Analysis of Retail Market Essay

Larger businesses in retail are generally more profitable than smaller businesses with many of the largest businesses historically among the most profitable in the economy. The larger retailers in Australia would appear to have enjoyed better returns on capital than their overseas counterparts and have continued to do so since the global financial crisis. Growth in retail sales has been slow in recent years. While short term or cyclical factors have contributed to this slowdown, the growth of retail sales has experienced a long term slowdown due to changes in consumer buying habits. Consumers are choosing to spend a smaller share of their income on retail goods because over the recent past, they are saving more and they are spending greater shares of their expenditure on services such as finance, rent and education. Further, while there has been price deflation in some sub-categories of retail, overall, sales volumes have continued to grow. The level of productivity in the Australian retail industry is low compared to retail in other countries in Europe and North America. However, the growth rate of productivity in retail, over the past two decades, has been similar to the average rate for all industries in Australia. Retailers have achieved productivity growth by increasing the capital intensity of their operations, including through adopting information and communications technology. Furthermore, investments in big box retailing have also been a factor. These changes occurred earlier in the US, and since then, US retailers have continued to achieve productivity growth by improving management and operations to make more effective use of labour and capital. These opportunities appear yet to be fully realised by most Australian retailers. A snapshot of the retail industry Retailing makes a significant contribution to the economy The retail industry is one of Australia’s largest employers. Currently, there are almost 140 000 retail businesses employing about 1. 2 million people or 10. 7 per cent of the total working population. Together, retail workers earn about $32 billion in wages and salaries each year, or 6 per cent of the economy’s total. The retail industry also makes a significant contribution to economic output, contributing $55 billion or over 4 per cent of GDP each year. However, it is a relatively small contributor to investment (table 3. 1). Table 3. 1 The contribution of Australian retail trade 2009-10a Retail trade Gross value added ($m) Employment (‘000s) Wages and salaries ($m) Investment ($m) Capital stock ($m) Number of businesses (end 2008-09) a Includes motor vehicles & parts and fuel retailing. Source: ABS (Australian System of National Accounts: gross fixed capital formation and capital stock, Cat. no. 5204. 0; Labour Force, Australia, Cat. no. 6291. 0, Counts of Australian Businesses, Cat. no. 8165. 0).

Childhood obesity Essay

If an American government official announces that childhood obesity is reaching epidemic proportions, it is completely unethical for that person to then endorse an unhealthy snack with their name and picture. The person that chooses to endorse unhealthy snacks but makes their living preaching against their sponsor is being an unethical representative of the company that is paying them to endorse the product and is sending a mixed message when on the job. The real ethical violation here is in business ethics. The man in the example is being paid to endorse an unhealthy snack. By accepting that contract, he has agreed to give his name and support to the product. To then preach against it from the pulpit of a government position is a violation of their contract with the business and a violation of their commitment to their job. Theoretically, if he is speaking out about childhood obesity in the course of his job, then he has a position related to the health of the nation. To the turn around and endorse an unhealthy project violates his contract with the American public to promote healthy behavior. In short, anyone who argues that childhood obesity is an epidemic and then endorse unhealthy snacks is the worst kind of hypocrite. This person is taking money from both sides of the argument and cannot effectively represent either side. He has stolen from both his government employer and from his snack time employer, failing to do what either of them paid him for. In that instance, he should be fired from both jobs and sued by both employers for fraudulently accepting their money.

