Soil mixing is a procedure that has proven to be effective for loose or soft compressible soils. The method stabilizes the soil in-place using specialized augers, tillers, or paddles that inject grout or dry cementitious powders as part of the mixing process. The Federal Highway Administration design manual for soil mixing helps to estimate the required amount of cementitious binder to produce a target design strength. However, it is biased towards inorganic soils and only mentions caution when confronting organic soils which usually come with a high water table, moisture content and void volume. The Swedish Deep Stabilization Research Centre cited studies with highly organic soils in regards to soil mixing and suggested that organic soils may need to reach a ‘threshold’ of cement content before strength gain can occur. The University of South Florida also conducted a study on highly organic soils and was able to confirm this concept. USF also proposed a threshold selection curve based on the organic content. This thesis extends this concept to the bench scale testing of multiple full scale field studies. This thesis will conclude with the presentation of new threshold curves based on the new data from the added field case studies. Given that there were variable binders and soil types used in the data analyzed, these threshold curves are dependent upon soil type and binder type, thus expanding upon the curve previously suggested.

Ce travail de thèse porte sur l'étude du renforcement par «soil-mixing» des plateformes ferroviaires en France. Cette recherche, à dominante expérimentale, s'appuie sur une approche du type modélisation physique. Deux cas d'études ont été abordés, la dégradation du frottement à l'interface sol-colonne et le comportement mécanique du matériau « soil-mix » à jeune âge sous l'effet de chargements cycliques. En ce qui concerne l'étude du comportement de l'interface entre la colonne en «soil-mix» et le sol environnant, on a développé un essai de chargement d'un tronçon modèle de colonne instrumenté de capteurs de forces, dans un massif de limon reconstitué. L'objectif principal a été d'évaluer le frottement latéral unitaire le long de ce tronçon de « soil-mix », sous chargements monotones et cycliques. On s'est intéressé, plus particulièrement, à l'évolution du frottement latéral sous chargement cyclique à déplacement contrôlé à grand nombre de cycles (100 000 cycles). Le programme d'essais a permis de mettre en évidence l'influence des paramètres principaux du problème comme l'amplitude du déplacement cyclique, la contrainte verticale appliquée au massif, le sens de chargement. Les résultats obtenus montrent une bonne cohérence avec les résultats de la littérature dans le cas de l'interface entre un pieu métallique et un massif de sable. Dans un second temps, on s'est intéressé à l'effet des chargements cycliques sur le comportement du matériau «soi-mix» pendant les premières heures de prise après la réalisation des colonnes. Ce cas d'étude s'inscrit dans le contexte ferroviaire pour lequel une des contraintes principales est d'assurer la continuité du trafic ferroviaire. Des essais sur un modèle physique simplifié ont permis d'étudier le comportement mécanique du matériau «soil-mix» à 2h, 4h, 6h, 8h, 12h et 24 h après la mise en place du soil mix et après avoir subi un chargement cyclique de 2000 cycles. On a pu montrer que le chargement cyclique ne provoque pas de dégradation du matériau «soil-mix». Au contraire, on observe un accroissement de la résistance à la compression simple d'autant plus fort que le matériau est chargé rapidement après la mise en place du soil mix / The present work deals with the behaviour of soil-mix columns used to reinforce railway platforms in France. This research, mainly experimental, is based on a physical modelling approach. Two case studies have been conducted, the degradation of the local friction mobilized at the interface soil-column and the mechanical behaviour of the material “soil-mix” at young age under cyclic loading. Concerning the degradation of the local friction mobilized at the interface soil-column, an experimental program on a physical model has been carried out. A model of a column slice instrumented with load sensors within a mass of reconstituted silt has been developped. The main objective was to evaluate the local skin friction mobilized along the soil-mix column under monotonic and cyclic loading. The main point of interest was the evolution of skin friction under large number of cycles (100 000 cycles). The experimental program highlighted the influence of key parameters such as the cyclic displacement amplitude, the vertical stress applied to the soil sample, the loading direction. The results obtained show a good consistency with the results of the literature on steel piles in sand. In a second step, we studied the effect of cyclic loading on the behaviour of the material “soil-mix” during the first hours after the realization of the columns. This case is directly related to the railway context in which the constraint of traffic continuity is one strong request of SNCF. Tests on a simplified physical model have been carried out in order to study the mechanical behaviour of the material "soil mix" at 2h, 4h, 6h, 8h, 12h and 24 h after realization of the column and after 2000 loading cycles. It has been shown that the cyclic loading does not cause degradation of the "soil-mix" material. On the contrary, there is an increase of the unconfined compression strength, the higher as the column is loaded rapidly after its realization

