Chemical bond characteristics and infrared reflectivity spectrum of a novel microwave dielectric ceramic CaIn2O4 with near-zero τf

Orthorhombic-structured CaIn₂O₄ ceramics with a space group Pca2₁ were synthesized via a solid-state reaction method. A high relative density (95.6 %) and excellent microwave dielectric properties (ε_r ～11.28, Qf = 74,200 GHz, τ_f ～ ?4.6 ppm/°C) were obtained when the ceramics were sintered at 1375 °C for 6 h. The dielectric properties were investigated on the basis of the Phillips–Van Vechten–Levine chemical bond theory. Results indicated that the dielectric properties were mainly determined by the InO bonds in the CaIn₂O₄ ceramics. These bonds contributed more (74.65 %) to the dielectric constant than the CaO bonds (25.35 %). Furthermore, the intrinsic dielectric properties of the CaIn₂O₄ ceramics were investigated via infrared reflectivity spectroscopy. The extrapolated microwave dielectric properties were ε_r ～10.12 and Qf = 112,200 GHz. Results indicated that ion polarization is the main contributor to the dielectric constant in microwave frequency ranges.     

Environmental effects on the strength and impact damage resistance of alumina based oxide/oxide ceramic matrix composites

In this study the effects of high temperature and moisture on the impact damage resistance and mechanical strength of Nextel 610/alumina silicate ceramic matrix composites were experimentally evaluated. Composite laminates were exposed to either a 1050°C isothermal furnace-based environment for 30 consecutive days at 6 h a day, or 95% relative humidity environment for 13 consecutive days at 67°C. Low velocity impact, tensile and short beam strength tests were performed on both ambient and environmentally conditioned laminates and damage was characterized using a combination of non-destructive and destructive techniques. High temperature and humidity environmental exposure adversely affected the impact resistance of the composite laminates. For all the environments, planar internal damage area was greater than the back side dent area, which in turn was greater than the impactor side dent area. Evidence of environmental embrittlement through a stiffer tensile response was noted for the high temperature exposed laminates while the short beam strength tests showed greater propensity for interlaminar shear failure in the moisture exposed laminates. Destructive evaluations exposed larger, more pronounced delaminations in the environmentally conditioned laminates in comparison to the ambient ones. External damage metrics of the impactor side dent depth and area directly influenced the post-impact tensile strength of the laminates while no such trend between internal damage area and residual strength could be ascertained.     

Preparation and electrochemical characterization of Ti-based amorphous metallic glass with high strength

Ti-based amorphous metallic glasses have excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, which is an important development direction and research hotspot of metal composite reinforcement. As a stable, simple, efficient, and large-scale preparation technology of metallic powders, the gas atomization process provides an effective way of preparing amorphous metallic glasses. In this study, the controllable fabrication of a Ti-based amorphous powder, with high efficiency, has been realized by using gas atomization. The scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction are used to analyze surface morphology, element distribution, and phase structure, respectively. A microhardness tester is used to measure the mechanical property. An electrochemical workstation is used to characterize corrosion behavior. The results show that as-prepared microparticles are more uniform and exhibit good amorphous characteristics. The mechanical test shows that the hardness of amorphous powder is significantly increased as compared with that before preparation, which has the prospect of being an important part of engineering reinforced materials. Further electrochemical measurement shows that the corrosion resistance of the as-prepared sample is also significantly improved. This study has laid a solid foundation for expanding applications of Ti-based metallic glasses, especially in heavy-duty and corrosive domains.     

Reduced‐scale test to assess the effect of fire barriers on the flaming combustion of cored composites: An upholstery‐material case study

Herein, we describe a reduced‐scale test (“Cube” test), measuring the fire performance of specimens including a fire barrier (FB) and a flammable core material, which acts as the main fuel load. The specimen is intended to reproduce a cross‐section of a composite product where heat/mass transfer occurs primarily in a direction perpendicular to the FB. The Cube test procedure and benefits are discussed in this work by adopting residential upholstery furniture as an exemplary study. One flexible polyurethane foam, one polypropylene cover fabric, and 10 commercially available FBs were selected. They were used to compare the fire performance of FBs, measured in terms of peak of heat release rate, in the ASTM E1474‐14 standard test and the newly developed Cube test. Edge effects severely affected the performance of FBs in the ASTM E1474‐14 standard test but not in the Cube test. Furthermore, appropriate test conditions were determined in the Cube test to measure the so‐called “wetting point,” that is, the time and value of heat release rate measured when flammable liquid products were first observed on the bottom of the specimen. The relevance of the “wetting point” in terms of full‐scale fire performance and failure mechanism of FBs is discussed.     