Asthma in Children Essay

Table of Contents Introduction †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 Overview †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 What is Asthma †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 What are the signs and symptoms of asthma? .. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 What can make asthma symptoms worse? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 What is the treatment for asthma? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Peak flow and its importance †¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 Asthma Action Plan †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 Patient Information Leaflet †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 10 Summary †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 11 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 13Introduction â€Å"Asthma can affect anyone, any age, anywhere, but it is particularly common among children. Nowadays asthma affects one in five households in the United Kingdom, and i t is increasingly common. So how do you recognize the condition and minimize the impact on you, your child and your family? â€Å"(Barlow 2007). Often times parents of children with asthma are not given much information on what to do with their child after discharge from the Emergency department especially in patients who are newly diagnosed with asthma.This results in them bringing back their child even though the asthma attack is mild due to parents/carers knowledge about asthma or on home care is limited. Recent developments in the management of chronic illnesses such as asthma offer many possibilities for optimal control, but parents/main carers of children with asthma need to take on responsibilities for self-care. This paper reflects an informative approach on paediatric asthma. The aim is to give information about asthma, to give a brief definition, explain the symptoms of asthma, what the treatments are, what exacerbates the symptoms, and what to do if an asthma attack occu rs.The better the parent / carer and the child understand asthma and its treatment the better they will be able to manage and control it. It will also set out why a patient information leaflet should be introduced to help patients and carers to better manage symptoms at home and help reduce hospital attendances. Overview Whilst working in a busy north London Accident and Emergency ( A&E ) department It has been noted that when children attend with asthma they are discharged from the Department with no further information or support with regards to home care, especially the ones who are newly diagnosed.What happens often is that the parents are given the medications by the nurse without even explaining what to do next or what to watch out for with regards to their childs asthma because the nurse has limited time due to the fact that the department is often busy and there is no time to sit down and chat with the parents prior to discharge. After collaborating with the peadiatric secti on of the department a need has been identified for giving information to parents / carers about asthma in children to help reduce / prevent A&E attendances and help children be cared for at home by means of their parents and general practitioners(GP).Through writing an action plan I have identified what areas of information was needed to be covered in the information leaflet, these being: What is asthma? What are the signs and symptoms? What can make asthma symptoms worse? What is the treatment for asthma? What is a peakflow and its importance in managing the child’s asthma? What to do when an asthma attack occurs? An action plan after discharge from the department Useful contact numbers and website address’ What is asthma? At work I have encountered parents who have limited knowledge about asthma.It is a key issue for parents/ carers to know what asthma is In the leaflet, I have briefly mentioned the definition of asthma as derived by the World Heatlh Organization. T he World Health Organization defines asthma as a condition that affects the airways, it is due to the inflammation of the air passages in the lungs and affects the sensitivity of the nerve endings in the airways so they become easily irritated. in an attack, the lining of the passages swell causing the airways to narrow and reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs. (World Health Organization 2006)The leaflet also contains what signs and symptoms to look out for prior to an asthma attack. Basing from my own experience growing up with my youngest brother who suffered from asthma, I can remember my parents panic as soon my brother developed cough with mild shortness of breath which often times becomes a trip to the nearest hospital. What are the signs and symptoms? The information leaflet includes what symptoms to look out for when an asthma attack occurs. Out of all the research and reading that I have done, I have come up with four common symptoms.The common symptoms of asthm a, they are cough and wheeze which are constant or intermittent in nature. The child may also become breathless, and develop a feeling of chest tightness. the severity of symptoms differ from child to child – from mild to severe. The leaflet serves as a guide in what to do when these symptoms occur. What can make asthma symptoms worse? A part of the information leaflet is about what makes the symptoms of asthma worse. What factors can cause the exacerbation of asthma or â€Å" trigger factors â€Å" .According to the American Lung Foundation, â€Å" the cause of asthma is not fully understood, but it is thought that it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors, that asthma attacks are often triggered by certain conditions or stimuli. † ( American Lung Association 2007 ). The common triggers of asthma are exercise, infections, allergy, irritants, weather and emotions. â€Å"Exercise induced asthma (EIA) affects about 40-90% of children with asthma, an d occurs when a child's asthma is triggered by exercise or physical activities. Symptoms f coughing, wheezing, chest pain and difficulty breathing usually begin a few minutes after starting the activity and worsen over the next 5-10 minutes. Symptoms usually continue for about 20-30 minutes. â€Å" ( keepkidshealthy. com 2008 ) â€Å"Severe episodes of asthma are often triggered by respiratory tract infections including flu. Research shows that these infections are most frequently caused by virus more than bacteria. Bronchodilator medication, sufficient hydration and steroids (if indicated) are needed to control an asthma attack caused by viral infections.Allergies can trigger an asthma attack in children with asthma. † ( American Lung Association 2007 ). Allergies can trigger an asthma attack in children with asthma. â€Å"Histamine is released during an allergic reaction causing mucous to be excessively produced, the lining of the airway becomes swollen then muscle contra ction in the airway thus leading to an asthma attack. Allergens associated with asthma are common things like dust mites, feathers, moulds, pets, insects, pollens and ingested food such as egg, soy milk, etc.These causative agents can cause minimal reactions sometimes which are of no obvious consequence but daily exposure to the allergens can cause in gradual worsening of asthma. † (American Lung Association 2007 ). Irritants such as air pollution, cigarette smoke, fumes, chemicals and strong odours can irritate the respiratory system causing reactions such as cough, wheeze and mucous secretions. â€Å"Weather or climatic conditions can trigger an asthma attack; it basically affects outdoor inhalant allergens (pollens and moulds).On a windy day more allergens will be scattered in the air, while a heavy rainfall will wash the air clean of allergens but on the other hand, a light rain might wash out pollen, but actually increase mold concentration† (American Lung Associat ion 2007 ). â€Å"Emotional factors are not the cause of asthma, though emotional stress can infrequently trigger asthma† ( American Lung Association ). A child’s asthma might only be noticeable after crying, laughing or yelling in response to an emotional situation. These normal emotional responses involve deep breathing which in turn can trigger asthma.Emotional stress itself like anxiety, anger or frustration can also trigger asthma, but the asthmatic condition precedes the emotional stress. Emotions are associated with asthma for another reason, many children with asthma suffer from severe anxiety during an episode as a result of suffocation caused by the asthma attack. The anxiety and panic can then produce rapid breathing or hyperventilation, which worsens the asthma condition. The panic and anxiety should be controlled as much as possible; the parent should remain calm, encourage the child to relax and breathe easily and give appropriate medications. The aim is to control the asthma with the appropriate treatment, and when the asthma is well controlled the emotional stress level will be reduced† ( American Lung Association 2007 ). It is an important part of the care of asthma for the parents / carers to know what these factors are, knowing these triggers can help minimize an asthma attack, though some are unavoidable like weather or the fact that a child tends to be more active, the aim of management of the child’s asthma is to enable the child to live a normal life by teaching the parents / carers to recognize their own triggers as avoidance will prevent symptoms from occurring.A part of the information leaflet enumerates the most common triggers with given examples that can act as a stimulus to set off an asthma attack. What is the treatment for asthma? â€Å"There is no cure for asthma, although it can always be controlled† ( World Health Organization 2006 ). â€Å" For most children, asthma is a condition that can be controlled by inhaled medication at home. Continuity and stability of treatment is important. † (Barlow 2007 ) The devised information leaflet enumerates and briefly defines the medications for asthma.It is quite important for the parents / carers to know what the medications are, what are they for, when to use them, and how to use them properly. Hopefully, the literature will help parents / carers to understand asthma medications, for it is worth of consideration that asthma medications must be taken properly. This helps in the care of the child’s disease. Together with the Asthma Action Plan, an appropriate assessment of the child’s symptoms and administering the proper asthma medication at the right time helps in the control of the disease at home.The primary goal for the treatment of the child’s asthma is to achieve the greatest possible control over the disease by reducing exacerbations, and limiting symptoms in order to optimize the quality of lif e of the child. â€Å" the potential for limitation of normal living is immediately apparent, but the actuality is related to a patient’ ability and willingness, to adhere to, and the nature of, a health professional’s recommended regimen† Christie et. al ( 1993 ). Peak flow and its importancePeak flow has it’s place in the care and management of asthma. The information leaflet briefly defines what is peak flow and justify why it should be monitored. The literature emphasizes that in managing asthma in children, parents are encouraged to obtain their child’s peak flow rate for measuring the peak flow helps in monitoring their asthma. The correct technique in obtaining the peak flow should also be reiterated for a false reading can greatly affect the management.However, in children who are under five years it is unreliable due to the fact that their ability to use the peak flow meter properly is doubtful, therefore it should only be attempted in chi ldren who have formerly and regularly used the peak flow devise. A criteria in the Asthma Action Plan is to measure the child’s peak flow rate for it helps to determine the severity of the episode, it helps decide when to use the prescribed asthma medications, and decide when to seek emergency care. Asthma Action PlanIn managing the child’s asthma, it is important to know what symptoms to look out for, what medicines to take, how much and when to take them, all of this should be recorded in the Asthma Action Plan. Prior to discharge from the emergency department, the Asthma Action Plan together with the information leaflet is given to the parents/ carers to use at home to act as a guide in managing an attack of their child’s asthma. It contains the symptoms to look out for and what to do if they occur.It also acts as a tool for the parents and their doctors to monitor the child’s asthma, prior to discharge from the Emergency Department the doctor and the Peadiatric nurse should have completed and discussed the form to the parent. Patient Information leaflet In the current political climate of patient autonomy, patient information leaflets can aid patients, parents and carers to achieve this autonomy. Research has shown that patients may forget half of what they have been told within five minutes of a medical consultation and retain only twenty per cent of the information conveyed to them. â€Å"Providing patients and families ith written information may reduce anxiety, improve use of preventative or self care measures, increase adherence to therapy, prevent communication problems between health care providers and patients and lead to more appropriate and effective use of healthcare services† (Moult et al, 2004). The importance of written patient information has been recognized by the department of Health and the NHS. The NHS Plan states that patient information is an integral part of the patient journey. The Centre for Health Information Quality identifies three key attributes of quality health care information materials: a. he information should be clearly communicated; b. be evidence based; and c. involve patients in the development of the materials (Centre for Health Information Quality in Moult et al, 2004). Research has exposed problems with the readability and usability of a wide range of patient information leaflets (PILS) on diverse matters. The majority of PILs, regardless of their subject, require relatively high reading skills that may not exist in a large proportion of their target population (Zorn & Ratzan, 2000 in Gal & Prigat, 2005).In 2002, the Department of Health published the ‘Tool kit for providing patient information which provides detailed guidelines for writing and designing health care information. The toolkit includes guidelines in the form of ‘points to consider’ and checklists for presentation of various types of information. Readability is often mentioned a s a measure of the quality of written health care information an several scales have been deployed to evaluate the reading level of written information and several scales have been developed to evaluate the reading level of written information. Spadero, 1983). Moult et al. (2004), explains that the lower the reading level, the more likely that the information can be read and understood by a large proportion of the public. Summary The purpose of this essay is to discuss the need which has been identified and to implement change in the peadiatric area in the Emergency Department ( ED ) with regards to patient information about asthma in children. â€Å"The appropriate selection of medications is only one aspect for the provision of a comprehensive approach to all aspects of managing asthma.In particular, parents / carers need education, support and guidance, on how to manage their child’s condition† ( National Institute for Clinical Excellence 2007 ) I have accessed many online web sites and read articles to see what information was available to combine together to produce such information leaflet. The intention of the devised information leaflet is to give information to parents / carers about asthma in children to help reduce or hopefully prevent ED attendances and help children with asthma be cared for at home by means of their parents and GPs. Technological and pharmaceutical developments make feasible the more effective control of chronic conditions, but clinician’s perception of optimal management may result in patients carrying increased responsibilities for maintenance of their physical well – being that can compromise the quality of their daily life† ( Christie et. al. 1993 ), hopefully the information leaflet can facilitate and provide advice, as a part in the holistic approach in managing the child’s asthma at home when the child is discharged from the Emergency department.The information leaflet can also be ut ilized as useful tool to teach junior staff in the Emergency Department. A reading material for the newly qualified staff members to read and use to further enhance their nursing knowledge about asthma, that it can aid the nurse as guidance in their initial assessment and help in anticipating the needs of a child who presents in the Emergency Department with asthma.Hopefully in the future, the information leaflet can be used as a useful tool for health promotion which can be utilized by other members of the health care setting such as health visitors, school nurses, and others in the community settings. Reference: American Lung Association (2007): childhood Asthma Overview http://www. lungusa. org/site/pp. asp? c=dvLUK9O0E=22782. [accessed Dec 2007] Barlow(2007)http://www. childrenfirst. nhs. uk/families/features/illnesses/managing_childhood_asthma. html [accessed Jan 2008] Christie et. l (1993)Development of child – centered disease – specific Questionares for living with asthma , Psychosomatic medicine 55:541 – 548 Department of Health. ( 2002 ) Toolkit for Producing Patient Information. London: HMSO, 2002. London: Department of Health Gal, I & Ayelet Prigat (2005) Why organizations continue to create patient information leaflets with readability and usability problems: an exploratory study: Health Education Research Vol. 20 no. 4 pp485 – 493. Keep Kids Healthy (2007) :Exercise Induced Athma http://www. keepkidshealthy. com/asthma/exercise_induced_asthma. html [accessed Dec 2007]Moult, B. et al (2004) Ensuring Quality Information for Patients: development and preliminary validation of a new instrument to improve the quality of written care information: Health Expectation Vol 7 pp165 – 175. National Institute for Clinical Excellence:Inhaler devices for routine treatment of chronic asthma in older children, ;www. nice. org. uk [ accessed Dec 2007 ] Spadero, DC (1983) Assessing readability of patient information materials. Pae diatric Nursing, Vol 9 pp274 – 278. WorldHealthOrganization:Asthma in children; http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs307/en/index. htm. [accessed Jan 2008]

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rhetorical Analysis - Essay Example In this case, he found himself writing about President Barack Obama's job speech. He is a man who has heard it all before and has grown weary of Washington politics but he knew better than to ram his personal opinion down his readers throats. He chose to let his readers judge the president's speech for themselves. This was the message he delivered in his editorial and I must say that he presented good arguments that could persuade any reader to agree with him about the inefficacy of the Obama job speech. He analyzed all the important aspects of the speech. What he thought was effective, discussion points that he believed were of importance but were skimmed over in the speech, and other topics the president covered which may not be of any real benefit to the people of America. His point of view is conveyed with such strong sentiment and sympathy for the working class people is geared towards opening the eyes of his readers. Fredericks asks his middle class readers to not be the blind followers that the President Obama believes the American people to be. Instead, he is asking the working class to learn how to say no to the president. He asks the readers to look back on what we should all consider to be the failed policies of this administration that did not do anything to stimulate the economy but rather, added to the already heavy tax burden of the people. His editorial has an ethical appeal about it. Instead of appealing to their pathos directly, he presents the readers with sentence, that are sure to appeal to and engage his readers emotions upon reading it. Take for example the following statement from his editorial: The style and delivery of the president's address was true to form: fiery, powerful, passionate and exquisitely conveyed. It's the substance of his message that's the problem. Mr. Obama offered more of the same policies that got us into this mess in the first place: deficit spending and government-sponsored job creation initiatives. He called his plan the American Jobs Act. (Fredericks, Editorial: Obama's Job Speech -- There He Goes Again, DaliyPress.com) For this particular editorial, he employs the Intrinsic Ethos. Although Mr. Frederick is not a seasoned politician, neither is he on the political staff of any politician, he has the ability to intrinsically convey his thoughts and sentiments regarding President Obama's job speech because this is a matter that directly affects him through his job as a reporter. The speech also affects his family directly because of the lessened buying power of the U.S. dollar that comprises his salary. He is a man who works hard for his living and is worried about whether he will still have a job tomorrow. He worries about the thought that he could lose his job and he would have nowhere to turn. He is the kind of man who, because of the nature of his job, knows that less government interference in the affairs of the economy would actually lead to a resurgence of jobs and a stimulated econo my. It is very easy to understand why his logic can easily persuade the reading public to believe in the weakness of President Obama's job speech. His claims sound highly valid and reasonable and the proof that is needed in order to believe the inefficacy of the president's job plan can be seen in everyday life by the common man. His writing style does not merely ride on the strength of the emotions he created within his audience (pathos) or the status or credentials of Mr. Fredericks himself

