Bone formation induced by calcium phosphate ceramics in soft tissue of dogs: a comparative study between porous α-TCP and β-TCP

Two kinds of tri-calcium phosphate ceramics (Ca/P = 1.50), -TCP and -TCP, which has the same macrostructure and microstructure, but different phase composition, were implanted in dorsal muscles of dogs. The samples were retrieved at 30, 45 and 150 days, respectively, after implantation, and were analyzed histologically. There were critically different tissue responses between -TCP ceramic and -TCP ceramic. Higher cell populations were observed inside the pores of -TCP than those of -TCP, bone tissue was found in -TCP at 45 and 150 days, but no bone formation could be detected in any -TCP implants in this study. On the other hand, the bone tissue in -TCP seemed to degenerate at 150 days. The results indicate that porous -TCP can induce bone formation in soft tissues of dogs; while the rapid dissolution of the ceramic and the higher local Ca²⁺, PO ₄ ^3- concentration due to the rapid dissolution of -TCP may resist bone formation in -TCP and the less rapid dissolution of -TCP may be detrimental to already formed bone in -TCP.     

Dielectric relaxation in polychlorotrifluoroethylene

The effect of increasing lamellar thickness in bulk polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE) by various methods (annealing and increasing time and temperature of crystallisation) on the parameters of the and relaxations has been studied.For the a relaxation consistent increase in temperature of maximum loss and activation energy with increasing lamellar thickness confirms the strong suggestion of earlier work [6] on oriented specimens and shows that the relaxation arises mainly in the interior of the lamellae with little contribution from the chain folds.No systematic changes in these parameters with increasing lamellar thickness was found for the relaxation and this is explained by the presence of _c and _a components in crystalline and amorphous regions respectively. The component _a (as well as the _c one) shows a marked anisotropy in magnitude with respect to the draw direction in oriented specimens relative to the direction of the applied electric field. This implies a lining up of the chain molecules parallel to one another in amorphous regions.The non-existence of analogous short chain compounds and experimental scatter prevented detailed checking of the consistency of the data for the relaxation with the theory for the _c-C _c model [5].     

Structure and properties of injection-moulded nylon-6

The microstructure and morphology of injection-moulded nylon-6 has been studied using wide-angle and small-angle X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and a density measurement technique. A non-spherulitic surface layer consisting of a metastable pseudohexagonal phase surrounds the moulding and the thickness of the layer is sensitive to mould temperature. This outer structure gives way to a monoclinic phase containing spherulites between 3 and 6 m diameter. The central core of the moulding consists almost entirely of the phase with spherulites 6 m diameter, approximately. Exposure of nylon-6 to boiling water had no significant effect on the morphology of the moulding but the phase in the surface layer was transformed to the monoclinic phase.     

Thermal Expansion and Isothermal Compressibility of TlIn1 – xNdxSe2 (0 ≤ x≤ 0.08) Crystals

The thermal expansion coefficient () and isothermal compressibility ( _T ) of TlIn_{1 – x} Nd _x Se₂(0 x 0.08) crystals were measured between 77 and 400 K. In the range 77–160 K, both and _T increase with temperature, the increase in being much steeper. At higher temperatures, and _T change very little. The observed composition dependences of and _T are interpreted in terms of energy-band structure.     

Varistor characteristics in PTCR-type (Ba,Sr)TiO3 ceramics prepared by single-step firing in air

This paper deals with donor, acceptor-codoped (Ba_0.4Sr_.6)TiO₃ ceramics with distinct varistor characteristics at room temperature, which were prepared by single-step firing in air. The materials, with the Curie point at around –90 °C, exhibited a large PTCR (positive temperature coefficient of resistivity) effect of more than seven orders of magnitude in the temperature range –90 °C (the resistivity 10³ · cm) to room temperature ( > 10¹⁰ · cm). An apparent dielectric constant of >20000 and tan < 0.05 (at 100 kHz) were observed for the present materials at room temperature, and moreover, the materials exhibited nonlinear current-voltage characteristics with the nonlinear coefficient, , in the range 7–12 and the varistor field, E_v, in the range 0.3–1.0 kV/cm. The value of in the present materials increased systematically with increasing in their PTCR temperature range. It has been found that there exists a close correlation between and the grain-boundary potential barrier height, e, obtained from the -T characteristic of the materials. An almost linear relationship was also found to exist between and log E_v for the present materials.     

