Microstructural refinement and mechanical response of Al2O3–ZrO2 eutectics fabricated by a novel pulse discharge plasma assisted melting method

In the present work, microstructural refinement and mechanical response of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics fabricated by a pulse discharge plasma assisted melting (PDPAM) method were investigated. The solidified microstructure evolves from polygonal eutectic colonies into irregular cellular colonies with increasing the superheating temperature of the melt from 1820 °C to 1900 °C. The average eutectic spacing inside the colonies decreases from 1.80 ± 0.10 μm to 0.25 ± 0.06 μm, and the coarse inter-colonial structure is refined, which is attributed to the increase in undercooling temperature. High-temperature microstructural stability of Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics is improved significantly as contrasted with the as-sintered ceramics. Besides, the load dependence of Vickers hardness for Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ eutectics is investigated.     

基于DAE-BP神经网络的股票预测研究

股票指标数据种类多、维度高，且指标之间存在多重共线性。为了降低数据的维度、消除指标间的多重共线性和预测股票价格，首先构建了基于受限布尔兹曼机的深度自编码器，实现了高维数据向低维空间的压缩编码。然后基于BP神经网络建立了低维编码序列与股票价格之间的回归模型。实验结果表明，深度自编码器提取特征的能力优于主成分分析法和因子分析法；相比较使用降维前的数据，使用编码后的数据用预测股票价格，模型可以减少计算开销，并且获得更高的预测精度。     

Scheduling distributed flowshops with flexible assembly and set-up time to minimise makespan

The scheduling problems under distributed production or flexible assembly settings have achieved increasing attention in recent years. This paper considers scheduling the integration of these two environments and proposes an original distributed flowshop scheduling problem with flexible assembly and set-up time. Distributed production stage is deployed several homogeneous flowshop factories that process the jobs to be assembled into final products in the flexible assembly stage. The objective is to find a schedule, including a production subschedule for jobs and an assembly subschedule for products, to minimise the makespan. Such a scheduling problem involves four successive decisions: assigning jobs to production factories, sequencing jobs at every factory, designating an assembly machine for each product and sequencing products on each assembly machine. The computational model is first established, and then a constructive heuristic (TPHS) and two hybrid metaheuristics (HVNS and HPSO) are proposed. Numerical experiments have been carried out and results validate the algorithmic feasibility and effectiveness. TPHS can obtain reasonable solutions in a shorter time, while metaheuristics can report better solutions using more yet acceptable time. HPSO is statistically comparable yet less robust compared with HVNS for small-scale instances. For the large-scale case, HPSO outperforms HVNS on both effectiveness and robustness.     

Preparation of Al2O3 coating on TiN coating by polymer-assisted deposition to improve oxidation resistance in coking inhibition applications

In order to inhibit the metal catalytic coking and improve oxidation resistance of single TiN coating, the TiN/Al₂O₃ double layer coatings were designed as a chemically inert coating for methylcyclohexane supercritical pyrolysis. Internal TiN coatings were prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition using TiCl₄–H₂–N₂ system. The external Al₂O₃ coatings with different thicknesses were prepared on the TiN surface by polymer-assisted deposition, and the coating with the most suitable thickness was further annealed at different temperatures of 600, 700, 800 and 900 °C. The morphology, elemental and phase composition of TiN/Al₂O₃ coatings were characterized by SEM, EDX and XRD respectively. The chemical state information of the coating elements was based on Ti 2p, Al 2p core level X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. The results indicated that the external Al₂O₃ coating will partially peel off at 900 °C annealing temperature. The thermogravimetric analysis results indicated that all TiN/Al₂O₃ coatings show better oxidation resistance than single-layer TiN coating. The anti-coking test with methylcyclohexane supercritical pyrolysis showed that the TiN/Al₂O₃ coatings can effectively cover the metal catalytic sites and eliminate metal catalytic coking. However, the acid sites of external Al₂O₃ coating slightly promoted coking, so the anti-coking ratios of TiN/Al₂O₃ coatings were smaller than that of TiN. Thus, the addition of external Al₂O₃ coating can greatly improve the oxidation resistance of TiN coatings with little loss of coking resistance.     