Phase formation,structure and properties of light-weight aluminosilicate proppants based on clay-diabase and clay-granite binary mixes

One of the drawbacks of fusible clays is the narrow sintering interval due to a sharp increase in the amount of iron-silicate melt at a temperature of 1000–1100 °C, which hardens in the form of a glass phase upon cooling. This leads to a relatively low mechanical strength of the calcined samples and causes the danger of melting the granular material surface from such clays during the firing process. To increase the strength of samples of fusible clays, the influence of diabase and granitoid rocks was considered. It was found that the strengthening effect of diabase and granitoid rock additives in an amount of 20–50% in a mixture with fusible clay is due to an increase of total content of the crystalline phase (mullite, cristobalite and residual quartz) from 18–20% in clays without additives to 22–28 % - in mixtures with diabase and to 28–34% - with granitoid additives) at a temperature of 1050–1100 °C. This increase is due to the activation of synthesis processes of secondary mullite and crystallization from alkali-rich feldspar melt of amorphous silica, released from the structure of clay minerals. The established influence of the igneous rocks used made it possible to develop compositions and propose process flow sheet for producing aluminosilicate proppants based on fusible clays. The use of granitoid and diabase rocks in an amount of 20–70% with fusible clays produces lightweight aluminosilicate proppants with bulk density of 1.40–1.46 g/cm³ at temperature range of 1050–1100 °C, which can endure destructive pressures up to 34.5–52 MPa.     

SBS Thermoplastic Elastomer Based on Dynamic Metal-Ligand Bond: Structure,Mechanical Properties,and Shape Memory Behavior

A Cooper(II) (Cu²⁺)-nitrogen coordination-crosslinked network is designed in poly(styrene-co-butadiene-co-styrene) (SBS) to change commercial elastomers into advanced soft materials. Herein, ligand groups into SBS molecular chains by the 3,6-di(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (DPT) click reaction are first introduced. The results from fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) are verified the successful modification of SBS. The DPT-grafted SBS could then coordinate with copper sulfate (CuSO₄) to form a Cu²⁺-nitrogen bond, which is further characterized using FT-IR, XPS, atomic force microscope, scanning electron microscope, and geometric structure calculations. After modifying SBS to form an SBS-DPT/CuSO₄ composite (SBS-DPT2-Cu10), the tensile stress is improved from 11.43 to 23.25 MPa, while the elongation at break is remained almost unchanged, and the corresponding toughness is increased from 33.21 to 63.26 MJ m^–3. Moreover, the dynamic nature of the Cu²⁺-nitrogen coordination bonds enables the SBS-DPT/CuSO₄ composite to exhibit sustained thermoplastic performance and excellent shape memory behavior under an external thermal stimulus.     

巨型水轮发电机剪断销研发与质量控制

为获得设计需要的巨型水轮发电机剪断销的剪切力,得到剪切力波动受控的批量剪断销,通过拉伸试验、冲击试验、硬度试验和剪断销剪切试验等讨论了全尺寸剪断销剪切试验的可行性,分析了剪切试验时正常剪断和非正常剪断的剪断销材料性能差异,探究了剪断销的剪切力质量稳定性控制方法。结果表明:控制剪断销料坯的布氏硬度波动,可实现间接控制剪断销剪切强度的波动;通过试验总结的六步法可达到控制批量剪断销质量和剪切力波动的目的。     

Use of CFD-DEM to evaluate the effect of intermediate stress ratio on the undrained behaviour of granular materials

This study investigates the effect of intermediate stress ratio (b) on the mechanical behaviour of granular soil in true triaxial tests. A CFD-DEM solver with the ability to model compressible fluid and moving mesh has been developed and calibrated based on existing experimental test results on Nevada sand. The effect of b on the undrained true triaxial test, which has been neglected in the literature, was investigated using a reasonable number of models. The effects of the initial confining stress and initial void ratio also have been studied. The developed model was used to calculate the hydrodynamic forces on the particles and evaluate the ratio of the particle–fluid interaction force to the resultant force on the particles. It has been demonstrated that, in numerical studies, the effect of these forces cannot be neglected.     

Comparative study of embrittlement of quenched and tempered steels in hydrogen environments

The study of steels which guarantee safety and reliability throughout their service life in hydrogen-rich environments has increased considerably in recent years. Their mechanical behavior in terms of hydrogen embrittlement is of utmost importance. This work aims to assess the effects of hydrogen on the tensile properties of quenched and tempered 42CrMo4 steels. Tensile tests were performed on smooth and notched specimens under different conditions: pre-charged in high pressure hydrogen gas, electrochemically pre-charged, and in-situ hydrogen charged in an acid aqueous medium. The influence of the charging methodology on the corresponding embrittlement indexes was assessed. The role of other test variables, such as the applied current density, the electrolyte composition, and the displacement rate was also studied. An important reduction of the strength was detected when notched specimens were subjected to in-situ charging. When the same tests were performed on smooth tensile specimens, the deformation results were reduced. This behavior is related to significant changes in the operative failure micromechanisms, from ductile (microvoids coalescence) in absence of hydrogen or under low hydrogen contents, to brittle (decohesion of martensite lath interfaces) under the most stringent conditions.