Ultrasonic attenuation of longitudinal and shear waves in superconducting lead

Longitudinal and shear wave ultrasonic attenuations have been measured in high-purity Pb on two single crystals obtained from the same ingot. The measurements were done at low temperatures, at different frequencies, and in transverse magnetic fields, up to a field of 7.3 kG. The propagation directions in the two crystals were along [100] and [110]. For some propagation and polarization directions the _s / _n ratio is found to be frequency-independent, while for others, large divergences in the _s / _n ratios at different frequencies are observed. A sharp decrease of _s / _n nearT _c is observed for a particular longitudinal wave propagation, but not in any shear wave propagation. In some cases _s / _n is found to be abnormally high and this feature is associated with a peak in attenuation _n and a relatively high _n at 7.2 K. None of the _s / _n curves fits closely to any BCS energy gap. For longitudinal waves the high magnetic field (H) dependence of the normal state attenuation was found to agree qualitatively with the free electron theory for propagation along [100], but not for propagation along [110]. For shear waves the high-field attenuations do not extrapolate to zero asH tends to infinity. For all propagation and polarization directions the high-field attenuations show 1/H ² field dependence.     

Mössbauer studies of α″-Fe16N2 and α′-Fe8N films

Conversion-electron Mössbauer spectra of epitaxial -Fe₁₆N₂ and -Fe₈N films have been studied and their differences are discussed in detail. The Mössbauer spectrum of -Fe₁₆N₂ can be decomposed into three subspectra, which correspond to the 4d, 8h and 4c sites. The Mössbauer spectrum of -Fe₈N can be fitted using four spectra based on a nitrogen-atom-random-distribution model. The average hyperfine field is larger (3%) for -Fe₁₆N₂ than for -Fe₈N, which is approximately consistent with a 4.1% enhancement of the magnetic moments for -Fe₁₆N₂. The iron moments tend to locate in the film plane for -Fe₁₆N₂ and to arrange perpendicularly to the film plane for -Fe₈N.     

The athermal α → ω transformation in Zr-2 at% Nb alloy

The athermal transformation in Zr-2 at.% Nb alloy has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. Analysis of the selected-area diffraction pattern has shown that the orientation relationships between the omega and the parent-phase in quenched Zr-2 at.% Nb alloy are the same as have been previously observed for the reaction in pure zirconium. Thus it was deduced that the direct transition has taken place in the alloy during cooling. The-originated -particles were visualized using the dark-field technique. The formation of the athermal omega in the-region of-stabilized Zr-Nb alloy is discussed in terms of the relative positions of the free energy equilibrium curvesT ₀ ,T ₀ ,T ₀ and the correspondingM _s ,M _s andT _s start curves. It is concluded that the omega phase can occur over a much wider range of alloy compositions than is usually recognized on the basis of transformation data.     

The age hardening effect in Ti-6 Al-4 V due to ω and α precipitation in the β grains

The structure at room temperature of a quenched TA6V titanium alloy has been investigated. This structure is + or + according to the treatment temperature; it is always metastable. During ageing the grains decomposed by the reaction + + +; this decomposition was accompanied by a large increase of the 0.2% yield stress. No structural modification was observed in. The and phase of TA6V were separately investigated in the form of single-phase alloys. The hardness of was insensitive to ageing, while was considerably hardened by and; we deduced that the strengthening of the minor phase during ageing is mainly responsible for the hardening of TA6V.     

Vibrational properties of wood along the grain

The dynamic Young's modulus (E_L) and loss tangent (tan _L ) along the grain, dynamic shear modulus (G_L) and loss tangent (tan _S) in the vertical section, and density () of a hundred spruce wood specimens used for the soundboards of musical instruments were determined. The relative acoustic conversion efficiency ( ) and a ratio reflecting the anisotropy of wood (, (E_L/G_L)(tan _S/tan _L)) were defined in order to evaluate the acoustic quality of wood along the grain. There was a positive correlation between and , and the variation in was larger than that in . It seemed logical to evaluate the acoustic quality of spruce wood by a measure of . By using a cell wall model, those acoustic factors were expressed with the physical properties of the cell wall constituents. This model predicted that the essential requirement for an excellent soundboard is smaller fibril angle of the cell wall, which yields higher and higher . On the other hand, the effects of chemical treatments on the and of wood were clarified experimentally and analyzed theoretically. It was suggested that the and of wood cannot be improved at the same time by chemical treatment.     

Similarity solutions in axisymmetric mixed-convection boundary-layer flow

The similarity equations for mixed-convection axisymmetric boundary-layer flow are considered. The equations involve a buoyancy parameter and a curvature parameter . The equations are solved numerically and it is found that for large , and of O(1), an asymptotic solution is approached, the nature of which is discussed. When is also large, of O(^1/4), the problem, at leading order, becomes independent of the mainstream and the free-convection limit is obtained. This problem is also discussed, including the behaviour for large values of ₀, the free-convection curvature parameter. For < 0 we find that the solution can be continued past the point where the wall heat transfer becomes zero (where previous mixed-convection similarity solutions in plane geometry were terminated) with the solution ending as 0^–. The nature of this limit is also discussed. For < 0 it is also found that there are solutions only in _b = < 0 with two branches of solution bifurcating out of = _b , and values of _b are computed for a range of . The behaviour of the solution for large values of the curvature parameter , and of O(1), is discussed where it is shown that the solution proceeds in inverse powers of log .     

