Analysis and design of concrete pavements Research Paper

Analysis and design of concrete pavements - Research Paper Example Concrete pavements are durable surfaces that are laid down on roads and walkways primarily to sustain vehicular or foot traffic. Throughout the history, Concrete has always been as one of the most durable, cheap and reliable materials for conventional pavements found in the highways, streets, airports as well as residential and business parking areas. This is particularly attributed to the various properties of Concrete such as workability, strength and durability. For example, apart from offering the best riding surface, concrete is also widely believed to be economical, durable and sustainable solution for most surfaces (Shackel, 2008) Generally, there are currently two main methods of making concrete pavements namely the slip form and the fixed form paving. In the slipform paving method, machine usually rides on the treads over a particular area to be paved before fresh concrete is deposited on the paved surface. Next, a paving machine is then used to spread, screed and consolidate the concrete into a continuous operation. On the other hand, fixed-form paving involves setting and aligning stationary metal forms on solid foundation and then rigidly staking them. Concrete is then spread using a mechanical spreader before it is consolidated, finished and cured. After putting the finish to the concrete pavements, joints are should be created in order to help control cracking as well as to provide a system of relief for the potential concrete expansion due to moisture or temperature changes. In most cases, joints are usually created by sawing. Lastly, the surface is then textured before the concrete is completely dry in order to provide some form of skid resistance. Thickness of concrete pavements should be designed such that the stress and strains developed is less than allow able measurements gotten from prior performance information. The design of the pavement must keep moisture out of the sub base, capping, and subgrade

American Films in the 1970's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Films in the 1970's - Essay Example Their thematic and stylistic innovations represented a radical break from Hollywood's classic paradigms. The decade saw a revolutionary change in the outlook of film critism also. Films were now being perceived as personal art pieces rather than only commercial blockbusters. Films were no longer evaluated in terms of their stories, but as art works whose style and mise-en-scene were more important than their contents. The 70s witnessed the birth of some of the most inspiring and exhilirating films directed by the greatest of film makers of the era. Nashville a 1975 classic is arguably one of finest films of the century that can be regarded as one of the finest masterpieces of the film making wizard, Robert Atman. Written by Joan Tewkesbury and produced by Robert Atman himself, Nashville features Altman's trademark overlapping dialogue that depicts classic improvisation and film making brilliance. The 159 min overwhelming fantasy, deals beautifully with classical real country music, deftly touching gospel music businesses in Nashville Tennessee. The characters in te film, evolve from real country music figures that material on U.S presidential politics. The film craftilly weaves together multiple storylines that eventually coalesce in the final half-hour in a climactic sequence at the Parthenon in Nashville. The movie widely despised from the mainstream country-music community at the time of its release, with many artists believing it was ridiculing their talent and sincerity. Since then, however, the songs that were mostly composed by the film's actors themselves have achieved a certain popularity in alternative-country circles, well away from the world of the music establishment. Among its many musical sequences, the song "It Don't Worry Me" is the film's theme, heard sporadically throughout and then performed at the climax. The 70s also witnessed the emergence of class film makers such as John Cassavetes. His films such as A Woman under the Influence are hailed as masterpieces despite the fact that they are incorporated with superficiality, gasp, and an in-your-face self-indulgence kind of a feeling. They are also sometimes blamed to carry a blatant artificiality in them. A Woman Under the Influence is one of the most devastating films ever made and is arguably the masterpiece of John Cassavetes' lauded career. with a startling realism, the film depicts supremely the relationship between a housewife on the verge of a nervous breakdown and her blue collared worker husbend. It's a marriage unlike any other seen before on the American screen - Nick (Falk) and Mabel (Rowlands) love each other intensely but that's not enough to keep her from descending into madness. In this shockingly intimate drama, housewife Gena Rowlands suffers a nervous breakdown and Dixit Page 5 her blue-collar construction worker husband, Peter Falk, decides to have her committed.Despite a dramatic theme of insanity, the film doesn't make a melodrama out of Mabel's crazy moments. Instead, painfully long scenes are wittnessed o this family together and with their social circle (particularly his construction work