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Recycling concrete with reinforcement made of basalt fibre polymers: investigations on the composite and tensile load‐bearing behaviour The use of recycling concrete is subject to restrictions in Germany, which prevent its use in environmental conditions containing de‐icing salt of exposure classes XD3 and XS3. To overcome these normative barriers, the Munich UAS is conducting research on the use of alternative reinforcement materials that completely eliminate reinforcement corrosion induced by chlorides. In this regard, non‐corrosive fibre composite bars, made of basalt, are employed, which offer ecological advantages over reinforcements made of stainless steel, glass fibre or carbon. The investigations presented here on the composite and tensile load‐bearing behaviour of basalt fibre‐reinforced polymers have arisen as part of a current research project examining the use of this type of reinforcement in bridge caps made of recycling concrete. In addition to preliminary concrete technology studies on the use of up to 100 % recycled aggregates, composite specimens made of recycled concrete and basalt fibre reinforced polymer were tested to provide insights on the load‐bearing behaviour under static and cyclic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) are used as flame retardants in a wide variety of products. As part of the Integrated Exposure Assessment Survey (INES), this study aimed to characterize the exposure of an adult German population using duplicate diet samples, which were collected daily over seven consecutive days, and indoor air and house dust measurements. Our study population consisted of 27 female and 23 male healthy subjects, aged 14–60years, all of whom resided in 34 homes in southern Bavaria. In these 34 residences the air was sampled using glass fiber filters and polyurethane foams and the dust was collected from used vacuum cleaner bags. The median (95th percentile) daily dietary intake of six Tetra- to HeptaBDE congeners was 1.2ng/kg b.w. (3.3ng/kg b.w.) or 67.8ng/day (208ng/day) (calculated from the 7-day median values of each study subject). Concentrations in indoor air and dust (cumulative Tri- to DecaBDE congener readings) ranged from 8.2 to 477pg/m³ (median: 37.8pg/m³) and 36.6 to 1580ng/g (median: 386ng/g), respectively. For some congeners, we identified a significant correlation between air and dust levels. The median (95th percentile) blood concentration of total Tetra- to HexaBDE congener readings was 5.6 (13.2)ng/g lipid. No significant sex differences were observed, but higher blood concentrations were found in younger participants. Using a simplified toxicokinetic model to predict the body burden from exposure doses led to results that were of the same order of magnitude as the measured blood concentrations. Based on these measurements and given our exposure assumptions, we estimated for the total tetra- to heptabrominated congener count an average (high) comprehensive total daily intake of 1.2ng/kg b.w. (2.5ng/kg b.w.). Overall, our results suggest that dietary exposure is the dominant intake pathway at least in our study population, responsible for 97% (average intake) and 95% (high intake) of the total intake of an adult population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the 50 years celebration of research for textile machine construction of the Cetex Chemnitzer Textilmaschinenetwicklung gGmbH of Chemnitz, Germany. In January 2007, the Cetex Chemnitzer, as the successor to the Institute for Textile Machinery, founded on January 1957, celebrated its 50 years of scientific research for textile machine development. It has been accounted that Cetex is a certified noise measurement institute, focusing on the development of machinery for the processing of high-performance fibers, such as carbon and glass, bi- and triaxial structures as well as multiaxial multiply structures for fiber composites.

QUADRANT Plastic Composites (QPC) has begun producing SymaLITE composite, a combination of polypropylene and glass fibres, at its site in Lotte, Germany.This is a short news story only. Visit www.reinforcedplastics.com for the latest plastics industry news. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Vacumaster vacuum dryer for glass fiber yarns has been awarded with the Innovation Prize of the German government. This award is granted for outstanding and innovative products of the German machinery industry. The Vacumaster developed by the machinery company Welker GmbH, based in Lambrecht, Germany, is a glass fiber dryer, which substitutes the utilization of classic ovens using heated air by a low temperature vacuum drying process. The results of this dryer are quite impressive, as yarn damages caused by overheated temperatures are reduced to zero, the energy cost is reduced by 70 percent against prior processes, and the lead time is reduced by 50 percent.