time manner over a long period. It also allowed cell growth angle measurement, providing instant reports of cell growth information online. Overall, the results demonstrated that the developed system can aid in the quantification of the continuous cell-pattern variations for future studies in drug testing.

Granule attrition by coupled particle impact and shearing

A novel device has been developed for continuous shearing and repeated impact of granules in order to simulate granule attrition and dust formation under realistic plant conditions of mechanical stresses, shear strains and strain rates. The device subjects the granules to multiple impacts at a range of velocities prevailing in typical process plants, and to shear deformations using two rollers with an adjustable gap to simulate the level of shear stresses and strains experienced during bulk motion, e.g. discharge from silos onto conveyor belts, etc. In this paper, the device operation and tests carried out to determine the settings required for attaining a desired impact velocity and shear strain rate are described. Subsequently, the extent of breakage of the granules is determined for the specified settings and the results are compared with data obtained by more established methods, e.g. annular shear cell and single particle impact tests.

Dynamic Response of Rigid Pavement Plate due to Localized Blast Load

In structural and transportation engineering applications, the dynamic response of orthotropic plates is an essential matter. Engineers did not consider the effects of dynamic loads such as those from machine vibrations or blast load. Dynamic analysis of rigid pavement plates due to local blast loads on concrete slabs in this research is modeled as concrete slabs with boundary condition that every edges of plates have a dowel-tie bar support and The rigid concrete pavement sitting on elastics Pasternak foundation is modeled by using the Kirchhoff theory of thin plates. Pasternak foundation have elastic vertical spring support and continuous shear layer. The main system responses that are observed are the transversal deflections at midspan and the internal stresses of the plate, particularly the maximum principle stress, minimum principle stress and maximum shear stress. Three loading phases are included in the analysis, namely: the positive phase, the negative phase, and the free vibration phase. Analyses are carried out utilizing a numeric approach termed the Modified Bolotin Method with two trancedental equation. The analysis is performed when the load is above the plate (0 ≤ t ≤ t0). Deflections resulting from various load positions on the set of slab models throughout all three phases are then compared side-by-side. Bending moment, shear forces, and stresses are calculated on all slab models with the Friedlander localized blast loading applied at midspan and the results are presented as stress contours that are then compared between each model.