Experimental investigation of strains in the triaxial pressing of metal powders by the dividing grating method

Conclusions The dividing grating method makes it possible to study the distribution of strains and compressibility of materials in the course of pressing of metal powders when the cell size is chosen in accordance with Eq. (2). Investigations with 0.5-mm-base gratings of pressing in different densification steps have revealed zones of uneven microdeformation, whose volume decreases with rise in the mean level of specimen strain. The fact that in the triaxial pressing of metal powders a strain distribution close (on a macrolevel) to homogeneous is obtained confirms the possibility of producing homogeneous blanks of uniform density by this method. Use of dividing gratings with different bases enables strains experienced by powder materials in the course of shaping to be investigated at different structural levels. An investigation, conducted with the aid of a grating with a 0.1-mm base, into the pressing of PMS-2 copper powder revealed the presence in local volumes of substantial angular distortions attributable to asymmetry of the microstress tensor. The maximum of the parameter of quasihomogeneity of PMS-2 copper powder was found to attain 0.876 mm. In the course of densification it decreased to 0.185 mm when the porosity of compacts did not exceed 0.02.Translated from Poroshkovaya Metallurgiya, No. 6(270), pp. 10–14, June, 1985.     

Thermally and mechanically induced residual strains in Al-SiC composites

Neutron diffraction experiments were conducted on 15vol.% whisker and 20vol.% particulate reinforced aluminum/silicon carbide composites subjected to a rapid quench followed by various deformation histories. Corresponding numerical simulations were carried out using an axisymmetric unit cell model, with a phenomenological, isotropic hardening descriotion of matrix plasticity. Thermal expansion and the temperature dependence of material properties were accounted for. For the whisker reinforced matrix, quantitative agreement was generally found between the measured and calculated residual elastic strains. For the particulate reinforced matrix, the calculations tended to overestimate the magnitude of the residual strains parallel to the deformation axis, but very good agreement was obtained transverse to the deformation axis. For the silicon carbide reinforcement, both whisker and particulate, the variation of predicted residual elastic strains along the deformation axis was qualitatively consistent with the measurements, although quantitative agreement was often lacking. Measured and predicted residual strains perpendicular to the deformation axis for the silicon carbide typically were not in agreement. Parametric studies were carried out to ascertain the dependence of calculated flow strengths and residual strains on cell and reinforcement aspect ratio, and on reinforcement spacing and shape.     

Genetic basis of variation in carotid artery wall thickness

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Other than the documented associations of risk factors and carotid artery wall thickness, the genetic basis of variation in carotid artery intimal-medial thickness (IMT) is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which variation in common carotid artery (CCA) IMT and internal carotid artery (ICA) IMT are under genetic control. METHODS: The sibship data used for this analysis were part of an epidemiological survey in Mexico City. The CCA and ICA analyses were based on 46 and 44 sibships of various sizes, respectively. The CCA and ICA IMTs were measured with carotid ultrasonography. Using a robust variance decomposition method, we performed genetic analyses of CCA IMT and ICA IMT measurements with models incorporating several cardiovascular risk factors (eg, lipids, diabetes, blood pressure, and smoking) as covariates. RESULTS: After accounting for the effects of covariates, we detected high heritabilities for CCA IMT (h2 = 0.92 +/- 0.05, P = .001) and ICA IMT (h2 = 0.86 +/- 0.13, P = .029). Genes accounted for 66.0% of the total variation in CCA IMT, whereas 27.7% of variation was attributable to covariates. For ICA IMT, genes explained a high proportion (74.9%) of total phenotypic variation. The covariates accounted for 11.5% of variation in ICA IMT. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that substantial proportions of phenotypic variance in CCA IMT and ICA IMT are attributable to shared genetic factors.     

Effect of environmental tobacco smoke on LDL accumulation in the artery wall

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases the risk of atherosclerosis. To test the hypothesis that exposure to ETS increases LDL accumulation in the artery wall, we developed a model to measure the rate of LDL accumulation in individually perfused rat carotid arteries after the artery had been perfused with plasma taken from rats exposed to ETS (ETS-plasma). METHODS AND RESULTS: Rats were exposed to ETS in a chamber in which steady-state sidestream smoke was continuously circulating. After exposure, blood from the animals was collected. Carotid arteries from unexposed rats were perfused first with normal plasma containing fluorescently labeled LDL. Then the same arteries (10 arteries from five rats) were perfused with ETS-plasma plus fluorescently labeled LDL. Photometric measurements were made during perfusion of the arteries with fluorescently labeled LDL, and rate of LDL accumulation (mV/min) and lumen volume (mV) (volume of fluorescently labeled LDL solution) were determined. Perfusion with ETS-plasma increased the rate of LDL accumulation (mean +/- SEM, 6.9 +/- 1.8 mV/min) compared with control (1.6 +/- 0.40 mV/min, P < or = .02). LDL accumulation was primarily dependent on LDL interaction with ETS-plasma rather than the interaction of ETS-plasma with the artery wall. Also, ETS-plasma significantly increased lumen volume (43.3 +/- 5.1 mV) compared with control (35.1 +/- 4.4 mV, P < or = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to ETS acutely increased LDL accumulation in perfused arteries. Repeated exposure to ETS may represent important early events in atherogenesis.     

