Piezoelectric composites with high sensitivity and high capacitance for use at high pressures

A type of piezoelectric composite has been developed for oceanographic applications. The composites have a large figure of merit (d(h)xg(h) or d(h )xg(h)/tan delta, where d(h ) is the hydrostatic piezoelectric voltage coefficient), a large dielectric constant (K) and low dielectric loss, and great mechanical strength. A shallow cavity between the PZT ceramics and thick metallic electrode is designed to convert a portion of the z-direction stress into a large radial and tangential stress of opposite sign. thereby causing the d(33) and d(31) contributions to d(h) to add rather than subtract, and raising the figure of merit. Theoretical stress analysis was carried out using an axisymmetric finite element method. Experimental results show that the d(h)x g(h), K, and withstandable pressure are extremely high.     

Fracture of high carbon high strength anchor rods

During a heavy windstorm, there was failure of anchors supporting transmission towers. We were given the mandate to examine the reasons for the failure of the anchor rods and suggest measures to prevent such failures from occurring. The study involved the in-depth examination of the chemical composition, microstructures, mechanical properties and fracture morphologies of specimens from failed anchors. Results indicated that the chemical composition, yield and tensile strengths of the anchor rods are within the norm of ASTM standard A722. The chemical composition corresponds to that of AISI 1070 with slightly higher manganese and silicon levels. Microstructure is ferrite–pearlite with dominance of pearlite due to the relatively high carbon content. Fracture surfaces of failed anchor rods exhibited pronounced cleavage facets (cleavage steps and river pattern) indicating that failure mode is brittle and the mechanism of fracture is cleavage. There were no signs for the occurrence of fatigue – any beach mark or striations. Final area of fracture showed traces of ductility (small shallow dimples). To prevent brittle failure of anchor rods, their toughness has to be improved. To achieve this, the potentiality of applying HSLA steel technology of micro alloying and TMCP (thermo mechanical control process) has been suggested.     

Repetitive waveform high frequency, high precision digitizer

A digitizing technique for measuring high-speed phenomena with very high precision is described. A commercially available waveform digitizer using this method is shown to exhibit settling times of less than 5 ns to 0.1% and less than 10 ns to 0.01% after a voltage transition. Also, RMS measurements of sine waves up to 100 MHz show errors on the order of that obtained using a thermal transfer standard     

Intermittent bonding for high toughness/ high strength composites

High strength and high toughness are usually mutually exclusive in brittle filament/brittle matrix composites. The high tensile strength characteristic of strong interfacial filament/matrix bonding can, however, be combined with the high fracture toughness of weak interfacial bonding, when the filaments are arranged to have alternate sections of high and low shear stress (and low and high toughness). Such weak and strong areas can be achieved by appropriate intermittent coating of the fibres. The strong regions ensure that the filament strength is picked up; weak areas randomly in the path of running cracks serve to blunt them by the Cook/Gordon mechanism which, in turn, produces long pull-out lengths with an associated large contribution to toughness. Boron-epoxy composites of volume fraction 0.20 to 0.25 have been made in this way which have fracture toughnesses of over 200 kJ m^?2, whilst retaining rule of mixtures tensile strengths (～ 650 MN m^?2). At the volume fractions used, this apparently representsK _IC values greater than 100 MN m^?3/2. An analysis is presented for toughness and strength which demonstrates, in broad terms, the effects of varying the coating parameters of concern. Results show that the “toughness” of interfaces is an important parameter, differences in which may not be shown up in terms of interfacial “strength”. The choice of coating material is crucial in getting the desired effect. Some observations are made upon methods of measuring the components of toughness in composites.     

高刚度高阻尼结构试验研究

利用预置变形碳纤维梁、螺旋弹簧、碟簧和橡胶块构成一种高刚度高阻尼结构,其承载刚度和阻尼均较大。为了便于对高刚度高阻尼结构的力学性能进行评价,提出技术指标,即:等效弹性模量、等效阻尼系数和等效刚度系数。在此基础上,设计静动态力学试验,验证高刚度高阻尼结构设计方法的有效性并评价其力学性能。试验结果表明,高刚度高阻尼结构的等效弹性模量显著大于单个预置变形碳纤维梁;等效阻尼系数随着频率增大而减小,等效刚度系数随着频率增大而增大,分别大于104 Ns/m和107 N/m。由此证明,高刚度高阻尼结构的设计方法有效,且实现了输出刚度和阻尼均较大的设计目标。     

Behaviour of B-N-Si under high pressure and high temperature

The phase relations of the B-N-Si system have been studied using a quenching method up to 10GPa and 2000 °C using a high-pressure apparatus of the octahedral anvil type. Pressure-temperature conditions for obtaining z-BN (diamond analogue of boron nitride) were delineated for turbostratic BN (t-BN), t-BN/amorphous Si₃N₄ and t-BN/-Si₃N₄. These conditions shift toward higher regimes of temperature as amorphous Si₃N₄ or -Si₃N₄ is incorporated into t-BN. Spontaneous sintering occurringin situ at high pressure yields z-BN-based composite compacts.     

