  he electric quadrupole coupling constant of the 31Al ground state is measured
to be nu_Q = |eQV_{zz}/h| = 2196(21)kHz using two different beta-NMR (Nuclear
Magnetic Resonance) techniques. For the first time, a direct comparison is made
between the continuous rf technique and the adiabatic fast passage method. The
obtained coupling constants of both methods are in excellent agreement with
each other and a precise value for the quadrupole moment of 31Al has been
deduced: |Q(31Al)| = 134.0(16) mb. Comparison of this value with large-scale
shell-model calculations in the sd and sdpf valence spaces suggests that the
31Al ground state is dominated by normal sd-shell configurations with a
possible small contribution of intruder states. The obtained value for
|Q(31Al)| and a compilation of measured quadrupole moments of odd-Z even-N
isotopes in comparison with shell-model calculations shows that the proton
effective charge e_p=1.1 e provides a much better description of the nuclear
properties in the sd-shell than the adopted value e_p=1.3 e.
