Ashwini Bhat¹, Nagaraj N. Katagi¹, M. C. Gowrishankar², Manjunath Shettar^2,*

CMC-Computers, Materials & Continua, Vol.85, No.2, pp. 2715-2728, 2025, DOI:10.32604/cmc.2025.069842 - 23 September 2025

Abstract This research explores the water uptake behavior of glass fiber/epoxy composites filled with nanoclay and establishes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) to predict water uptake percentage from experimental parameters. Composite laminates are fabricated with varying glass fiber and nanoclay contents. Water absorption is evaluated for 70 days of immersion following ASTM D570-98 standards. The inclusion of nanoclay reduces water uptake by creating a tortuous path for moisture diffusion due to its high aspect ratio and platelet morphology, thereby enhancing the composite’s barrier properties. The ANN model is developed with a 3–4–1 feedforward structure and learned… More >

Yvonne Achieng Ouma¹, Supriti Sundari Nayak¹, Smrutirekha Mishra², Harekrishna Panigrahi^1,*

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.41, No.4, pp. 281-297, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jpm.2024.056470 - 16 December 2024

Abstract Fuller earth (FE) nanoclay is a naturally occurring mineral with a high surface area, is highly abundant, and has a low purchasing cost, making it an excellent candidate for nanocomposite production. The study highlights the novelty of using FE nanoclay in combination with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to create a bio-nanocomposite that meets the need for sustainable packaging solutions, underscoring its potential to reduce environmental impact while maintaining product quality in food packaging applications. The solvent casting process, a reliable way to evenly disperse nanofillers in polymer matrices, has been employed in this work to incorporate… More >

Ponusa Songtipya^1,2,*, Thummanoon Prodpran^1,2, Ladawan Songtipya^1,2, Theerarat Sengsuk¹

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.12, No.5, pp. 951-967, 2024, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2024.049068 - 17 July 2024

Abstract The synergistic effect of organoclay (OC) and zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the crucial properties of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) nanocomposite films was systematically investigated herein. After their incorporation into PLA via the solvent casting technique, the water vapor barrier property of the PLA/OC/ZnO film improved by a maximum of 86% compared to the neat PLA film without the deterioration of Young’s modulus or the tensile strength. Moreover, the film’s self-antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens, including gram-negative (Escherichia coli, E. coli) and gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, S. aureus) bacteria, was enhanced by a maximum of approximately 98–99% compared to the neat… More > Graphic Abstract

Xinshan Zhuang^*, Shunlei Xia, Ruijie Pan

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.20, No.2, pp. 447-461, 2024, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2023.042220 - 14 December 2023

Abstract Clay, as the most common soil used for foundation fill, is widely used in various infrastructure projects. The physical and mechanical properties of clay are influenced by the pore solution environment. This study uses a GDS static/dynamic triaxial apparatus and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to investigate the effects of cyclic loading on clay foundations. Moreover, the development of cumulative strain in clay is analyzed, and a fitting model for cumulative plastic strain is introduced by considering factors such as NaCl solution concentration, consolidation stress ratio, and cycle number. In particular, the effects of the NaCl… More >

S. ARULMURUGAN^a,*, N. VENKATESHWARAN^a, S. KUMAR^a, P. CHANDRASEKAR^a

Journal of Polymer Materials, Vol.40, No.1-2, pp. 83-91, 2023, DOI:10.32381/JPM.2023.40.1-2.7

Abstract In this research, the effect of UV light on the mechanical properties of jute polymer nanocomposites was evaluated. Due to the fact that photodegradation is a surface process and is confined to the degradation of the mechanical characteristics of polyester resin, this study focuses on the resin quality. Therefore, test samples comprised of fibre-reinforced polyester nanoclay composites were fabricated different weight ratios of nanoclay. They were put through UV exposure in an Ultraviolet (UV) chamber. Tensile testing samples were made in accordance with ASTMD638 and had a minimum thickness of 3 mm. Additionally, specimens for… More >

