Sharif Digital Repository

This project is devoted to experimental investigation of increasing on production of polyethylene/clay nanocomposites (PECNs) and polypropylene/clay nanocomposites (PPCNs) via in-situ polymerization method. First of all we produced bi-supported Ziegler-Natta catalyst to polymerized polyolefins nanocomposites. Bentonite type clay and Magnesiumethoxide (Mg (OEt)2) were used as the support of Tetrachloridetitanium (TiCl4). Catalyst support and polymerization process have been done in slurry phase using Triisobutylaluminum (TiBA) as the co-catalyst. The efficiency of preapared bi-supported Ziegler-Natta was reasonably high (average 200 (gr. Product/mmol Ti. h) for PECNs and 195 (gr. Product/mmol... 

In this research the effects of addition of clay in phenolic glass fiber reinforced composite has been investigated. Layered clay/phenolic nanocomposite resin systems were first prepared with 0.5, 1.5 and 2.5 wt% of Cloisite Na+ (CN) and Cloisite 30B (CB). After that the suspension was hold in an ultrasonic bath for 30 min in order to enhance nanodispersion of the clay platelet within the resin. The phenolic/clay solution was used to impregnate the glass fabric using the solvent impregnation method. After suspension for 2 days in the room with natural condition, the impregnated fabrics were pre-cured at 135 ˚C in an oven for 3.5 min to obtain B-stage prepregs. Seven layers of prepregs (150... 

There are several factors affecting the behavior and response of a pile under lateral loads. These factors can be divided into two main categories: geometrical factors (e.g. dimensions of the pile, soil, and mesh scheme) and material properties (e.g. shear modulus, bulk modulus, soil elasticity, soil density, and shear strength). Studying the effects and importance of these factors in the final response of the pile (i.e. ultimate forces and displacements) can help design engineers in optimization of their designs. Given the importance of the subject and the possibility of using numerical methods and computer technology to evaluate the behavior of piles, this research attempts to use finite... 

In this thesis, polyethylene vinyl acetate and polyethylene shrinkable nanocomposite films with different percentages of an organoclay such as 0, 1, 3, 5 and 7% have been prepared via two-steps solution method. Morphological and properties of these films, including permeability and mechanical and rheological properties were investigated. Also the effect of addition of cross linking agent (DCP) was studied. Various tests including XRD, SEM, tensile and rheological properties were studied. XRD tests showed that the distance between a layer of or ganoclay increased to 32 percent. This indicates that the polymer chains between the layers of organoclay could be better. SEM examination showed that... 

Pile is used to transfer high loads from the structure by bearing on the hard soil layers or through the friction between the soil and the pile. Axial loads and transversal or lateral loads are the main loads apply on the piles. There are several different methods to investigate the pile behavior under lateral load: (1) Limit State method (2) Subgrade Reaction method (3) Elastic method (4) P-Y method (5) Evans and Duncan method (6) Numerical methods. Blum, Brinch Hansen and Broms methods are based on the Limit State method to determine the lateral capacity of pile. Although these methods are simple and the results can find quickly, they failed to calculate the soil resistance under lateral... 

The effectiveness of activated bentonite, known as Clay, is studied in the process of removal of olefins from aromatics. The study on this subject can be divided in two categories: catalysis and process section. The catalyst activities is evaluated with the production of clay samples that are activated by sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid. The performance and life time of the acid treated are characterized by XRD, XRF, BET, Pyridine FTIR analysis, SEM images and pilot test of the samples. In the process section, factors that are affecting the life time and performance of the catalytic activity of Clay are investigated and the effect of each known parameter on the operating time of this... 

This study aims at synthesizing and investigating of heterogeneous catalysts for biodiesel production as an alternative to fossil fuel with a transesterification reaction of sunflower oil and methanol. Three main sections of this thesis concern the synthesis of clay base catalyst, characterization analysis, and investigation of the transesterification reaction under different conditions. Talc clay base catalyst impregnated with a 40 wt.% of K2CO3 as active and stable catalysts to study the transesterification reaction of sunflower oil and methanol for biodiesel production. Synthesized catalysts have been characterized by power X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM),... 