Hot workability of a high carbon high chromium tool steel

In this work, hot tension tests were conducted on as cast and wrought samples of a high carbon high chromium tool steel to study the hot workability under the rolling conditions. The flow curves illustrate the classical shape of dynamic recrystallization (DRX). It is observed that broken carbide nets in the wrought samples result in lower deformation activation energy 398 kJ/mol in comparison to the as cast samples 432 kJ/mol. Necking strains were calculated using the inflection point of the work-hardening (θ) vs. stress curves. Wrought samples show higher hot ductility and lower maximum stress than the as cast ones. It is shown that lower activation energy of deformation and lower stress concentration around the smaller carbides in the wrought samples is responsible for their higher hot workability.     

Polyimide survival in high temperature high pressure dilute aqueous solutions

Measurements of the gross properties of polyimides at high temperature and pressures in dilute aqueous environments are reported. The polyimide polymer solution is spun onto SiO₂ substrates prepared with an aluminum chelate adhesion promoter. The cured films are subjected to temperatures exceeding 150 °C and pressures of more than 1000 lbf in^-2 in dilute aqueous solutions ranging in pH from 3 to 10 for 2–4 h. Film quality, adhesion and water adsorption determined by IR measurements are reported.     

Black silicon with high density and high aspect ratio nanowhiskers

The physical properties of black silicon (b-Si) formed on Si wafers by reactive ion etching in chlorine plasma are reported in an attempt to clarify the formation mechanism and the origin of the observed optical and electrical phenomena, which are promising for a variety of applications. The b-Si consisting of high density and high aspect ratio sub-micron length whiskers or pillars with tip diameters of well under 3 nm exhibits strong photoluminescence (PL) both in the visible and the infrared, which is interpreted in conjunction with defects, confinement effects and near band-edge emission. Structural analysis indicates that the whiskers are all crystalline and encapsulated by a thin Si oxide layer. The infrared vibrational spectrum of Si-O-Si bondings in terms of transverse-optic (TO) and longitudinal-optic (LO) phonons indicates that disorder induced LO-TO optical mode coupling can be an effective tool in assessing the structural quality of the b-Si. The same phonons are likely coupled to electrons in visible region PL transitions. Field emission properties of these nanoscopic features are demonstrated indicating the influence of the tip shape on the emission. Overall properties are discussed in terms of the surface morphology of the nanowhiskers.     

A high temperature high purity source for metal beam epitaxy

We report the first use of modulated beam mass spectrometry to assess the purity of metal beams generated from two types of Knudsen effusion oven used in metal beam epitaxy. One of these types contained sapphire components in contact with tantalum heater windings. In this case considerable contamination of gold and silver beams by Al₂O and aluminum was observed over the temperature range 1000–1400°C. Thermodynamic considerations support the view that these contaminants originated from contact reduction of the sapphire by the tantalum metal. The condensation of these impurities on an (001) indium phosphide surface at not greater than 40°C was detected by Auger electron spectroscopy.In the second type of oven all oxide components were replaced by pyrolytic boron nitride and the tantalum windings by molybdenum windings. Gold and silver beams generated from this oven were of high purity with no detectable oxide species or other beam contaminants. Aluminium beams contained Al₂O as a transitory beam impurity due to atmospheric oxidation of the aluminium charge prior to loading.The implications of the beam impurities from the first type of source are discussed, and the performance of the second type of source in generating epitaxial silver, aluminium and gold films on indium phosphide at growth temperatures not greater than 40°C is reviewed.     

无钴高强韧钢力学性能研究

本文利用人工神经网络方法研究了化学成分和热处理条件对G50钢力学性能的影响,通过电镜观察分析了合金元素间交互作用形成的组织和第二相的作用,结果C、Cr、Mo提高钢强度,Ni、Mo、Si降低钢强度,C,Mn降低韧性,Cr,Mo,Ni提高韧性.     

