This textbook compiles reports written by about 35 internationally recognized authorities, and covers a range of interests for geotechnical engineers. Topics include: fundamentals for mechanics of ...granular materials; continuum theory of granular materials; and discrete element approaches.
In order to cut their carbon footprint and promote environmental sustainability, the majority of businesses have now turned towards sustainable practises in their manufacturing processes and supply ...networks. The use of sustainable materials has drawn a lot of attention recently as a crucial step in accomplishing these goals. Choosing the material that is most suited for a product can be difficult, despite the fact that there are many sustainable materials available. This study uses machine learning – a random forest algorithm and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to optimise the use of sustainable materials in supply-chain operations. The study uses machine learning algorithms to analyse data on different sustainable materials, their characteristics and their effects on the environment. The study also investigates how an optimised material selection affects the whole supply chain, including the production, packing and shipping operations. The research offers a complete strategy for reducing the environmental effect of industrial processes by combining approaches from material engineering, supply chain management and machine learning. The novelty of this work resides in its integration of material engineering and machine learning strategies to enhance the supply chain choice of sustainable materials. As a notable example, the study highlights the potential of mycelium as a sustainable material for air conditioner components. Mycelium’s unique properties, such as its biodegradability, lightweight nature and adaptability position it as a promising candidate, enhancing the environmental profile of air conditioners. By incorporating mycelium-based components, manufacturers can significantly reduce carbon emissions, resource consumption and waste generation throughout a product’s lifecycle. This investigation underscores both the viability of mycelium and the broader significance of innovative material choices in reshaping industries towards a more sustainable future. Through such advances, this research not only contributes to the air conditioning sector but also establishes a paradigm for sustainable material adoption with far-reaching positive implications.
The paper describes the production of an AlSi7Mg cast alloy with Li additions and the reactions of the melt with different moulding materials. It is known that Li is very reactive and tends to form ...various reaction products such as oxides, gases, etc., which can influence the casting quality. The aim of the research was to find a suitable way to produce such an alloy and to describe the reaction products that are formed between the melt and the moulding material and thus to find a suitable moulding material for processing Al cast alloys with Li additions. The melt was produced in an induction furnace under an inert atmosphere. After melting, 1 w/% Li was added and the melt was cast into five different mould materials consisting of graphite, steel, a CO2 sand mixture, Croning mixture and calcium silicate materials. In the last three cases, various alcohol-based coatings were also used, such as graphite, zirconium oxide-graphite coating and aluminate-graphite filler coating. The results showed that the reaction products in the form of powder on the casting surfaces and the gas porosity in the castings occurred in the cast of a calcium silicate mould and sand mould mixtures. In the case of graphite and steel moulds, the casting surfaces were not oxidised, with no reaction products, and no gas porosity.
The paper analyses the debate in Sicily on the construction of the monumental colonnaded porticoes that characterise the facades of public edifices built on the island from the post- Unification ...period to the Fascist regime. The pronao of the Massimo Theatre in Palermo (from 1875) marks the climax of a cultural movement, which, for almost a century, was to associate the neo-Greek style with public buildings and the material of choice of Sicily’s church building tradition in a deterministic manner. Calcarenite was used to build the peristyles of the temples of the archaic and classical age, with imposing, tapered and grooved columns consisting of overlapping sections. In the Fascist period, and in the age of reinforced concrete buildings, the construction of the Court House in Messina (from 1923) became a topic of discussion in the debate at national level. The subsequent use of local materials, some of which of more recent extraction and processing, together with reinforced concrete, contributed to distorting the “archaeological” style of the initial projects sponsored by local authorities, towards modern and abstract compositions, as in the case of the construction of the Post Office Building in Palermo (from 1933), or towards compromise solutions, as in the case of the Court House in Catania (from 1937). The solutions investigated in any case required engineering and technological advances to allow the buildings to achieve a new monumental scale.
The mechanical properties of the composite materials for prosthetic sockets are a key determinant of the quality and usability of prostheses. Our aim was to compare the existing materials used in ...production at our institution with some modified, potentially improved materials. We conducted an industrial experiment. The existing material (A) was compared with three newly produced materials that introduced changes in the lamination process: B1, where an infusion spiral tube was added; B2, where the resin was degassed; and B3, where a mesh and peel ply were used. The specimens underwent laboratory strength testing. The strength measurements were statistically analysed using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) that was adjusted for specimen thickness because of the observed negative correlation of thickness with strength. Material A had the highest bending strength, on average, but there were no statistically significant differences in the bending strength between the materials after adjusting for the specimen thickness (p = 0.941). Materials B1 and B2 exhibited statistically significantly lower tensile strengths than material A (p < 0.001). Material B3 had the lowest average tensile strength, but it could not be statistically distinguished from the others, because of the significantly larger average specimen thickness. The compressive strength was tested only for materials B1, B2 and B3; their averages did not differ statistically significantly (p = 0.291). Laboratory strength testing provided important insights into the differences between the various laminated composite prosthetics materials. We did not reach our initial goal to produce a better material, but we will continue our research and development in this field with a more systematic, technological approach.
L'articolo affronta due temi strettamente legati tra loro: il deposito legale dei materiali cartografici inItalia e il loro censimento da parte del Bollettino delle pubblicazioni italiane ricevute ...per diritto distampa(1886-1957) e della Bibliografia nazionale italiana(BNI, 1958). Pur costituendo un patrimoniodi straordinario valore storico, artistico e culturale, i materiali cartografici sono stati a lungo trascuratidalla normativa sul deposito legale e il loro censimento da parte del Bollettinoe della Bibliografianazionale italianaè stato per molto tempo irregolare, fino a venire completamente abbandonato neglianni Sessanta del Novecento. L'obbligo di deposito e il censimento, inoltre, hanno riguardato solo lecarte geografiche e gli atlanti, mentre altre tipologie di risorse cartografiche come i globi, i modellitridimensionali e le carte geografiche digitali non sono mai state considerate.