E-mail as way of communication in business Essay

E-mail as way of communication in business - Essay Example The paper tells that email is a way of transferring digitised information from the source to one or more recipients using a web enabled device. It requires that the two parties have access to the internet to make the exchange complete; its servers receives information from the sender, directs it to the recipient and stores the content to be accessed at will thereafter. With improvements in computer technology, traditional forms of communications shifted from physical print outs for instance, memos to modern digitised forms which include internal email. This is used by businesses and organisations for communicating with its employees. This form of communication has brought with it some challenges which were only realised after corporations realised that there was minimal control over information exchanged among employees and the outside environment. Despite compliance standards set by corporations to guide employees on the right email content to use for internal communications, the nu mber of emails exchanged in a day is so many that internal control mechanisms cannot effectively handle. In 2008, about 103 billion emails were sent in corporate companies the world over. These are some of the problems associated with internal mail. Phones 4u is a large mobile phone retailer based in Britain, since its inception in 1987 by John Caudwell and his brother Brian, the store has grown leaps and bounds to boast of 550 outlets in the United Kingdom. This company operates in a tough business environment and transformed its internal processes over time, to cope with increasing consumer needs. Britain’s communications regulator (Ofcom) found Phones 4u liable of various malpractices ranging from lying to clients about their coverage, and delay in refund processing to those who purchase faulty phones. Due to such damaging allegations, the store did an internal check to determine the root cause of these inefficiencies and address them. Among the resolutions was rejection o f internal email as a communication medium within and outside the company to monitor information flow to protect its brand from lurid accusations that were threatening its existence. Along with other changes effected for instance, provision of insurance packages for Smartphone buyers to reduce costs associated with customer returning damaged phones that are within the warranty period, it performance has rebounded with turnover growing 22% in 2010. Disadvantages of using internal email Liability: Unmonitored use of email can lead to consequences relating to violations of internal corporate rules and government regulations. Companies have internal intelligence and secrets that they may want to be kept private within its boundaries, they however, do not have the capacity to shield employees from knowing the same. Other modes of communication can be monitored to gauge its compliance; however, information contained in email is drafted by the sender, who decides on the context. The copy s ent to the recipient can however be retrieved by investigators at the request of the authorities if it results in a civil lawsuit. The aims of corporate compliance is: to protect employees from unwanted behaviour, protecting company’s assets from misuse due to inefficiencies, minimise corporate risk and streamline operational processes to increase output. This secretive nature of email message exchange makes employees be tempted to use the medium to exchange private, but damaging information to other people for whatever gain. For instance, an employee might leak a product diversification plan by his company, the competitor who requested for the intelligence then wards off competition by introducing his own version of the same, with the same formula, to sabotage the originator (Smith & Mounter, 2008, p. 127)2. The government engages with corporate bodies on a daily basis, these businesses might hide some information from the government especially on matters relating to financi al position. For

Regional policing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Regional policing - Essay Example A recent manual promoting regional policing cites seven advantages of regional policing as compared to the previous system of devolved units: i) Improvement in the Uniformity and Consistency of Police Enforcement, ii) Improvements in the Coordination of Law Enforcement Services, iii) Improvement in the Distribution and Deployment of Police Personnel, iv) Improvement in Training and Personnel Efficiency, v) Improved Police Management and Supervision, vi) Reduced Costs and vii) Improved Career Enhancement Opportunities for Police Officers. (Regional Police Services, 2011, pp. 3-4). There are also some accepted disadvantages and these are a) Loss of Local Non-enforcement Services, b) Loss of Local Control and c) Loss of Citizen Contact. A close analysis of the advantages reveals that the main beneficiaries of regional policing are the government departments, and of course the taxpayers who fund them, because regional policing reduces costs and makes efficiency gains. It could also be argued that more uniformity and consistency, along with better management and supervision of personnel results in a fairer and more effective police force, which again benefits the taxpayer. The creation of bigger units of service delivery also benefits police personnel, because there is a greater potential to move sideways to try different roles and gain more experience, and to apply for promotion. The downside of emphasizing regional policing over local or community policing, is that some traditional practices, such as the use of police for particular local non-law enforcement functions, such as those related to parking and permits, may no longer involve police. This removes the reassurance of police presence from the public space, and results in lower visibility and perhaps also a reduced linkage between the local people and their police force. In a way regional policing

Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management Assignment

Contemporary Issues in Strategic Management - Assignment Example Vodafone reached this enviable position through a series of alliances, joint ventures and acquisitions. Section 2 of this paper analyzes Vodafone’s value chain and elucidates its capabilities and core competencies. The Porter’s generic strategies have been discussed and an explanation of which type of strategy Vodafone pursued has been detailed in Section 3 of the paper. Section 4 of the paper discusses in depth the acquisition strategies of Vodafone. An in-depth analysis of pre-acquisition rationale and steps involved therein like analysis of strategic fit, valuation methods and due diligence has been done. The post integration efforts have also been detailed in this section. An attempt has been made to apply the Haspeslagh and Jemison Framework in the post integration efforts. The discussion in this section extends to gauging the overall effectiveness of the acquisition strategy. Any organization with a global footprint can pursue a global strategy, a multi-domestic strategy or a transnational strategy. Vodafone’s choice of International strategy has been discussed in Section 5 of this paper. An organization is able to compete successfully in the marketplace if it can deliver superior value to its customer vis-Ã  -vis the rival firms. The creation of this value entails a series of activities which have been referred to as the value chain by Michael Porter. The arrangement and completion of various activities and their linkages determine whether the firm will be able to manufacture a product for which the customer is willing to pay a price that is higher than the cost of producing the product. The activities in the value chain are divided into two broad categories namely primary activities and support activities (Grant, 2010, Pg 111) . The primary activities enable the manufacturing of the product that the organization intends to sell in the market. This offering may be goods (tangible products) like

Financial health of HKM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial health of HKM - Essay Example We see that HKM is doing a profitable business and the profits can sustain growth and expansion. The balance sheet allows a comparison of the assets the company owns and the liabilities. HKM has total assets amounting to 14278. Comparing this with the liabilities it reveals that HKM is not overburdened in any way by debts. Some ratios can help here. Liquidity is defined as a business' ability to meet its financial obligations2. It shows whether it is able to pay its short term bills (liquidity) and also projects whether its going to be able to service its long term debts when they become due (solvency). Two of the applicable ratios to calculate for HKM are: Going by the above analysis, HKM is doing rather well for a two-year old company. The company has recorded an impressive net profit, it is very liquid and the asset turnover ratio confirms that the company is very efficiently utilizing its assets. For more on ratio analysis see Lynch foulks (2001). The next tool of determining the condition of a business is the break-even analysis. According to some authors it is the volume of unit sales that must be made to at least recover the cost of sales3. For HKM Break-even is calculated as below Break-even analysis helps the management of a business to know the volume of sales that is needed to start making a profit4. ... Current ratio. It is a measure of a company's stability and efficiency. It is calculated as Current assets/current liabilities. = 3278: 1 372 = 8.81: 1 This is saying that HKM is able to pay its short-term obligations 8 times over and that's good news. Net working capital ratio. Net working capital is Current assets - current liabilities Net working capital ratio = Net working capital Total assets = 2966 = 0.21 14278 Return on assets. This ratio tells you the asset intensity of a company and is calculated as; Net income/Total assets = 17966:1 14278 = 1.258:1 1. Activity analysis ratio: Assets turnover ratio. Determines the total sales for every asset. The ratio tells you how efficiently a company utilizes its assets. = Sales Total assets = 87824:1 14278 = 6.15:1 Going by the above analysis, HKM is doing rather well for a two-year old company. The company has recorded an impressive net profit, it is very liquid and the asset turnover ratio confirms that the company is very efficiently utilizing its assets. For more on ratio analysis see Lynch foulks (2001). Chapter 2. Break-Even Analysis The next tool of determining the condition of a business is the break-even analysis. According to some authors it is the volume of unit sales that must be made to at least recover the cost of sales3. For HKM Break-even is calculated as below Contribution per item = 87824-56676-3954.6 500 = 54.39 Break-even point = 9227.4 169.66 54.39 Margin of safety = 500-170 * 100 500 = 66% 2.1 Benefits of the break-even analysis. Break-even analysis helps the management of a business to know the volume of sales that is needed to start making a

Custmer and supplier Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Custmer and supplier - Essay Example The students create a demand for the services offered by the professional fraternity. Instructors are expected to offer a conducive social environment that encourages responsiveness in a class or lecture hall (Tomas 31). The teachings delivered are expected to increase student productivity in the engineering field. This includes using competitive instructional formats and preparation for the job market. Registrar The role of registrar is to facilitate admission and ensure the enrolment of engineering students is smooth. This includes ensuring the integrity of examinations and clear submission of thesis and other academic requirements are fulfilled. The office of registrar ensures the logistical preparedness of the student is achieved. This also entails considering the students under interdisciplinary programs have maximized their services with minimal interferences. The number of students is directly proportional to the workload in the office of registrar. This means that students af fect the demand to registrar services. Cafeteria This is the place where students get meals. The profitability of cafeteria business depends on the number of students using the service. The cafeteria system supplies food to the other stakeholders who include lecturers and students. The students create a demand for food services and the cafeteria supplies to offset the demand (Tomas 19). The success of students and cafeteria systems is mutually inclusive. Internet suppliers Most of the students have access to internet services through wireless networks and other centers like cyber cafes. The internet service providers ensure that fast service is delivered for research and other academic assignments. This ensures that students perform according to the expected standards. Engineering and computer students are perceived to become increasingly dependent of internetworking and other advanced software. The supply of the international networks forms the core of the expected competencies in the coursework. The internet service providers gain through increased coverage and subscription. The rise of technologies like video conferencing and electronic library services has given rise to renewed demand for information technology services and providers. This is the foundation of virtual learning. Technological companies like Google and Microsoft have created an atmosphere for virtual platforms to meet the growing demands. Students and university policy initiatives e.g. Recreation services and discoveries The college environment for engineering students offers an enabling atmosphere for students to access recreation services. Some the structures include five star hotels with swimming pools, conference centers and other prestigious facilities. Most of these investment targets the college fraternity which includes students, lecturers, workers and other staff within universities. The students create a demand for the facilities depending on the level of education and academic nee ds. Interuniversity contests take place in these facilities. The hotels offer multiple services which include high profile meals and specialized accommodation services. These hotels target high level learning events, wealthy students and lecturers among others. They offer practical in case of special arrangements which interested university departments. The demand for specialized facilities is directly

