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The expansive soil has serious impact due to its unstable volumetric behaviour when it undergoes seasonal variations. In order to utilise the problematic expansive soil for any kind of work it needs to alter the behaviour of soil by stabilisation using addition of admixtures. From the economical point of view using industrial waste materials is the cost-effective technique. In this work the selection of industrial waste materials which comes from tile manufacturing such as Tile Waste Powder (TWP) and Foundry Sand (FS) outcome of metal casting industries as an admixture. The Tiles Waste Powder has the nature to improve the compaction behaviour of expansive soil because of its high lime content and Foundry sand are used to develop the strength behaviour of problematic soil due to the presence rich silica content. In this paper, untreated soil got treated using the different proportions such as 5,10, 15,20 and 25% of Tile waste powder and their corresponding the compaction and strength characteristics of the soil sample were determined under different curing periods. Also the tests have been conducted for optimum percentage of tile waste mixed along with varying percentage of Foundry Sand (4, 6, 8, 10 and 12%) in soil sample. The results was obtained from the standard proctor test, UCC and CBR test and it further analysis shows that the increasing the proportion of TWP rises the peak strength of the treated soil up to 20% for the maximum 28 days curing. Also, from the result analysis for the combination of FS and TWP by optimum percentage of Tiles Waste Powder (20%) with 12% of Foundry sand shows the increment in the strength characteristics of soil. The TWP and Foundry Sand can be effectively used in stabilization works in order to utilise the waste by effective minimization of disposal problems.

In this article, we introduce a framework for the geometric design and fabrication of a family of geometrically interlocking space-filling shapes, which we call woven tiles. Our framework is based on a unique combination of (1) Voronoi partitioning of space using curve segments as the Voronoi sites and (2) the design of these curve segments based on weave patterns closed under symmetry operations. The underlying weave geometry provides an interlocking property to the tiles and the closure property under symmetry operations ensure single tile can fill space. In order to demonstrate this general framework, we focus on specific symmetry operations induced by fabric weaving patterns. We specifically showcase the design and fabrication of woven tiles on flat and curved domains by using the most common 2-fold fabrics, namely, plain, twill, and satin weaves. We further evaluate and compare the mechanical behavior of the so created woven tiles through finite element analysis.

Current trends in the ceramic industry see an increasing interest on porcelain stoneware, by which is possible to produce large tiles and slabs. These products are manufactured by spray-dried powders, which have excellent technological properties but require high energy and water consumption. Dry-processed granulates allow to reduce such a consumption, but suffer from a different technological behavior. A solution to improve the environmental sustainability of ceramic tile-making is mixing powders prepared by the wet and the dry routes. The technological features of industrially manufactured mixed powders was investigated (rheological properties, compaction response and firing behavior) in order to point out advantages and possible pitfalls. Dry-processed and spray-dried granulates exhibit different distributions of size, shape and moisture that reflect on distinct rheological and compaction behaviors. Mixed powders show a more or less accentuated deviation from linearity between the end terms. This fact makes possible to add up to ∼50% dry granulates by keeping the technological properties close to current industrial bodies. Sparings of water, energy and CO2 emission for the milling and granulation stages are estimated for a mix 50% spray-dried and 50% dry-processed powders.

With increasing ballistic threat levels, there is ever more demand on developing ceramic armor designs with improved performance. This paper presents finite element simulations that investigate the performance of silicon carbide ceramic with steel 4340 backing material and titanium alloy, graphite as buffer layers when subjected to normal and oblique impacts by a tungsten alloy long rod projectile (LRP). Depth of penetration from experimental measurements is compared with simulations to confirm the validity of constitutive, failure model parameters. Titanium alloy cover plate and graphite interface weak layer laterally spread the impact shock away from the SiC tile and reduces the amplification of the stress accumulation at the front surface of the SiC tile. The dwelling time increases before it penetrates into ceramic armor. Further, using AUTODYN® numerical simulations detailed parametric study is carried out to identify the minimum areal density armor for a given ballistic limit velocity. The equivalent protection factor for the bi-layer armor is a simple function of the cosine of the angle of impact.

Many researchers have been focused on the better way to increase the utilization of industrial by-products for the road construction and tile productions. However, none of the research results have reported the functional characteristics of SMS slag. This paper deals with the processing and functional characterization of SMS slag using novel powder metallurgy method. The particle sizes, mineralogical phases, and dielectric constant were determined by XRF, BET, XRD and Impendence analyzer respectively. The effect of reduction of particle size on the functional properties of SMS slag was revealed that reduction in particles of slag decreases the dielectric properties of slag at 600 °C. As results, 50.65 wt% of free CaO phase was present in the slag samples. It is suggested that SMS slag can be useful for the electronic packaging applications.

Plastic bottles are a large part of the increasing population in the 1940s. It takes hundreds of years for petro-chemical based compounds to decompose. The process of dumping plastic waste is a huge problem and also harmful to the environment. Plastic products are one of the major sources of pollution for land and water. Dumping of plastic waste is a critical problem. To overcome these effects, solid waste management can be used in the construction area. By placing the cement with Prospis Juliflora ash the side effects caused by cement can be reduced. Solid waste such as crushed plastic and Prosopis Juliflora Ash (PJA) can be used in concrete production. Prosopis Juliflora, a persistent weed that has spread widely over the past 150 years, has been an environmental issue in various parts of the world, including India. Because of its environmental and economic effects, in Africa and India, Prosopis Juliflora has been confirmed as a deleterious plant. It can fix large quantities of carbon dioxide as biomass from the atmosphere, it can be viewed as a smart source of biomass. By replacing the cement with Prosopis Juliflora Ash the side effects of cement towards the environment can also reduce. In this research, the white cement, plastic, and PJA are used to make a floor tile. The primary binder cement is replaced in this study by plastic waste and PJA with 10%, 20% and 30% proportion. In this study, mechanical properties of concrete with and without addition of PJA is studied as per Indian Standard code provisions. It has been observed that these combinations prove good for abrasion and impact resistance of floor tiles made from these, but do not contribute much to strength gain.