A. Lkouen^1,*, M. Lamrani², A. Meskini¹, A. Khabbazi³

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.19, No.8, pp. 2013-2026, 2023, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2023.026929 - 04 April 2023

Abstract Most of the energy savings in the building sector come from the choice of the materials used and their microphysical properties. In the present study, through numerical simulations a link is established between the thermal performance of composite materials and their microstructures. First, a two-phase 3D composite structure is modeled, then the RSA (Random Sequential Addition) algorithm and a finite element method (FE) are applied to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity of these composites in the steady-state. In particular, building composites based on gypsum and clay, consolidated with peanut shell additives and/or cork are considered.… More > Graphic Abstract

Soumaya Zormati, Fadhel Aloulou^*, Habib Sammouda

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.5, pp. 2345-2365, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.026170 - 13 February 2023

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of using surfactant (CTAB) and cellulose nanofibers (NFC) as an admixture in cement mortars. We examined composite properties as porosity, compression energy, thermal conductivity and hydration. The results showed that with the addition of 0.7% by weight of NFC per emulsion in the presence of a cationic surfactant (CTAB). The new material produced presented a dry porosity between 4.7% and 4.4%, compressive strength between 9.8 and 22.9 MPa, and thermal conductivity between 0.95 and 2.25 W·m⁻¹·K⁻¹. Thus we show better mechanical and thermal performance than that

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Lingling Qin¹, Mengya Zhou¹, Jiahao Yan¹, Ping Duan^1,2,3,4,*, Yingcan Zhu^5,*, Wei Chen⁶, Zuhua Zhang⁷, Aiguo Wang²

Journal of Renewable Materials, Vol.11, No.5, pp. 2191-2208, 2023, DOI:10.32604/jrm.2023.025197 - 13 February 2023

Abstract Montmorillonite and clinoptilolite zeolite were used as representative materials to prepare calcined clay-cement binary cementitious materials in order to study the effect of calcination treatment on the activation of clay minerals and the activity difference between layered and framed clays in this research. The influence of different calcined clay content (2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10%) on the fluidity, compressive strength, microstructure, phase change, and hydration heat of cement-based materials were analyzed. The calcined clay improves the fluidity of cement-based materials as compared with the uncalcined group. The addition of calcined montmorillonite (CMT) improves the development… More > Graphic Abstract

Sergey Galkin^1,*, Ian Savitckii¹, Denis Shustov¹, Artyom Kukhtinskii¹, Boris Osovetsky², Alexander Votinov³

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.19, No.2, pp. 273-284, 2023, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2022.021697 - 29 August 2022

Abstract Survey and novel research data are used in the present study to classify/identify the lithological type of Verey age reservoirs’ rocks. It is shown how the use of X-ray tomography can clarify the degree of heterogeneity, porosity and permeability of these rocks. These data are then used to elaborate a model of hydraulic fracturing. The resulting software can take into account the properties of proppant and breakdown fluid, thermal reservoir conditions, oil properties, well design data and even the filtration and elastic-mechanical properties of the rocks. Calculations of hydraulic fracturing crack formation are carried out… More > Graphic Abstract

H. G. R. Sekloka^1,2,*, C. P. Yabi^2,3, R. Cloots¹, M. Gibigaye²

FDMP-Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing, Vol.18, No.6, pp. 1595-1605, 2022, DOI:10.32604/fdmp.2022.022434 - 27 June 2022

Abstract To contribute to the enhancement of unconventional local materials used for road construction, this study characterizes a crushed sand 0/5, a clayey soil and the litho-stabilized material without and with hydraulic binder and determines their use in accordance with some reference specifications (CEBTP 1984). It is shown that the different components are not usable alone in pavement base. Indeed, the plasticity index obtained for the clayey soil is 21%, a value higher than the imposed standards. In addition, the grading of the 0/5 crushed sand does not fit into the range proposed by CEBTP. A… More >