Chinese Influence On Your Culture Essay Example for Free

Chinese Influence On Your Culture Essay Historically, Vietnam has undergone many wars with some countries all over the world. After each war, Vietnamese culture was influenced by those countries. Especially, China is the huge country, which dominated Vietnam for a thousand years, (countryside, n,d). Thus, it is no surprise that Vietnamese culture has been affected by Chinese culture in many aspects such as calendar, language, religion and food. The most obvious influence can be seen is the calendar. In Vietnam, there are two different kinds of calendar. First calendar is International calendar, which is counted by the suns circulation. Another calendar is counted by the moons circulation, which is also known as lunar calendar, (fullmoonphases, n.d). Based on lunar calendar, we have some celebrations such as Lunar New Year, which is also called Tet holiday. It is the most important celebration in both countries. Besides that, in August of lunar calendar, Vietnamese have Moon day on 15th, August, which is known as Mid-Autumn festival. In that day, Vietnamese eat moon cakes and children bring lanterns, walking around their neighbors houses. Vietnam and China share similarities in celebrations due to the effect of Chinese calendar. Secondly, the influence of Chinese culture is apparent in Vietnamese language. Because China colonized Vietnam for over a thousand years, the Vietnamese language developed based on Chinese. In the 13th century, Chu Nom, which was known as Vietnamese writing, was developed but it was not popular in daily life of Vietnamese, (lonelyplanet, n.d). Until the 15th century, Vietnamese still used traditional Chinese language and after the middle of 20th century, it was superseded by the new, Latin alphabet, (languagetranslation, n.d). However, the greatest influence on Vietnamese language is Chinese language. It is about 60% of the Vietnamese words that can be known as original Sino-Vietnamese, (Chinatravel, 2014). Besides language that Vietnamese use daily, Chinese also affect Vietnamese literature. When people go to high school, they have to study creation and poetics in origin from China. Up to now, Chinese language still exists in Vietnam as a valuable subculture. Apart from the influences that have been mentioned above, the transformation of religious views is also remarkable owing to Chinas domination. Confucianism appeared in Vietnam in the first century by Chinese, when they were dominating Vietnam. It advocates a code of social behavior that man ought to observe so as to live in harmony with society and attain happiness in his individual life, (Huynh, n.d). Moreover, this religion has a slight point of view about world beyond and death. Besides that, Buddhism is one of the greatest religions all over the world. It is very popular in Asia, (history, n.d). In the second century B.C. Buddhism was introduced by Chinese and Indian, who came by ocean, (Huynh, n.d). As those religious view dated, they have become popular and developed prosperously in Vietnam, especially Buddhism. Finally, Chinese also has wide impacts on Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese have rice and vegetable for their mean meals daily. During the time of domination, Chinese people spread their cooking methods to Vietnamese. For example, they taught Vietnamese how to steam and stew in clay pots, (southeastfood, n.d). Furthermore, in some special occasions, both Vietnamese and Chinese people have typical dishes for each celebration. For instance, Lunar New Year is the biggest festival that has tangerines and oranges. It is known as lucky and wealthy fruit. Nevertheless, Chinese and Vietnamese do not organize tangerines and oranges in fours because this number is believed to have a connection with the death, (chow, n.d). In addition, typical food in Mid-Autumn festival is Moon cake. It is made of flour, pork, egg and a lot of kinds of peas, (chinesefood, n.d). During of this time, Vietnamese usually eat moon cakes and drink tea with their family. It is obvious that thanks to China domination, Vietnamese cuisine had a novel and wonderful break-through. In conclusion, the Vietnamese share many similarities in culture with Chinese because of the domination of Chinese. A thousand years is really such a long time to be colonized. Moreover, when Chinese had dominated Vietnam, they left behind many terrible consequences. For example, many people died and Vietnamese had to live independently during the war, which occurred between  Vietnam and China. On the other hand, Chinese directed Vietnamese about language, religions and cuisine in the period of national construction. Up to present, even though Vietnam is a dependent country and about to become a developed country, Vietnamese culture is still influenced by Chinese.

Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites to Strengthen Structures

Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites to Strengthen Structures Aim The project aim is to identify the use of FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymers) composites in strengthening of structures. The general process and methodology considered in achieving this objective is by externally bonding Fibre reinforced plastics to the metal structure/plate and thus testing the specimen under 3 point bend as well as 4 point bend tests. The preliminary report will focus on the project introduction, literature review related to the project topic, project plan and further to be carried out. Analysis of Tasks As mentioned the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main focus is strengthening of structures. So the question is why is there a need for strengthening of structures? The reason behind the strengthening of structures is that the structure will be able to support greater magnitude of loads than the values for which the structures are originally designed. Strengthening may become necessary in course of time in order to overcome the damage caused due to environmental factors such as corrosion as well as fatigue cracking. The method of bonding reinforcement represents an attractive solution to the problem as it can be achieved with relatively small impact on the structure. The next stage of the preliminary thesis will focus on the literature review. The literature review section is divided in to two sections firstly it will focus on the topics related to the Composite Materials, which will involve the following topics. Definition of Composite Material Classification of Composite Materials Types of Matrix Types of Reinforcement Advantages and Disadvantages of Composite Materials Manufacturing of Composite Materials The next section of the literature review will focus on the topics related to strengthening of structures. For this section following topics will be considered. Different Methods for Structure Strengthening Different Methods for Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites. The preliminary thesis will also look at the comparison between the structural strengthening using FRP Composites and Steel plates. This will help in giving a suitable reason as to why Composites are preferred over Steel plates for structural strengthening. Composites are considered as one of the most promising material for reducing the weight as well as increasing the strength of the material. The theory of hybrid material has been successfully exploited when studying sandwich panel technology. Now the concept of integrated multi materials is extended to a wider variety of structures, components and applications. Fibre reinforced plastics (FRPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s) have been successfully used for the post strengthening of structures over a number of years. The design and manufacturing of composites has led to its application in variety of industries such as automotive, aerospace, sporting goods, construction and in the marine as well as oil and gas industries. Moreover the method of bonded reinforcements also comes into account when there have been cases where errors in design or construction of a structure have questioned safety aspect. This can be achieved by externally bonding reinforcements at a cost of very small impact to the structures. Project Time-Line (Gantt chart) Literature Review Composite Materials Composite materials also known as composites are defined as a combination of two or more materials to give a unique combination of properties [1]. This definition is very general and thus includes metals, alloys, plastic co-polymers, minerals and wood. A material is only classified as a composite if the material satisfies the following conditions [2]: The material must be manufactured It should consist of two or more physically and/or chemically distinct, suitably arranged or distributed phases with an interface separating them. The characteristics of the composites are not depicted by any of the components in the isolation. Fibre reinforced composite materials differ slightly from the general definition because in this FRP the constituent materials are different at the molecular level and at mechanically separable. However the final material properties of the composite are better in comparison to that of the constituents. The figure 1 below gives a basic idea of how the structure of composite material looks like. The composites can be classified as fibre reinforced, particle reinforced, dispersion strengthened and laminates composites. Figure Structure of Composite Material [http://resources.edb.gov.hk/~s1sci/R_S1Science/sp/en/syllabus/unit14/new/images/s.gif] The composite material consists of two main elements the matrix and reinforcements (fibre). The classification of Composite materials is as shown in figure 2. Composite Materials Matrix Reinforcements Polymer Metal Ceramic Particle Reinforcement Fibre Reinforcement Structural Reinforcement Laminates Long Fibre Short Fibre Preferred Orientation Random Orientation Bidirectional Unidirectional Preferred Orientation Random Orientation Figure Classification of Composite Material Types of Matrix There are three main types of matrix considered when studying composites materials namely Polymer, Metal and Ceramic. Polymer Matrix composites are the most common types of matrix composites. They are also known as FRP (Fibre reinforced polymers). The resin used in here is polymer based combined with a variety of fibres such as Glass, Carbon and Aramid as reinforcements. Metal Matrix Composites are mainly used in the automotive industry. The materials use a metal for example Aluminium as the matrix which is then reinforced with fibres such as silicon carbide. Ceramic Matrix Composites are used in very high temperature environments. This type of materials uses Ceramic as the matrix and the matrix is then reinforced with short fibres such as Silicon Carbide and Boron Nitride. A matrix plays an important role in a Composite structure. There are several functions of Matrix most of which are very important to the satisfactory performance of the structure. The following points outline the important functions of the matrix. The matrix binds the fibre together and thus transfers the load to the fibres. The matrix provides the rigidity and shape to the structure. The matrix isolates the fibres such that each individual fibre can perform separately, due to this crack propagation process slows down. The surface finish quality of the structure is provided by the matrix. The matrix acts as a protection to the reinforced fibres from chemical attack and mechanical wear and tear. The type of material selected as matrix affects the ductility and failure mode of the structure together with the fibreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s compatibility. Types of Reinforcements The other constituent in the composite material is called the Reinforcement. This gives the composite the necessary strength and stiffness. The structure of the reinforcement is thin rod like. The most commonly used reinforcements are Glass, Carbon, Aramid, and Boron fibres. The diameters of these fibres range from 5 µm to 20  µm. [1] Due to the thin diameter of the fibre, the fibres are flexible and can be formed easily into any shapes. Fibres can come into many forms such as continuous fibre, discontinuous fibre, short fibres, long fibres, organic fibres and inorganic fibres. Fibre brings out the high performance of the material; this is due to three important characteristics of the fibres. The orientation of the fibres also has an impact on the performance of the composite. The fibres can be unidirectional, cross ply or random in its arrangement. Small diameter in comparison to the grain size. As a result of this higher fraction of theoretical strength can be attained. High aspect ratio (length/diameter); this allows a larger amount of load to be transferred. High degree of flexibility. The main functions of fibres are as listed below [1]; To carry the load. Hence fibres are made from materials with high tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Provides strength, stiffness, thermal stability and other structural properties in the composites. Provide electrical conductivity or insulation, depending on the type of fibre used. Advantages of Composites Composites are designed to perform in applications which require lighter weight and higher performance. The advantages of using composites are listed below. High resistance to Corrosion; due to this the application in marine, infrastructure and chemical is very good. High specific stiffness and high specific strength; this gives a weight reduction so is used for the application in aerospace, automotive and manufacturing of sporting goods. The impact resistance is high compared to metal. Higher fatigue strength. Unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites have good fatigue strength of almost 90% of its static strength. Composite materials offer increased amount of design of flexibility. For example the coefficient of thermal expansion of composite can be made zero if suitable constituents and lay up sequence is selected. As the coefficient of thermal expansion is relatively low compared to metals, the composite structure thus provides a good dimensional stability. Also due to the design flexibility, composite materials can be formed into any shapes. Process cycle times and costs are also reduced because of the use of composites in production of net shape and near net shape parts. Composite materials dampen the vibrations an order of magnitude better than metals. Glass reinforced and aramid reinforced composite meet the FAA and JAR requirements for low smoke and toxicity and thus are used in interior panels of aircrafts, stow bins and galley walls. Disadvantages of Composites There will always be limitations to the benefits of the composites. The disadvantages are as listed below. Weaker in transverse direction and low in toughness. Material cost is high compared to that of steel and aluminium. The lack of high volume production limits the wide spread use of composite materials. However this is changing as modern production methods such as Pultrusion, Resin transfer Moulding and other methods have been automated to increase the rate of production. The knowledge through books and database is limited when comes to designing parts with composite. Composites absorb moisture, which affects the properties and dimensional stability of the composite. Difficult to join together with other material due to its anisotropic properties and high sensitivity to damage. For example when drilling holes for mechanical fastening. Brittle like behaviour. Difficult to repair as most composites use thermo set matrices that can not be re shaped. On the contrary thermoplastics can be repaired how ever they are rare [4]. Solvent resistance, chemical resistance and environmental stress cracking of composite depend on the properties of polymers. Some polymers have low resistance to the solvents and environmental stress cracking[1]. Manufacturing of Composite Materials Before looking into manufacturing of composite materials; it is important to look at manufacturing of fibre performs briefly. Fibre performs is how fibre are manufactured before being bonded to the matrix to form a composite material. Fibre performs are often manufactured in sheets or filaments in case of spraying applications. The fibre manufacturing process is carried out by adopting the technique used in textile industry. The techniques used are weaving, knitting, braiding and stitching [5]. The manufacturing process of composite material in general can be divided into two main processes. Prepreg Moulding Wet Moulding PrepReg Moulding The process of prepreg moulding can be further categorized as: Bladder Moulding Compression Moulding Autoclave/Vacuum bag Moulding Mandrel Wrapping [6]Bladder Moulding: In this process the sheets of prepreg material are laid up and placed in female style mould along with a balloon like bladder. The mould is then closed and placed in the heated press. Eventually, the bladder is pressurized which then forces the layers of material against mould walls. The part is then cured and removed from the hot mould. The process is ideally suited for complex hollow shapes. Also the process has great cost to performance balance. Typical example of equipment using bladder moulding technique is the manufacturing of tennis racquet. Average cure cycle range is 15-60 minutes. Compression Moulding: A process where a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“performà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chargeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? of single moulding compound (SMC) or bulk moulding compound (BMC) or sometimes prepreg fabric is placed in the mould cavity. Once the mould is closed, the material is compacted and cured inside by heat and pressure. The process also offers excellent detailing for geometric shapes. The average cure cycle range is 2-20 minutes. The tooling is process is often more expensive. Auto Clave/Vacuum Bag Moulding: The figure below gives an idea of vacuum bagging for prepreg lay-up process. Figure Vacuum bagging for prepreg lay up process [http://www.highcomp.no/design/bilder/vacum/vacum.gif] Once all the prepregs are laid out in the desired sequence, vacuum bagging preparations are set up as per the figure 3 for curing of the part. First step is application of release film on the top of all the prepreg. The release film is a perforated film that allows captured air, excess resin and volatiles to escape. Secondly is the application of bleeder on top of release film; it is a porous fabric that absorbs moisture and excess resin coming from stack of prepregs/laminates. Thirdly is the application of non porous and non-perforated film on top of bleeder. After this a breather layer is applied; this is a porous fabric which creates even pressure around the part and at the same time allowing air and volatiles to escape. Then final layer is of vacuum bag. The vacuum bag is an expendable polyamide film. The film is sealed on all sides of laminate using a seal tape. A nozzle is inserted into the vacuum bag and is then connected to hose vacuum pump for creating vacuum. Mandrel Wrapping: In these process sheets of prepreg material is wrapped around steel or aluminium mandrel. The prepreg material is compacted by nylon or polypropylene cello tape. Parts are cured by hanging in the oven. Once the curing process is completed, the cello and mandrel are removed which results in a hollow carbon tube. Advantages of prepreg lay up process are that it is simple process when manufacturing complex parts. Also strong and stiff parts can be fabricated using this process. Also allows production of high fibre volume fraction. Prepregs usually have more than 60% fibre volume fraction. Limitations of the process being that labour is intensive as a result of which the process is not suitable for high volume production applications. Also parts manufactured by this process are very expensive. Wet Moulding Wet moulding process can be divided into following processes. Wet layup Spray Up process Filament winding Pultrusion Resin transfer Moulding (RTM) Resin transfer moulding under vacuum (VARTM) Wet Lay-up: in this process a fabric is placed