Improvement of Palm Oil Biodiesel Filterability by Adsorption Methods

Palm oil biodiesel (POB) is characterized by a very high cold soak filtration time (CSFT), which places the acceptability of this biofuel at risk. Therefore, the effect of four adsorbents, namely diatomaceous earth, natural silicate (NS), neutral bleaching earth (NBE), and acid activated bleaching earth (AABE), at two levels of addition (1 and 5 wt%) or two temperatures (25 and 110 °C) on the precipitate content and CSFT of POB was investigated. The impact on total glycerin content, moisture content, and oxidative stability was also examined. All treatments significantly decreased the precipitate content, total glycerin content, and moisture content, but only treatments with NS, NBE, and AABE at 5 wt% and 25 °C achieved acceptable filterability. The OSI value was also decreased; however, it remained above the ASTM limit. Operational conditions of treatment with AABE were further optimized in a two‐factor, five‐level center composite design. The combination of 0.65 wt% AABE and 10 min at 25 °C decreased CSFT to below the ASTM limit. Lower adsorbent concentrations could be effective down to 0.44 wt%, given a corresponding increase in the contact time up to 30 min.     

The effect of age-hardening mechanism on hydrogen embrittlement in high-nitrogen steels

The effect of age-hardening regime on peculiarities of hydrogen-assisted fracture and tensile properties in two high-nitrogen Fe-23Cr-17Mn-0.1C-0.6N and Fe-19Cr-22Mn-1.5V-0.3C-0.9N steels was studied. A large number of intergranular (austenite/austenite) and interphase boundaries (austenite/coarse particle) provides high fraction of trapping sites for hydrogen atoms in V-alloyed steel. This leads to a change in fracture regime from transgranular brittle mode in coarse-grained V-free steel to intergranular brittle fracture of hydrogen-assisted surface layers in fine-grained V-alloyed steel with coarse (V,Cr)(N,C) particles. The formation of cells (Cr₂(N,C) particles and austenite) along the grain boundaries due to discontinuous precipitate-hardening reaction facilitates predominantly interphase hydrogen-assisted fracture for both steels. The complex reaction of the particle-strengthening mechanisms including discontinuous precipitation with formation of austenite/Cr₂(N,C)-plates interfaces or homogeneous nucleation of coherent (V,Cr)(N,C) particles in austenite (age-hardening regime 700 °C, 10 h) promotes mainly transgranular cleavage-like fracture mode under hydrogen-charging. The structural scheme is proposed to describe a change in hydrogen-assisted fracture micromechanisms and tensile properties of the steels with different density and distribution of interphase and intergranular boundaries.     

Hydrometallurgical processing of nontronite type lateritic nickel ores by MHP process

The research work presented in this paper determined the optimum conditions at which nickel and cobalt could be obtained at maximum efficiency from the column leach liquor of the lateritic nickel ore existing in Gördes region of Manisa in Turkey by performing effective hydrometallurgical methods. This column leach solution was initially neutralized and purified from its basic impurities by a two-stage iron removal process, nickel and cobalt were precipitated in the form of mixed hydroxide precipitate from the purified leach solution by a two-stage precipitation method called “MHP” and a manganese removal process was performed at the optimum conditions determined experimentally. By decreasing manganese concentration with this process to an acceptable level yielding at most 10% Mn in hydroxide precipitate, it was possible to produce a qualified MHP product suitable to the current marketing and standard conditions. The experiments conducted showed that by maintaining recycle leaching with sulfuric acid at which 95% of Ni-Co could be recovered from the precipitates, about 81% of Ni and 63% of Co in the lateritic nickel ore (9.72 kg Ni/ton of ore and 0.28 kg Co/ton of ore) could be extracted as mixed hydroxide precipitate by MHP process.     

Enhanced mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr casting via friction stir processing

Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr casting was subjected to friction stir processing (FSP) at a tool rotation rate of 800 rpm and a traverse speed of 50 mm/min. FSP resulted in the fundamental dissolution of the coarse network-like β-Mg₅(Gd,Y) phase and remarkable grain refinement (∼6.1 μm), thereby significantly improving the strength and ductility of the casting. Post-FSP aging resulted in the precipitation of fine β′′ and β′ particles in a fine-grained magnesium matrix, producing an ultimate tensile strength of 439 MPa and a yield strength of 330 MPa. FSP combined with aging is a simple and effective approach to enhancing the mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr casting.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-xCu-0.6Zr (wt.%) alloys

The microstructures and mechanical properties of the new quaternary Mg-6Zn-xCu-0.6Zr alloys (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 wt.%) have been investigated. The results show that the Cu content has a significant effect on the age-hardening response, tensile performance and fracture behavior of the alloys. The addition of 0.5 wt.% Cu resulted in a remarkable age-hardening response and a striking improvement of the room temperature tensile properties after an isothermal ageing at 180 °C. However, an excessive Cu addition of 2.0 wt.% caused the formation of continuous brittle grain-boundary intermetallic particles, thus degrading the age-hardening response and the mechanical properties of the alloy. The microstructural factors associated with the improvements in the mechanical properties are discussed in detail.     

