Size of plastic region owing to blunting of the precrack tip andJ lc value in several types of structural steels

In this study, a three-point bendJ _lc fracture-toughness test was carried out using four types of structural steels at room temperature. The values of (γ _p)V, which represent the width of the region where the voids are located just ahead of the crack tip, were measured by Beacham's method [9] with the help of a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The experimental (γ _p) values and the theoretical values obtained using the finite element method (FEM) or calculated fromK at initiation are in good agreement. It was found that there is a certain linear relationship between (γ _p)Vand the stretched zone width (SZW), and an experimental relationship betweenJ _lc andσ _flow·(γ _p)V which may be expressed by the following equation: $$J_{lc} = 44.1 + 0.35\sigma _{{\text{flow}}} \cdot (\gamma _{\text{p}} )V_c KJ$$ whereσ _flow is the average value of the yield stress and the ultimate tensile strength. (γ _p)V _c represents the critical value of (γ _p)V. The numerical constant 44.1 kJ m^?2 is considered to be aJ _lc value for brittle fracture of the material tested, according to the authors' previous results. It is possible to calculateJ _lc if (γ _p)V _c can be measured.     

Electro-oxidation of dimethyl ether on Pt/C and PtMe/C catalysts in sulfuric acid

The electro-oxidation of dimethyl ether (DME) on PtMe/Cs (Me = Ru, Sn, Mo, Cr, Ni, Co, and W) and Pt/C electro-catalysts were investigated in an aqueous half-cell, and compared to the methanol oxidation. The addition of a second metal enhanced the tolerance of Pt to the poisonous species during the DME oxidation reaction (DOR). The PtRu/C electro-catalyst showed the best electro-catalytic activity and the highest tolerance to the poisonous species in the low over-potential range (<0.55 V, 50 °C) among the binary electro-catalysts and the Pt/C, but at the higher potential (>ca. 0.55 V, 50 °C), the Pt/C behaved better than PtRu/C. The apparent activation energy for the DOR decreased in the order: PtRu/C (57 kJ mol⁻¹) > Pt₃Sn/C (48 kJ mol⁻¹) ≈ Pt/C (46 kJ mol⁻¹). On the other hand, the activation energy for the MOR showed a different turn, decreased in the following order: Pt/C (43 kJ mol⁻¹) > Pt₃Sn/C (35 kJ mol⁻¹) ≈ PtRu/C (34 kJ mol⁻¹). The temperature dependence of the DOR was greater than that of the oxidation of methanol (MOR) on the PtRu/C.     

Wide-gap layered oxychalcogenide semiconductors: Materials, electronic structures and optoelectronic properties

Applying the concept of materials design for transparent conductive oxides to layered oxychalcogenides, several p-type and n-type layered oxychalcogenides were proposed as wide-gap semiconductors and their basic optical and electrical properties were examined. The layered oxychalcogenides are composed of ionic oxide layers and covalent chalcogenide layers, which bring wide-gap and conductive properties to these materials, respectively. The electronic structures of the materials were examined by normal/inverse photoemission spectroscopy and energy band calculations. The results of the examinations suggested that these materials possess unique features more than simple wide-gap semiconductors. Namely, the layered oxychalcogenides are considered to be extremely thin quantum wells composed of the oxide and chalcogenide layers or 2D chalcogenide crystals/molecules embedded in an oxide matrix. Observation of step-like absorption edges, large band gap energy and large exciton binding energy demonstrated these features originating from 2D density of states and quantum size effects in these layered materials.     

A comparative study of the mechanical strength of chemical vapor-deposited diamond and physical vapor-deposited hard coatings

Four mechanical parameters of physical vapor-deposited (PVD) hard coatings were obtained, which were the residual strain, Young's modulus, film toughness, and interface toughness, concerning titanium aluminum nitride (TiAlN) and titanium nitride (TiN) coatings deposited on WC-Co substrates. The results were quantitatively compared with the author's previous trials for the case of chemical vapor-deposited (CVD) diamond coatings. Due to the significant difference in the mechanical properties between PVD hard coatings and CVD diamond coatings, it was necessary to develop new experimental techniques, which could properly evaluate those parameters for the case of PVD hard coatings. As a conclusion, film toughness of PVD hard coatings was surprisingly brittle. It was an order of magnitude smaller than that of CVD diamond coatings. In contrast, no significant difference was found in interface toughness between these different kinds of coatings. Concerning the residual strain, TiN had far larger level than the other two. These differences in mechanical properties were further discussed in relation to the difference in their wear behavior.     