During recent years, decay, fraction, corrosion and leakage of oil pipe lines have resulted in soil pollution. Gas oil is one of the main causes of soil pollution in different places. Soil and pollutant interaction results in varying soil geotechnical properties which causes shear strength, permeability, etc. to change drastically. After careful recognition of the problem, it should be encountered in a good manner. Therefore, comprehensive investigation regarding the effect of oil production on soil should be done. In this thesis, properties of combination of sand, kaolinite and pollutant in different situation such as different fine grain content, different relative compaction, and... 

In previous studies, effect of certain parameters such as soil K0 on piled raft load sharing ratio α_pr was not considered. Here, α_pr is ratio of pile group load to total load. In this study, we consider the effect of pile length (L), pile spacing (s), raft thickness (t), raft modulus of elasticity (Er), pile modulus of elasticity (Ep), coefficient of lateral earth pressure, and pile concentration. Soil is undrained clay with typical properties. Raft is made of concrete and piles are cast in-place. Modeling is done in FLAC 3D. To determine the effect of these parameters we calculated load sharing ration of piled raft at 10 cm settlement which is typical for design. Based on the results of... 

Piles are usually used in groups. The complicated interaction between piles on the one hand and between piles and their surrounding soil on the other hand, have made it difficult to recognize mechanisms that influence the pile group behavior and analyze it accurately. In this research, three dimensional models in ABAQUS software were used to investigate response of single piles and pile groups under lateral loading in clayey soils. Configuration of piles in a group, connection of piles to the pile cap, pile spacings, and pile cross section were taken into consideration as some important factors affecting response of pile groups. All the modeled piles were categorized as long piles. In order... 

Investigating the behavior of piled-raft foundations is a three-dimensional problem. The shape and location of the piles in the raft as well as the complex interaction of the soil-structure in these foundations should be analyzed in a three-dimensional fashion to indicate the real behavior of this type of foundations. The soil must also be analyzed in a nonlinear state to achieve the correct bearing capacity of these foundations. In this research, a nonlinear 3D analysis was performed using FLAC3D to investigate the behavior of piled-raft foundations, and the effect of various factors such as the length, arrangement and number of the piles, the loading level and the thickness of the raft, on... 

Separation of the effects of the initial horizontal stress and relative density on the cone tip resistance in the sandy soils has been a complicated issue for many years. On the other hand, there is no reliable method for determining the in-situ horizontal effective stress based on the piezocone measurements in the cohesive soils, and the empirical correlations suggested in the literature produce no more than a rough estimation.Considering the aforesaid issues, an attempt is made in this thesis to provide a new innovative solution for determining the in-situ horizontal (effective) stress in the sandy and clayey soils according to the CPT measurements. In this regard, at first, numerical... 

This study aims to numerically study the penetration process of piezocone (CPTu) in saturated intact clayey soils with emphasis on excess pore-water pressures (EPWPs) generated around the piezocone. It is well agreed in the literature that measurements of pore-water pressure during piezocone penetration tests can play an important role in assessing engineering parameters and characteristics of clays such as undrained shear strength (su) and stress history (overconsolidation ratio, OCR) of the soil. Due to the importance of role of these two parameters in analysis, design and construction in geotechnical projects e.g. slope stability and evaluation of ground settlements induced by... 

There is an increasing interest and use of energy foundations worldwide. Heat transfer from/to energy piles may cause plastic contraction of soft clay with a low overconsolidation ratio (OCR) during heating and cooling. This can influence pile-soil interaction due to thermally induced excess pore water pressure and changes of lateral stress acting on the pile.These thermally induced phenomena cause additional plastic settlement of the soil and pile. The irreversible settlement may cause serviceability or even ultimate limit state problems for floating energy piles whose capacity is mainly derived from shaft resistance. Due to intended operational needs or by accident, cyclic non-symmetrical... 

This study aims to numerical modeling of piezocone penetration test (CPTu) in saturated clayey soils under undrained conditions using FLAC-2D software. According to the available studies, measuring excess pore water pressure during the piezocone penetration test can play an important role in determining the characteristics and engineering parameters of clayey soils. In many geotechnical problems, the initial state of existing stresses in the ground and are an important parameter that must be known for designs and analysis. The relationship between vertical and horizontal effective stress under zero lateral deformation is usually expressed by the coefficient of lateral earth pressure at...