Thermomechanical properties of alumina-filled plasticized polylactic acid: Effect of alumina loading percentage

Polylactic acid (PLA) is one of the most widely studied renewable and biodegradable polyesters and is expected to replace petrochemical-based synthetic polymers. In this study, we investigated the effect of the alumina volume fraction on the thermal and mechanical properties of polyethylene glycol (PEG)-plasticized PLA. The alumina particles were treated with maleic acid to improve their interaction with the PLA matrix. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy results revealed that the addition of alumina eliminated voids, leading to improved interfacial interactions between the PLA and alumina particles. The thermal conductivity of the neat PLA increased from 0.278 to 0.66?wm^?1 k^?1 with the addition of 30% alumina, which accounts for 137% increase. The tensile strength and Young's modulus of the neat PLA dropped by 52% and 56%, respectively, on the addition of 15% PEG plasticizer. However, the elongation at break increased from 5.4% to 207%, which was associated with a drop on the glass transition temperature values. The dynamic mechanical analysis results showed a drop in the storage modulus and height of the tan δ peak, revealing the increased flexibility of the composite after the inclusion of the plasticizer. The addition of 30% alumina exhibited a 41.6% increase on the stiffness of the PEG-blended PLA.     

A new ship energy management algorithm to the smart electricity grid system

In this paper, a new energy management algorithm has been suggested for the ships connected with alternative energies considering the smart electricity grid features. The algorithm focuses on the use of optimum energy source on the shipboard based on the priorities of authorities such as the most economic, environmental, or both criteria at the ports. The algorithm is performed in MATLAB, and several case studies are simulated to validate the results. The 5 maritime nations, which are at different regions: United States, Belgium, Turkey, China, and Australia, are taken into account in the case studies. The actual data of a bulk carrier ship have been used to achieve tangible results in the simulations. The results of the case studies are compared to determine the changes of energy cost and released emission to meet demand of electricity on the ships. Capital cost of the proposed concept is also given to make an economic evaluation. The results show that the ship energy management algorithm provides the significant economic and environmental advantages. This paper aims to contribute to the importance of the ships in the smart electricity grid concept for the maritime and electricity sector representatives.     

Use of cellular confinement for improved railway performance on soft subgrades

Due to extensive right-of-way, railroads are inevitably subject to poor subgrade conditions and interrupted service for significant maintenance due to excessive deformations and loss of track geometry. Geocell confinement presents itself as a possible solution for improving performance of ballasted railroad embankments over weak subgrade. To investigate the efficacy of geocell confinement on ballasted railway embankments, a set of well-instrumented, large-scale cyclic plate loading tests and numerical simulations were performed on geocell-confined ballast overlaying a weak subgrade material. The agreement of results from tests and simulations served as a basis for simulating practical track geometry and performance for various geocell configurations and subgrades using three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analyses. The study showed that geocell reinforcement significantly decreased track settlement, decreased subgrade deformations with lower and uniform distribution of vertical stresses on subgrade and inhibited lateral deformation and serviceability under cyclic loading. These results demonstrate that geocell confinement can be an effective alternative to subsurface improvement or shorter maintenance cycles, particularly on weak subgrades.     

Deep reinforcement learning for selecting demand forecast models to empower Industry 3.5 and an empirical study for a semiconductor component distributor

A semiconductor distributor that plays a third-party role in the supply chain will buy diverse components from different suppliers, warehouse and resell them to a number of electronics manufacturers with vendor-managed inventories, while suffering both risks of oversupply and shortage due to demand uncertainty. However, demand fluctuation and supply chain complexity are increasing due to shortening product life cycle in the consumer electronics era and long lead time for capacity expansion for high-tech manufacturing. Focusing realistic needs of a leading distributor for semiconductor components and modules, this study aims to construct a UNISON framework based on deep reinforcement learning (RL) for dynamically selecting the optimal demand forecast model for each of the products with the corresponding demand patterns to empower smart production for Industry 3.5. Deep RL that integrates deep learning architecture and RL algorithm can learn successful policies from the dynamic and complex real world. The reward function mechanism of deep RL can reduce negative impact of demand uncertainty. An empirical study was conducted for validation showing practical viability of the proposed approach. Indeed, the developed solution has been in real settings.     

