http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/civil_engineering/ Civil Engineering News and Research. From new mathematical models for building better structures to new corrosion-resistant composites, read all the latest discoveries in civil engineering here. en-us Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:05:01 EST Sat, 11 Feb 2012 05:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/civil_engineering/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135846.htm Recent earthquake damage has exposed the vulnerability of existing structures to strong ground movement. Researchers are now analyzing shape-memory alloys for their potential use in constructing seismic-resistant structures. Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:58:58 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120209135846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201140004.htm A study that combines experimental observations of spider webs with complex computer simulations has shown that web durability depends not only on silk strength, but on how overall web design compensates for damage and the response of individual strands to continuously varying stresses. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201140004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113141.htm Innovative sensors have been developed that will dramatically improve the ability to spot early warning signs of corrosion in concrete. More resilient and much longer lasting than traditional corrosion sensors they will make monitoring the safety of structures such as bridges and vital coastal defenses much more effective. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:31:31 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120125113141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112134324.htm In recent years an atomic force microscope-based technique called nanoscale thermal analysis has been employed to reveal the temperature-dependent properties of materials at the sub-100 nm scale. Typically, nanothermal analysis works best for soft polymers. Researchers have now shown that they can perform nanoscale thermal analysis on stiff materials like epoxies and filled composites. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:43:43 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112134324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134051.htm With a random-looking spatter of paint specks, a pair of cameras, and a whole lot of computer processing, engineers have been helping assure the safety of hundreds of truss bridges across the United States.Researchers have been testing the use of a thoroughly modern version of an old technique, "photogrammetry," to watch the failure of a key bridge component in exquisite detail. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:40:40 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111134051.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140427.htm To improve the quality of unpaved roads, a graduate student is working with lignin, a sustainable material found in all plants. Lignin's adhesive properties make it good for binding soil particles together and protecting unpaved roads from erosion. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110140427.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111940.htm The delivery of pharmaceuticals into the human body or the storage of voluminous quantities of gas molecules could now be better controlled, thanks to a new study. Chemists have posed an alternative approach toward building porous materials. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:19:19 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104111940.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105728.htm Murphy's Law is a useful scapegoat for human error: "If something can go wrong, it will." But, a new study hopes to put paid to this unscientific excuse for errors by showing that the introduction of verification and checking procedures can improve structural safety and performance and so prevent the application of the "law". Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111221105728.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219203953.htm Researchers have developed a new kind of electro-thermal nanoprobe that can independently control voltage and temperature at a nanometer-scale point contact. It can also measure the temperature-dependent voltage at a nanometer-scale point contact. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:39:39 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111219203953.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215113230.htm Civil and environmental engineers are concerned about the size of bridges, especially when it relates to how materials will perform in structures where failures might lead to catastrophes. As today’s engineers investigate the rebuilding of much of the infrastructure, they are using much improved materials and analysis tools. Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111215113230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125901.htm Engineers have discovered a surprising new way to increase a material's thermal conductivity that provides a new tool for managing thermal effects in computers, lasers and a number of other powered devices. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213122629.htm Researchers have developed "Shrilk," a new material that replicates the exceptional strength, toughness, and versatility of one of nature's more extraordinary substances -- insect cuticle. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213122629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208142013.htm Researchers have successfully demonstrated a new method for producing a wide variety of complex hollow nanoparticles. The work applies well known processes of corrosion in a novel manner to produce highly complex cage-like nanoscale structures with potential applications in fields from medicine to industrial processing. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 14:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208142013.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208092602.htm Using a new mathematical methodology, researchers have created a scientifically rigorous analogy showing the similarities between the physical structure of spider silk and the sonic structure of a musical composition, proving that the structure of each relates to its function in an equivalent way. The comparison begins with the primary building blocks of each item and explains that structural patterns are directly related to the functional properties of silk and a melodic riff. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 09:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208092602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129185923.htm It looks like bone. It feels like bone. For the most part, it acts like bone. And it came off an inkjet printer. Researchers have used a 3-D printer to create a bone-like material that can be used in orthopedic procedures, dental work, and to deliver medicine for treating osteoporosis. Paired with actual bone, it acts as a scaffold for new bone to grow on and ultimately dissolves with no apparent ill effects. Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111129185923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115643.htm Pyrite, better known as "fool's gold," was familiar to the ancient Romans and has fooled prospectors for centuries -- but has now helped researchers discover related compounds that offer new, cheap and promising options for solar energy. These new compounds, unlike some solar cell materials made from rare, expensive or toxic elements, would be benign and could be processed from some of the most abundant elements on Earth. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128115643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112020.htm The Kilobots are coming. Computer scientists and engineers have developed and licensed technology that will make it easy to test collective algorithms on hundreds, or even thousands, of tiny robots. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:20:20 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122112020.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117154643.htm Engineers have developed the world's lightest material -- with a density of 0.9 mg/cc -- about 100 times lighter than Styrofoam. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111117154643.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031121229.htm Researchers have developed the world's most efficient organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on plastic. This result enables a flexible form factor, not to mention a less costly, alternative to traditional OLED manufacturing, which currently relies on rigid glass. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031121229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031121219.htm Researchers have developed a traffic simulator that takes into account real parking policies, the habits of urban drivers, and the movements of traffic inspectors to identify strategies for improvement and test the impact of parking policy changes before they're implemented. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031121219.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027112901.htm Researchers have developed a new computational approach to improve the utility of superconductive materials for specific design applications -- and have used the approach to solve a key research obstacle for the next-generation superconductor material yttrium barium copper oxide. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 11:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027112901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025113542.htm Just as a corset improves the appearance of its wearer by keeping everything tightly together, rigidly constraining insulating materials in electrical components can increase their energy density and decrease their rates of failure. Engineers have demonstrated that rigidly constraining dielectric materials can greatly improve their performance and potentially lengthen their lifespans. This insight follows their discovery earlier this year of the exact mechanism that causes soft dielectric materials to break down in the presence of electricity. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025113542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024113053.htm Researchers have shown that the semiconductor material gallium nitride is non-toxic and is compatible with human cells -- opening the door to the material's use in a variety of biomedical implant technologies. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 11:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024113053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012113804.htm The US Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate is funding experimental fire research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to discover when and how quickly wildfire embers ignite fires in structures along the wildland urban interface, and what we can do to prevent it. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012113804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011112917.htm Researchers have developed a new system that will enable highway construction engineers in the field to immediately analyze soil movements caused by active landslides and erosion and use the powerful tool of LIDAR to better assess and deal with them. The advance is just the latest innovation with this laser technology, the use of which has mushroomed in recent years in the study of everything from earthquakes and tsunamis to beach erosion and road construction. Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111011112917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003132445.htm Scientists have developed what they believe to be the first polymeric material that is sensitive to biologically benign levels of near infrared irradiation, enabling the material to disassemble in a highly controlled fashion. The study represents a significant milestone in the area of light-sensitive material for non-invasive medical and biological applications. Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:24:24 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111003132445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929122904.htm Artificial microvascular systems for self-repair of materials damage, such as cracks in a coating applied to a building or bridge, have relied on capillary force for transport of the healing agents. Now, researchers have demonstrated that an active pumping capability for pressurized delivery of liquid healing agents in microvascular systems significantly improves the degree of healing compared with capillary force methods. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929122904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929122902.htm Researchers have developed technologies to efficiently produce, recover and separate sugars from the fast pyrolysis of biomass. That's a big deal because those sugars can be further processed into biofuels. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929122902.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110928110004.htm NIST will unleash its Dragon, an invention that bellows showers of glowing embers, at a unique wind tunnel test facility in Japan, where researchers will evaluate the vulnerability of outdoor deck assemblies and materials to ignition during wildfires, a growing peril that accounts for half of the nation's 10 most costly fires. Wed, 28 Sep 2011 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110928110004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110923102217.htm The plant liana, whose stabilization rings of woody cells heal spontaneously after suffering damage, serves as a natural example to bionic experts of self-repairing membranes. Such membranes could find use, for example, in rubber dinghies. Researchers have borrowed this trick from nature and developed a polymer foam surface coating with a closed cell construction which not only reduces the pressure loss after the membrane is damaged but also makes the inflatable structure more resistant and giving it a longer operational life. Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110923102217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914122658.htm Today's wireless-sensor networks can do everything from supervising factory machinery to tracking environmental pollution to measuring the movement of buildings and bridges. Working together, distributed sensors can monitor activity along an oil pipeline or throughout a forest, keeping track of multiple variables at a time. While uses for wireless sensors are seemingly endless, there is one limiting factor to the technology -- power. A new tiny energy harvester picks up a wider range of vibrations than current designs, and is able to generate 100 times the power of devices of similar size. Wed, 14 Sep 2011 12:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110914122658.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913172713.htm As large parts of the United States recover from nature's one-two punch -- an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene -- building researchers warn that a double whammy of seismic and wind hazards can increase the risk of structural damage to as much as twice the level implied in building codes. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 17:27:27 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913172713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913103056.htm Even when structural problems with the aging US infrastructure can be detected early, currently available methods of repair are often technologically outdated, logistically complex, prohibitively expensive, or all of the above. A professor of civil engineering may have developed a feasible solution to a rapidly growing domestic infrastructure problem. Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110913103056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110908080842.htm A university professor who carried out a major study into the evacuation of the World Trade Centre after 9/11 says the "far-reaching impact" of the attacks is still being felt when it comes to the design of new high-rise buildings across the world. Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110908080842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907104701.htm Cables made of carbon nanotubes are inching toward electrical conductivities seen in metal wires, and that may light up interest among a range of industries. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 10:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907104701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906121248.htm The U.S. Navy's robotic materials testing system, NRL66.3, has achieved, to date, the highest industrial rates of fully-automated production mode functionality known to NRL researchers, yielding a total of 216 specimen tests at a rate of 26 per hour under six-degrees of freedom (6-DoF -- three translations and three rotations) multiaxiality conditions. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110906121248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902142056.htm Researchers have created a new kind of cloaking material that can render objects invisible in the terahertz range. Though this design can't translate into an invisibility cloak for the visible spectrum, it could have implications in diagnostics, security, and communication. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902142056.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902133055.htm Ten years after Sept. 11, researchers are continuing work that could lead to safer steel structures such as buildings and bridges and also an emerging type of nuclear power plant design. Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110902133055.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115805.htm A combination of modern engineering and ancient social principles makes large-scale rainwater harvesting feasible in a time of drought, and could reduce deadly flash flooding common to parts of Texas, a new article argues. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 11:58:58 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831115805.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830102159.htm Efforts to build larger wind turbines able to capture more energy from the air are stymied by the weight of blades. Researchers have now built a prototype blade that is substantially lighter and eight times tougher and more durable than currently used blade materials. Tue, 30 Aug 2011 10:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110830102159.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823165446.htm A new physics-based theory predicts why entangled polymers are confined to a tube-like region of space and how they respond to applied forces. This advance provides insight into behavior of both synthetic polymers used in plastics and bioploymers like the filaments that gives cells structure. Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:54:54 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110823165446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110818190655.htm It is helpful -- even life-saving -- to have a warning sign before a structural system fails, but, when the system is only a few nanometers in size, having a sign that's easy to read is a challenge. Now, thanks to a clever bit of molecular design by bioengineers and chemists, such warning can come in the form of a simple color change. Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:06:06 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110818190655.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110816112648.htm Tiny particles made of polymers hold great promise for targeted delivery of drugs and as structural scaffolds for building artificial tissues. However, current production methods for such microparticles yield a limited array of shapes and can only be made with certain materials, restricting their usefulness. New technology could lead to better drug delivery and artificial tissues that imitate natural tissue. Tue, 16 Aug 2011 11:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110816112648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811084518.htm A new annual report gives a global overview of nuclear energy with a focus on safety and preparedness. This year's report is a bit delayed because of the accident in Fukushima, which is also mentioned in the report that would normally cover only the year 2010. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 08:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811084518.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810141253.htm Algae-based fuel is one of many options among the array of possible future energy sources. New research shows that while algae-based transportation fuels produce high energy output with minimal land use, their production could come with significant environmental burdens. Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110810141253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808124248.htm Researchers have examined some of last spring's massive tornado damage and conclude in a new report that more intensive engineering design and more rigorous, localized construction and inspection standards are needed to reduce property damage and loss of life. Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110808124248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804141757.htm Researchers have made a critical review of the state of seawater desalination technology. Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110804141757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175338.htm Millions of US drivers cross faulty or obsolete bridges every day, highway statistics show, but it's too costly to fix these spans or adequately monitor their safety, says a researcher who's developed a new, affordable early warning system. This wireless technology could avert the kind of fatal disaster along Minneapolis' I-35W on Aug. 1, 2007, he says -- and do so at one-one-hundredth the cost of current wired systems. Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175338.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728162526.htm Researchers in the UK describe a novel approach to making porous materials, solid foams, more like their counterparts in the natural world, including bone and wood. Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110728162526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726132359.htm Researchers have developed vascularized structural composites, creating materials that are lightweight and strong with potential for self-healing, self-cooling, stealth and more. The team developed a class of sacrificial fibers that degrade after composite fabrication, leaving hollow vascular tunnels that can transport liquids or gases through the composite. Tue, 26 Jul 2011 13:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110726132359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110710132830.htm Researchers have derived inspiration from the photosynthetic apparatus in plants to engineer a new generation of nanomaterials that control and direct the energy absorbed from light. Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110710132830.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110710132825.htm Researchers have built optical nanostructures that enable them to slow photons down and fully control light dispersion. They have shown that it is possible for light to propagate from point A to point B without accumulating any phase, spreading through the artificial medium as if the medium is completely missing in space. This is the first time simultaneous phase and zero-index observations have been made on the chip-scale and at the infrared wavelength. Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110710132825.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629122811.htm Civil engineers and physicists have designed a new method for the electronic, continual monitoring of concrete infrastructure. The researchers say a flexible skin-like fabric with electrical properties could be adhered to areas of structures where cracks are likely to appear, such as the underside of a bridge, and detect cracks when they occur. Installing this "sensing skin" would be as simple as gluing it to a structure's surface. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629122811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110626145314.htm A technique for testing irradiated materials on the nanoscale has yielded results on the macroscale. The technique uses electron microscopy with mechanical testing in situ; it could accelerate new materials for nuclear power applications and improve testing of nuclear power plants already in service. Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110626145314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615103040.htm Researchers have designed a sensor that can measure strain in structural materials and is capable of healing itself -- an important advance for collecting data to help us make informed decisions about structural safety in the wake of earthquakes, explosions or other unexpected events. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:30:30 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615103040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615080217.htm Researchers are using nanotechnology to create new energy efficient materials. With the increasing worldwide demand for energy, there is a pressure to use the finite energy resources wisely while reducing one of the major areas of energy consumption -- transportation, which accounts for more than 20% of the world’s total primary energy and produces much of the world’s pollution. Wed, 15 Jun 2011 08:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110615080217.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606131800.htm When geologists survey an area of land for the potential that gas or petroleum deposits could exist there, they must take into account the composition of rocks that lie below the surface. Previous research had suggested that compaction bands might act as barriers to the flow of oil or gas. Now, researchers have analyzed X-ray images of sandstone and revealed that compaction bands are actually more permeable than earlier models indicated. Mon, 06 Jun 2011 13:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110606131800.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601152103.htm Afficionados of modern poured-concrete design were in for a rude awakening last month when they heard Matt Burgermaster's presentation at the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Architectural Historians. He illustrated how Thomas Edison invented and patented in 1917 an innovative construction system to mass produce prefabricated and seamless concrete houses. Typically most people associate this style of architectural design and type of building technology with the European avant-garde of the early 20th century. Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110601152103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531115321.htm New research shows that so-called biodegradable products are likely doing more harm than good in landfills, because they are releasing a powerful greenhouse gas as they break down. Tue, 31 May 2011 11:53:53 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110531115321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526152551.htm It might not seem like scraping the top of a cold stick of butter with a knife could be a scientific test, but engineers say the process is very similar to the "scratch test," which is perhaps the oldest known way to assess a material's hardness and strength. Using butter as a launching point, they found that the scratch test is actually measuring a material's toughness rather than its strength. Thu, 26 May 2011 15:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110526152551.htm