The use of ceramic products (tiles, electrical insulators, sanitary fitting, etc.) in building and structural construction is increasing day by day. Generation of ceramic waste is increased globally due to the fragile nature of ceramic it easily breaks during processing, transportation, and installation. Therefore, researchers are growing interest in using ceramic waste as alternative aggregate materials for construction. While other ceramic product wastes such as sanitary wares and electrical insulators have been extensively investigated, not many findings are available on ceramic wall and floor tiles wastes. Thus, the current study focuses on the mechanical (compression, tensile, flexural, and abrasion) and permeability characterization of waste ceramic wall and floor tiles aggregate concrete. Ceramic tiles were used as crushed coarse aggregate in concrete as a replacement for natural aggregates by the replacement level of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% 20%, and 25%. From the results, it has been observed that ceramic waste enhances the performance of concrete at a certain level of replacement. Ceramic waste has the potential to use in concrete structures at a certain level of replacement to achieve desirable properties.

As there is a surge in the urbanization and a growth due to socioeconomic reforms, there is a growing demand of infrastructure and housing in the cites in the recent years. This resulted in the increase in the demand of construction material, concrete is one of them. It is one of the highly manufactured human made material. This had put a burden on natural resources. The paper is oriented at the possibility of finding an alternate source for gravel (coarse aggregate) which can replace partially or fully the usage of aggregate. An attempt has been made to investigate the properties of M30 grade concrete using tile as aggregate replacing natural aggregate by 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%. A great number of specimens were casted and tested. A total of 100 beams casted and tested as per IS 516 (Part 1). All the constituent’s materials such as cement, sand and aggregates were tested for their respective test as prescribed by the IS codes. After confirming the quality of constituent material is acceptable, mechanical properties of the concrete were observed and tabulated by testing its flexural strength.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is one of the most common methods for sterilizing materials with suspected biological warfare agent contamination. In this study, UV laser sterilization of ceramic tiles was investigated as a method for destroying Bacillus atrophaeus spores. The effects of UV irradiation were evaluated as a function of water absorption (porous and vitrified), tile color (black and white), and surface brightness (matte and glossy). Spores were loaded onto the surface of each tile and irradiated with a 266-nm UV laser. The irradiated spores were then removed by scraping with a razor blade and cultured in an agar plate for 24 h. The sterilizing effects of the UV laser were greater on the vitrified (group BIb) tiles than on the porous (group BIII) tiles. In addition, sterilization was more effective on white and matte tiles than on black and glossy tiles, respectively.

We report the results of 12 patients followed for Tile type C pelvic fractures treated with percutaneous sacroiliac screwing combined to anterior ring reduction and fixation provided by plate or external fixator during the last 4 years. this study was carried out in the light of literature review to focus on the therapeutic principles of the initial management, the different surgical techniques described for the definitive treatment of bone lesions, the current attitude regarding the rehabilitation of patients and the perspectives under development.

Soil health and water quality improvement are major goals of sustainable agricultural management systems, yet the connections between soil health and water quality impacts remain unclear. In this study we conducted an initial exploratory assessment of the relationships between soil chemical, physical, and biological properties and edge-of-field water quality across a network of 40 fields in Ohio, USA. Discharge, dissolved reactive P (DRP), total P (TP), and nitrate losses associated with precipitation events via surface runoff and tile drainage were monitored. Agronomic soil tests and a suite of soil health indicators were measured, then predictive relationships between the field average soil properties and tile drainage and surface runoff discharge and DRP, TP, and nitrate loads were explored with random forest and multiple linear regression approaches. Among the soil health indicators, water extractable C and N were consistently found to be positively related to tile nitrate loads, but other soil health indicators had little or inconsistent importance for water quality impacts. Several other soil properties were important predictors, particularly soil P pools for surface and tile DRP and TP losses as well as Mehlich-3 extractable Fe and Al for surface and tile discharge. Thus, we did not observe strong evidence that soil health was associated with improved edge-of-field water quality across the edge-of-field monitoring network. However, additional studies are needed to definitively test the relationships between a broader array of soil health metrics and water quality outcomes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to recycle dredged sediments as an alternative raw material in the production of ceramic tiles. The effect of the substitution of kaolin by raw sediment (HDS) and calcined sediment (HDSC) in the mixture of the ceramic tile samples sintered at 1100 and 1200 °C was studied. The samples were prepared with different proportions of HDS and HDSC (0, 10, 20 and 30 wt.%) substituting kaolin. The mineralogical analysis of the samples shows that mullite phase disappears in the samples incorporating raw sediments (HDS) and fired sediments (HDSC) leading to the formation of new crystalline phases such as anorthite and diopside.Moreover, ceramic tile samples with 20 wt.% of calcined sediment improve its densification and hence the compressive strength (171 MPa) and thermal conductivity (0.555 W/mK). An evaluation of the leaching was carried out in the ceramic samples, finding that the concentrations of heavy metals in the leachate were within the safety limit established by the USEPA. The heavy metals were immobilised in the ceramic matrix. Therefore, the results showed that dredged sediment (HDS) and calcined sediment (HDSC) could be used as substituent of kaolin to produce eco-friendly ceramic building materials as floor tile ceramics.