High temperature oxidation behavior of Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloys

The oxidation behavior of four Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloys with different microstructures were investigated at 1000°C using interrupted oxidation test in air. Alloys with single-phase -TiAl, two-phase -TiAl + ₂-Ti₃Al, multi-phase -TiAl + ₂-Ti₃Al + Nb₂Al and two-phase ₂-Ti₃Al + Nb₂Al were prepared. The oxidation resistance of the Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloy at high temperature was found to be better than that of the binary Ti-Al alloy. Among the four Ti-Al-Nb ternary alloys, the + ₂ two-phase alloy has the best oxidation resistance. The presence of Nb-enriched phase such as Nb₂Al and Nb₃Al decrease the oxidation resistance at elevated temperature presumably due to the formation of Nb₂O₅, which would accelerate the exfoliation of oxide.     

Microstructural studies on silicon nitride

Thin specimens of reaction sintered and hot pressed silicon nitride have been prepared by ion beam thinning and examined in the Harwell million volt microscope. It has been found that reaction sintered material consists of large grains, which are mostly-Si₃N₄, in a fine grained matrix of-Si₃N₄. Fibres are frequently observed within the pores, the type of fibre depending on the size of the pore. The hot pressed material consists largely of two types of grain, small angular grains of-Si₃N₄ and larger irregular grains. There is also some non-crystalline material between the angular grains and there are numerous small unidentified inclusions.The grains of-Si₃N₄ generally contain dislocations and examination of these shows that most have a 0001 Burgers vector. The remaining dislocations appear to be more complex, frequently occurring as multiple images, and have not been unambiguously identified. An analysis of dislocations in-Si₃N₄ shows that 0001 dislocations are the most stable and are also likely to be most mobile with {10¯10} as the primary slip plane.     

Analysis of Rheological Equations Involving More Than One Fractional Parameters by the Use of the Simplest Mechanical Systems Based on These Equations

The behaviour of rheological models containing more than onefractional derivative or fractional operator of fractional orders areinvestigated. All rheological models discussed can be separated intothree groups depending on magnitudes of the value_*/_* (where_* and _* are the orders ofsenior fractional derivatives of stress and strain, respectively): themodels are thermodynamically admissible only when_*/_* = 1 (the first group),thermodynamically compatible only for_*/_* 1 (the secondgroup) and, finally, thermodynamically well-conditioned both at_*/_* 1 and_*/_* > 1 (the third group).It is shown that, under nonstationary excitations, thebehaviour of the simplest mechanical systems (mechanical oscillators,finite and semi-infinite viscoelastic rods), based on the consideredrheological models, may be different (from the point of view ofthermodynamics) from that of the underlying rheological models. Thus,under impulse excitations, the mechanical models based on rheologicalmodels of the first and second groups become thermodynamicallyadmissible not only at_*/_* = 1 but alsowhen _*/_* < 1(mechanical models of group I), but mechanical models based onrheological models of the third group remain thermodynamicallywell-conditioned at the same magnitudes of rheological parameters as thecorresponding rheological models do (mechanical models of group II). Asthis takes place, group I mechanical models possess diffusion-wavefeatures, that is at_*/_*=1 the stress waves ina semi-infinite rod propagate at a finite speed, and the roots ofcharacteristic equations (for nonstationary vibrations of a mechanicaloscillator or a rod of finite length) as functions of the relaxation orretardation times, behave in a way similar to the characteristicequation roots of rheological models possessing instantaneous elasticity(models of the Maxwell type). When_*/_*<1, the stress wavesin a semi-infinite rod propagate instantaneously at infinitely largespeeds, and the roots of characteristic equations (under nonstationaryvibrations of a mechanical oscillator or a rod of finite length) asfunctions of relaxation times behave in a way similar to thecharacteristic equation roots of rheological models lackinginstantaneous elasticity (models of the Kelvin–Voigt type).Mechanical models from group II possess pure wave or pure diffusionfeatures at all magnitudes of_*/_*.     

