Clay mineral-containing nanocomposite hydrogels have been proven to have exceptional composition, properties, and applications, and consequently have attracted a significant amount of research effort over the past few years. The objective of this paper is to summarize and evaluate scientific advances in clay mineral-containing nanocomposite hydrogels in terms of their specific preparation, form...

The aim of this study was the preparation of polyethylene oxide (PEO)/clay nanocomposites using organoclay produced via micellar adsorption of cethyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and their characterisation by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, and the investigation of certain mechanical properties of the composites. The results show that the basal dista...

Many termite species use clay to build foraging galleries and mound-nests. In some cases clay is placed within excavations of their wooden food, such as living trees or timber in buildings; however the purpose for this clay is unclear. We tested the hypotheses that termites can identify load bearing wood, and that they use clay to provide mechanical support of the load and thus allow them to ea...

A method of clay mineral sample preparation for electron microprobe analysis has been developed in which a film of clay plus 10-12 wt. % colloidal graphite is deposited on a porous ceramic disc using a specially designed suction device. Correction procedures are used to obtain quantitative elemental analyses representing the average chemical composition of the prepared sample. A statistical tec...

The number of constructed dams has been largely increased due to high demands of water supplies, and earth dams are the most common types since they are more compatible to the environment. Nevertheless, the stability of these important structures during earthquakes has to be carefully evaluated and guaranteed. In the past, earth dams usually designed with pure clay core, but in recent decades t...

Clay content (fraction < 2 μm) is one of the most important soil properties. It controls soil hydraulic properties like wilting point, field capacity and saturated hydraulic conductivity, which in turn control the various fluxes of water in the unsaturated zone. In our study site, the Kairouan plain in central Tunisia, existing soil maps are neither exhaustive nor sufficiently precise for water...

We are developing a new method using ultrasonic longitudinal and torsional vibration of a hollow-type stepped horn for hole machining. We foresee that the equipment can be simplified and miniaturized. In this paper, ultrasonic vibration sources of a hollow-type stepped horn without a diagonal slits vibration converter and with a diagonal slits vibration converter are used. The longitudinal and ...

Abstract The primary objective of this work is to present a experimental analysis textile-reinforced mortar based strengthening solutions prevent the out-of-plane (OOP) collapse masonry infills in RC buildings. campaign comprises OOP testing five full-scale infill walls made up horizontal hollow clay bricks, two them unstrengthened and remaining three strengthened, with without prior damage. Al...

The clay and non-clay minerals have been identified by XRD analysis. The non-clay minerals include quartz, crystobalite, orthoclase, microcline, plagioclase, calcite, siderite and dolomite, and the clay minerals include kaolinite (52.39%), illite (36.39%) and illite-smectite mixed layer minerals (11.21%). Kaolinite is the most dominant component in the clay mineral assemblages. The clay mineral...