This paper describes a research program that was conducted in two phases to study the behavior of a high modulus CFRP system for strengthening steel structures. The first phase of the research consisted of an experimental program and finite element analysis to study the bond characteristics of the system. The findings indicate that a reverse tapered plate end detail can effectively increase the...

This work presents an optical non-contact technique to evaluate the fatigue damage state of CFRP structures measuring the irregularity factor of the surface. This factor includes information about surface topology and can be measured easily on field, by techniques such as optical perfilometers. The surface irregularity factor has been correlated with stiffness degradation, which is a well-accep...

A quantitative study was completed to determine whether complementary techniques provide pain relief and comfort in patients with chronic pain. Subjects participated in sessions including aromatherapy and music therapy. Massage or cranial still point induction was randomly assigned. Statistically significant improvement in pain and comfort was noted in both groups.

In recent years, the improvement of properties of natural fibre reinforced laminates over the pure polymeric matrix has been thoroughly investigated with the aim of providing a possible replacement of E-glass fibre reinforced composites for some large-volume applications. In the present study, the properties of a jute/polyester laminate are compared with those yielded by two E-glass fibre woven...

A mixed methodology was used to explore the effects of craniosacral still point technique (CSPT) in 9 older adults with dementia. Participants were monitored at baseline (3 weeks), intervention (6 weeks), and postintervention (3 weeks) using the modified Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (M-CMAI). CSPT was implemented daily for 6 weeks by a certified craniosacral therapist. Findings indicated...

Carbon nanofiber (CNF) reinforced elastomer composites with light weight, sustainability of large deformation, chemical stability, corrosion and fatigue resistance, and vibration and noise reduction capability can have positive impact on a wide range of applications. However, this type of composite is still a under studied research area due to the difficulties in material handling and processin...

The uplift of the raft foundation of reinforced concrete buildings, and the consequent partial loss of contact between soil and foundation, is a possible effect of an earthquake. Actually, reinforced concrete buildings with raft foundation are commonly used in nuclear power plants. In this context, some simplified approaches for uplift evaluation have been proposed in the past and are still use...

Still-life is a challenging problem for CP techniques. We show how to use the global case constraint to construct ad-hoc constraints which can provide stronger propagation than existing CP models. We also demonstrate how to use BDDs to construct good representations for the case constraint which is critical for efficiency. Our results seem comparable to hybrid CP/IP models even though we are on...

Both the flexural and shear strengths of reinforced concrete (RC) beams can be substantially enhanced using externally bonded fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) composites. Failures of such FRP-strengthened RC beams often occur by debonding of the FRP plate from the RC beam in a number of forms. Despite numerous theoretical and experimental studies on debonding failures of FRP-strengthened RC beams...