We propose the "Tile-net" method based on dividing an image into smaller tiles. Using the tile as the input to the neural network, the network is simplified substantially. The Tile-net learns at a much faster rate than the networks without tiling. The training and reconstruction times for the Tile-net are reduced by 40% and 33%, respectively compared to the networks without tiling. The Tile-net performance is evaluated through the normalized mean square error (NMSE), peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), structure similarity index measure (SSIM) and the quality of the reconstructed image for test datasets. The Tile-net does not degrade performance; however, it reduces the NMSE by 0.3% compared to the networks without tiling.

The generation of electricity by renewable energies is an important need of today's society. Piezoelectric energy harvesting is one of these useful technologies which can generate electricity by applying external force on piezoelectric material. This study illustrates more power generation from piezoelectric tile by changing the situation of piezo discs and connect to proportional electrical circuit. Two different designs of piezoelectric tile are presented by performing experimental analyses. The experimental results showed that placing piezoelectric elements in a bending position leads to higher power generation in comparison with traditional flat positioning, which was approximately 78 times far superior. It is also revealed that by design of an electrical circuit, the tile can be advantageous for lighting in crowded sidewalks with required lighting time. The results of this paper can be beneficial in the design and fabrication of these tiles for different applications.

The work evaluates the effect of firing temperature on the mechanical properties of ceramic tiles. This was with the view to determine the optimum processing condition for Osun State ceramic tiles. Ceramic raw materials collected from Osun State were batched using clay-feldspar-silica sand blending ratio of 5:4:1, 5:3:2, 5:2:3, 5:1:4, 6:3:1, 6:2:2, 6:1:3, 7:2:1, 7:1:2 and 8:1:1 by weight; and homogeneously mixed. Three replica samples were moulded by the method of dry forming, fired at 1200, 1300 and 1400 oC and subjected to breaking and flexural strength tests using the Universal Testing Machine while the hardness test was carried out on a Moh’s scale. The results showed that breaking strength, flexural strength and Moh’s hardness fell within the range 199.43 to 325 N, 11.97 to 19.50 N/mm2 and 2.5 to 4 MH respectively, while Figures revealed that samples with 60% clay, 10% feldspar and 30% silica sand fired at 1320 oC will process the best mechanical properties. In conclusion, ceramic raw materials collected from Osun State are viable for ceramic tile production.

The analysis of pattern design on ceramics, textiles, tile and other plane surfaces remains dominated by typological, design element and stylistic approaches. In this paper, I compare these approaches with a classification system that describes patterns by the geometric symmetries that combine and repeat the pattern parts. I argue that these standard plane pattern symmetry classes enable systematic, objective descriptions of decorated material. I use an analysis of the symmetric structures and colors of designs on whole and partial Chihuahuan polychrome vessels from the Pueblo IV period site of Paquime (Casas Grandes), Chihuahua, Mexico, to illustrate how a standardized classification system that focuses on the structure of pattern parts rather than on the pattern parts themselves reveals a number of new insights on a body of well-studied material.

In this paper we present a series of results which show separations between the standard seeded model of self-assembly, Winfree's abstract Tile Assembly Model (aTAM), and the “seedless” 2-Handed Assembly Model (2HAM), which incorporates the dynamics of hierarchical self-assembly. In particular, we focus on the problem of self-assembling various shapes while minimizing the sizes of tile sets, or “programs”, in each of these models in order to compare and contrast the models. A high-level overview of a subset of these results was presented in a paper by the authors in STACS 2013, but in this version we expand and improve the set of results related to showing separations between the two models according to their abilities to self-assemble various shapes. We exhibit classes of finite shapes that can be self-assembled more efficiently in each model. We also demonstrate infinite shapes that can self-assemble in one model but not in the other, as well as a shape which cannot self-assemble in either model.

The production of ceramic tiles with larger sizes and reduced thickness has increased the challenge of producing high-quality ceramic tiles in short single-firing cycles. For porcelain tiles, the pressing step is of upmost importance for the microstructure of the green bodies. The particle size distribution, mineral composition of the pastes and porosity before firing define the water flow during the decoration process. Hydro deformation is the curvature of unfired ceramic tiles caused by water absorption during the decoration step before firing. In this work, the hydro deformation is studied in function of tile thickness, compaction, and clay composition according to a 2K factorial design. Two compositions of porcelain tiles (glazed and polished) were pressed at two thicknesses (3–6 mm) and pressing pressures (35.5–49.8 MPa) forming ceramic tiles with 55 × 110 mm² of surface area. Chemical (XRF), mineralogical (XRD), thermogravimetric (TG), specific surface area (BET), granulometric, bulk density, and porosity analyses were performed for the green tiles of both compositions. To simulate the hydro deformation during the decoration step, the curvature (mm) of the tiles was studied within a 0–180 min interval. The water absorption rate through the surface (g.m−2·s−1) of the tiles in an interval of 0–180 s was studied as a function of thickness, pressure and porcelain tile composition. As a result, the thickness of the tiles can change the curvatures from concave to convex. Pressing conditions and composition of the tiles can change the water absorption rates. Porcelain tiles with higher content of clay minerals develop convex curvatures. For tiles with lower content of clay minerals, concave curvatures were developed.