in open mould which is then hand saturated with wet resin. The curing occurs normally at room temperature. However it can be cured at higher temperatures based on the heat resistance of the mould. The advantage of this process is that the material cost and tooling cost is low. Because of this the process is considered as low tech process. Spray-up process: The processing steps are similar to that of the wet lay-up process except for the method of creating the laminates. The basic steps are as follows [1]. The mould is waxed and polished for easy de-moulding Gel coat is applied to the mould surface and allowed to harden before building any other layer. The barrier coat is applied to avoid fibre print through the gel coat surface. Oven curing of barrier coat. Mixing of resin with fillers and the mixture is then pumped to a holding tank. Spraying of resin, catalyst and chopped fibres on the mould surface. This is done with the aid of hand held spray gun. The spraying is carried out in typical pattern to create uniform thickness of the laminate. A roller is then used in order to make the fibre and resin material compact as well as create a smooth and even surface. The laminate is then cured in the oven. The part is then de-moulded and sent for finishing work. The process of spray lay-up is very economical, maximizes the use of low cost tooling as well as low cost material systems however it is not suitable for making parts that have high structure requirements, fibre volume fraction can be difficult to control as well as the thickness. The surface finish on both the sides is not same. Also dimensional tolerance is poor. Filament Winding: This is a process in which resin-impregnated fibres are pulled and wound over a rotating mandrel at desired angle. The fibre pulled is from a wet bath of resin. Curing occurs at room temperature or higher temperature. The performance is limited and it is difficult to obtain uniform fibre distribution and resin content through out the thickness of the laminate. The process is very suitable for tubular parts such as pressure vessels. Figure Filament Winding Process [http://www.thaicomposites.com/images/filament-winding.gif] The advantages of this process being its ability to utilize low cost raw material and low cost tooling systems. It can be automated for the production of high volume composite parts. The figure 4 gives an indication of the filament winding process. Pultrusion: As the name suggests, it is a process which will have pulling and extrusion (cutting). In this process resin impregnated fibres are pulled through to make a part. Saturated material is pulled through a heated closed die and cured while continuously moving through the die. The figure 5 gives an indication of the process. Figure Pultrusion process [http://www.ultrafiberglass.com/pultrusion%20process.jpg] The advantage of pultrusion process is that it is a continuous process and can be completely automated to get the finished product. The process is suitable for making high volume composite parts. Utilizes low cost fibre and resin systems thus provide a low production cost of products. The limitations being that the thin wall parts, tapered and complex parts cannot be produced. Resin Transfer Moulding A resin and catalyst are placed in two separate tanks A and B. A release agent such as gel coat is then applied to mould for good surface finish. The preform is placed inside the mould and the mould is then clamped. The mould is then heated to a specified temperature. Mixed Resin is then injected at selected temperature and pressure. Vacuum is also created to remove air bubbles as well as assist in resin flow. The injection continues until the mould is completely filled. The vacuum is turned off. The pressure inside the mould is increased to ensure that remaining porosity is collapsed. After curing for certain period of time depending on resin, the composite part is removed from mould. In this process, fabrics are placed in to a mould and then wet resin is injected. Resin is pressurized and is then forced into the cavity which is under vacuum. In the VARTM process resin is completely pulled in to cavity under vacuum. This moulding process allows precise tolerance and detailed shaping, however this may result in at times failure to fully saturate fabric leading to weak shape in the final product. The figure and steps following the figure describe the process. Figure Resin Transfer Moulding [http://www.ctihuatai.com/index.files/rtmstatic.gif] Strengthening of Structures The next stage of literature review will now focus on the strengthening of structures. As explained earlier the need for strengthening of structures; it is important to look at first the different methods adopted in order to strengthen the structure. The structure strengthening methods include the following. Span Shortening Pre-stressed Concrete Section Enlargement Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites. Span Shortening This is method in which length of a beam is shortening. This is achieved by installing additional supports underneath the existing members. Materials used in this process are mainly structural steel members and cast in place reinforced concrete members. The members are connected mechanically using bolts and adhesive anchors. Span shortening reduces the deflection in the beam. This can be proved by means of simple calculation. P1ÃŽÂ ´1 Let us consider a beam of length à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“L (m)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? under a load P kN undergoing a 3 point bend test. l1 Where ÃŽÂ ´ is the deflection in the beam. Let us consider a pair of equations in order to calculate deflection in the beam. ; If ratio of the deflection is taken in to account, and doubling the span length meaning l2 = 2l1. Then, Then ÃŽÂ ´2 = 8 x ÃŽÂ ´1; this means that central deflection will become 8 times. So to conclude the method shorter the span, less deflection will occur at the centre. Pre stressed Concrete Pre stressed concrete is a method used for overcoming concreteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s natural weakness in tension. Pre-stressing tendons generally made of high tensile steel rods are used to provide clamping load that generates compressive stresses which balances out the tensile stress that would be experienced by the concrete beams due to bending [7]. The process of pre stressing can be achieved in three ways: pre tensioned concrete, bonded or un-bonded post-tensioned concrete. However the method is mainly used for civil engineering and construction projects. The figure below gives an indication of the method. Figure Pre Stressing Method [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/BRIDGE/pt/images/pt102.gif] Section Enlargement In simple terms, it is when the second moment of area is changed. The method involves placing an additional bonded reinforcement concrete to an existing structure member in the form of an overlay or a jacket. The main advantage of this technique is that it increases the load bearing capacity or stiffness. The technique reduces bending and shear forces on overstressed beams. Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites Fibre reinforced polymers are applied to strengthen structure. There method can be primarily divided in to two categories. One is the strengthening of structure at manufacturing phase and other is after manufacturing. The technique used to strengthen structure at manufacturing phase is known as Near Surface Mounted Reinforcement (NSMR) and the strengthening of structure can be achieved once the manufacturing is completed is by external plate bonding method. Near Surface Mounted Reinforcement Near surface mounted reinforcement is one of the latest and most promising techniques to be considered when strengthening concrete structures. Using FRP instead of steel in this technique has many advantages such as its better resistance to corrosion, quick and easy installation due to light weight. When compared with external bonding method, the NSMR has many advantages such as amount of site installation work is reduced for example removal of plaster, etc. second advantage being that NSMR is less prone to de-bonding from concrete substrate. NSMR bars can be easily anchored into adjacent members to prevent failures due to de-bonding. This feature is very important when considering flexural strengthening. NSMR bars can be easily pre-stressed. As the bars are covered by cover of concrete, so they are less exposed to accidental impact or mechanical damage such as fire or wear and tear. As the NSMR technique is new, the knowledge on this technique is limited than that of externally bonded reinforcement. In recent studies CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) NSM reinforcements have been widely used to strengthen structures. The following general steps must be performed during the strengthening. Sawing up slots in concrete cover, depth of the structure is dependent on the product used. After sawing of slots, careful cleaning is required. If using an epoxy system, the slots where the bars are to be installed must be dry before bonding. If cement system is used then the surface must be wet. Adhesive is applied in the slot when using epoxy system or cement mortar is used when using cement system. The figure below gives an indication of the technique. Figure Near Surface mounted Reinforcement technique [http://msw.mcmaster.ca/~koranyy/Photos/NSM-vertical.jpg] In the above figure it can be seen that a carbon fibre rope is placed in the centre of the brick wall and an epoxy paste is applied. The figure on the left is for vertical reinforcement and the figure on the right is for horizontal reinforcement. The second part of the images is the finished version of structure once the method is completed. The application of this technique is mainly on flat surfaces and is suitable for strengthening in bending. The process is also helpful in increasing the shear capacity of the beams. The next method considered for structure strengthening using FRP composites is external plate bonding. However it is first important to compare the advantage of using composites over steel plates. These are explained in the next segment of the report. External Plate Bonding The general principle of external plate bonding method is that in this method transfer of stresses takes place from the structural element to the additional plates that are adhered or bolted. Whilst strengthening structure many problems are faced such as. Load Increases: Structure with externally bonded plates has capacity to accept higher live loads for example in factories where heavy machines are installed. External plate bonding also reduces deformation and is also helpful where vibrations are an issue. Damage to Structural Parts: it can be utilized in cases where the building has been damaged due to fire or vehicle collision. Improvement in suitability: This can be achieved by limiting deflection and reducing crack widths and stresses. Modification of Structural System: Plate bonding provides a cost effective solution where structure has been weakened by removal of walls and columns or opening cuts. Errors in planning or construction: Plate bonding provides solution to earlier design errors and calculation errors. In general terms external plate bonding can reduce deflection thus limit cracking as well as increase the load bearing capacity and also increase the flexural strength and finally improve resistance to shear in certain cases. As the method of plate bonding can be achieved by both using Composites as well as steel plates so it is important to understand the advantage of composite over steel plates. This analysis will be carried on three grounds namely technical, practical/application and Economic. The table on the next page summarizes the technical differences between the composite and steel plates Composite Steel Plates High tensile strength of Carbon fibre (5650N/mm2) Tensile strength of steel is (235 N/mm2) No corrosion Highly prone to corrosion Strength to weight ratio is higher Strength to weight ratio is lower Table Technical differences between Composite and Steel Plates When performing practical application on site; installation of steel plates requires an extensive amount of work such as drilling holes in plates, wrapping plates and bolting the plates. Where as the composite plates would require very limited work such as bonding to the metal plate using an epoxy. Table 2 summarizes the economic differences Potential Cost Composite Steel Plates High Low Volume Typically 10-50% of steel Relatively high Adhesive smaller area of plates required so less adhesive Area of plates is high so higher amount of adhesive Preparation Off site On site Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Labour Requirement Low High Equipment Low High Temporary support None Yes Time Fast Slow Table Economic Differences between Composite and steel plates The application of the plates externally can be varying such as if the surface is horizontal than FRP is applied horizontally or in the U shape. If the structure is a circular column then FRP is applied by wrapping around it. Wrapping sheets have fabrics in same direction or bi-directional. One thing to be considered when using FRP is that it needs to be protected from fire. An FRP plate applied to the bottom of structure (tension face) increases the strength of beam and reduces deflection. Where as application of FRP strips attached in U shape around the sides and bottom of beam increases shear resistance. Wrapping of sheets around column results in higher strength and restrains lateral expansion of columns. The figures below give an example of application of FRP composite to structure. (A) (B) (C) Figure Strengthening using FRP Composites [http://sites.google.com/site/frpstrengthening/frpdrawing2-custom-size-398-103.jpg] [http://www.structural.net/Article_Images/Figure%204.JPG] Figure A and B look at plate bonding and figure C gives an indication of wrapping columns. Discussion The project is currently in its research phase. The topics covered in the literature review section of the report are vital as it is important to gain knowledge about the subject and understand its applications in the real engineering world. The future work in the project will involve an additional literature review for structural strengthening and the next stage will be to set up a meeting with the supervisor to discuss the experiment as to what needs to be performed. Once this is completed the project plan will be reviewed to meet the final submission date of the thesis as mentioned earlier in the deliverables section. To conclude the test to be carried out for this purpose will be a 3 point bend test and 4 point bend test and thus the results will be concluded. Bibliography Dag Linghoff (2009), Thin Walled Structures, Carbon-fibre Composites for strengthening steel structures, volume 47 pages 1048-1058. U.Meier (1995), Construction and Building Materials, Strengthening of structures using carbon fibre epoxy composites, volume 9 issue 6 pages 341-351. A.R.Rahai and M.M.Alinia (2008), Construction and Building Materials, Performance Evaluation and Strengthening of concrete structures with composite bracing members, volume 22 issue 10 pages 2100-2110 J.G.Broughton (1997), International Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites to Strengthen Structures Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites to Strengthen Structures Aim The project aim is to identify the use of FRP (Fibre Reinforced Polymers) composites in strengthening of structures. The general process and methodology considered in achieving this objective is by externally bonding Fibre reinforced plastics to the metal structure/plate and thus testing the specimen under 3 point bend as well as 4 point bend tests. The preliminary report will focus on the project introduction, literature review related to the project topic, project plan and further to be carried out. Analysis of Tasks As mentioned the projectà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s main focus is strengthening of structures. So the question is why is there a need for strengthening of structures? The reason behind the strengthening of structures is that the structure will be able to support greater magnitude of loads than the values for which the structures are originally designed. Strengthening may become necessary in course of time in order to overcome the damage caused due to environmental factors such as corrosion as well as fatigue cracking. The method of bonding reinforcement represents an attractive solution to the problem as it can be achieved with relatively small impact on the structure. The next stage of the preliminary thesis will focus on the literature review. The literature review section is divided in to two sections firstly it will focus on the topics related to the Composite Materials, which will involve the following topics. Definition of Composite Material Classification of Composite Materials Types of Matrix Types of Reinforcement Advantages and Disadvantages of Composite Materials Manufacturing of Composite Materials The next section of the literature review will focus on the topics related to strengthening of structures. For this section following topics will be considered. Different Methods for Structure Strengthening Different Methods for Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites. The preliminary thesis will also look at the comparison between the structural strengthening using FRP Composites and Steel plates. This will help in giving a suitable reason as to why Composites are preferred over Steel plates for structural strengthening. Composites are considered as one of the most promising material for reducing the weight as well as increasing the strength of the material. The theory of hybrid material has been successfully exploited when studying sandwich panel technology. Now the concept of integrated multi materials is extended to a wider variety of structures, components and applications. Fibre reinforced plastics (FRPà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s) have been successfully used for the post strengthening of structures over a number of years. The design and manufacturing of composites has led to its application in variety of industries such as automotive, aerospace, sporting goods, construction and in the marine as well as oil and gas industries. Moreover the method of bonded reinforcements also comes into account when there have been cases where errors in design or construction of a structure have questioned safety aspect. This can be achieved by externally bonding reinforcements at a cost of very small impact to the structures. Project Time-Line (Gantt chart) Literature Review Composite Materials Composite materials also known as composites are defined as a combination of two or more materials to give a unique combination of properties [1]. This definition is very general and thus includes metals, alloys, plastic co-polymers, minerals and wood. A material is only classified as a composite if the material satisfies the following conditions [2]: The material must be manufactured It should consist of two or more physically and/or chemically distinct, suitably arranged or distributed phases with an interface separating them. The characteristics of the composites are not depicted by any of the components in the isolation. Fibre reinforced composite materials differ slightly from the general definition because in this FRP the constituent materials are different at the molecular level and at mechanically separable. However the final material properties of the composite are better in comparison to that of the constituents. The figure 1 below gives a basic idea of how the structure of composite material looks like. The composites can be classified as fibre reinforced, particle reinforced, dispersion strengthened and laminates composites. Figure Structure of Composite Material [http://resources.edb.gov.hk/~s1sci/R_S1Science/sp/en/syllabus/unit14/new/images/s.gif] The composite material consists of two main elements the matrix and reinforcements (fibre). The classification of Composite materials is as shown in figure 2. Composite Materials Matrix Reinforcements Polymer Metal Ceramic Particle Reinforcement Fibre Reinforcement Structural Reinforcement Laminates Long Fibre Short Fibre Preferred Orientation Random Orientation Bidirectional Unidirectional Preferred Orientation Random Orientation Figure Classification of Composite Material Types of Matrix There are three main types of matrix considered when studying composites materials namely Polymer, Metal and Ceramic. Polymer Matrix composites are the most common types of matrix composites. They are also known as FRP (Fibre reinforced polymers). The resin used in here is polymer based combined with a variety of fibres such as Glass, Carbon and Aramid as reinforcements. Metal Matrix Composites are mainly used in the automotive industry. The materials use a metal for example Aluminium as the matrix which is then reinforced with fibres such as silicon carbide. Ceramic Matrix Composites are used in very high temperature environments. This type of materials uses Ceramic as the matrix and the matrix is then reinforced with short fibres such as Silicon Carbide and Boron Nitride. A matrix plays an important role in a Composite structure. There are several functions of Matrix most of which are very important to the satisfactory performance of the structure. The following points outline the important functions of the matrix. The matrix binds the fibre together and thus transfers the load to the fibres. The matrix provides the rigidity and shape to the structure. The matrix isolates the fibres such that each individual fibre can perform separately, due to this crack propagation process slows down. The surface finish quality of the structure is provided by the matrix. The matrix acts as a protection to the reinforced fibres from chemical attack and mechanical wear and tear. The type of material selected as matrix affects the ductility and failure mode of the structure together with the fibreà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s compatibility. Types of Reinforcements The other constituent in the composite material is called the Reinforcement. This gives the composite the necessary strength and stiffness. The structure of the reinforcement is thin rod like. The most commonly used reinforcements are Glass, Carbon, Aramid, and Boron fibres. The diameters of these fibres range from 5 µm to 20  µm. [1] Due to the thin diameter of the fibre, the fibres are flexible and can be formed easily into any shapes. Fibres can come into many forms such as continuous fibre, discontinuous fibre, short fibres, long fibres, organic fibres and inorganic fibres. Fibre brings out the high performance of the material; this is due to three important characteristics of the fibres. The orientation of the fibres also has an impact on the performance of the composite. The fibres can be unidirectional, cross ply or random in its arrangement. Small diameter in comparison to the grain size. As a result of this higher fraction of theoretical strength can be attained. High aspect ratio (length/diameter); this allows a larger amount of load to be transferred. High degree of flexibility. The main functions of fibres are as listed below [1]; To carry the load. Hence fibres are made from materials with high tensile strength and high elastic modulus. Provides strength, stiffness, thermal stability and other structural properties in the composites. Provide electrical conductivity or insulation, depending on the type of fibre used. Advantages of Composites Composites are designed to perform in applications which require lighter weight and higher performance. The advantages of using composites are listed below. High resistance to Corrosion; due to this the application in marine, infrastructure and chemical is very good. High specific stiffness and high specific strength; this gives a weight reduction so is used for the application in aerospace, automotive and manufacturing of sporting goods. The impact resistance is high compared to metal. Higher fatigue strength. Unidirectional carbon/epoxy composites have good fatigue strength of almost 90% of its static strength. Composite materials offer increased amount of design of flexibility. For example the coefficient of thermal expansion of composite can be made zero if suitable constituents and lay up sequence is selected. As the coefficient of thermal expansion is relatively low compared to metals, the composite structure thus provides a good dimensional stability. Also due to the design flexibility, composite materials can be formed into any shapes. Process cycle times and costs are also reduced because of the use of composites in production of net shape and near net shape parts. Composite materials dampen the vibrations an order of magnitude better than metals. Glass reinforced and aramid reinforced composite meet the FAA and JAR requirements for low smoke and toxicity and thus are used in interior panels of aircrafts, stow bins and galley walls. Disadvantages of Composites There will always be limitations to the benefits of the composites. The disadvantages are as listed below. Weaker in transverse direction and low in toughness. Material cost is high compared to that of steel and aluminium. The lack of high volume production limits the wide spread use of composite materials. However this is changing as modern production methods such as Pultrusion, Resin transfer Moulding and other methods have been automated to increase the rate of production. The knowledge through books and database is limited when comes to designing parts with composite. Composites absorb moisture, which affects the properties and dimensional stability of the composite. Difficult to join together with other material due to its anisotropic properties and high sensitivity to damage. For example when drilling holes for mechanical fastening. Brittle like behaviour. Difficult to repair as most composites use thermo set matrices that can not be re shaped. On the contrary thermoplastics can be repaired how ever they are rare [4]. Solvent resistance, chemical resistance and environmental stress cracking of composite depend on the properties of polymers. Some polymers have low resistance to the solvents and environmental stress cracking[1]. Manufacturing of Composite Materials Before looking into manufacturing of composite materials; it is important to look at manufacturing of fibre performs briefly. Fibre performs is how fibre are manufactured before being bonded to the matrix to form a composite material. Fibre performs are often manufactured in sheets or filaments in case of spraying applications. The fibre manufacturing process is carried out by adopting the technique used in textile industry. The techniques used are weaving, knitting, braiding and stitching [5]. The manufacturing process of composite material in general can be divided into two main processes. Prepreg Moulding Wet Moulding PrepReg Moulding The process of prepreg moulding can be further categorized as: Bladder Moulding Compression Moulding Autoclave/Vacuum bag Moulding Mandrel Wrapping [6]Bladder Moulding: In this process the sheets of prepreg material are laid up and placed in female style mould along with a balloon like bladder. The mould is then closed and placed in the heated press. Eventually, the bladder is pressurized which then forces the layers of material against mould walls. The part is then cured and removed from the hot mould. The process is ideally suited for complex hollow shapes. Also the process has great cost to performance balance. Typical example of equipment using bladder moulding technique is the manufacturing of tennis racquet. Average cure cycle range is 15-60 minutes. Compression Moulding: A process where a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“performà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“chargeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? of single moulding compound (SMC) or bulk moulding compound (BMC) or sometimes prepreg fabric is placed in the mould cavity. Once the mould is closed, the material is compacted and cured inside by heat and pressure. The process also offers excellent detailing for geometric shapes. The average cure cycle range is 2-20 minutes. The tooling is process is often more expensive. Auto Clave/Vacuum Bag Moulding: The figure below gives an idea of vacuum bagging for prepreg lay-up process. Figure Vacuum bagging for prepreg lay up process [http://www.highcomp.no/design/bilder/vacum/vacum.gif] Once all the prepregs are laid out in the desired sequence, vacuum bagging preparations are set up as per the figure 3 for curing of the part. First step is application of release film on the top of all the prepreg. The release film is a perforated film that allows captured air, excess resin and volatiles to escape. Secondly is the application of bleeder on top of release film; it is a porous fabric that absorbs moisture and excess resin coming from stack of prepregs/laminates. Thirdly is the application of non porous and non-perforated film on top of bleeder. After this a breather layer is applied; this is a porous fabric which creates even pressure around the part and at the same time allowing air and volatiles to escape. Then final layer is of vacuum bag. The vacuum bag is an expendable polyamide film. The film is sealed on all sides of laminate using a seal tape. A nozzle is inserted into the vacuum bag and is then connected to hose vacuum pump for creating vacuum. Mandrel Wrapping: In these process sheets of prepreg material is wrapped around steel or aluminium mandrel. The prepreg material is compacted by nylon or polypropylene cello tape. Parts are cured by hanging in the oven. Once the curing process is completed, the cello and mandrel are removed which results in a hollow carbon tube. Advantages of prepreg lay up process are that it is simple process when manufacturing complex parts. Also strong and stiff parts can be fabricated using this process. Also allows production of high fibre volume fraction. Prepregs usually have more than 60% fibre volume fraction. Limitations of the process being that labour is intensive as a result of which the process is not suitable for high volume production applications. Also parts manufactured by this process are very expensive. Wet Moulding Wet moulding process can be divided into following processes. Wet layup Spray Up process Filament winding Pultrusion Resin transfer Moulding (RTM) Resin transfer moulding under vacuum (VARTM) Wet Lay-up: in