Effect of carbon nanotubes and aluminum oxide on the properties of a plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating

To protect the structural components of a power generating unit from the corrosive environment, thermal spray coatings are applied to the components. In the present work, four different types of thermal barrier coating (TBC) viz. partially stabilised zirconia (8YSZ), zirconia-20% alumina (ZA) composite coating without carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforcement, and ZA with 1% and 3% CNT reinforcement. The coating was deposited on NiCrAlY coated P91 steel using a plasma spraying process. The coating microstructure and phases were characterised using field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The phases of the coating were analyzed using X-ray diffraction technique. The effect of CNT reinforcement on the thermal conductivity, porosity, and hardness of the composite coatings was investigated. The protective behavior of the coatings was characterised by potentiodynamic polarization testing and electrochemical impedance measurements. The thermal conductivity of the composite coating was found to be increased with increasing CNT content. Hardness was found to be highest for 3% CNT reinforcement and the thermal conductivity was found to increase with decreasing porosity. The electrochemical measurements indicate that reinforcement of CNT in zirconia alumina composite coating improved its corrosion resistance.     

Structural modification associated with Al2O3 addition in oxyfluoride glasses: Thermal and mechanical properties

In this work, the effect of gradual addition of Al₂O₃ substituting SiO₂ on the structural, thermal, and mechanical properties of SiO₂–BaF₂–K₂O–GdF₃–Sb₂O₃‐based oxyfluoride glasses have been studied. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and differential scanning calorimetric (DSC) curves indicate that there is a distinct primary crystallization corresponding to BaGdF₅ phase formation in the samples without (0AlG) and with 5 mol% substitution of Al₂O₃ (5AlG) while the sample with 10 mol% of Al₂O₃ (10AlG) does not show such crystallization event. Further, the activation energy (E_a) for fluoride crystal formation is higher for the 5AlG in comparison to the 0AlG glass as determined by Kissinger, Augis‐Bennett and Ozawa models. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy analysis confirmed the structural modification with the gradual addition of Al₂O₃ in the glass matrix revealing dominant presence of AlO₄ tetrahedral units in 10AlG sample unlike in 5AlG sample which exhibited the manifestation of AlO₆ units. Such structural variation has further been substantiated from the estimated elastic properties like Young's modulus (E), shear modulus (G), bulk modulus (K), longitudinal modulus (L), and mean ultrasonic velocity (U_m) by showing a decrease for 5AlG sample in comparison with 0AlG sample followed by subsequent increase for 10AlG sample.     

Effects of carbon content on microstructure and mechanical properties of SiC ceramics fabricated by SLS/RMI composite process

Selective Laser Sinering (SLS) and Reactive Melting Infiltration (RMI) were combined to fabricate complicated SiC ceramics with high performance in the research. The influence of carbon content on green parts’ mechanical properties was studied. Then, the effect of carbon density on the microstructure of SiC was studied. The results showed that the density of sintered body increased first and then decreased with the increase of carbon black content. Due to the increase of carbon density, the siliconizing property of carbonated preforms is also improved by impregnating asphalt. When the carbon density was 0.6612 g/cm³, sintered density reached 2.899 g/cm³. But the flexural strength reached peak value of 190.19 ± 1.89 MPa as the carbon density decreased to 0.5542 g/cm³. Therefore, this research lays a foundation for laser sintering to fabricate high performance and complex structure SiC ceramics by regulating carbon content.     

The effects of the addition of tetragonal-ZrO2 on the mechanical properties of MgAl2O4 – ZrO2 composites

The effects of the addition of tetragonal 3mol% Y₂O₃ – ZrO₂ into a MgAl₂O₄ spinel matrix were investigated. MgAl₂O₄ spinel's lacking mechanical properties prevent further utilization in many structural and refractory applications even though it has excellent chemical and thermal stability. The addition of tetragonal-ZrO₂ was observed to improve the hardness, fracture toughness and biaxial flexural strength of MgAl₂O₄ materials. Moreover, the additions of 3mol% Y₂O₃ – ZrO₂ resulted in a reduction of the mean grain size.     

