Antibacterial activity of V- doped rod-like MgO crystals decorated with nanoflake layer

In present study, we report a V doping fabrication method for obtaining rod-like MgO crystals decorated with a nanoflake layer. This novel structure has only been minimally reported in literature. Pure MgO and Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite materials were obtained by precipitation and impregnation methods, with vanadium added concentrations of 0–9%. The influence of V doping on crystal structure and particle morphology of MgO was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis demonstrated that MgO has a cubic structure, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that V⁵⁺ exists on the surface of MgO. The specific surface areas and pore sizes of MgO composites were calculated by BET and BJH analysis. These techniques revealed that specific surface area and pore size of MgO increased due to vanadium doping. The antibacterial effects of Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite materials against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were assessed using a bacterial killing/colony-forming unit (CFU) assay and bacteriostatic ring method. Our results demonstrate that V doping dramatically improved antimicrobial properties of MgO, with 7 mol% doping inducing the best antibacterial activity. The antibacterial mechanisms of Mg₂V₂O₇–MgO composite material were also proposed.     

A new method for extrapolating the load-displacement response of drilled shaft foundations for interpretation of side capacity

In this study, the side capacity of drilled shaft foundations is estimated from partially-mobilized load–displacement field data using a new method in the extrapolation of load–displacement response. A dataset of 138 bi-directional load tests is used to evaluate the degree of mobilization of unit side resistance. A total of 612 unit side-resistance curves obtained from measured strain gauge recordings are utilized in this study. The proposed extrapolation approach is based on a new technique, the Double Tangent method, characterizing the extent of mobilization for each unit side-resistance curve. Roughly, 12% of the dataset exhibits a fully-mobilized load–displacement response, with the remainder exhibiting varying degrees of a partially-mobilized response. Fully-mobilized records are further characterized using the Double Tangent method over different ranges of mobilization, resulting in four regression models based on predominant soil types. Each model is assessed statistically, and a global regression model is found suitable to predict maximum unit side resistance. The global model is further validated using two independent load test datasets, comparing measured values of unit side resistance against predicted values. The model is then used to predict maximum unit side resistance for all partially-mobilized data within the dataset, and the results are compared to two extrapolation techniques currently used in practice. The corresponding resistance-displacement response is extrapolated using a proposed asymptotic curve-fitting function for side resistance, and an example extrapolation is illustrated to showcase how the proposed method can be used in engineering practice.     

Life cycle assessment of HFC-134a production by calcium carbide acetylene route in China

HFC-134a is a widely used environment-friendly refrigerant. At present, China is the largest producer of HFC-134a in the world. The production of HFC-134a in China mainly adopts the calcium carbide acetylene route. However, the production route has high resource and energy consumption and large waste emission, and few of the studies addressed on the environmental performance of its production process. This study quantified the environmental performance of HFC-134a production by calcium carbide route via carrying out a life cycle assessment (LCA) using the CML 2001 method. And uncertainty analysis by Monte-Carlo simulation was also carried out. The results showed that electricity had the most impact on the environment, followed by steam, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine, and the impact of direct CO₂ emissions in calcium carbide production stage on the global warming effect also could not be ignored. Therefore, the clean energy (e.g., wind, solar, biomass, and natural gas) was used to replace coal-based electricity and coal-fired steam in this study, showing considerable environmental benefits. At the same time, the use of advanced production technologies could also improve environmental benefits, and the environmental impact of the global warming category could be reduced by 4.1% via using CO₂ capture and purification technology. The Chinese database of HFC-134a production established in this study provides convenience for the relevant study of scholars. For the production of HFC-134a, this study helps to better identify the specific environmental hotspots and proposes useful ways to improve the environmental benefits.     

一种植物油中苯并（a）芘含量测定的固相萃取前处理方法

为了建立一种准确性高、成本低的植物油中苯并(a)芘测定的样品前处理方法，基于GB 5009.7—2016以自制氧化铝柱为固相萃取柱，采用单因素试验对称样量、洗脱剂量、洗脱流速、吸附剂存放时间、吸附剂量这5个影响植物油中苯并（a）芘洗脱的因素进行研究，优化前处理条件，并对测定方法进行考察。结果表明：优化的前处理条件为称样量0.100 0 g、洗脱剂量120 mL、吸附剂（氧化铝）量22 g、洗脱流速1滴/2 s、吸附剂存放时间少于12周；方法检出限为0.2 μg/L，样品加标回收率为94.23%～100.00%，RSD为1.20%～7.36%；同一样品测定结果与SGS测定值接近，相对平均偏差为2.36%～3.50%。说明本试验方法测定结果准确，可应用于油脂企业植物油中痕量苯并（a）芘的测定。     

Review on development of metal/ceramic interpenetrating phase composites and critical analysis of their properties