In industry the effective mixing and de-agglomeration of two solid particles is vital in applications that require the intimate contact of homogeneously mixed reagents. One such application is in the preparation of pyrotechnic delay elements with reproducible burn speeds. The concept of surfactant assisted particle micro-mixing is proposed. This theory is based in the use of two amphiphilic polymeric surfactants to form two separate stable dispersions of the two solid particles to be mixed, but with the subsequent requirement that the dispersants are able to interact with each other. The formation of the individual dispersions allows for the deagglomeration of the particles and thus their preparation for homogeneous mixing, which is facilitated by the interacting surfactants. Low molecular mass block copolymers of styrene and acrylic acid and poly( ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (PEO-PPO) surfactants are the proposed dispersants which will allow for the surfactant interaction by means of hydrogen bonding between the poly(acrylic acid) block and the PEO. The poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) block copolymer will be synthesised via Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation (ATRP) and subsequently used in the dispersion experiments. The synthesis of the polystyrene macroinitiators to initiate the block copolymerisation of the t-butyl acrylate was carried out satisfactorily, with good molecular masses and molecular mass distributions. In addition, lH-NMR analysis carried out on the polystyrene macroinitiators confirmed their synthesis. The use of the polystyrene macroinitiators was successful in synthesising poly(styrene-co-t-butyl acrylate) block copolymers with slightly higher polydispersities in comparison to the macroinitiatiators themselves, but acceptable. Hydrolysis of the poly(styrene-co-t-butyl acrylate) block copolymer to poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) was successful in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid as catalyst. Attempts to hydrolyse in basic conditions (NaOH) and alternatively in acidic conditions (HCI) were not successful. Use of the poly(styrene-co-acrylic acid) amphiphilic block copolymer to emulsion polymerise styrene requires the ionised form of the polymer and was therefore not favourable to observe surfactant-surfactant hydrogen bonding. In addition, attempts to synthesise a wax emulsion stabilised by a PEO containing surfactant proved to be unsuccessful. Subsequently, the micro-mixing experiments were carried out by using a poly(acrylic acid) stabilised melamine dispersion and a commercially available PEO containing surfactant stabilised wax emulsion. The interaction between the melamine and the poly(acrylic acid) allows for the formation of a stable melamine dispersion at above 7% poly(acrylic acid) : melamine ratio (mass basis). Analysis by SEM shows that without the poly( acrylic acid) dispersant no wax particles are found to occur on the melamine particle surface. However, in an attempt to determine whether the amount of wax interaction increases with poly(acrylic acid) content, it was found that in the absence of poly(acrylic acid) dispersant, the most amount of wax precipitated out with the melamine. This is possibly attributable to the preferential occlusion of the wax particles between the melamine particles rather than surface attachment. Introduction of the poly(acrylic acid), however, shows via SEM analysis that the hydrogen bond interaction between the acrylic acid group and the ethylene oxide group does occur, since the attachment of the wax particles on the melamine particle surface is observed. Although results show that the surfactant-surfactant interaction allows for the micro¬mixing of particles, some refinement is required with respect to the systems that this phenomenon can be applied to. In addition, factors such as particle type, particle size and surfactant type will influence the micro-mixing interaction. It is therefore recommended that these factors be investigated in order to completely identify the micro-mixing phenomenon. / Dissertation (M Eng (Chemical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Chemical Engineering / unrestricted