Effects of radial wall motion and flow waveform on the wall shear rate distribution in the divergent vascular graft

Among the hemodynamic factors influencing intimal hyperplasia in the anastomotic region of a vascular graft, wall shear rate is believed to be one of the most important. We would like to study the effects radial wall motion on the wall shear rate distribution in the end-to-end anastomosis model of an artery and a divergent graft. Rigid and elastic models are constructed and the wall shear rate distributions are measured along the anastomosis using photochromic flow visualization method for carotid and femoral flow waveform. The mean and peak of shear rate decrease along the divergent graft, and the decreases are more significant in the elastic model. The shear rate waves are decomposed using the Fourier transform in order to separate the effects of radial wall motion and geometry. The percentage reductions of mean wall shear rates compared to steady shear rates at mean flow are calculated, and additional 8% (carotid) and 22% (femoral) reductions are observed in the elastic models near the end of the divergent graft. Also radial wall motion decreases the amplitudes of higher harmonics of wall shear rates in the elastic models. Since radial wall motion may affect the flow field differently for different geometry, wall elasticity should be considered in studying arterial hemodynamics.     

Simulation of the distribution of parental strains'' genomes in RC strains of mice

Recombinant Congenic strains (RC strains) were developed to facilitate mapping of genes influencing complex traits controlled by multiple genes. They were produced by inbreeding of the progeny derived from a second backcross from a common 'donor' inbred strain to a common 'background' inbred strain. Each RC strain contains a random subset of approximately 12.5% of genes from the donor strain and 87.5% of genes from the background strain. In this way the genetic control of a complex disease may be dissected into its individual components. We simulated the production of the RC strains to study to what extent they have to be characterized in order to obtain sufficient information about the distribution of the parental strains' genomes in these strains and to acquire insight into parameters influencing their effectiveness in mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs). The donor strain genome in the RC strains is fragmented into many segments. Genetic characterization of these strains with one polymorphic marker per 3.3 centiMorgans (cM) is needed to detect 95% of the donor strain genome. The probability of a donor strain segment being located entirely in between two markers of background strain origin that are 3 cM apart (and hence escaping detection) is 0.003. Although the donor strain genome in the RC strains is split into many segments, the largest part still occurs in relatively long stretches that are mostly concentrated in fewer than 13 autosomes, the median being 9 autosomes. Thus, in mapping QTLs, the use of RC strains facilitates the detection of linkage.     

Experimental investigation of the phenomenon of centrifuging of liquids

The phenomenon of centrifuging of liquids inside a horizontal tubular device rotated about its axis of symmetry has been experimentally investigated. Extensive experiments were conducted using a transparent apparatus which enabled visualization and photographic recording of the centrifuging phenomenon. Several interesting and useful qualitative observations not reported hitherto have been recorded. The effects of liquid volume (υ _l ), density(ρ), viscosity (η), surface tension (γ), and the apparatus geometry,viz., diameter (d) and length (l), on the critical speed (n) required to centrifuge 100 pct of the liquid were systematically studied using several inorganic liquids, the physical properties of which were also experimentally determined. The generated data over a wide range of variables have been shown to fit the following dimensionless correlation derived from first principles: 1 $$\frac{n}{{60}}\left( {\frac{\gamma }{{\rho g^3 }}} \right)^{1/4} = KP^a \left\{ {\eta \left( {\frac{g}{{\rho \gamma ^3 }}} \right)^{1/4} } \right\}^c ;P = \frac{{4v_l }}{{\pi d^2 l}} \times 100$$ whereK,a, andc are constants specific to a prescribed value ofP.     

Carotid artery wall changes in estrogen-treated and -untreated postmenopausal women

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the thickness of the layers of the carotid artery (externa, media, and intima) are affected by menopause and its treatment with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). METHODS: One hundred twenty-nine postmenopausal women were recruited sequentially and classified into three groups. Forty-six were taking oral HRT, 32 had estradiol implants, and 51 had never taken HRT. The three layers of the externa wall of the carotid artery were identified and measured by high-resolution ultrasound. RESULTS: Women with implants had thicker carotid artery wall measurements (0.84 +/- 0.26 mm) than the other groups. The media (0.32 +/- 0.11 mm) was significantly thicker in the implant group. This layer has a high connective tissue component, including collagen type I, collagen type III, and elastin fibers. The intima layer was thinner (0.25 +/- 0.09 mm) in the oral HRT group compared with controls (0.29 +/- 0.1 mm). A statistically significant higher intima-media ratio (1.17 +/- 0.05) was calculated for the control group, compared with both the oral HRT (0.92 +/- 0.04) and implant groups (0.94 +/- 0.03). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that HRT given to postmenopausal women influences differentially the layers of the carotid artery. Hormones seem to encourage thickening of the layers with the highest connective tissue component (externa and media) and to delay thickening of the atheromatous intima layer. These effects on the vascular system may be partly responsible for the cardioprotection attributed to HRT.     