Considering the risk of leakage and the complexity of processing technology, a passive cooling first wall has been developed in the low magnetic side. The anticipated heat flux limit of the first wall is about 0.3 MW/m2. In order to enhance thermal transfer, the main materials of the first wall is made of copper alloy (CuCrZr) and graphite tile. A layer of flexible graphite is placed in the interface of CuCrZr and graphite tile to increase thermal contact resistance. Transient thermal analysis has been used to predict the whole heat transfer process for normal operating discharge in a day. Through the simulation, we can get the temperature change history of each component in 24 hours. The temperature and stresses of the passive cooling first wall are found to be within the acceptable limits. The maximum temperature of this first wall is about 307 °C which appears on the graphite tile. The results of the maximum temperature distribution are imported into the structure for calculation. Finally, the elasto-plastic fatigue analysis method is used to check the structural analysis results, and the results show that the structure meets the high parameter discharge mode of more than 480,000 times.

Recycling of waste plastics as a binding material for the development of building materials is considered as one of the viable approaches to overcome the existing problems of solid waste and the requirement of raw material for building constructions. By considering this, numerous methods have been developed to convert waste plastics into value-added materials for building construction. However, not much research has been done for the identification of possible composition and proportion of raw material with waste plastics so that an optimum value for different properties can be achieved. The present work is carried out with the experimental investigations over the physical, mechanical, and tribological properties of floor tile prepared by using waste plastics and sand. The resulted properties of the prepared floor tile specimens were found to behave invariably with composition and proportions of the raw materials due to the interdependencies of properties and presence of complex forces thus requires an investigation for identification of suitable fraction of sand and plastics. In present study, a mathematical-based optimization approach is used to identify the optimum proportion of sand and waste plastics for the development of floor tile with optimum properties. The compressive strength, flexural strength, and coefficient of friction are optimized with minimum water absorption and sliding wear. The analytical hierarchical process (AHP) is used to weigh the properties then the multi-objective optimization technique based on ratio analysis (MOORA) is implemented for optimization. The obtained result suggests to use 50% of high-density polyethylene and 50% of sand as raw materials for manufacturing of floor tiles as it results in higher mechanical strength and coefficient of friction with minimum sliding wear and water absorption thereby saving raw materials and resources, as well as potentially reducing environmental problems.

360-degree video streaming shows great potential to revolutionize the streaming market, by providing much better immersive experience than standard video streams. However, its wide adoption is hindered by the surging demand of network bandwidth due to multi-screen video transmission. To reduce the bandwidth cost, one promising approach is to predict a user’s field of view (FoV), and then prefetch video tiles that a user will view a few seconds ahead. The challenge lies in that user behaviors cannot be properly captured with very limited information, especially the viewing time spent on each tile and the FoV switching behavior are hard to predict. In this paper, we propose a novel 360-degree video streaming algorithm called TVG-Streaming to optimize user experiences by learning user view behaviors. Different from previous approaches, our idea is to exploit tile-view graphs (TVGs) generated by real user behaviors and accurately estimate the probability that each tile falls in the FoV. With the tile view probability, we can determine the bitrate of each tile for delivery and buffering with limited bandwidth budget so as to maximize users’ quality of experience (QoE). For evaluation, we conduct extensive experiments using real traces and the results show that our proposed TVG-Streaming algorithm significantly outperforms other algorithms by at least 20% improvement in terms of users’ QoE.

Compared with fast convolution methods such as im2col and the fast Fourier transform, Winograd-based convolution, which has been widely applied to accelerate convolutional neural networks (CNNs), can provide high performance with smaller filters. Although there are several reported studies on the algorithmic optimization of CNNs, most of them are targeted at hardware architectures. The existing implementations of the Winograd method perform well below what one would expect, due to the fact that the tile size of Winograd-based convolution is usually empirical and the features of each convolution layer are ignored. This study aims to fill this gap and focuses on the efficient implementation of Winograd-based convolution in the CNN model. Specifically, we discuss the causes of poor performance, calculate the coefficient of computation complexity model and demonstrate a speedup in the inference process using an elaborate tile-fusion method, which derives the optimal tile size for each convolution layer in a CNN model. Compared with the representative existing implementations of CuDNN with a 4 × 4 tile, Arm Compute Library with a 6 × 6 tile, and NNPACK with an 8 × 8 tile, the results show significant performance improvements on of up to 1.89 × , 1.29 × and 1.17 × , respectively.

Solar power plants have been created using solar cells as power plants. This power plant utilizes the source of sunlight as its source.solar cell as receiving sunlight as a source of electricity. Utilization of sunlight to become electrical energy, Designed from tile as a medium and solar cell as a receiver of solar energy into electrical energy. Where batrai as a charging to be used, this tile as a tool planted solar cell so that it can be used tools that generate electrical energy. Solar power is one of the environmentally friendly renewable energy sources. Solar power is utilized by solar power plants to generate electricity. The electrical energy generated is the light energy converted by solar cells. The solar cell pool is arranged in such a way that it produces solar panels. The resulting electrical energy will be stored in a medium called.

In recent years, accelerative aging society is meeting the short supply of young and middle-aged labor. Particularly, most young people are reluctant to work in the construction industry, which has caused the labor cost of floor tiling to rise year by year. In addition, floor tiling requires workers to continuously bend over or lean over to work, which greatly jeopardizes the physical health of them. Therefore, advanced technology applied in floor tiling is highly demanded to replace the traditional manual method. On the context, the automatic method of floor tiling may promote the transformation and upgrading of the industry. Although a few robots for floor tiling have been developed, the automation of existing systems is still at a low level. This paper proposes a robot floor-tiling control strategy based on visual measurement feedback and finite-state machine, in which the calculation of tile position information in limited field of vision is obtained by an improved Canny edge detection and a Hough linear transformation. Moreover, an algorithm for complementing tile position information based on visual measurement is proposed, and the quality of tile laying is evaluated online. To evaluate the effect of the proposed control strategy, the experimental verifications are given. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can complete the automatic floor tiling with high accuracy.

