Biomaterials scientists strive to develop polymeric materials with distinct chemical make-up, complex molecular architectures, robust mechanical properties and defined biological functions by drawing inspirations from biological systems. Salient features of biological designs include (1) repetitive presentation of basic motifs; and (2) efficient integration of diverse building blocks. Thus, an ...

A modular DCLL blanket is selected as the reference concept in the ARIES-CS power plant study. This concept is characterized by the following features: 1. Eutectic lead lithium alloy Pb-17Li serving as breeder and coolant (“self-cooled breeding zone”); 2. Helium-cooled FW and blanket structure made of the MF82H Reduced Activation Ferritic Steel (RAFS); 3. Flow channel inserts (FCI) made of SiCc...

Experimental research was conducted to study the fire resistance of steel tubular columns used in prefabricated and modular construction. In order to achieve high-efficient prefabrication and fast on-site installation, membrane protections using board products and thermal insulation blankets are adopted as the favorable protection method. Three protected tubular columns were tested in a full-sc...

This study analyses the cost structure of the several processes associated with the shipbuilding industry. The analysed productive processes are: the cutting preparation procedures; the several steel plate cutting processes; the processes of hull plates and stiffeners forming; the associated transport and assembling of plates and profiles; and finally the welding processes. The paper includes 2...

309 The 3-Dimensional Modular Unit Construction System involves constructing ao in fixed cycle time using b) 3-D Modular Unit Building Blocks which are assembled at a c) ' factory automated staging area on the jobsite prior to being lifted into place on the building. This system has great potential to facilitate the use of robots on the jobsite and dramatically reduce the construction period. I...

Substantial amounts of post-consumer scrap are exported to other regions or lost during recovery and remelting, and both export and losses pose a constraint to desires for having regionally closed material cycles. To quantify the challenges and trade-offs associated with closed-loop metal recycling, we looked at the material cycles from the perspective of a single material unit and trace a unit...

Semi-rigid design represents, by its intrinsic nature, a new option aimed at improving the competitiveness of steel construction. This objective can be achieved via Knowledge-Based approaches. In the perspective of design automation, our research proposes a novel methodology for the detailed analysis of a braced building frame adopting semi-rigid steel joints. A software tool was developed in o...

The study presents the simultaneous cost, topology and standard cross-section optimization of single storey industrial steel building structures. The considered structures are consisted from main portal frames, which are mutually connected with purlins. The optimization is performed by the Genetic algorithm (GA) approach. The proposed algorithm minimizes the structure’s material and labour cost...

ommunication from within the steel pipeline by inspecting or sensing tools or robots is usually performed via a cable. As the length of the tether restricts the communication distance and as the cable may encumber the tool’s movement, we explore the feasibility of acoustic communication from within the liquid-filled pipe to an external sink through the steel pipe walls. The paper derives the so...