Chloride Diffusion Property of Hybrid Basalt–Polypropylene Fibre-Reinforced Concrete in a Chloride–Sulphate Composite Environment under Drying–Wetting Cycles

The effect of fibre reinforcement on the chloride diffusion property of concrete is controversial, and the coupling effect of sulphate erosion and drying–wetting cycles in marine environments has been neglected in previous studies. In this study, the chloride diffusion property of hybrid basalt–polypropylene fibre-reinforced concrete subjected to a combined chloride–sulphate solution under drying–wetting cycles was investigated. The effects of basalt fibre (BF), polypropylene fibre (PF), and hybrid BP–PF on the chloride diffusion property were analysed. The results indicate that the presence of sulphate inhibits the diffusion of chloride at the early stage of erosion. However, at the late stage of erosion, sulphate does not only accelerate the diffusion of chloride by causing cracking of the concrete matrix but also leads to a decrease in the alkalinity of the pore solution, which further increases the risk of corrosion of the reinforcing steel. An appropriate amount of fibre can improve the chloride attack resistance of concrete at the early stage. With the increase in erosion time, the fibre effectively prevents the formation and development of sulphate erosion microcracks, thus reducing the adverse effects of sulphate on the resistance of concrete to chloride attack. The effects of sulphate and fibre on the chloride diffusion property were also elucidated in terms of changes in corrosion products, theoretical porosity, and the fibre-matrix interface transition zone.

Self-assembly of Silicoaluminophosphate Nanocrystals in Biphasic Media with Water-insoluble Structure-directing Agent

The catalytic performance of silicoaluminophosphates is dependent on their acidity and diffusion property, which can be altered by structure-directing agent (OSDA) as a result of its dominant effect on crystallization....

Precise Control Over the Silica Shell Thickness and Finding the Optimal Thickness for the Peak Heat Diffusion Property of AuNR@SiO2

Silica-coated gold nanorods (AuNRs) exhibit significantly enhanced photothermal effects and photoacoustic (PA) signal intensities, which is beneficial for various nanophotonic applications in material science. However, the silica shell thickness for...

Statistical state dynamics analysis of buoyancy layer formation via the Phillips mechanism in two-dimensional stratified turbulence

Horizontal density layers are commonly observed in stratified turbulence. Recent work (e.g. Taylor & Zhou, J. Fluid Mech., vol. 823, 2017, R5) has reinvigorated interest in the Phillips instability (PI), by which density layers form via negative diffusion if the turbulent buoyancy flux weakens as stratification increases. Theoretical understanding of PI is incomplete, in part because it remains unclear whether and by what mechanism the flux-gradient relationship for a given example of turbulence has the required negative-diffusion property. Furthermore, the difficulty of analysing the flux-gradient relation in evolving turbulence obscures the operating mechanism when layering is observed. These considerations motivate the search for an example of PI that can be analysed clearly. Here PI is shown to occur in two-dimensional Boussinesq sheared stratified turbulence maintained by stochastic excitation. PI is analysed using the second-order S3T closure of statistical state dynamics, in which the dynamics is written directly for statistical variables of the turbulence. The predictions of S3T are verified using nonlinear simulations. This analysis provides theoretical underpinning of PI based on the fundamental equations of motion that complements previous analyses based on phenomenological models of turbulence.