This article presents a general overview of the heat recovery systems used in the ceramic tile production sector and gives an introduction into the outputs of the European research project DREAM developed in the frame of the EU Horizon 2020 program. DREAM stands for 'Design for Resource and Energy efficiency in cerAMic kilns' and has the aim of studying new techniques for reducing consumption and environmental impacts in the ceramic production cycle.

In this study, the effect of perlite from NW Turkey on the physical properties of ceramic tile bodies was investigated. The phases present in the raw materials were measured by X-ray diffraction while chemical analysis of the raw materials were determined by X-ray flouresence. Colour, water absorption and firing shrinkage of the raw materials were investigated. The data obtained from this study showed that the addition of NW Turkey perlites improved sintering behaviour of ceramic tile bodies, Therefore, alternative tile compositions were formulated using perlite as a substitute for common alkali bearing raw materials. The sintering behaviour of the standard bodies and that of the perlite containing bodies were characterized using a double-beam optical non-contact dilatometer. Moreover, the effect of perlite on firing shrinkage (%), water absorption (%), apparent porosity (%), apparent density (g/cm3), bending strength and colour values (L, a, b) were studied and resultant microstructures were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope studies (SEM). It was clearly observed that perlite improves sinterability of the tile bodies but increases the firing shrinkage due to the presence of water in its structure. The low thermal expansion values of the sintered bodies containing perlite makes it a visible raw material for porcelain stoneware tiles. Resumen: Se ha investigado el efecto de una perlita de la región de Biga (noroeste de Turquía) sobre las propiedades físicas de composiciones estándar de gres porcelánico. Las fases presentes en las materias primas y su composición química se han determinado por difracción de Rx y fluorescencia de Rx, respectivamente. También se determinó algunas propiedades físicas de las materias primas cocidas como el color, la contracción y la absorción de agua. Se han planteado composiciones alternativas empleando perlita como sustituto de materias primas aportadoras de óxidos alcalinos. El comportamiento en la sinterización de las composiciones propuestas ha sido evaluado por dilatometría. Además, también se ha estudiado el efecto de la perlita sobre las propiedades físicas de las piezas sinterizadas, así como sobre las fases y la microestructura de las mismas mediante difracción de Rx y microscopía electrónica de barrido. Se observó que la perlita mejora la sinterabilidad de las piezas, pero aumenta la contracción de cocción debido, en parte, al contenido de agua estructural de este mineral. Se observó claramente que la perlita mejora la sinterización de las de los azulejos, pero aumenta la contracción de cocción debido a la presencia de agua en su estructura. Los bajos valores de expansión térmica de piezas sinterizadas que contienen perlita lo convierten en una materia prima visible para las baldosas de gres porcelánico.

The present work shows the path towards the industrial production of ceramic tiles containing a high amount of recycling materials in the substitution of natural raw materials. Starting from the applied research at laboratory scale, which is able to demonstrate the work feasibility, other important milestones consist of pilot scale production until the proper industrial production. Finally, when all these steps are positively achieved, the practice is consolidated and it is possible to reach the concrete sustainability benefits (social, environmental and economic). The results of an industry driven project that aimed to produce porcelain stoneware tiles containing 85% of recycled materials were selected to show this path. This innovative ceramic product—containing soda-lime scrap glass from urban-separated collection (post-consumer waste) and unfired scrap tiles from industrial ceramic process (pre-consumer waste)—was sintered about 200 °C lower than a traditional porcelain stoneware tile. It maintains high technical performances belonging to class BIa of the International Standard of ceramic tile classification (EN ISO 14411). Moreover, this product fulfils the standard requirements for dry-pressed ceramic tiles with low water absorption (≤0.5%), and it obtained the certification UNI Keymark. The LCA study was also performed and the results showed a significantly lower environmental impact of this innovative product compared to a traditional porcelain stoneware tile.

The story of the rise and fall of thin-tile vaulting in Cuba after the revolution has always focused on the National Art Schools in Havana, which are typically presented by the scholarly literature as an anomaly in the history of modern Cuban construction. But as M. Wesam Al Asali, Dania González Couret, and Michael H. Ramage show in Beyond the National Art Schools: Thin-Tile Vaulting in Cuba after the Revolution, from 1960 to 1965, the Ministry of Construction (MICONS), led by architect Juan Campos Almanza (1930–2007), built many experimental structures featuring thin-tile vaulting. These designs attest to an innovative architectural program that envisioned the systematic use of thin-tile vaulting at a national scale for houses, schools, recreational structures, and industrial buildings. Drawing on extensive research in the MICONS archives, as well as site visits, interviews, and digital modeling, this investigation provides a nuanced account of the history of architecture in postrevolutionary Cuba. As the authors argue, thin-tile vaulting offered an ingenious and effective solution for a complex range of projects, balancing traditional craft with new technology, allowing for a wide range of different scales, and depending on only local, everyday materials.

The research focuses on the properties of by-products formed in the production of porcelain stoneware: polishing residue and residue of the mixture-preparation shop. The polishing residue consists of glassy phase (80%), quartz (14%), mullite (5%). Residue of the mixture-preparation shop consists of quartz (~ 18%), muscovite (~ 6.9%), kaolinite (~ 20.5%), calcium-sodium feldspar (~ 51.4%), diopside (~ 2.98%). Polishing residue occurs when polishing porcelain stoneware to create a glossy surface and when polishing the side faces of porcelain stoneware to obtain accurate tile geometry. The particle size of the polishing residue is less than 0.2 mm, and the residue of the mixture-preparation shop is less than 40 microns. Residue of the mixture-preparation shop is formed when cleaning equipment: mills, mixers, slipways, etc. The ways of utilization of by-product are follows: as a filler for the silicate production; for polymer-cement, water-dispersion and oil paints; as a filler for the production of roofing materials, bituminous roofing mastics based on organic binders; raw materials for the production of foam glass materials and products.

