A Comprehensive Database of Tests on Axially Loaded Driven Piles in Sands reviews the critical need to develop better load-test databases for piles driven in sands. The key quality parameters, population of current entries and reporting formats are described before offering preliminary results obtained from comparisons between axial capacities calculated by various predictive approaches and site measurements. This book also shows that the "simplified" and "offshore" ICP and UWA variants proposed by some practitioners are over-conservative and that their use could be discontinued. The new pile capacity and stiffness database offers a broad scope for evaluating potential prediction biases relating to a wide range of soil and pile parameters. Submission of further high quality tests for inclusion in regularly updated versions is encouraged.

The uses of nanotechnologies continue to rise exponentially. Due to their multifaceted nature, nanomaterials have a vast amount of potential uses in various scientific professions. Professionals in sectors including agriculture, nutrition, and healthcare are discovering the numerous benefits that nanomaterials carry when applied to traditional practices. In order to understand the dynamic properties of nanomaterials and how to utilize them in specific fields, significant research is required. Applications of Nanomaterials in Agriculture, Food Science, and Medicine is an essential reference source that discusses the emerging development of nanotechnology in various sectors of the scientific community as well as the current benefits and future uses. Industries that the book covers include energy storage and renewable energy, environmental science and wastewater treatment, food and agriculture, and medicine and bioinformatics. This book is ideally designed for researchers, engineers, practitioners, industrialists, educators, strategists, policymakers, scientists, and students seeking coverage on the strategic role of nanomaterials in these imperative fields.

High Temperature Oxidation and Corrosion of Metals, Second Edition, provides a high level understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of high temperature alloy oxidation. It uses this understanding to develop methods of predicting oxidation rates and the way they change with temperature, gas chemistry, and alloy composition. The book focuses on the design and selection of alloy compositions which provide optimal resistance to attack by corrosive gases, providing a rigorous treatment of the thermodynamics and kinetics underlying high temperature alloy corrosion. In addition, it emphasizes quantitative calculations for predicting reaction rates and the effects of temperature, oxidant activities, and alloy compositions. Users will find this book to be an indispensable source of information for researchers and students who are dealing with high temperature corrosion.

Insights from Imaging in Bioinorganic Chemistry continues a long-running series that describes recent advances in scientific research, in particular, in the field of inorganic chemistry. Several highly regarded experts, mostly from academe, contribute on specific topics. The series editor chooses a sub-field within inorganic chemistry as the theme and focus of the volume, extending invitations to experts for their contributions; the current theme is insights from metal ion imaging in bioinorganic and medicinal chemistry.

Special Injection Molding Techniques covers several techniques used to create multicomponent products, hollow areas, and hard-soft combinations that cannot be produced with standard injection molding processes. It also includes information on the processing techniques of special materials, including foaming agents, bio-based materials, and thermosets. The book describes the most industrially relevant special injection molding techniques, with a detailed focus on understanding the basics of each technique and its main mechanisms, i.e., temperature, mold filling, bonding, residual stresses, and material behavior, also providing an explanation of process routes and their variants, and discussions of the most influencing process parameters. As special molding technologies have the potential to transform plastics processing to a highly-efficient, integrated type of manufacturing, this book provides a timely survey of these technologies, putting them into context, accentuating new opportunities, and giving relevant information on processing.

Lignin in Polymer Composites presents the latest information on lignin, a natural polymer derived from renewable resources that has great potential as a reinforcement material in composites because it is non-toxic, inexpensive, available in large amounts, and is starting to be deployed in various materials applications due to its advantages over more traditional oil-based materials. This book reviews the state-of-the-art on the topic and their applications to composites, including thermoplastic, thermosets, rubber, foams, bioplastics, nanocomposites, and lignin-based carbon fiber composites. In addition, the book covers critical assessments on the economics of lignin, including a cost-performance analysis that discusses its strengths and weaknesses as a reinforcement material. Finally, the huge potential applications of lignin in industry are explored with respect to its low cost, recyclable properties, and fully biodegradable composites, and the way they apply to the automotive, construction, and packaging industries.

Databook of Nucleating Agents gives engineers and materials scientists the information they need to increase the production rate, modify structure and morphology, and reduce haze of polymeric products with proper selection of nucleating agents and clarifying agents. Chemical origin and related properties of nucleating agents are analyzed in general terms to highlight the differences in their properties, including the essential theoretical knowledge required for correct selection and use of nucleating and clarifying agents. This includes methods of chemical modification of nucleating agents and their deposition on suitable substrates; methods, and results of dispersion of nucleating agents, influence of their concentration and cooling rate on final result and rate of crystallization, nucleation efficiency of different products and the reasons behind it, and generally accepted mechanisms of nucleation. The book also covers application aspects in different formulations. Patent literature and research papers are extensively reviewed for different applications, and polymer processing methods which require use of nucleating agents are discussed, with an emphasis on the intricacies of use of nucleating agents in different polymers and products.

This reference text provides students and practicing engineers with the theoretical knowledge and practical skills needed to identify, model, and solve structural analysis problems involving continuous fiber laminated composites. The principles are illustrated throughout with numerous examples and case studies, as well as example problems similar in nature to those found in strength of materials texts. A solutions manual is available. Extensive coverage of test methods and experimental techniques distinguished Staab from the many theory-led books on composites, making it ideal for practicing engineers and courses with a practical emphasis. The second edition of Laminar Composites is ideal for engineers with a firm understanding of basic structural analysis discovering for the first time the intricacies of orthotropic material behavior and laminate analysis. The fundamental equations required to formulate and assess the behavior of laminated composites are presented in an easy to follow format. Revised and updated throughout, the second edition also includes three new chapters; beams, plates, shells, each covering aspects such as bending, deformation and vibration accompanied by the relevant equations of equilibrium and motion.

