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The previous example illustrates the potential of employing the prototype CIKS in the design process. A variety of different trial mixture proportions can be quickly evaluated with respect to their expected service life for chloride-ion induced corrosion, and also with respect to their susceptibility to thermal cracking via the projected adiabatic temperature rise. The diffusion coefficients predicted by the computer models can be compared to those available in the existing experimental results database.
The potential of utilizing the Internet and WWW for the dissemination of knowledge in the field of concrete technology appears very promising. As the technology advances, more individuals will have direct access to the Internet. Updating a CIKS, such as the prototype described here, becomes a much simpler task, as one no longer needs to worry about the distribution of a set of update diskettes or CD-ROMs, but need only change the information on the server machine. Thus, responses to user feedback can be greatly expedited.
User feedback for the present system would be most welcome; comments can be e-mailed to one of the authors by using (clicking on) the e-mail address provided at the bottom of the form welcoming new users to the CIKS. The multimedia nature of the WWW allows for the seamless integration of text, images, movies, and even sound into a single coherent system. This should allow for the development of online guidelines and tutorials *.
Planned research will focus on two major extensions to this prototype system. The first will deal with the development of an online system for assisting in the mixture proportioning optimization process and the second will focus on extending service life predictions to other degradation mechanisms such as sulfate attack and leaching. In the latter case, the code previously developed for a computer program addressing a variety of mechanisms for modelling the degradation of underground low-level-waste concrete vaults [18] should be readily adaptable to the present CIKS system.
*For an extensive compilation of images for engineering and science instruction, including a variety of laboratory procedures of importance in concrete technology, see the NSF SUCCEED Engineering Visual Database at URL http://www.ce.vt.edu.evd.