Surface Waves on Superfluid <Superscript>4</Superscript>He Under Reduced Gravity

Superfluid ⁴He was produced on a small jet plane for the first time using a small GM-refrigerator to condense the liquid and a scroll pump to get the superfluid by evaporation. The surface wave on superfluid under 0.5g _E, 0.1g _E and 0.05g _E, together with 2g _E and 1g _E, was successfully examined by an optical method utilizing parabolic flight. Here, g _E is the gravitational constant on the ground. Assuming that only the fundamental mode was excited as determined by the sample cell width, the resonance peak in the frequency domain was well reproduced by the gravity wave with corresponding gravity constant.     

Effect of packed structure on flow behaviour in a trickle bed biofilter

The effects of operation conditions on the flow behaviour in gas–liquid countercurrent trickle bed biofilter were experimentally examined. In order to prevent gas channelling in the biofilter, packings with a relatively large void fraction, which have a role to maintain a high void fraction in the bed, were added. The gas and liquid velocities of the packed structure and the packings were changed, and the residence time distributions (RTDs) of the gas and liquid were measured. It was found that the addition of void supporters was very effective in the suppression of gas channelling.     

Layered mixed-anion compounds: Epitaxial growth,active function exploration,and device application

Optoelectronic properties and device applications of layered mixed-anion compounds such as oxychalcogenide LaCuOCh (Ch = chalcogen) and oxypnictide LaT_MOPn (T_M = 3d transition metal, Pn = pnicogen) are reviewed. Several distinctive functions have been found in these materials based on our original material exploration concept. Fabrication of high-quality epitaxial films of LaCuOCh leads to clarifying the excellent electrical and optical properties such as high hole mobility of 8 cm²/(V s) and heavy hole doping at >10²¹ cm^?3 in LaCuOSe, and sharp and tunable-wavelength photoluminescence in the solid–solution systems in LaCuOCh. In addition, a room temperature operation of a light-emitting diode is demonstrated using LaCuOSe as a light-emitting layer. These results suggest that the layered oxychalcogenides have potential for light-emitting layers as well as transparent hole-injection layers in organic/inorganic light-emitting diodes. Furthermore, by extending the material system from the copper-based oxychalcogenides to isostructural compounds, transition metal-based oxypnictides LaT_MOP (T_M = Fe, Ni), we have found novel superconductors, LaFeOP and LaNiOP.     

Teaching e-commerce Web page evaluation and design: a pilot study using tourism destination sites

This study explores a teaching method for improving business students’ skills in e-commerce page evaluation and making Web design majors aware of business content issues through cooperative learning. Two groups of female students at a Japanese university studying either tourism or Web page design were assigned tasks that required cooperation to investigate whether a minimum of formal training and interaction between the two groups would result in an increase in the “design” students’ awareness of content issues in page design, and an improvement in the “tourism” students’ ability to evaluate Web pages related to tourism. The results showed only slight improvements, suggesting that either the amount of cooperative learning must be increased or some formal instruction must be introduced.     

High-precision analysis of a lateral shearing interferogram by use of the integration method and polynomials

Interferograms obtained with ordinary interferometers, such as the Fizeau interferometer or the Twyman-Green interferometer, show the contour maps of a wave front under test. On the other hand, lateral shearing interferograms show the difference between a wave front under test and a sheared wave front, that is, the inclination of the wave front. Therefore the shape of the wave front under test is reconstructed by means of analyzing the difference. To reconstruct the wave front, many methods have been proposed. An integration method is usually used to reconstruct the wave front under test rapidly. However, this method has two disadvantages: The analysis accuracy of the method is low, and part of the wave front cannot be measured. To overcome these two problems, a new, to our knowledge, integration method, improved by use of polynomials, is proposed. The validity of the proposed method is evaluated by computer simulations. In the simulations the analysis accuracy achieved by the proposed method is compared with the analysis accuracy of the ordinary integration method and that of the method proposed by Rimmer and Wyant. The results of the simulations show that the analysis accuracy of the newly proposed method is better than that of the integration method and that of the Rimmer-Wyant method.