Lime stabilization is a widely recognized improvement technique for reusing fine-grained soils unsuitable for earthwork constructions. After adding lime to an unsaturated soil, the two types of reactions take place, short term effects due to change in pore water chemistry and long-term effects due to pozzolanic reactions. In the last decades, attention has mainly been given to the mechanical long-term effects induced by pozzolanic reactions. On the other hand, short-term mechanicals effects have received little attention. The aim of this work is to investigate microstructural changes in the short-term effects and their effect on mechanical behavior of lime-stabilized soils.

Smectitic clays display remarkable properties when dispersed in water due to their surface charge. This charge stems from various substitutions in their crystal structure both in tetrahedral and octahedral sites, which yield layer charge. Although the layer charge has been linked to several water-rock properties of smectitic clays namely cation exchange capacity, swelling and viscosity, it is a microscopic property referring to the unit cell i.e. at atomic level. In contrast smectite-water properties are macroscopic and refer to smectite particles. Therefore recently we introduced the term of fundamental particle charge (fpc) which pertains to the smectite particles rather than the unic cell. The Fpc is a macroscopic property which is useful in understanding the behaviour of smectite-water systems and interpreting smectite-water properties. In addition the fpc approach might be useful in soil stabilization, because it can assist in predicting failures.

We are at the maturity convergence point of a set of actuation, control, instrumentation and data analysis technologies that make it feasible to construct laboratory experimental rigs that will allow us to address key controlling uncertainties in SFSI assessment and design, which can only be addressed by testing at, or near to, prototype scale. This paper will explore the process of innovation that must be established in order to integrate these enabling technologies and thereby create novel test facilities that offer new, high value, capabilities.

Matrix certified reference materials are versatile tools to support quality, correctness and credibility of measurement results. CRMs are used to provide the traceability of the measurement results to the SI unit. Seven low alloy steel certified reference materials were developed by the national institute of standards (NIS), Egypt. Homogeneity and stability were studied by x-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The characterization of RMs was performed using independent chemical methods as gravimetric methods, x-ray fluorescence spectrometry, optical emission spectrometer and atomic absorption spectrometer. Both the assigned values and their associated uncertainty were calculated by weighted mean approach after the statistical analysis of measurements results for the homogeneity of variances, equality of means, normality of data and outliers.

Accurate VOC mixtures at ppb level are needed both for the atmospheric monitoring both for the clean room industries. Research is developing a compact diffusion generator of trace mixtures to be installed on-site. To assure the required accuracy, vials with a low and calibrated diffusion rate DR are necessary. In this paper glass vials were realized, the uncertainty budget of DR was evaluated and experimentally validated. A DR accuracy better than 3% at 200 ng/min release rate was obtained.