A study of centrifugal cast high boron high speed steel

In the present study a high‐boron high speed steel (HSS) roll material was designed. Many expensive alloy elements have been substituted by cheap boron alloy, and high‐boron high speed steel roll has been manufactured by centrifugal casting method. The microstructures, mechanical properties and wear resistance of centrifugal casting high‐boron high speed steel roll have been investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, hardness test, impact test and wear test. The results indicated that the solidification microstructures of high‐boron high speed steel roll consisted of M₂(B,C), (W,Mo)₂(B,C), M₃(B,C), M₂₃(B,C)₆ type borocarbides and martensite, a small amount of retained austenite. Borocarbides were continuously distributed over the grain boundary. After quenching from 1050 °C, local broken network appeared in partial borocarbides, and fine secondary borocarbide precipitated from the matrix. After tempering from 525 °C, the amount of precipitated borocarbide increased significantly. After heat treatment, the hardness of high‐boron high speed steel roll excelled 60 HRC, and its impact toughness excelled 8.0 J/cm². The single groove steel rolling amount of high‐boron high speed steel rolls increases by 500% than that of bainite cast iron roll, when the rolls are used in K₁ mill housing of bar mill.     

Scanning auger electron microscopy with high spatial or high energy resolution

An all-electrostatic, computer controlled, high spatial and high energy resolution, scanning Auger electron microscope incorporating a RHEED camera is described. The electron column has a 50 nm spatial resolution at 55 mm working distance. The energy analyser allows high energy resolution of up to 630 or constant energy windows of down to 1 eV over the energy range of 20 eV to 1000 eV. A system software allowing flexibility of the computer control is described. 128 × 128 pixel Auger images of Al and SiO₂, with frame scan times of the order of 8 min, are presented.     

氧化铝陶瓷在高压高率条件下动态特性

按照平面冲击波设计原则,设计并完成了氧化铝陶瓷在一维应变条件下冲击压缩实验,通过VISAR测试得到了样品自由面质点速度历程.采用理论方法对陶瓷样品的冲击压力和压力脉冲作用时间进行了预估,实验的冲击压力水平为6.87～7.25GPa,应变率范围为0.43×104～2.93×104/s.通过对实验结果的判读,获得了材料的Hugoniot弹性极限,分析讨论了高压高率状态下陶瓷的动态强度和破坏特性.     

Crystallization of amorphous carbon at high static pressure and high temperature

Amorphous carbons prepared from furfuryl alcohol resin have been studied in a high-pressure apparatus of octahedral anvil type at pressures up to 18 GPa and at temperatures up to 2000° C. The amorphous carbons, when heated under pressure, crystallized first into graphite at 450 to 600°C and then into diamond at 1120 to 2000° C. The temperatures for the onset of these crystallizations,T ₉ andT _d, were determined by a simple technique. As the temperature for the preparation of the amorphous carbons was raised from 700 to 1000° C,T ₉ at 15 GPa increased slightly whereasT _d at the same pressure turned from a decrease into an increase beyond 750° C for the preparation temperature. For amorphous carbon prepared at 850° C,T _g increased a little whileT _d decreased markedly with increasing pressure.     

Self-propagating high temperature synthesis of high purity single-crystalline SnO2 nanobelts

A new application of conventional self-propagating high temperature synthesis technology was developed to synthesise high purity single-crystalline SnO₂ nanobelts through a simple, convenient and efficient method. The outcome of the research, for which an experimental setup was designed and manufactured, turned out to be successful and propagable. High purity SnO₂ nanobelts could be obtained within minutes. The growth mechanism of these SnO₂ nanobelts is discussed in this article.     

Linear diffraction grating interferometer with high alignment tolerance and high accuracy

We present an innovative structure of a linear diffraction grating interferometer as a long stroke and nanometer resolution displacement sensor for any linear stage. The principle of this diffractive interferometer is based on the phase information encoded by the ±1st order beams diffracted by a holographic grating. Properly interfering these two beams leads to modulation similar to a Doppler frequency shift that can be translated to displacement measurements via phase decoding. A self-compensation structure is developed to improve the alignment tolerance. LightTool analysis shows that this new structure is completely immune to alignment errors of offset, standoff, yaw, and roll. The tolerance of the pitch is also acceptable for most installation conditions. In order to compact the structure and improve the signal quality, a new optical bonding technology by mechanical fixture is presented so that the miniature optics can be permanently bonded together without an air gap in between. For the output waveform signals, a software module is developed for fast real-time pulse counting and phase subdivision. A laser interferometer HP5529A is employed to test the repeatability of the whole system. Experimental data show that within 15?mm travel length, the repeatability is within 15?nm.     

X-ray diffraction measurements in high magnetic fields and at high temperatures

Abstract

A system was developed measuring x-ray powder diffraction in high magnetic fields up to 5 T and at temperatures from 283 to 473 K. The stability of the temperature is within 1 K over 6 h. In order to examine the ability of the system, the high-field x-ray diffraction measurements were carried out for Si and a Ni-based ferromagnetic shape-memory alloy. The results show that the x-ray powder diffraction measurements in high magnetic fields and at high temperatures are useful for materials research.