Low cycle fatigue of an extruded Mg–3Nd–0.2Zn–0.5Zr magnesium alloy

The purpose of this study was to evaluate strain-controlled cyclic deformation behavior of an extruded Mg–3Nd–0.2Zn–0.5Zr (NZ30K) magnesium alloy. The microstructure of this alloy consisted of a bimodal microstructure with equiaxed recrystallized grains and unrecrystallized coarse grains along with a large number of smaller second-phase particles present inside the grains and larger particles along the grain boundaries alongside a characteristic precipitate free zone (PFZ). The average grain size was about approximately 5–7 μm. It was observed that unlike the higher RE-containing Mg–10Gd–3Y–0.5Zr (GW103K) magnesium alloy, the NZ30K alloy exhibited asymmetrical hysteresis loops in tension and compression in the fully reversed strain-control tests at a strain ratio of R_ε = −1. This was mainly due to the presence of relatively stronger crystallographic texture, PFZ, and the resultant twinning–detwinning activities during cyclic deformation. While this alloy exhibited cyclic softening at lower strain amplitudes and cyclic hardening at higher strain amplitudes, it had an equivalent fatigue life to that of other extruded Mg alloys. Fatigue crack was observed to initiate from the specimen surface with some isolated facets of the cleavage-like planes near the initiation site. Crack propagation was basically characterized by serrated fatigue striations.     

Effects of grain size and precipitation on liquation cracking of AZ61 magnesium alloy laser welding joints

Abstract

Four kinds of wrought AZ61 alloy sheets with different microstructural features were successfully welded by CO₂ laser beam butt welding. Welding joints without visible pores were obtained under optimum process parameters. Effects of grain size and precipitation on liquation cracking behaviours of the laser welding joints were investigated. As far as the as rolled alloy sheets were concerned, liquation in the partially melted zone (PMZ) was visible along grain boundaries, and the extent of liquation was more serious in the alloy sheets with larger grains. As far as the as aged alloy sheets were concerned, plenty of precipitates (β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂) were involved and liquation in the PMZ was found both at grain boundaries and within grains. Moreover, the extent of liquation was more serious in the alloy sheets with more precipitates. It is promising to reduce liquation cracks in the PMZ of magnesium alloys by grain refinement, reducing the size and the quantity of the low melting point phase, and modifying its distribution.     

Small Angle X-ray Scattering Study of Precipitation Kinetics in Al-Zn-Mg-Cu Alloys

The evolution of microstructure parameters (precipitate size and volume fraction) for two types of AI-Zn-Mg-Cu alloys (7075 and 7055) during aging has been studied by synchrotron-radiation small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The results show that the precipitates are only a few nanometers for both alloys ageing even at higher temperature of 160℃for 72 h (4.44 and 5.82 nm, respectively). The maximum of the precipitate volume fraction increases with in creasing Zn content and is about 0.023-0.028 and 0.052-0.054, respectively. The coarsening of precipitate is consistent with LSW (Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner) model even at the initial stage where volume fraction is still varying. The activation energy of coarsening regime has been determined to be about 1.22±0.02 eV and 1.25±0.02 eV for alloys 7075 and 7055, respectively.     

Precipitation Behavior and Mechanical Properties of a 16Cr-25Ni Superaustenitic Stainless Steel Weld Metal During Post-weld Heat Treatment

A 16Cr-25Ni superaustenitic stainless steel weld metal for austenitic stainless steel/ferrite heat-resistance steel dissimilar metal weld was designed and prepared through tungsten inert-gas welding. The precipitate evolution and its correlation with mechanical properties were investigated during post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) at 690 °C for up to 12 h. The primary precipitates in the as-welded weld metal were identified as Mo-rich M₆C carbides in the interdendritic region and semicontinuous fine-sized M₂₃C₆ carbides along grain boundary. After PWHT, three types of precipitates coexisted in the interdendritic region: primary M₆C carbides, newly precipitated Mo-rich M₂X carbonitrides and some of the secondary M₂₃C₆ carbides. Additionally, mass secondary M₂₃C₆ carbides formed and coarsened along grain boundary. No undesirable intermetallic phases formed during the whole period. The M₂X and interdendritic M₂₃C₆ improved the strength of the weld metal after PWHT, but the elongation and impact toughness degraded, which were mainly owing to the intergranular M₂₃C₆ carbides that changed the fracture mode from ductile transgranular mode to mixed mode of transgranular and intergranular fracture. Meanwhile, the coarsening of M₂X carbonitrides may lead to the elongation loss during 8 h to 12 h. Evolution of impact toughness was also related to the M₂X carbonitrides, which made the crack easier to propagate compared with austenitic matrix and contributed to the decline of impact toughness. However, due to the sluggish precipitation of M₂X carbonitrides with longer holding time, the decreasing trend became slow from 4 to 12 h. The results showed that PWHT should be controlled within 8 h to obtain better combination of strength and ductility.     

X射线相衬成像用于生物碱沉淀研究的可行性

生物碱与一些特殊的试剂作用生成沉淀。这些反应可用于生物碱的检测和精制。本文分别在同步辐射装置和微聚焦X射线成像系统上用X射线相衬成像(XPCI)方法研究了三种不同类型的生物碱沉淀的结构。研究结果显示：在Hager试剂作用下，有机胺类的秋水仙碱沉淀呈针状，吡啶类的槟榔碱沉淀呈胶团状，异喹啉类的小檗碱沉淀呈花瓣状。与目测或在光学显微镜下观察到的形态有很大差别。为今后用XPCI方法研究更复杂的化学反应体系提供参考和依据。