Structural-microstructural characterization and optical properties of Eu3+,Tb3+-codoped LaPO4·nH2O and LaPO4 nanorods hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves

Rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·nH₂O single-crystal nanorods with the compositions La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄·nH₂O (x?=?0–0.03), La_0.99999-yTb_yEu_0.00001PO₄·n′H₂O (y?=?0–0.010), and La_0.99999-zTb_zEu_0.000007PO₄·n′′H₂O (z?=?0–0.012) were hydrothermally synthesized with microwaves. It is shown that the Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ codoping does not affect the thermal stability of these nanorods, which is due to the formation of substitutional solid solutions with both Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ replacing La³⁺ in the crystal lattice. Moreover, it is also shown that monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ single-crystal nanorods can be obtained by calcining their rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄·(n,n′ or n′′)H₂O counterparts at moderate temperature in air, and that they are thermally stable. It is also observed that, for the same Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoping content, the monazite-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄ nanorods exhibit higher photoluminescent efficiency than the rhabdophane-type Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺-codoped LaPO₄· (n,n′ or n′′)H₂O nanorods. Moreover, it is found that the highest photoluminescence emission corresponds to the monazite-type La_0.96999Eu_0.02Tb_0.00001PO₄ nanorods for the La_0.99999-xEu_xTb_0.00001PO₄ system. However, for those compositions energy transfer from Tb³⁺ to Eu³⁺ does not occur. In addition, for an efficient energy transfer to occur, a content of at least 1?mol% Tb³⁺ is needed in all the studied materials.     

Online monitoring of laser remelting of plasma sprayed coatings to study the effect of cooling rate on residual stress and mechanical properties

This investigation deals with laser remelting of plasma sprayed alumina and chromia coatings. The time-temperature history of the laser remelted zone was recorded using an infrared pyrometer during the remelting operation. Cooling rates, under varying scanning speed, were determined from the time temperature curve. Surface morphology, microstructure, and phases of the laser treated and as-sprayed coatings were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, respectively. X-ray diffraction was also employed to measure the surface residual stress of the coatings. Inherent features of plasma sprayed coatings like porosity and inter-lamellar boundary were obliterated upon laser remelting. A columnar grain growth perpendicular to the laser scanning direction was observed. The range of roughness of the as-sprayed coatings reduced from 6 to 8?µm to 1–2?µm in the remelted layers. For both coatings, more than 90% reduction in porosity was found upon laser remelting. Surface residual stress of the as-sprayed alumina and chromia coatings was found to be tensile and compressive, respectively. Within the limits of the testing condition the tensile residual stress of the remelted layers increased by up to around 500% in the alumina coatings. In the chromia coating a decrease of compressive stress by up to around 80% was recorded. In the remelted layer the tensile nature of the stress showed a tendency to increase with an increase in the cooling rate. However, the state of stress of the as-sprayed layer, i.e., tensile or compressive, was retained in the remelted layer. The residual stress was found to decrease in the remelted layer with an increase in the degree of overlap of the remelted tracks.     

On the existence and origin of sluggish diffusion in chemically disordered concentrated alloys

Concentrated single phase solid solutions, including medium- and high-entropy alloys, represent a new class of materials that have recently attracted significant interest due to exceptional functional and structural properties. Their fascinating properties are mainly attributed to the sluggish atomic-level diffusion and transport, but its controlling mechanisms are largely unknown and there is certain skepticism about its very existence. By using microsecond-scale molecular dynamics, on-the-fly and conventional kinetic Monte Carlo, we reveal the governing role of percolation effects and composition dependence of the vacancy migration energy in diffusion. Surprisingly, an increase of concentration of faster species (Fe) in face-centered cubic Ni-Fe alloy may decrease the overall atomic diffusion. Consequently, the composition dependence of tracer diffusion coefficient has a minimum near the site percolation threshold, ～20?at.%Fe. We argue that this coupled percolation and composition-dependent barriers for vacancy jumps within different subsystems in medium- and high-entropy alloys leads, indeed, to the sluggish diffusion. A fast method for preselecting materials with potentially desired properties is suggested.     

Influence of LiBO2 addition on the microstructure and lithium-ion conductivity of Li1+xAlxTi2−x(PO4)3(x = 0.3) ceramic electrolyte

Concerning the safety problems of conventional Li-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes, it is crucial to develop reliable solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity. Li_1+xAl_xTi_2?x(PO₄)₃ (LATP, x = 0.3) is regarded as one of the most promising solid electrolytes due to its high ionic conductivity and excellent chemical stability to humidity.Herein, a new strategy is proposed for improving the sintering behavior and enhancing the ionic conductivity of LATP by using LiBO₂ as the sintering aid via liquid phase sintering. The as-prepared sample LATP with homogeneous microstructure and high relative density of 97.1% was successfully synthesized, yielding high total ionic conductivity of 3.5 × 10^?4 S cm^?1 and low activation energy of 0.39 eV at room temperature. It was found that the addition of LiBO₂ could effectively enhance the densification and increase the ionic conductivity of LATP electrolyte, proving an effective way to synthesis LATP ceramics by a simple and reliable route.