<p>Clay, quartz and feldspar are widely available in Uganda. The location and properties of various clay deposits are reported in the literature, but little is reported on feldspar and quartz deposits. In this work an extended literature on ceramics and porcelains in particular, is documented. Samples from two deposits of feldspar and two deposits of quartz are characterised and found to possess requisite properties for making porcelain insulators. Sample porcelain bodies are made from materials collected from selected deposits using different mixing proportions of clay, feldspar and quartz. Their properties in relation to workability, firing temperature, dielectric and bending strengths are studied. It is found that a mixture consisting of 30% Mutaka kaolin, 15% Mukono ball clay, 30% Mutaka feldspar and 25% Lido beach flint yields a body with highest mechanical strength (72MPa) and dielectric strength (19kV/mm) when fired at 1250°C. The strength (both mechanical and dielectric) is found to decrease with increasing firing temperature. At high firing temperatures, the undissolved quartz in the body decreased, the glass content increases and pores are formed. Mullite content on the other hand does not change at temperatures above 1200°C but there are significant differences in the morphologies of the mullite crystals in the samples. Optimum mechanical and electrical properties are found at maximum virtification and a microstructure showing small closely packed mullite needles.</p>

Clay, quartz and feldspar are widely available in Uganda. The location and properties of various clay deposits are reported in the literature, but little is reported on feldspar and quartz deposits. In this work an extended literature on ceramics and porcelains in particular, is documented. Samples from two deposits of feldspar and two deposits of quartz are characterised and found to possess requisite properties for making porcelain insulators. Sample porcelain bodies are made from materials collected from selected deposits using different mixing proportions of clay, feldspar and quartz. Their properties in relation to workability, firing temperature, dielectric and bending strengths are studied. It is found that a mixture consisting of 30% Mutaka kaolin, 15% Mukono ball clay, 30% Mutaka feldspar and 25% Lido beach flint yields a body with highest mechanical strength (72MPa) and dielectric strength (19kV/mm) when fired at 1250°C. The strength (both mechanical and dielectric) is found to decrease with increasing firing temperature. At high firing temperatures, the undissolved quartz in the body decreased, the glass content increases and pores are formed. Mullite content on the other hand does not change at temperatures above 1200°C but there are significant differences in the morphologies of the mullite crystals in the samples. Optimum mechanical and electrical properties are found at maximum virtification and a microstructure showing small closely packed mullite needles. / QC 20101122

This thesis investigated the effect of the length of the superficial plate on the mechanical properties of a stacked-plate construct made with 2.0-2.7 Veterinary Cuttable platesTM (VCP). Stacking VCP increases construct stiffness compared to using a single VCP but increases stress protection and concentrates stress at the extremities of the implants. We hypothesized that shortening the superficial plate would not reduce the stiffness of the construct, and would reduce stress concentration at the plate ends. A fracture gap model was created with a bone surrogate (copolymer acetal rods), stacked 2.0-2.7 VCP and 2.7 screws. The constructs consisted of an 11-hole VCP bottom plate and a 5-, 7-, 9- or 11-hole VCP superficial plate. In phase one, 5 of each construct were randomly tested for failure in 4-point bending and axial loading. Stiffness, load at yield, and work until failure were measured. In phase two, strains were recorded during elastic deformation for each configuration. During both testing methods, stiffness, load at yield and work to failure progressively decreased when decreasing the length of the superficial plate. No statistically significant differences were obtained for load at yield in 4-point bending and work to failure in axial loading. The strain within the implant over the gap increased as the length of the superficial plate decreased. Shortening the superficial plate reduces the stiffness and strength of the construct, and decreases stress concentration at the implant ends. As the cross section of the implant covering the gap remained constant, friction between the plates may play a role in the mechanical properties of stacked VCP. / Synthes Canada - OVC Pet Trust Fund

Laminated glass (LG) consists of two or more glass layers bonded by an elasto-polymeric layer, the most commonly used being PVB (Polyvinyl Butyral). LG has improved safety properties compared with single layer glass because the interlayer prevents large sharp pieces from spreading when the glass is broken by impact. Even if one of the layers breaks, the other layer(s) still contribute in carrying the load. Through proper understanding of the interaction between the interlayer and the glass LG could be used in engineering as a load bearing material to a larger extent. This study aims at gaining a deeper knowledge of the behaviour of laminated glass by experimental investigations and by numerical model simulation. To pursue the proposed study, three point bending test with simple support conditions were performed for single layer glass and laminated glass units with three different types of interlayer materials. Corresponding finite element numerical models were created in the software ABAQUS to fit the model with experiment to obtain the bending stiffness and shear stiffness of the interlayer material. The PVB tested showed viscos-elastic material properties, whereas other two interlayer materials, Solutia DG 41 and Sentry Glass, showed linear elastic properties. PVB is the least stiff interlayer material among the three types. Solutia DG 41 and Sentry Glass have similar stiffness, about 13 to 15 times stiffer than the PVB. The behaviour of laminated glass lies in general between the two limits of a layered glass unit with no interaction and a monolithic unit of the same total thickness, depending on the stiffness of the interlayer material. Failure tests of the specimens were also carried out. The obtained strength of glass from four specimens is 80 MPa to 92 MPa with a variation of about 15%. The number of more performed experiments would have better outcome for strength of glass. The bending stiffness of the laminated glass as estimated with the numerical model fitted well with the experimental results with an error of about 2%. Hence the experimentally and numerically obtained results show a good correlation and are thought be possible to use in future larger scale modelling.

No / This paper presents a series of test results of elliptical concrete filled steel tubular (CFST) beams and columns to explore their performance under bending and compression. A total of twenty-six specimens were tested, including eight beams under pure bending and eighteen columns under the combination of bending and compression. The main parameters were the shear span to depth ratio for beams, the slenderness ratio and the load eccentricity for columns. The test results showed that the CFST beams and columns with elliptical sections behaved in ductile manners and were similar to the CFST members with circular sections. Finally, simplified models for predicting the bending strength, the initial and serviceability-level section bending stiffness of the elliptical CFST beams, as well as the axial and eccentric compressive strength of the composite columns were discussed.

The flexural behavior of a light-weight wood-based composite system was studied through destructive experiments. The composite panel system consisted of profiled dimensional lumber, which makes up the surface layers, and 1"-thick boards running across the surface layers. Considering the changes in cross-sections along the panel due to the presence of the embedded boards, classical theories such as the Euler-Bernoulli beam and Kirchhoff-Love plate could not be implemented. Instead, the deflections and maximum failure loads of the composite system under full- and short-span bending tests were measured during their destructive bending testing, and were compared against the mechanical properties of the conventional three-ply CLT panel with the same thickness as the panel with embedded cross-laminations. According to maximum failure loads and deflections, it was concluded that full-span panels with embedded cross-laminations exhibited higher strength and stiffness, whereas short-span panels exhibited higher strength and lower stiffness properties compared to conventional CLT panels.

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