Ceramic foams were prepared from ceramic tile polishing waste and fly ash with borax as a fluxing agent at 925 °C. The foaming mechanism of SiC and the effects of borax on the mechanical properties, cellular morphology, and phase composition were investigated. The addition of 18 wt% borax lowered the sintering temperature by 300 °C and accelerated the passive oxidation of SiC, thus promoting the foaming process. The optimum ceramic foam obtained at 925 °C featured a homogenous porous structure, with an average pore diameter, low bulk density, high compressive strength, and high porosity of 1.20 mm, 0.55 g/cm3, 7.8 MPa, and 79.4%, respectively. The excellent mechanical properties make ceramic foams potential candidates for lightweight panels for partition walls and ceiling tiles in building applications.

The cost of construction materials and the required natural resources to produce the materials with the enabling environment is affecting the world's construction industry which is growing at an alarming rate. Also, plastic wastes have posed a major threat to the environment due to their large usage, non-biodegradability nature, and pollution through incineration and landfill. Recycling these wastes into tiles will be a great advantage. This study aims at examining mechanical properties of tile made from PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) wastes, fly ash, and river sand aggregate. The PET wastes of varying percentages of 100%, 90%, 70%, 50%, and 30% by weight to other aggregates. The evaluation of physical and mechanical properties shows that, in terms of material density, strength, and flammability resistance, the tiles with 30% of the plastic waste yields better results than other proportions of the waste. According to the results obtained, this composite tile has a very low % porosity value (2.8- 0.11%) compared to cement or ceramic tiles. Also, the composite tile (PFST1) with 30% and 35% sand and fly ash displayed lower flammability of 7.76mm/min linear burning rate and enhanced compressive strength of 11.10 MPa. The chemical tolerance of these composite tiles was also investigated by soaking in different acid, base, and alkaline for seven days, which has no significant difference in terms of weight and appearance. In conclusion, PET plastic tiles have good strength, decrease flammability, low water absorption, and eco-friendliness as tiles products. This prospect would not only minimize the cost of building products but will also act as a waste diversion to mitigate the environment caused by plastic waste disposal.

O uso de revestimentos cerâmicos é muito utilizado na construção civil, principalmente no Brasil, pelas vantagens que confere à edificação. No processo de fabricação das placas cerâmicas, atualmente, muitas delas passam pelo processo de retificação, que consiste na padronização das dimensões e retificação das laterais. Como resultado do processo de retífica, é gerado um pó residual (RRC – resíduo de retífica cerâmica) seco e de granulometria fina e que conforme os ensaios realizados, possui alto teor de sílica e alumina, porém pelo difratograma de raio x verifica-se a presença de cristais. Para o assentamento dos revestimentos cerâmicos tradicionalmente são empregadas as argamassas colantes industrializadas, às quais são compostas, essencialmente, de aglomerante hidráulico, agregado mineral, aditivos (dependendo a finalidade) e água. Sendo materiais correlacionados e buscando analisar a possiblidade de reinclusão do resíduo como material útil na construção civil, o objetivo deste estudo foi verificar as influências da substituição parcial da areia pelos RRC de monoporosa e de porcelanato, separadamente. Para tal, foram estudados sete formulações de traço, sendo 1 padrão e 3 diferentes composições em percentuais de substituição de 10, 15 e 20% para cada tipo de resíduo. Foram realizados ensaios com a argamassa no estado fresco e endurecido, sendo eles: índice de consistência, retenção de água, resistência de aderência à tração, determinação do tempo em aberto e absorção de água por capilaridade. Como resultado, foi possível observar que a inclusão de uma maior fração de finos na composição da argamassa afeta diretamente as características da mistura no estado fresco e endurecido. O aumento da área específica do agregado mineral acarreta demanda maior quantidade de pasta nas composições, o que reduz o índice de consistência, a redução da resistência de aderência e o não atendimento do tempo em aberto de 15 minutos, conforme o aumento do percentual de resíduo aplicado.

This research mainly focused on the properties of decorative white cement tiles which made from waste glass and white cement. The ratio of waste glass powder and white cement were studied at 10 : 90, 15 : 85, 20 : 80, 30 : 70, 40 : 60, 50 : 50, 60 : 40 and 70 : 30 by using water content at 30 %wt. All components were mixed and cast into the mould. Decorative white cement tiles were curing at 14, 21 and 28 days. In order to characterize physical and mechanical properties, all tiles were measured density, water absorption and compressive strength. According to the results, it can be obviously seen that density increased and water absorption decreased with increasing waste glass powder content. The highest compressive strength of around 36.5 MPa was found at 20 %wt of waste glass powder. However, compressive strength decreased with increasing waste glass powder over 20 %wt (waste glass powder 20: white cement 80). It was found that the lowest compressive strength of around 30.58 MPa was found at 70 %wt of waste glass powder. Curing time also affected properties as it was found that increasing curing time to 28 days resulted in increasing of density and compressive strength. In order to study how long does essential oil last on decorative white cement tiles, the orange essential oil at 1, 5 and 10 %wt were added into the white cement paste by using waste glass powder : white cement at 20 : 80 with 30 %wt of water. Decorative white cement tiles were smelled by 30 people every morning for 30 days and it can be found that 10 %wt of orange essential oil last longest on the decorative white cement tiles with 22 days.

