Enhanced electrical and photoluminescence properties of BiSbO4-doped CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics by modifying grain boundary response

CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂-xwt%BiSbO₄ ceramics (CCTO-xwt%BSO, x = 0, 1, 2, 3) were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The microstructure, dielectric properties, varistor properties, photoluminescence properties of CCTO-xwt%BSO ceramics were studied in this work. Results showed that all samples formed CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) single phase. Doping BiSbO₄ (BSO) restrained the abnormal grain growth and increased the grain boundary density of ceramics. The introduction of BSO led to the increase of the grain boundary resistance, reducing the dielectric loss and enhancing the temperature stability of dielectric properties. The nonlinear electrical characteristics are enhanced with proper concentration of BSO. And the improved varistor performance with breakdown electric field of ～3.98–34.6 and nonlinear coefficient of ～1.49–2.96 are obtained for CCTO-xwt%BSO samples. In addition, the photoluminescent emission of the samples is enhanced with the addition of appropriate equivalent BSO, showing the potential applications in novel devices with photoluminescent/electrical multifunctional properties.     

Excellent destabilization effect and ideal desorption temperature in the hydride Mg2FeH6 substituted with yttrium; a first principles study

We investigated some properties of the hydride Mg₂FeH₆ substituted with yttrium by a first principles calculation. Some experimental results showed that 4d transition metal, yttrium serves as a good catalyst for magnesium based hydrogen storage alloys, but there are a few theoretical studies about magnesium based hydrides substituted with it. Mg₂FeH₆ is regarded as a cheaper material than pure MgH₂, while it is crystalized into Fm3m structure (space group 225). Although it has high hydrogen storage capacity, many investigations have not been devoted to it due to its extremely high thermodynamic stability. The yttrium substituted Mg₂FeH₆ exhibits very low energy of formation, and its desorption temperature, 75 °C is very suitable for practical hydrogen storage applications. Our results showed that Mg₂FeH₆ is destabilized effectively by yttrium substitution and introducing vacancy defects has additive effect to the improvement of dehydrogenation performance.     

A hybrid homogeneously weighted moving average control chart for process monitoring: Discussion

The sensitivity of a monitoring scheme depends on many factors including the variance of the charting statistic which is very important in the computation of the control limits. This paper discusses the computation of the variance of the recently proposed hybrid homogeneously weighted moving average (HHWMA) $\overline{X}$ scheme which was based on an incorrect assumption. The correct variance is used to evaluate the run-length characteristics of the HHWMA $\overline{X}$ scheme. It is observed that the incorrect variance has a significant impact on the sensitivity (or performance) of the HHWMA $\overline{X}$ scheme.     

Heat and mass transfer analysis of combined convection in a horizontal rectangle

In this study, the heat and mass transfer of combined free and forced convection in the horizontal rectangle is explored. The governing equations together with the boundary conditions are solved numerically by using the finite volume method. The innovative idea in this study is to appropriately modify the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-Linked Equations algorithm and thereby, the numerical solutions of the flow variables such as the temperature and the concentration in addition to the components of velocity and the pressure are computed. The Richardson numbers (Ri) for distinct gases and liquids are calculated for different Rayleigh numbers at low (Re = 50) and high (Re = 5000) Reynolds numbers. The dimensionless parameters, such as the Reynolds number (Re), the Prandtl number (Pr), and the Schmidt number (Sc) are appropriately chosen to calculate the Richardson numbers. Consequently, combined free and forced convection effects are analyzed. Furthermore, the heat and mass transfer aspect for distinct gases and liquids is critically examined using empirical correlations. The accuracy and the validation of these results are ensured owing to the solutions obtained from correlations being advised in this study and those are existing in the literature.     

Two successive occasions resubmitted sampling scheme-based control chart

In this paper, a resubmitted sampling-based successive sampling over two successive occasions control chart is proposed to monitor the underlying characteristic of interest. Auxiliary information of the first occasion is utilized to monitor the relative change in the study variable over the second occasion successively despite high degree of correlation. The structural and operational design is presented along with the comparative performance evaluation. The average run length is used as a performance evaluation measure and proved the argument in favor of the presented concept in comparison with the other auxiliary data control charts. The implementation is explained through two real examples.     

The influence of the processing route on the fragmentation of (Nb,Ti)C stringers and its role on mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement of nickel based alloy 718

The nickel-base superalloy 718 is a precipitation hardened alloy widely used in the nuclear fuel assembly of pressurized water reactors (PWR). However, the alloy can experience failure due to hydrogen embrittlement (HE). The processing route can influence the microstructure of the material and, therefore, the HE degree. In particular, the size and distribution of the (Nb,Ti)C particles can be affected by the processing. In this regard, the objective of this work was to analyze the influence of cold and hot deformation processing routes on the development of the microstructure, and the consequences on mechanical properties and hydrogen embrittlement. Tensile samples were hydrogenated through gaseous charging and compared to non-hydrogenated samples. Characterization was performed via scanning and transmission electron microscopies, as well as electron backscattered diffraction. The processing was effective to promote significant variations in average grain size and length fraction of special Σ3ⁿ boundaries, as well as reduction of average (Nb,Ti)C particle size, being these changes more intense for the cold-rolled route. For the mechanical properties, on one side, the cold-rolled route presented the highest increase in ductility for non-hydrogenated samples, while, on the other side, had the highest degree of embrittlement under hydrogen. This dual behavior was attributed to the interaction of hydrogen with the (Nb,Ti)C particles and stringers and its ensuing influence on the fracture processes.     

Biomechanical response of the human foot when standing in a natural position while exposed to vertical vibration from 10–200 Hz

Exposure to foot-transmitted vibration (FTV) can lead to pain and numbness in the toes and feet, increased cold sensitivity, blanching in the toes, and joint pain. Prolonged exposure can result in a clinical diagnosis of vibration-induced white foot (VIWFt). Data on the biomechanical response of the feet to FTV is limited; therefore, this study seeks to identify resonant frequencies for different anatomical locations on the human foot, while standing in a natural position. A laser Doppler vibrometer was used to measure vertical (z-axis) vibration on 21 participants at 24 anatomical locations on the right foot during exposure to a sine sweep from 10–200?Hz with a peak vertical velocity of 30?mm/s. The most notable differences in the average peak frequency occur between the toes (range: 99–147?Hz), midfoot (range: 51–84?Hz) and ankle (range: 16–39?Hz).

Practitioner Summary: The biomechanical response of the human foot exposed to foot-transmitted vibration, when standing in a natural position, was measured for 21 participants. The foot does not respond uniformly; the toes, midfoot, and ankle regions need to be considered independently in future development of isolation strategies and protective measures.     

枪管结构对固有频率的影响

为了研究枪管结构对枪管固有频率的影响,针对枪管尤其是狙击枪管设计中约束长度、枪管外形、膛口装置以及膛线等不同结构,建立了相应的三维模型。采用以六面体为主的网格对枪管进行了网格划分,采用有限元方法对枪管进行了模态分析。计算获得了不同结构枪管的固有频率; 通过比较,得到了不同枪管结构对固有频率的影响。分析结果表明:枪管尾部螺纹长度越长,枪口振动幅度越低; 相同质量枪管,锥形外形枪管刚度最好; 加装膛口装置对枪管刚度和振动特性有不利影响。