Tapioca starch, poly(lactic acid) and Cloisite 30B nanocomposites foams, with clay contents of 1, 3, 5 and 7% (w/w), were prepared by a meltintercalation method. Multiple inputs single output models were developed to predict radial expansion ratio, unit density, bulk compressibility and spring index of the nanocomposite foams. An individual ANFIS model was developed for each mechanical property...

Role of Soil Plasticity in Evaluating Clay Conditioning for EPB Tunnelling Soil clogging occurred at the early construction stage of Nanchang Metro Line 1, China, when an earth balance pressure (EPB) shield passed through the argillaceous siltstone with a total content of clay minerals of 40.5%. To avoid the reappearance of soil clogging at the later stage, a new scheme was proposed to determin...

Baseline concentration levels of trace elements in the soils of Flanders (Belgium) were assessed as a function of clay and organic carbon contents. Outliers in the data were identified and rejected according to statistical criteria. Median trace element concentrations in mg/kg dry weight were As 7, Cd 0.18, Co 0.05, Cr 24.6, Cu 9.6, Hg 0.17, Ni 3.5, Pb 21.5, Zn 34.5. Clay and organic carbon con...

This paper shows the results of an experimental programme aimed at evaluating the low-strain shear modulus of a stiff clay (Boom clay, Belgium) and its dependency on water content changes (or, alternatively, degree of saturation or suction) and hydraulic history. Resonant column and bender element tests were carried out at different hydraulic states. Drying and wetting paths were followed using...

NIST RESEARCH SHOWS NANOCOMPOSITE CAN TAKE THE HEAT Remember the scene in “The Graduate” when a wouldbe mentor wraps his arm around young Benjamin and says, “I’ve got just one word for you . . . Are you listening? . . . Plastics!” If that film were being made in 1997, that one word might be nanocomposites. Nanocomposites are super plastics—compounds in which about 1 nm size particles of montmor...

We have used aspect ratio modeling to explain the measured compressional wave velocities of twenty different dry sandstone samples with varying clay contents at a single confining pressure of 0.5 kbar. Velocities of the sandstones range between 3.1 km/sec and 5.7 km/sec. Measured porosities are between 6% and 33%, clay contents between 2% and 30%. Pores were described using three simple type cl...

Eutrophication, a major problem in many fresh and brackish waters, is largely caused by nonpoint-source pollution by P from agricultural soils. This lysimeter study examined the influence of P content, physical properties, and sorption characteristics in topsoil and subsoil on P leaching measured during 21 mo in 1-m-long, undisturbed soil columns of two clay and two sandy soils. Total P losses ...

We experimentally investigated the effects of different pre-treatments of the sediment, and the effect of daily addition of fresh phytoplankton, on the growth and survival of 1-year-old (1+) individuals of the deposit feeder Monoporeia affinis (Amphipoda). We used three different types of sieved sediment: pre-frozen muddy clay, non-pre-frozen muddy clay, and fine sand. The muddy clay contained ...

Montmorillonite K-10 functionalized with α-nucleophilic 2-pralidoxime (PAM) and its zwitterionic oximate form (PAMNa) is introduced as a versatile material for chemical protection against organophosphorous (OP) compounds such as pesticides and chemical warfare agents (CWA). Upon inclusion into the montmorillonite interlayer structure, the pyridinium group of PAMNa is strongly physisorbed onto a...

Four cost effective organoclays were synthesized, characterized, and studied for the sorption of hydrophobic compounds (edible oil/grease and hydrocarbon oil) from aqueous solutions. Organoclays were prepared by cation exchange reaction of lattice ions (present onto the surface of laterite and bentonite clay minerals) with two surfactants, hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (HDTMA-Cl) and te...