Surface Overflow Rates

Surface Overflow Rates

02/21/26

“Why does measuring how much water flows through a tank per area matter for sedimentation tank design?”

Sedimentation tank design involves a lot of variables. One of them includes how much area a settlement tank will need to take up for effective operation. This can be found out by dividing the volumetric flow by the surface area of the tank to obtain the Surface Overflow Rates. The surface overflow rate expresseshow fast the upward velocity of a clarifier is moving. If the particle settling velocity is faster than the surface overflow rate, then it will succeed in removal.

Dissolved Oxygen Depletion

Dissolved Oxygen Depletion

02/20/26

“What depletes dissolved oxygen in water?”

Dissolved oxygen in water is vital for sustaining aquatic life and supporting aerobic microorganisms. However, if there are too many organisms consuming the dissolved oxygen, then it will eventually be depleted. Common culprits of Dissolved Oxygen Depletion include algal blooms from eutrophication, high water temperatures, low aquatic plant activity, low wind speeds, and large numbers of dead organisms. People must take care of water bodies to prevent dissolved oxygen depletion.

Material Toughness

Material Toughness

02/19/26

“How can we measure how much energy a material can absorb before rupture?”

People need materials to absorb energy before rupture. The more energy an item can absorb, the higher its Material Toughness, and the better it will perform for tasks that require heavy resistance to heavy energy shocks. Material toughness is measured by the area under the curve in a stress-strain diagram. Material toughness can be thought of as a combination of hardness and ductility.

Tensile Strength

Tensile Strength

02/18/26

“How can we measure an object’s resistance to being pulled apart?”

Pulling an object exerts stress on its atoms. Different materials will have different amounts of resistance to being pulled apart, summarized by the word Tensile Strength. The largest stress value it can handle before breaking is known as Ultimate Tensile Strength. Tensile is often one of the most important properties engineers must consider in material selection.

Beltpress Dewatering

Beltpress Dewatering

02/17/26

“How can we use a beltpress to dewater sludge?”

Sludge needs to be dewatered to increase solid content. One way to do it is to condition sludge with a chemical flocculant to aggregate suspended particles, transport it onto a mechanical moving porous belt where free water drains out, then squeeze it into a top belt to force more water out, and then move it through rollers to pressure even more water out, and finally discharge it as a cake. This Beltpress Dewatering syste is a common approach for wastewater dewatering worldwide.

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Plastic Deformation

Plastic Deformation

02/16/26

“How do objects become permanently distorted?”

Objects may undergo reversible distortions when stretched slightly. But if the applied stress goes beyond the yield point, then the deformations will become permanent. This phenomenon, known as Plastic Deformation, is a factor that engineers must deal with in material design. Items undergoing plastic deformation will become stronger in terms of load-bearing capacity until they reach the ultimate strength, after which the item will become less strong and eventually break.

Ceramics

Ceramics

02/15/26

“What material properties make ceramics special?”

We use ceramics in our everyday life, whether it’s the mug for our morning coffee, the bricks in the buildings we inhabit, or the fillings in our teeth. But what material properties make them so special? Well, ceramics are materials made up of nonmetallic, inorganic chemical compounds strung together by ionic and/or covalent bonding. This gives them high compressive strength, hardness, melting points, and wear resistance, with the drawbacks of high brittleness, low toughness, and vulnerability to cracks. Ceramics are also corrosion-resistant and thermally stable, making them well-suited for chemically and thermodynamically intense applications.

Yield Point

Yield Point

02/14/26

“At what point is a material so stressed so much that it doesn’t return to its original form?”

Materials stretched by a small amount may return to their original shape. But if they’re stretched beyond a certain Yield Point they may not return. Materials that move beyond the yield point transition from elastic to plastic behavior.

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Corosion

Corosion

02/13/26

“Why do objects corrode?”

You’ve probably heard people talking about objects corroding away. You may have even used the term itself. But what does it mean, and what’s the process behind it? Well, when a metal is exposed to environmental factors, it may lose electrons, becoming an anode. These electrons may then travel along the metal where a reduction reaction occurs (cathode), such as oxygen and water. The products of this redox reaction will then react with the metal ions to form oxides, leading to a degradation of the material. This Corosion process is affected by the presence of potential anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, and electrical conductors. Rusting is a form of corosion. Corrosion is a critically important factor for material design, whether it’s for water supply pipes or electrical transformers.