This book provides a review of the current understanding of the behavior of non-spherical particle suspensions providing experimental results, rheological models and numerical modeling. In recent years, new models have been developed for suspension rheology and as a result applications for nanocomposites have increased. The authors tackle issues within experimental, model and numerical simulations of the behavior of particle suspensions. Applications of non-spherical particle suspension rheology are widespread and can be found in organic matrix composites, nanocomposites, biocomposites, fiber-filled fresh concrete flow, blood and biologic fluids.

This book contains selected chapters on recent research in topology. It bridges the gap between recent trends of topological theories and their applications in areas like social sciences, natural sciences, soft computing, economics, theoretical chemistry, cryptography, pattern recognitions and granular computing. There are 14 chapters, including two chapters on mathematical economics from the perspective of topology. The book discusses topics on function spaces, relator space, preorder, quasi-uniformities, bitopological dynamical systems, b-metric spaces and related fixed point theory. This book is useful to researchers, experts and scientists in studying the cutting-edge research in topology and related areas and helps them applying topology in solving real-life problems the society and science are facing these days.. 

Structural Health Monitoring of Aerospace Composite Structures offers a comprehensive review of established and promising technologies under development in the emerging area of structural health monitoring (SHM) of aircraft composite structures.

Beginning with a description of the different types of composite damage, which differ fundamentally from the damage states encountered in metallic airframe materials, the book moves on to describe the SHM methods and sensors currently under consideration before considering application examples related to specific composites, SHM sensors and detection methods. Expert author Victor Giurgiutiu closes with a valuable discussion of the advantages and limitations of various sensors and methods, helping you to make informed choices in your structure research and development.

With nondestructive continual and on-demand damage detection high on the agenda in aerospace to manage the structural unknowns associated with new composite dominated models making their way into commercial use, Structural Health Monitoring of Aerospace Composite Structures is an authoritative reference on a critical topic.
The first comprehensive review of one of the hottest areas in aerospace structures, providing breadth and detail to bring engineers and researchers up to speed on this rapidly developing field

Covers the main classes of SHM sensors, including fiber optic sensors, piezoelectric wafer active sensors, electrical properties sensors and conventional resistance strain gauges, and considers their applications and limitation

Includes details of active approaches, including acousto-ultrasonics, vibration, frequency transfer function, guided-wave tomography and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ECIS), among other emerging methods

Biopolymers: Applications and Trends provides an up-to-date summary of the varying market applications of biopolymers characterized by biodegradability and sustainability. It includes tables with the commercial names and properties of each biopolymer family, along with biopolymers for each marketing segment, not only presenting all the major market players, but also highlighting trends and new developments in products. The book includes a thorough breakdown of the vast range of application areas, including medical and pharmaceutical, packaging, construction, automotive, and many more, giving engineers critical materials information in an area which has traditionally been more limited than conventional polymers. In addition, the book uses recent patent information to convey the latest applications and techniques in the area, thus further illustrating the rapid pace of development and need for intellectual property for companies working on new and innovative products.

Improve and optimize efficiency of HVAC and related energy systems from an exergy perspective. From fundamentals to advanced applications, Exergy Analysis of Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration provides readers with a clear and concise description of exergy analysis and its many uses. Focusing on the application of exergy methods to the primary technologies for heating, refrigerating, and air conditioning, Ibrahim Dincer and Marc A. Rosen demonstrate exactly how exergy can help improve and optimize efficiency, environmental performance, and cost-effectiveness. The book also discusses the analysis tools available, and includes many comprehensive case studies on current and emerging systems and technologies for real-world examples. From introducing exergy and thermodynamic fundamentals to presenting the use of exergy methods for heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning systems, this book equips any researcher or practicing engineer with the tools needed to learn and master the application of exergy analysis to these systems.

Biomimetic engineering takes the principles of biological organisms and copies, mimics or adapts these in the design and development of new materials and technologies. Biomimetic Technologies reviews the key materials and processes involved in this groundbreaking field, supporting theoretical background by outlining a range of applications. Beginning with an overview of the key principles and materials associated with biomimetic technologies in Part One, the book goes on to explore biomimetic sensors in more detail in Part Two, with bio-inspired tactile, hair-based, gas-sensing and sonar systems all reviewed. Biomimetic actuators are then the focus of Part Three, with vision systems, tissue growth and muscles all discussed. Finally, a wide range of applications are investigated in Part Four, where biomimetic technology and artificial intelligence are reviewed for such uses as bio-inspired climbing robots and multi-robot systems, microrobots with CMOS IC neural networks locomotion control, central pattern generators (CPG's) and biologically inspired antenna arrays.

Design for the Unexpected: From Holonic Manufacturing Systems Towards a Humane Mechatronics Society presents new, even revolutionary, ideas to managing production and production systems which may fundamentally shift the paradigm of manufacturing systems design. It provides guidelines for the design of complex systems that can deal with unexpected disturbances and presents a decentralized control methodology that goes far beyond the traditional hierarchical control approach that currently prevails. The benefits are illustrated by a variety of examples and case studies from different fields, with the book's well-established authors presenting Holonic Manufacturing Systems (HMS) as the framework for the 'factory-of-the-future', and suggesting that the application of biologically inspired control paradigms can control complex manufacturing systems, and that there are far wider applications for these systems than pure manufacturing. In addition, the book explores how this multi-agent control framework can be extended to other fields such as traffic, transport, services, and health care.