Tonmeisters tune the sound of music productions. Besides aspects like spectral bal- ance, loudness and dynamics, spaciousness plays an important role. Music of different genres tends towards different degrees of spaciousness due to generic aesthetic ideals and practical reasons. In this paper, we compare the degree of spaciousness as intended by the Tonmeister and perceived by the listener. 150 music excerpts from 5 different genres (electronica, classical, jazz, rock and ethno) are analyzed. The Tonmeister’s intention is derived from the literature and from analysis with a goniometer. The listeners perception is obtained from a listening test with 13 participants. The listening test revealed different adjectives for each genre relating to a spacious perception. We found that general rules as suggested in the literature are barely reflected in the goniometer results or the subjective impressions. Subjective impressions are largely contradictory.

This diploma work deals with design of the mixing and kneading machine which works with heated mixed components. The components consist of PET, HDPE, silica sand and additives. First, there is introduced knowledge from accessible sources, which are concerned with the theme. Then follows projection of variants and selection of suitable solution. With the help of obtained konwledge and the chosen variant is performed design proces. In the end is created a concept assemble of the machine. The design proces includes projecting of the individual parts, strength verification of the basic elements and design of heating device.

Although it has been established that in-situ soil mixing has improved the bearing capacity of soils, additional research is needed to better understand the effect of soil mixing on lateral resistance of pile caps. To do this, in-situ soil mixing was used to strengthen weak clay adjacent to a pile cap of a driven pile foundation. The mass stabilization method or mass mixing was used to treat an 11 ft wide, 4 ft thick, and 10 ft deep zone consisting of an average 475 psf clay that was adjacent to a 9-pile group in 3x3 pile configuration capped with a 9 ft x 9 ft x 2.5 ft, 5000 psi concrete cap. The mass mixing involved 220 cubic ft of in-situ soil and was mixed with an additional 220 cubic ft of jet grout spoils producing a mixing ratio of 1 to 1. All of the mass mixing took place after construction of the pile caps. Laboratory testing of the mass mix slurry showed an unconfined compressive strength of 20,160 psf or 140 psi. Lateral load testing of the pile foundation was then undertaken. The results of this testing were compared with similar testing performed on the same foundation with native soil conditions. The lateral resistance of the native soil was 282 kips at a pile cap displacement of 1.5 inches, and the total lateral resistance of the pile foundation treated with mass mixing was increased by 62% or 170 kips. Of the 170 kips, 90% to 100% can be attributed to the increased passive force on the face of the mass mixed zone and shear on the sides and bottom denoting that the mass mixed zone behaved as a rigid block.

Dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are often used to deliver drugs to the lungs when treating respiratory diseases. Inhalation powders are often formulated as adhesive mixtures which is the main formulation type used for dry inhalation powders of pharmaceuticals. The fine particulate active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of interest is mixed with a coarser carrier resulting in an adhesion of the API on to the surface of the larger sized carrier. The aim of this project was to investigate how mixing time and mixing rate influences the morphology and bulk properties of mixtures with different surface to coverage ratios (SCRs). Several analyses of bulk properties were made and a sieve analysis was also conducted to obtain information of the stability of randomly chosen samples. The results showed that mixing time and mixing rate influence the morphology and bulk properties of the adhesive mixtures in different ways. The bulk density and permeability decreased with higher SCR. The bulk density did not seem to be highly affected by mixing time or rate, while the permeability decreased with an increasing mixing rate (i.e. when increasing from 22 to 67 rpm). Regarding the Hausner ratio and compressibility, an increase in SCR increased the HR (with subsequent increase in compressibility). Comparing mixing rates 22 and 67 rpm, an increasing mixing rate appeared to produce mixtures which showed a more stable pattern over mixing time, i.e. less variation in values, in mixtures of SCR 0.5 and 2, while in mixtures of SCR 1, values appeared to fluctuate more. When analyzing the microscopy images, it was observed that SCR 1 with the mixing rate 22 rpm had the smallest agglomerates of all mixture times (when comparing with SCR 0.5 and SCR 2). The mixtures with the highest w/w% of agglomerates above 500 μm were of SCR 2 at both mixing rates and at all mixing times. These mixtures had lower permeability values which is understandable, as it is more difficult for air to get through the powder with large amount of agglomerates in the way. The w/w % for the particles between 90 μm < d < 500 μm was very close for SCR 0.5 and SCR 1. The patterns of the results from the conducted methods appears to be more alike for SCR 0.5 and 1, whereas SCR 2 is more deviant throughout the project.