EPMA mapping of small particles of α-AlFeSi and β-AlFeSi in AA6063 alloy billets

It is well known that the spatial distribution and the spatial density of the particles o-AlFeSi and -AlFeSi in the billets of Al-Mg-Si alloys, such as AA6063 alloys affect the quality of anodizing performance of their extrusions. For this reason it is very important to control the spatial distribution and the spatial density of both AlFeSi particles at extrusion plants. The X-ray diffraction method (XRD) has been used for discrimination between -AlFeSi and -ALFeSi particles. However it is not an appropriate method for determining the spatial distributions of particles in the alloys. As an alternative method an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) has been used for determining the spatial distributions of each element in the microstructures. However, unfortunately it is difficult to discriminate between the particles composed of the same elements like -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi particles. Thus, we tried to develop a convenient method to discriminate between -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi particles in the microstructure of AA6063 alloys and developed the EPMA mapping of -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi particles. First, in order to discriminate between the two particles, we tried to use the relative X-ray intensity ratio, the I _Fe/I _Si ratio instead of the Fe/Si mass ratio. Then, we calculated the value of the I _Fe/I _Si ratio from -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi by using Monte Carlo calculations and obtained the critical value of the I _Fe/I _Si ratio, to distinguish between -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi. After that, using the discrimination value, we developed the EPMA mapping program (EPMA method) to observe the distributions of -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi, and to calculate the areas (%) of -AlFeSi and -AlFeSi. Finally, we checked the correlation between the EPMA and the XRD methods. Consequently, the two methods were in good agreement. Today, this EPMA method instead of the XRD method is successfully used in the quality control of 6063 aluminum alloy billets after heat treatment at our aluminum extrusion works.     

Polymorphism in Sr3Fe2O7−x

The compound Sr₃Fe₂O_7–x , with variable iron valence, was investigated by X-ray powder techniques, both at room and at high temperatures. If the material is examined in massive form, a single phase called -Sr₃Fe₂O_7–x appears as previously reported in the literature. This -phase is tetragonal and exhibits the lattice parameters: a=3.874 and c=40.314 Å. Two other phases, called and -Sr₃Fe₂O_7–x , respectively, can be obtained on heating the finely powdered material when laid on a flat platinum support. The form is stable up to 1275° C, while the form is revealed only above 1275° C and changes always into -Sr₃Fe₂O_7–x when quenched. Both and phases are tetragonal, with a=4.001 and c= 58.251 for the form and a=4.013, c=57.092 Å for the form. The transition involves a true phase equilibrium, while the transformation is possible only by means of a suitable mechanical treatment of the material.     

γ ? α2 Phase transformation in fractured high temperature stress rupture Ti-48Al-2Nb(at.%)

The ₂ phase transformation in fractured high temperature stress rupture Ti-48Al-2Nb(at.%) alloy has been studied by analytical electron microscopy. ₂ and phases were found at grain boundaries. ₂ layers that suspended in layers and interfacial ledge higher than 2d ₍₁₁₁₎ at /₂ interfaces were observed in the lamellar grains. These facts indicated that ₂ phase transformation and dynamic recrystallization have occurred during high temperature stress rupture deformation. It can be concluded that deformation induced ₂ phase transformation and dynamic recrystallization resulted in the presence of particles at grain boundaries. A structural and compositional transition area between deformation-induced ₂(or ) and its adjacently original (or ₂) phases was found by HREM and EDS and is suggested as a way to transform between and ₂ phase during high temperature stress rupture deformation. The transition area was formed by slide of partial dislocations on close-packed planes and diffusion of atoms.     

Precipitation of β particles in a fully lamellar Ti-47Al-2Nb-1Mn-0.5W-0.5Mo-0.2Si (at.%) alloy

The precipitation of (B2) particles at intermediate temperatures, between 760°C and 1050°C, is investigated in a fully lamellar TiAl-WMoSi alloy. The particles, having a thin-plate shape, usually precipitate on the ₂ side of ₂/ interfaces at low aging temperatures in an uneven two-dimensional growth mode. While those formed at higher aging temperatures, growing extensively within the ₂ plate and into the adjacent lamellae, have an ellipsoid shape. The growth of particles at low aging temperatures yields an activation energy of about 366 kJ/mol. It is suggested that at low aging temperatures the growth of particles proceeds via an ₂ precipitation process controlled by diffusion of W and Mo along the /₂ and / interfaces.     

The mechanism of continuous dissolution of the lamellar structure in aged Al 22 at% Zn alloy

The mechanism of continuous dissolution was studied using transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and hardness measurements. The metastable phase was identified in the first stage of dissolution nucleating at the - boundaries. Interface dislocations at the - boundaries forming a perpendicular net in the 110 directions were identified as of screw character and of Burgers vector b=1/2a 110. During dissolution a change of shape of precipitates occurs leading to their fragmentation and to a change of the direction of boundaries into 110 directions.