For protection against high velocity projectile such as 7.62 mm or 5.56 mm, multilayered armor system (MAS) is suitably the best option. In the present work, the experimental study on MAS with a front Al2O3 ceramic tile followed by a composite of jute and kevlar reinforced with epoxy matrix has been studied. The analytical result has found to meet the performance requirement as specified by NIJ0101.06 when tested against 7.62 mm hard steel core (HSC) and mild steel core (MSC) projectile. It was found that all MAS with double ceramic tile has successfully defeated HSC and MSC projectile with maximum observed back face signature (BFS) as 26.71 mm and 28.70 mm, respectively. In case of single monolithic ceramic, 25.80 mm and 35.12 mm were the maximum observed BFS against HSC and MSC projectile. The extent of projectile damage has been more in HSC when compared to the MSC. Blunt erosion and core breakage were peculiar observations in HSC core, whereas a mushrooming and bulging were observed in MSC core. Macro- and SEM analysis of MAS has been studied to understand the energy dissipation and failure mechanism.

limestone is one of the sedimentary rocks and one of the most extended materials of this group which is widely used for production of cement, glasswork industries, tile making and heat resistance. Therefore, a research experiment was conducted in 2020 at of Poz-E- Wazirabad and Qachandara of Samangan province in Afghanistan to compare the similarity and the differences of petrographic characteristics and chemical composition of limestone in both mines. The samples were taken from both the mines for spectrometric analyses at directorate of laboratories of ministry of mining. Besides, the slides were prepared from these samples and the mineral composition, structure and texture characteristics were studied under petrographic microscope in laboratory of Geology and Mines of Kabul Polytechnic University. The main objectives of this study were to know the similarities and differences in petrographic characteristics and chemical composition of both mines, which in case of more similarities and favorability of Qachandara limestone mine; it would be suggested as a good source for establishment of a cement factory and other dependent industries on limestone in this province. The results indicated a lot of similarities with minor differences in both the mines. The minor differences were the amount of calcium oxides which was 52.54% in Poz-E-Wazirabad which was reduced in Qachandara mine to 47.81%. The magnesium content of Qachandara limestone was about 4% richer than Poz-E-Wazirabad limestone mine. The Poz-E-Wazirabad limestone was white in color while the Qachandara limestone color was gray to black, which shows the existence of organic matter in composition of this mine. The structure of limestone in Wazirabad mine was biomorphic but the limestone structure in Qachandara mine was oolitic.

In recent years, 360∘ video is becoming popular with the development of the virtual reality technology. However, the 360∘ video streaming faces many challenging issues since such video contains a large volume of data and requires streaming omnidirectional view. The Tile-based viewport-adaptive streaming method is used to deliver 360∘ videos more efficiently. In this method, a set of high and low-resolution tiles, corresponding to the viewport and non-viewport parts of the scene, is generated. These tiles are encoded and decoded independently using the Motion Constrained Tile Set (MCTS) technique. However, coding and decoding each tile independently, may create artifacts around the tile boundaries. In this paper, a novel method, called Resizing, is proposed to reduce the tile boundary artifact in tile-based viewport-adaptive streaming. In this method, the adjacent tiles are overlapped before encoding. Then, the overlapping tiles are downsampled to keep the resolution of video constant. This way, the mixed-resolution packing of 6K equirectangular (ERP) content, defined in MPEG Omnidirectional Media Format (OMAF) standard Annex D, can be used so that the output bitstream complies with the 4K-decoding constraint and the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard. Finally, the video is upsampled after decoding and the overlapping parts are removed. Then, a novel method to remove the overlapping areas at the decoder side is proposed that could increase the perceived quality considerably. Simulation results indicate that our proposed approach achieves a 14.14% reduction in bandwidth in the Bjontegaard-Bitrate scale, compared to the state-of-the-art methods that use variants of filtering for tile boundary artifact removal.

The effect of adding 0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1.0 wt.% halloysite clay, which calcined at 600, 800, 1000 and 1200°C, to the standard wall tile slurry was studied. Wet milled halloysite was sieved with different sizes to examine the halloysite grain size effect. The granulated samples were pressed by applying a pressure of 30 MPa using a hydraulic press and made ready for sintering at 1150°C for 30 minutes. Detailed technological, mechanical and microstructural characterization studies were done on sintered samples. Compared to standard wall tile, almost all the halloysite added samples displayed similar technological properties but higher green and fired strength values. The produced sample with adding 0.6% halloysite (at 600°C calcined) by weight showed a higher firing strength with 28.75 MPa value than the minimum requirement (17.75 MPa). Observation of needlelike microstructure in the porcelain body led to establishing a simple relationship between the interlocking effects of thin needlelike mullite grains and increasing strength values. This study has shown that the addition of calcined halloysite may be an alternative to produce a thinner section wall tile product.

The perplexing acoustical properties of a landscape architecture feature of Academy Park on the Purdue University campus have long been the subject of speculation. The feature, known informally as the “Clapping Circle,” consists of sixty-six concentric rings of stone tiles. When someone claps while at the middle of the circle, they hear a high-pitched squeak immediately afterwards. Experiments were conducted by the Purdue student chapter of the Acoustical Society of America to characterize this effect. The response to a clap played from an omnidirectional speaker placed at the center of the circle was recorded using a microphone positioned above the loudspeaker. Spectrograms of the recorded responses revealed the squeak to consist of a descending tone and its harmonics. This tone disappeared from the spectrogram when the tiles were covered with absorbing blankets. A model based on scattering from the bevels between the tile rings reproduced the descending frequency of the squeak. Similarly to famous stepped structures with notable acoustics, the tiles were found to scatter sound best when the wavelength was not larger than the tiles' spatial period. Thus, it was concluded that the squeak is an example of an acoustical diffraction grating which creates a repetition pitch caused by scattering from the tile formation. © 2021 Institute of Noise Control Engineering.

