Annealing of Mineral-Like Host Matrices for High-Level Waste Immobilization

Inorganic Materials - We have studied the effect of annealing on the chemical and physical properties of mineral-like host matrices for immobilization of the rare-earth–actinide fraction from...     

Eco-friendly approach for preparation of hybrid silica aerogel via freeze drying method

Journal of Materials Science - In this paper, an eco-friendly method of producing hybrid silica aerogels by freeze-drying method (FD) is proposed. In the freeze-drying system, deionized water was...     

Materials systems for interleave toughening in polymer composites

We review the literature describing the use of interleaves to increase interlaminar fracture toughness in fibre-reinforced polymer composites and hence to improve damage tolerance. From an analysis of data provided in the literature from the use of microfibre and nanofibre interleaves, we show that the performance of these widely researched systems is clearly differentiated when plotted against the mean coverage of the interleaf. Using a simple analysis, we suggest that this can be attributed to the influence of their porous architectures on the infusion of resin. We show also that the superior toughening performance of microfibre interleaves is only weakly influenced by the choice of fibre. We find also that the inclusion of carbon nanotubes within interleaves to deliver multifunctional composites can be optimised by using a hybrid system with microfibres.

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Computational and experimental study of dental resin composites with high filler content

Journal of Materials Science - Nanocomposites have been used in various industries due to their excellent properties. For some of them, high filler content (over 50 wt%) is beneficial to improving...     

Intermetallic and dispersoid structures in aa3104 Aluminum alloy during two-step homogenisation

During homogenisation of the AA3104 cast ingot, a phase transformation of intermetallic particles from β-Al₆(Fe,Mn) orthorhombic phase to harder α-Al_x(Fe,Mn)₃Si₂ cubic phase occurs. The large constituent intermetallic particles, regardless of phase, assist in the recrystallisation nucleation process through particle stimulated nucleation (PSN). Ultimately, this helps to refine grain size. The sub-micron dispersoids act to impede grain boundary migration through a Zener drag mechanism. For this reason, the dispersoids that form during homogenisation are critical in the recrystallisation kinetics during subsequent rolling, with smaller dispersoids being better suited to reverse rolling mills. This work simulates an industrial two-step homogenisation practice with variations in the peak temperature of the first step between 560 °C and 580 °C. The effect of this temperature variation on the intermetallic particle-phase evolution is investigated. The aim is to identify the ideal intermetallic phase balance and the dispersoid structure that are best suited for hot rolling on a single stand reversing mill, in order to minimise recrystallisation during rolling through maximising Zener drag and maintaining galling resistance. The results indicate a trend where an increase in homogenisation temperature from 560 °C to 580 °C yields, firstly, an increase in the volume fraction of the α-phase particles to greater than 50% of the total volume fraction at both the edge and the center of the ingot and, secondly, it yields an increased dispersoid size. Thus, in the context of a reverse rolling operation, a lower temperature homogenisation practice produces a near-ideal combination of intermetallic particle-phase distribution, as well as dispersoid size, which is critical for Zener drag and the minimization of recrystallisation during the hot rolling processes.

Graphical abstract

SEM BEI images and corresponding EDS maps, highlighting the variation in intermetallic particle phase balance, size and morphology after homogenisation at different temperatures. With a focus on the exaggerated differences seen between material the center of and at the edge of a DC cast ingot of AA3104 Aluminum alloy.

     

Strength assessment of Al2O3 and MgAl2O4 using micro- and macro-scale biaxial tests

Journal of Materials Science - The application of ceramics in advanced functional applications often requires thicknesses below a few hundred micrometers, rendering an assessment of the...     

Localization of isotropic and anisotropic wireless sensor networks in 2D and 3D fields

Telecommunication Systems - Internet of Things (IoT) has changed the way people live by transforming everything into smart systems. Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) forms an important part of IoT....     

Irradiation with Argon Ions of Cr/4H-SiC Photodetectors

Semiconductors - The results of the effect of irradiation with Ar ions on the structural, electrophysical, and optical characteristics of ultraviolet Cr/4H-SiC photodetectors in the spectral range...     

Use of by-Product Gasoline Fractions Produced by Combining Fuel and Petrochemical Production

Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils - This article considers the alternatives for treatment of the raffinate produced at a unit for the extraction of benzene-containing fractions and the...