An effective method of bulk materials moisture measurement using capacitive sensors

When we speak about capacitance moisture meters for bulk materials we have to face with different values of dielectric permittivity for different bulk materials in dehydrated state, what causes a method error that can be named ‘type uncertainty’. Besides, different varieties of the same material have different values of dielectric permittivity, which depend from geographical origin, processing conditions etc. It can be hardly predicted automatically and type uncertainty can be compensated only in separate situations with the help of preliminary calibration. Main tasks of the research are to develop new comparison principle of moisture measurement with better accuracy due to effective compensation of physical, chemical and granulometric composition influence on the result of moisture measurement, develop new primary and secondary instrument transducers. Moisture sensor consists of four measuring capacitors. Two of them should be filled with a sample, which moisture content should be determined, and other pair of measuring capacitors should be filled with a same substance, but previously dehydrated. Mathematical models, developed to take into account granulometric composition of a bulk material were used to carry out a comparison analysis for three types of instrument measuring transducers. Obtained results proved that suggested principle of moisture measurement provides effective compensation of granulometric composition influence. Developed measuring principle had been experimentally tested what helped to confirm that it provides two times better compensation of different physical and chemical composition for different materials in comparison with the direct comparison method.     

Copper(II) complexes with acetone picolinoyl hydrazones: Crystallographic insight into metalloligand formation

Complexes with free donor atoms, termed metalloligands, are important building blocks in the stepwise approach towards mixed-metal organic frameworks. In this work, the possibility of a metalloligand formation from nicotinic or isonicotinic acid hydrazides and copper(II) centers, is assessed. Syntheses, X-ray crystal structures and spectroscopic properties of two new copper(II) compounds with acetone 3- and 4-picolinoyl hydrazones are reported. The structural studies reveal the formation of a mononuclear cationic metalloligand in [Cu(Hisn)₂](NO₃)₂ (1) with a zwitterionic acetone isonicotinoyl hydrazone (Hisn), as well as a neutral, layered (2D) coordination polymer, [Cu(μ-nic)₂]_n (2), with a deprotonated acetone nicotinoyl hydrazone (Hnic). Heteroatom position in the hydrazide precursor and copper salt acidity influence the formation of pure products.     

深部松软煤层钻孔孔周煤体变形产渣特征研究

针对煤矿井下高瓦斯软煤顺层长钻孔排渣困难、成孔率低、施工困难等问题,通过数值模拟实验研究了井下深部软煤体变形破坏特征,分析了顺层长钻孔孔周松软煤体变形特征及应力变化,以揭示顺层长钻孔孔周松软煤体变形产渣规律。研究表明:深部高瓦斯软煤顺层钻孔孔周煤体的应力平衡临界条件破坏后将发生大体积突然垮落;钻孔水平最大变形位移为1.22mm,垂直方向最大变形位移为10.7mm;径向孔周煤体垂向变形呈现逐渐减小趋势,且垂向变形明显大于钻孔水平变形。在水平方向上,钻孔孔周煤体应力分布呈现先增大再逐渐减小的变化规律,径向距离对水平应力分布的影响逐渐减小;随着径向距离的增加,钻孔孔周煤体应力分布逐渐降低,钻孔孔壁处煤体的应力出现最大值,且垂直方向处应力值最大。     

Fabrication and microwave absorption properties of magnetite nanoparticle–carbon nanotube–hollow carbon fiber composites

Absorbents with “tree-like” structures, which were composed of hollow porous carbon fibers (HPCFs) acting as “trunk” structures, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as “branch” structures and magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles playing the role of “fruit” structures were prepared by chemical vapor deposition technique and chemical reaction. Microwave reflection loss, permittivity and permeability of Fe₃O₄–CNTs–HPCFs composites were investigated in the frequency range of 2–18 GHz. It was proven that prepared absorbents possessed the excellent electromagnetic wave absorbing performances. The bandwidth with a reflection loss less than −15 dB covers a wide frequency range from 10.2 to 18 GHz with the thickness of 1.5–3.0 mm, and the minimum reflection loss is −50.9 dB at 14.03 GHz with a 2.5 mm thick sample layer. Microwave absorbing mechanism of the Fe₃O₄–CNTs–HPCFs composites is concluded as dielectric polarization and the synergetic interactions exist between Fe₃O₄ and CNTs–HPCFs.