Metal/ceramic composites are in high demand in several industries because of their superior thermo-mechanical properties. Among various composite types, the interpenetrating phase composites (IPCs) with percolating metallic and ceramic phases offer manifold benefits, such as a good combination of strength, toughness, and stiffness, very good thermal properties, excellent wear resistance, as well as the flexibility of microstructure and processing route selection, etc. The fabrication of metal/ceramic IPCs typically involves two steps - i) processing of an open porous ceramic body, and ii) infiltration of metallic melt in the pores to fabricate the IPC. Although significant progress has been made in recent years for developing both porous ceramics and melt infiltration methods, to the best of the knowledge of the authors, no review article summarizing all the aspects of processing and properties of IPCs has been published till date. This review article is aimed at filling this gap. Starting with a brief introduction about the current status and applications of IPCs, the various processing routes for fabricating open porous ceramic preforms and melt infiltration techniques have been discussed. Subsequently, the data available for various important physical, mechanical, and thermal properties for IPCs have been critically analyzed to thoroughly understand their dependence on various structural and processing parameters. To compare the properties of IPCs with other relevant materials, seven different Ashby material property maps have been used, and the domains for IPCs have been created in them. For each map, the concept of material indices has been employed to critically discuss how IPCs perform in relation to other material classes for various optimum design conditions. Finally, a detailed future outlook for further research on IPCs has been provided.     

渗流作用下新型装配重力式挡土墙有限元分析

为研究渗流作用下新型装配重力式挡土墙应力变化及墙体排水通道对墙后土体固结的影响,采用ABAQUS进行有限元分析,有限元分析结果与模型试验结果相吻合,证明该模型的合理性。在此基础上研究渗流作用下墙体应力变化趋势及墙体排水通道对墙后土体固结效果的影响。研究结果表明:横向排水通道对墙后土体固结效果的影响优于纵向排水通道对土体固结效果的影响,墙体底部横向排水通道的影响作用最显著;渗流作用下墙体应力由上往下呈先增大后减小的趋势,墙体下部所受最大水平剪应力最大。     

Design and characteristics of a new type laminar plasma torch for materials processing

Laminar plasma jet(LPJ) generated by laminar plasma torch(LPT) has a favorable temperature and velocity distribution. Thus, it is superior to the turbulent plasma jet in material processing.However, most of the reported LPTs usually operate at a relatively low output power with a relatively low arc voltage and thermal efficiency, which limits its capabilities. In this context, this paper attempts to design a new type of high-power LPT with a relatively low arc current and a high thermal efficiency. In the first section, the design principle of the main components is studied and discussed in detail, and a new high-power LPT is proposed. Then, the experimental characteristics of the proposed high-power LPT are examined. Experimental results reveal the following characteristics of the proposed LPT.(1) The max jet length of the proposed LPT reaches at 540 mm.(2) Its mean arc voltage is higher than 290 V when the LPT works with arc currents lower than 200 A, leading to an output power greater than 50 kW.(3) The mean thermal efficiency is higher than 50%. Lastly, the proposed LPT has been applied to spheroidize the aluminum oxide powers. The experiment results for the production of spherical powders show that the proposed LPT has a good characteristic for material processing.     

Destructive and non-destructive evaluation of concrete for optimum sand to aggregate volume ratio

Aggregates are the biggest contributor to concrete volume and are a crucial parameter in dictating its mechanical properties. As such, a detailed experimental investigation was carried out to evaluate the effect of sand-to-aggregate volume ratio (s/a) on the mechanical properties of concrete utilizing both destructive and non-destructive testing (employing UPV (ultrasonic pulse velocity) measurements). For investigation, standard cylindrical concrete samples were made with different s/a (0.36, 0.40, 0.44, 0.48, 0.52, and 0.56), cement content (340 and 450 kg/m³), water-to-cement ratio (0.45 and 0.50), and maximum aggregate size (12 and 19 mm). The effect of these design parameters on the 7, 14, and 28 d compressive strength, tensile strength, elastic modulus, and UPV of concrete were assessed. The careful analysis demonstrates that aggregate proportions and size need to be optimized for formulating mix designs; optimum ratios of s/a were found to be 0.40 and 0.44 for the maximum aggregate size of 12 and 19 mm, respectively, irrespective of the W/C (water-to-cement) and cement content.     

Study on the friction interface evolution during rotary friction welding of tube

In this study, evolution characteristics of the friction interface during rotary friction welding of tube were investigated. The friction interface that obtained at different welding stage were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The results show that the friction interface transforms from sliding friction state to visco-plastic deformation state when the welding torque reaches the peak value. In addition, based on the thermodynamic framework extracted from the maximum entropy production principle, an analytical model for transition criterion from sliding friction to visco-plastic deformation was established. The model was verified by the corresponding experimental results of eight alloys, which indicated that the accuracy and generality of the model is satisfactory.