this process a fabric is placed in open mould which is then hand saturated with wet resin. The curing occurs normally at room temperature. However it can be cured at higher temperatures based on the heat resistance of the mould. The advantage of this process is that the material cost and tooling cost is low. Because of this the process is considered as low tech process. Spray-up process: The processing steps are similar to that of the wet lay-up process except for the method of creating the laminates. The basic steps are as follows [1]. The mould is waxed and polished for easy de-moulding Gel coat is applied to the mould surface and allowed to harden before building any other layer. The barrier coat is applied to avoid fibre print through the gel coat surface. Oven curing of barrier coat. Mixing of resin with fillers and the mixture is then pumped to a holding tank. Spraying of resin, catalyst and chopped fibres on the mould surface. This is done with the aid of hand held spray gun. The spraying is carried out in typical pattern to create uniform thickness of the laminate. A roller is then used in order to make the fibre and resin material compact as well as create a smooth and even surface. The laminate is then cured in the oven. The part is then de-moulded and sent for finishing work. The process of spray lay-up is very economical, maximizes the use of low cost tooling as well as low cost material systems however it is not suitable for making parts that have high structure requirements, fibre volume fraction can be difficult to control as well as the thickness. The surface finish on both the sides is not same. Also dimensional tolerance is poor. Filament Winding: This is a process in which resin-impregnated fibres are pulled and wound over a rotating mandrel at desired angle. The fibre pulled is from a wet bath of resin. Curing occurs at room temperature or higher temperature. The performance is limited and it is difficult to obtain uniform fibre distribution and resin content through out the thickness of the laminate. The process is very suitable for tubular parts such as pressure vessels. Figure Filament Winding Process [http://www.thaicomposites.com/images/filament-winding.gif] The advantages of this process being its ability to utilize low cost raw material and low cost tooling systems. It can be automated for the production of high volume composite parts. The figure 4 gives an indication of the filament winding process. Pultrusion: As the name suggests, it is a process which will have pulling and extrusion (cutting). In this process resin impregnated fibres are pulled through to make a part. Saturated material is pulled through a heated closed die and cured while continuously moving through the die. The figure 5 gives an indication of the process. Figure Pultrusion process [http://www.ultrafiberglass.com/pultrusion%20process.jpg] The advantage of pultrusion process is that it is a continuous process and can be completely automated to get the finished product. The process is suitable for making high volume composite parts. Utilizes low cost fibre and resin systems thus provide a low production cost of products. The limitations being that the thin wall parts, tapered and complex parts cannot be produced. Resin Transfer Moulding A resin and catalyst are placed in two separate tanks A and B. A release agent such as gel coat is then applied to mould for good surface finish. The preform is placed inside the mould and the mould is then clamped. The mould is then heated to a specified temperature. Mixed Resin is then injected at selected temperature and pressure. Vacuum is also created to remove air bubbles as well as assist in resin flow. The injection continues until the mould is completely filled. The vacuum is turned off. The pressure inside the mould is increased to ensure that remaining porosity is collapsed. After curing for certain period of time depending on resin, the composite part is removed from mould. In this process, fabrics are placed in to a mould and then wet resin is injected. Resin is pressurized and is then forced into the cavity which is under vacuum. In the VARTM process resin is completely pulled in to cavity under vacuum. This moulding process allows precise tolerance and detailed shaping, however this may result in at times failure to fully saturate fabric leading to weak shape in the final product. The figure and steps following the figure describe the process. Figure Resin Transfer Moulding [http://www.ctihuatai.com/index.files/rtmstatic.gif] Strengthening of Structures The next stage of literature review will now focus on the strengthening of structures. As explained earlier the need for strengthening of structures; it is important to look at first the different methods adopted in order to strengthen the structure. The structure strengthening methods include the following. Span Shortening Pre-stressed Concrete Section Enlargement Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites. Span Shortening This is method in which length of a beam is shortening. This is achieved by installing additional supports underneath the existing members. Materials used in this process are mainly structural steel members and cast in place reinforced concrete members. The members are connected mechanically using bolts and adhesive anchors. Span shortening reduces the deflection in the beam. This can be proved by means of simple calculation. P1ÃŽÂ ´1 Let us consider a beam of length à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“L (m)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? under a load P kN undergoing a 3 point bend test. l1 Where ÃŽÂ ´ is the deflection in the beam. Let us consider a pair of equations in order to calculate deflection in the beam. ; If ratio of the deflection is taken in to account, and doubling the span length meaning l2 = 2l1. Then, Then ÃŽÂ ´2 = 8 x ÃŽÂ ´1; this means that central deflection will become 8 times. So to conclude the method shorter the span, less deflection will occur at the centre. Pre stressed Concrete Pre stressed concrete is a method used for overcoming concreteà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s natural weakness in tension. Pre-stressing tendons generally made of high tensile steel rods are used to provide clamping load that generates compressive stresses which balances out the tensile stress that would be experienced by the concrete beams due to bending [7]. The process of pre stressing can be achieved in three ways: pre tensioned concrete, bonded or un-bonded post-tensioned concrete. However the method is mainly used for civil engineering and construction projects. The figure below gives an indication of the method. Figure Pre Stressing Method [http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/BRIDGE/pt/images/pt102.gif] Section Enlargement In simple terms, it is when the second moment of area is changed. The method involves placing an additional bonded reinforcement concrete to an existing structure member in the form of an overlay or a jacket. The main advantage of this technique is that it increases the load bearing capacity or stiffness. The technique reduces bending and shear forces on overstressed beams. Structure Strengthening using FRP Composites Fibre reinforced polymers are applied to strengthen structure. There method can be primarily divided in to two categories. One is the strengthening of structure at manufacturing phase and other is after manufacturing. The technique used to strengthen structure at manufacturing phase is known as Near Surface Mounted Reinforcement (NSMR) and the strengthening of structure can be achieved once the manufacturing is completed is by external plate bonding method. Near Surface Mounted Reinforcement Near surface mounted reinforcement is one of the latest and most promising techniques to be considered when strengthening concrete structures. Using FRP instead of steel in this technique has many advantages such as its better resistance to corrosion, quick and easy installation due to light weight. When compared with external bonding method, the NSMR has many advantages such as amount of site installation work is reduced for example removal of plaster, etc. second advantage being that NSMR is less prone to de-bonding from concrete substrate. NSMR bars can be easily anchored into adjacent members to prevent failures due to de-bonding. This feature is very important when considering flexural strengthening. NSMR bars can be easily pre-stressed. As the bars are covered by cover of concrete, so they are less exposed to accidental impact or mechanical damage such as fire or wear and tear. As the NSMR technique is new, the knowledge on this technique is limited than that of externally bonded reinforcement. In recent studies CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) NSM reinforcements have been widely used to strengthen structures. The following general steps must be performed during the strengthening. Sawing up slots in concrete cover, depth of the structure is dependent on the product used. After sawing of slots, careful cleaning is required. If using an epoxy system, the slots where the bars are to be installed must be dry before bonding. If cement system is used then the surface must be wet. Adhesive is applied in the slot when using epoxy system or cement mortar is used when using cement system. The figure below gives an indication of the technique. Figure Near Surface mounted Reinforcement technique [http://msw.mcmaster.ca/~koranyy/Photos/NSM-vertical.jpg] In the above figure it can be seen that a carbon fibre rope is placed in the centre of the brick wall and an epoxy paste is applied. The figure on the left is for vertical reinforcement and the figure on the right is for horizontal reinforcement. The second part of the images is the finished version of structure once the method is completed. The application of this technique is mainly on flat surfaces and is suitable for strengthening in bending. The process is also helpful in increasing the shear capacity of the beams. The next method considered for structure strengthening using FRP composites is external plate bonding. However it is first important to compare the advantage of using composites over steel plates. These are explained in the next segment of the report. External Plate Bonding The general principle of external plate bonding method is that in this method transfer of stresses takes place from the structural element to the additional plates that are adhered or bolted. Whilst strengthening structure many problems are faced such as. Load Increases: Structure with externally bonded plates has capacity to accept higher live loads for example in factories where heavy machines are installed. External plate bonding also reduces deformation and is also helpful where vibrations are an issue. Damage to Structural Parts: it can be utilized in cases where the building has been damaged due to fire or vehicle collision. Improvement in suitability: This can be achieved by limiting deflection and reducing crack widths and stresses. Modification of Structural System: Plate bonding provides a cost effective solution where structure has been weakened by removal of walls and columns or opening cuts. Errors in planning or construction: Plate bonding provides solution to earlier design errors and calculation errors. In general terms external plate bonding can reduce deflection thus limit cracking as well as increase the load bearing capacity and also increase the flexural strength and finally improve resistance to shear in certain cases. As the method of plate bonding can be achieved by both using Composites as well as steel plates so it is important to understand the advantage of composite over steel plates. This analysis will be carried on three grounds namely technical, practical/application and Economic. The table on the next page summarizes the technical differences between the composite and steel plates Composite Steel Plates High tensile strength of Carbon fibre (5650N/mm2) Tensile strength of steel is (235 N/mm2) No corrosion Highly prone to corrosion Strength to weight ratio is higher Strength to weight ratio is lower Table Technical differences between Composite and Steel Plates When performing practical application on site; installation of steel plates requires an extensive amount of work such as drilling holes in plates, wrapping plates and bolting the plates. Where as the composite plates would require very limited work such as bonding to the metal plate using an epoxy. Table 2 summarizes the economic differences Potential Cost Composite Steel Plates High Low Volume Typically 10-50% of steel Relatively high Adhesive smaller area of plates required so less adhesive Area of plates is high so higher amount of adhesive Preparation Off site On site Limited Limited Extensive Extensive Labour Requirement Low High Equipment Low High Temporary support None Yes Time Fast Slow Table Economic Differences between Composite and steel plates The application of the plates externally can be varying such as if the surface is horizontal than FRP is applied horizontally or in the U shape. If the structure is a circular column then FRP is applied by wrapping around it. Wrapping sheets have fabrics in same direction or bi-directional. One thing to be considered when using FRP is that it needs to be protected from fire. An FRP plate applied to the bottom of structure (tension face) increases the strength of beam and reduces deflection. Where as application of FRP strips attached in U shape around the sides and bottom of beam increases shear resistance. Wrapping of sheets around column results in higher strength and restrains lateral expansion of columns. The figures below give an example of application of FRP composite to structure. (A) (B) (C) Figure Strengthening using FRP Composites [http://sites.google.com/site/frpstrengthening/frpdrawing2-custom-size-398-103.jpg] [http://www.structural.net/Article_Images/Figure%204.JPG] Figure A and B look at plate bonding and figure C gives an indication of wrapping columns. Discussion The project is currently in its research phase. The topics covered in the literature review section of the report are vital as it is important to gain knowledge about the subject and understand its applications in the real engineering world. The future work in the project will involve an additional literature review for structural strengthening and the next stage will be to set up a meeting with the supervisor to discuss the experiment as to what needs to be performed. Once this is completed the project plan will be reviewed to meet the final submission date of the thesis as mentioned earlier in the deliverables section. To conclude the test to be carried out for this purpose will be a 3 point bend test and 4 point bend test and thus the results will be concluded. Bibliography Dag Linghoff (2009), Thin Walled Structures, Carbon-fibre Composites for strengthening steel structures, volume 47 pages 1048-1058. U.Meier (1995), Construction and Building Materials, Strengthening of structures using carbon fibre epoxy composites, volume 9 issue 6 pages 341-351. A.R.Rahai and M.M.Alinia (2008), Construction and Building Materials, Performance Evaluation and Strengthening of concrete structures with composite bracing members, volume 22 issue 10 pages 2100-2110 J.G.Broughton (1997), International