Numerical investigation of welding residual stress in Q960 ultrahigh-strength steel multipass joints

This study investigates Q960 ultrahigh-strength steel as the research object.Based on software, a thermo-metallurgical-mechanical finite element model(FEM) is established to simulate the welding temperature field and residual stress distribution.At the same time, the hole-drilling(HD) method is used to measure the residual-welding stress distribution on the surface of the single-pass.Numerical simulation and experimental results show that the predicted value of numerical simulation agrees well w...     

Experimental investigation and thermodynamic modeling of the Cr-Ni-Si system

The constitution of the Cr-Ni-Si ternary system is established via experiment and thermodynamic modeling. In the experimental section, 35 decisive alloys, the compositions of which are based on a preliminary calculation using available literature data, are prepared by arc melting of cold-pressed pellets and annealing at 900 °C for 25 days. Water-quenched samples are analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques. In the modeling section, a consistent thermodynamic data set for the Cr-Ni-Si system is obtained by considering the present experimental results and reliable literature data. Comparisons between the calculated and measured phase diagrams show that the experimental information is satisfactorily accounted for by the thermodynamic modeling. The liquidus projection and reaction scheme for the entire ternary system are presented.     

Structural investigation of two cell-wall polysaccharides of Penicillium expansum strains

The structure of two cell-wall polysaccharides isolated from three different strains of Penicillium expansum, the type species of the genus, have been established by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and also by methylation analyses. The water-soluble polysaccharide F1S-B consisted of a linear tetrasaccharide repeating unit with the following structure: [-->6)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Galf-(1-->5)-beta-D-Gal f-(1-->5)-beta-D- Galf-(1-->]n The alkali-soluble polysaccharide F1I is a (1-->3)-alpha-D-glucan.     

Pravastatin has cholesterol-lowering independent effects on the artery wall of atherosclerotic monkeys

The amino acid sequence of triosephosphate isomerase from Trypanosoma brucei, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania mexicana have an identity of 68%. Using the numbering system for the T. brucei enzyme, in their aligned sequences, the T. cruzi and leishmanial enzymes have cysteine residues at positions 14, 40, 117 and 126. T. brucei triosephosphate isomerase has cysteine residues at positions 14, 40 and 126, and a valine residue at position 117. Dithionitrobenzoic acid and methylmethane thiosulfonate inhibited the three enzymes, but T. cruzi triosephosphate isomerase was more than 100-fold more sensitive. The sensitivity of wild type triosephosphate isomerase from T. cruzi and T. brucei to the reagents was equal to that of the Cys117Val and Val117Cys mutant enzymes, respectively. Triosephosphate isomerases that have cysteine residues at positions 40 and 126, but lack a cysteine residue at position 14 are insensitive to methylmethane thiosulfonate. Thus, sulfhydryl reagents act on Cys14. At stoichiometric concentrations, the reagents inhibited the three enzymes as a consequence of structural alterations as measured by binding of 8-anilino-1-napthalenesulfonic acid to previously buried hydrophobic regions. However, the times for half-maximal alterations were 10 min, 15 hours and over 30 hours for T. cruzi, T. brucei and L. mexicana triosephosphate isomerase, respectively. The effect of pH on the action of the sulfhydryl reagents and molecular modeling showed no differences in the solvent accessibility of Cys14. As Cys14 forms part of the dimer interface, the data indicate that, in the three enzymes, barriers of different magnitude hinder the interaction between the sulfhydryl reagents and Cys14. The barrier is lower in T. cruzi triosephosphate isomerase which makes its dimer interface more susceptible for perturbation.     

Experimental investigation on BOF slag oxidation in air

Basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag contains a significant amount of iron-containing species, which is considered to be iron resources and therefore need to be recovered. In this work, the oxidation behaviour of BOF slag under air (at selected oxidation temperatures and holding time) was investigated to explore the potential of transforming non-magnetic wustite in the BOF slag into magnetic spinel, which may subsequently be recovered by magnetic separation. The experimental results show that the iron-containing spices in the BOF slag can be oxidised into magnetic spinel phases in the investigated temperature range of 1000–1150°C and thereafter be recovered by magnetic separation. The formation of these phases is closely related to the oxidation temperatures and holding time: a higher oxidation temperature and longer holding time lead to a larger amount of formed magnetic species; however, the amount of formed magnetic species decreases at elevated temperature (>1050°C) and with extended holding time (>40?min).