The concept of environmental sustainability and its applications in the ceramic industry has been raised due to the environmental issues related to the construction sector. This study evaluated and compared the environmental impacts of ceramic tiles manufactured by the current production technologies. Four different cleaner scenarios are applied based on cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. Scenario A refers to the energy recovery to supply heat for the drying process. Scenario B is related to efficient combustion. Scenario C relates to reducing the thickness of ceramic tiles to minimize energy consumption and save raw materials. Scenario D is a combination of the other scenarios. According to the results, the tile production stage is the main hotspot for all the impact categories except abiotic depletion and terrestrial ecotoxicity potential for all the cases. Scenario D has a 22% reduction in ozone layer depletion. The greenest option for glazed ceramic tile production is Scenario D. This scenario has the lowest global warming potential, being 21% lower than the base case. The findings of this paper could assist the government and ceramic producers in developing robust strategies for improving the sustainability of the Turkish construction sector and contributing to the country's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.

The increase of transverse segmentation is a trend in developments of modern calorimeter systems based on different technologies. The scintillator calorimeters assembled from SiPM-on-tile elements are now under development for future experiments at both lepton and hadron colliders. The study presents a validation of simulation of the response of a single SiPM-on-tile element. The experimental measurements are compared with the simulation using Geant4 framework followed by the digitization procedure that takes into account photodetector characteristics. The dependence on simulated optical properties is discussed and parameters are presented, which help to achieve a good agreement between data and simulation.

The present article is the result of an ongoing research project and aims to draw attention to simulated azulejo frames. On the one hand, these decorative elements isolate the compositions, closing them in on themselves. On the other hand, simulated azulejo frames help integrate with the tile decoration they are part of, which in turn is part of a global decorative system in line with the concept of artistic totality typical of the Baroque period. This article will examine the various solutions that resort to this kind of frame, known as canvas-frame, including decorative elements, plastic compositions and their effects or consequences for the overall decorations. Finally, the focus will turn to future research directions, based on the systematic cataloguing of the known examples.

The external surface of the building envelope absorbs large amounts of heat after long periods of solar radiation especially in the hot summer, leading to a dramatic increase in the cooling load and energy consumption. Phase change material (PCM) possesses the ability to reduce building energy consumption and improve thermal comfort when it is integrated with the building envelope. In this study, paraffin /expanded graphite (EG) composite phase change material was prepared to fabricate facing tile for building envelopes, with phase change facing tile (PCMT) attached to exterior walls and roofs. To present the full role played by the paraffin/ expanded graphite composite phase change material, microstructure, thermal and physical properties characteristics were investigated, thermal performance experiment of facing tile was carried out. The results showed that the maximum inner surface temperature difference between the PCMT and the ceramic tile reached 2.5°C, the maximum temperature time lag was 51 min. A simulation in EnergyPlus was used to evaluate the availability of using PCM to improve the energy efficiency of the building under the Guangzhou climate. The results showed that 2.65% energy savings were achieved. These results showed that PCM has thermal insulation performance, which would affect the indoor temperature and reduce building energy consumption to some extent.

Sustainable development is a rapidly growing area of focus for many interior design professionals. The hospitality sector of the world’s economy is growing. The environmental design of hotels can reduce the environmental impacts of growing tourism development. Interior designers can help influence this lasting movement through a suitable selection of interior finish materials that both meet the needs of our customers and could support this enduring commitment to change. The focus of this paper is to study the carpet tile floors used in hotels. The purpose of this study is designers’ important elements when highlighting the hotel with always design to consider evaluating floor materials for use. Research articles related to the design of the hotel have also been analyzed. The results of the material analysis shows that the design of a hotel good consumers feelings, self-brand links, satisfaction, preference, intentions of behavior and loyalty, beauty employees can affect enjoyment and well-being. Other contributions to hotel design Successful at business employment levels, maintenance costs, sales, increased efficiency, higher total operating profits, reduced capital and reduced investment need. The design of the hotel is also closely linked to stability.

This work focuses on the thermal transformations and gas emission of ceramic roofing tile pastes incorporated with up to 5 mass% of cigarette butt waste. Thermal and gas changes occurring during firing were determined by differential thermal analysis, thermogravimetry, dilatometric analysis, and photothermal technique. On heating, three endothermic effects and two exothermic effects in different temperature ranges were found. The endothermic effects accompanied by mass loss could be related to the release of adsorbed water, dehydration of hydroxides, and dehydroxylation of kaolinite. For all roofing tile pastes, an exothermic effect (~948.4–948.8 °C) associated with the formation of mullite was observed. However, the roofing tile paste incorporated with cigarette butt waste also presented an exothermic effect accompanied by mass loss at 350.2 °C due to the decomposition of cigarette butt waste, which influenced the total mass loss, thermal expansion–shrinkage curve, gas emission, and ceramic properties. The roofing tile pieces incorporated with up to 5 mass% of cigarette butt waste fired at 1100 °C showed ceramic properties (water absorption = 11.8–15.3 % and flexural strength = 8.3–12.4 MPa) in conformity for industrial roofing tile production. The thermal analysis results agree well with the gas emission and ceramic properties. Such results could be applied to determine the adequate amount of cigarette butt waste into the ceramic roofing tile paste.

Improving the operating efficiency of piezoelectric tiles is currently a significant subject of scientific study. The current work proposes a viable solution for enhancing the efficiency of existin...