Yes / Field measurements and numerical simulations demonstrate the existence of an upper saline plume in tidally dominated beaches. The effect of tides on the saltwater-freshwater mixing occurring at both the upper saline plume and lower salt wedge is well understood. However, it is poorly understood whether the tidal driven force acts equally on the mixing behaviours of above two regions and what factors control the mixing fluctuation features. In this study, variable-density, saturated-unsaturated, transient groundwater flow and solute transport numerical models are proposed and performed for saltwater-freshwater mixing subject to tidal forcing on a sloping beach. A range of tidal amplitude, fresh groundwater flux, hydraulic conductivity, beach slope and dispersivity anisotropy are simulated. Based on time sequential salinity data, the gross mixing features are quantified by computing the spatial moments in three different aspects, namely, the centre point, length and width, and the volume (or area in a two-dimensional case). Simulated salinity distribution varies significantly at saltwater-freshwater interfaces. Mixing characteristics of the upper saline plume greatly differ from those in the salt wedge for both the transient and quasi-steady state. The mixing of the upper saline plume largely inherits the fluctuation characteristics of the sea tide in both the transverse and longitudinal directions when the quasi-steady state is reached. On the other hand, the mixing in the salt wedge is relatively steady and shows little fluctuation. The normalized mixing width and length, mixing volume and the fluctuation amplitude of the mass centre in the upper saline plume are, in general, one-magnitude-order larger than those in the salt wedge region. In the longitudinal direction, tidal amplitude, fresh groundwater flux, hydraulic conductivity and beach slope are significant control factors of fluctuation amplitude. In the transverse direction, tidal amplitude and beach slope are the main control parameters. Very small dispersivity anisotropy (e.g., α_L⁄α_T <5) could greatly suppress mixing fluctuation in the longitudinal direction. This work underlines the close connection between the sea tides and the upper saline plume in the aspect of mixing, thereby enhancing understanding of the interplay between tidal oscillations and mixing mechanisms in tidally dominated sloping beach systems. / Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Coastal Ocean Dynamics and Environment (No. ZDSY20130402163735964), National High Technology Research & Development Program of China (No. 2012AA09A409).

Wavlet analysis and its advantages in determining time-varying characteristics are discussed. The Morlet wavelet is defined and procedures for choosing its parameters are described. The recovery of modulation characteristics using the Morlet wavelet is demonstrated. Hydrodynamic linear stability is reviewed and its application to steady and unsteady mixing layers is discussed. Modulation effects are demonstrated by using the magnitude and phase of the wavelet coefficients. The time-varying characteristics of the most unstable modes are determined using the real part of the wavelet coefficients. It is found that mean flow unsteadiness increases the amplitude and phase modulation of the mixing layers. Synchronized variations of the two most unstable modes, the fundamental and the subharmonic, are also observed in the region of subharmonic growth. In a second application of wavelet analysis, the phase lag of the wavelet coefficients is used to determine the phase relation between the fundamental and the subharmonic in acoustically forced mixing layers. The results show that selective forcing affects the time-variations of the phase relation. In a third application, the magnitude and phase of the wavelet coefficients are used to decompose propagating waves measured at a single location. / Master of Science

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