To improve the blast resistance of a wall system, it is necessary to enhance its energy absorption capabilities and/or increase its mass. Much research has been performed on improving the ductility, and thus the resistance, of a wall system using elastic materials externally attached to the tension side of a wall. This project investigated the static resistance of wall systems with elastic mate...

In this paper, the effect of reclaimed rubber modification on the rheological characteristics of asphalt binders is studied. Reclaimed rubber with the extent of 12, 16 and 20 is added to the neat asphalt binder and then shear complex modulus is obtained for neat and modified asphalt binder via Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) test. Using Christensen-Anderson- Marasteanu (CAM) model, master curves ...

This study investigates basin-scale hydrologic implications of the replacement of forest-dominated land cover by rubber plantations in Montane Mainland Southeast Asia. The paper presents a new method for estimating the water demand of rubber and consequently water losses to the atmosphere through rubber evapotranspiration (ET). In this paper we argue that rubber ET is energy-limited during the ...

Renewed interest in the identification of alternative sources of natural rubber to Hevea brasiliensis has focused on the Compositae family. In our search for Compositae models for rubber synthesis, we extracted latex from stems of two lettuce species: Lactuca serriola, prickly lettuce, and Lactuca sativa cv. Salinas, crisphead lettuce. Both species contained cis-1,4-polyisoprene rubber in the d...

Polybutadiene and a co poly mer consisting of 76.5 percent butadiene and 23 .5 percent of styrene were investigated as to t he rates of t heir t hermal degradation . The ra tes for polybu tadiene indicated an act iv:ttion energy of 60 kilocalories per mole. The copolym er had very high init ial rates of degradation, followed by a rapid cirop, so t hat it wa~ not possible to obtain a reliab le a...

Conversion of tropical forests into agriculture may present a serious risk to amphibian diversity if amphibians are not able to use agricultural areas as habitat. Recently, in Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan Province - a hotspot of frog diversity within China - two-thirds of the native tropical rainforests have been converted into rubber plantation agriculture. We conducted surveys and experim...