Effect of P2O5 on the Nonisothermal Sinter‐Crystallization Process of a Lithium Aluminum Silicate Glass

Dense (~98.5%), lithium aluminum silicate glass‐ceramics were obtained via the sinter‐crystallization of glass particle compacts at relatively low temperatures, that is, 790–875°C. The effect of P₂O₅ on the glass‐ceramics' sinter‐crystallization behavior was evaluated. We found that P₂O₅ does not modify the surface crystallization mechanism but instead delays the crystallization kinetics, which facilitates viscous flow sintering. Our glass‐ceramics had virgilite (Li_xAl_xSi_3‐xO₆; 0.5 < x < 1), a crystal size <1 μm, and a linear thermal expansion coefficient of 2.1 × 10^?6°C^?1 in the temperature range 40–500°C. The overall heat treatment to obtain these GCs was quite short, at ~25 min.     

Post-fire residual mechanical properties of concrete made with recycled concrete coarse aggregates

This paper presents results of an experimental study on the residual mechanical performance of concrete produced with recycled coarse aggregates, after being subjected to high temperatures. Four different concrete compositions were prepared: a reference concrete made with natural coarse aggregates and three concrete mixes with replacement rates of 20%, 50% and 100% of natural coarse aggregates by recycled concrete coarse aggregates. Specimens were exposed for a period of 1 h to temperatures of 400 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C, after being heated in accordance with ISO 834 time–temperature curve. After cooling down to ambient temperature, the following basic mechanical properties were then evaluated and compared with reference values obtained prior to thermal exposure: (i) compressive strength; (ii) tensile splitting strength; and (iii) elasticity modulus. Results obtained show that there are no significant differences in the thermal response and post-fire mechanical behaviour of concrete made with recycled coarse aggregates, when compared to conventional concrete.     

Improvement in microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti(C,N) cermet prepared by two-step spark plasma sintering

A fine grained Ti(C, N) cermet tool material was prepared by two-step spark plasma sintering. Microstructure evolution and densification mechanisms of Ti(C, N) during spark plasma sintering were studied. Effect of two-step sintering process and Ni content on microstructure and mechanical properties were also investigated. The critical activated densification temperature of Ti(C, N) is about 1300?℃, and the rapidest densification rate takes place at 1300?℃~1400?℃. Grains are in the size of 1?µm when the Ti(C, N) cermet was prepared by two-step spark plasma sintering. The optimal flexural strength, fracture toughness and Vickers hardness are 1094?±?42?MPa, 7.2?±?0.5?MPa?m^1/2 and 18.3?±?0.4?GPa, respectively. The Ti(C, N) cermets containing more content of Ni have higher toughness, which is due to the remarkable toughening effect of crack bridging by large grains.     

Effect of maturation time on the fresh and hardened properties of an air lime mortar

The restoration and maintenance of old renders is one of the key aspects of correct rehabilitation practice. The ideal course of action is to replace the damaged material by a material with compatible characteristics. This work aims to analyze the effect of the maturation process on hardened state characteristics of hydrated powder lime mortars. The rheological characterization shows an air lime mortar thickening behaviour with the length of the test. The different mixes were subjected to a maturation process consisting on keeping them in the fresh state, covered with water, isolated from CO₂, during seven days. The specimens and applications were prepared both with the non-matured and the matured mortars. Maturation seems to influence the hardened state characteristics causing a decrease in the capillary values, and an increase on the mechanical strength, which are more evident for mortars with higher binder contents.     

Crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of polypropylene copolymer by in situ copolymerization with a nucleating agent and/or nano‐calcium carbonate

The crystallization behavior of polypropylene (PP) copolymer obtained by in situ reactor copolymerization with or without a nucleating agent and/or nano‐CaCO₃ particles was investigated both by thermal analysis and by polarized light microscopy. The Avrami model is successfully used to describe the crystallization kinetics of the studied copolymer. The results of the investigation show that a dramatic decrease of the half‐time of crystallization t_1/2, as well as a significant increase of the overall crystallization rate, are observed in the presence of the nucleating agent. These effects are further promoted in the presence of the nano‐CaCO₃ particles. The incorporation of the nucleating agent and nano‐CaCO₃ particles into PP copolymer remarkably improved the mechanical properties and heat distortion temperature. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 431–438, 2004     

The effect of γ-radiation on the mechanical properties of structural adhesive

The modular satellite concept iBOSS (intelligent Building Blocks for On-Orbit Satellite Servicing and Assembly) enables on-orbit servicing and reconfiguration of satellite systems and has the potential to be a game changer in the space industry. Such building blocks have to withstand all environmental loads in space, e.g.: radiation, vacuum and thermal cycling.The present paper investigates the mechanical properties of the two component epoxy adhesive 3M SW9323 under the environmental effect of radiation. This adhesive is part of the building block's primary structure. Furthermore, adhesive bonding is the sole joining technique used in the whole structure. It is therefore critical to know the influence of ionizing radiation on its load-carrying capacity. For this purpose bulk specimens were manufactured and exposed to γ-radiation, generated by a ⁶⁰Co source. Four different doses were achieved by varying the distance to the source and irradiation time. Afterwards the specimen were tested under tensile loading. Using the digital image correlation technique properties like elastic modulus, shear modulus, tensile strength and elongation at break were determined.The results show that the mechanical properties of the bulk specimen of 3M SW9323 are not influenced by γ-radiation up to a dose of 17.6 kGy. This is explained by the phenomena of crosslinking and chain scission which occur simultaneously and cancel each other out. In addition, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was carried out to investigate if one mechanism is predominant. A slight shift in the spectra indicates the supremacy of chain scission.     

The improvement mechanism of mechanical properties of B4C ceramics by constructing core–shell powders

B₄C ceramics have been widely used in armor plate and cutting tools due to their high hardness. However, their poor sintering performance and low fracture toughness have limited their extended applications. In order to solve these problems, B₄C@TiB₂ composite powders with core–shell structure were prepared by a sol–gel method using B₄C and TiCl₄ as raw materials and then sintered by spark plasma sintering. The composite powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of B₄C ceramics were tested by indentation and three-point bending methods. The results showed that the B₄C@TiB₂ composite powders exhibited a tight core–shell structure, and the chemical bonds on the surface were mainly B–C and B–Ti bonds. When the molar ratio of B₄C:TiCl₄ was 2:1, the relative density and bulk density of B₄C ceramics reached 96.2% and 2.92 g/cm³, respectively. Because of the good sintering performance of the B₄C@TiB₂ composite powders, the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness reached 26.6 GPa and 5.22 MPa m^1/2, respectively. The bending strength reached a maximum of 570 MPa. The excellent fracture toughness can be attributed to crack deflection, crack branching, and the residual thermal stress of the core–shell structure.     

Morphology and mechanical properties of polypropylene and poly(ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate) blends

The morphology and mechanical properties of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) and poly(ethylene‐co‐methyl acrylate) (EMA) blends were investigated. Various EMA copolymers with different methyl acrylate (MA) comonomer content were used. iPP and EMA formed immiscible blends over the composition range studied. The crystallization and melting reflected that of the individual components and the crystallinity was not greatly affected. The size of the iPP crystals was larger in the blends than those of pure iPP, indicating that EMA may have reduced the nucleation density of the iPP; however, the growth rate of the iPP crystals was found to remain constant. The tensile elongation at break was greatly increased by the presence of EMA, although the modulus remained approximately constant until the EMA composition was greater than 20%. EMA with a 9.0% MA content provided the optimum effect on the mechanical properties of the blends. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 175–185, 2003     

Dense gypsum ceramics prepared by room-temperature cold sintering with greatly improved mechanical properties

Dense gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) ceramics were successfully fabricated by a simple room-temperature cold sintering process with 5 wt% water. The relative density of gypsum ceramics increased from 89.6% to 96.8% with increasing the applied uniaxial pressure from 100 to 400 MPa during cold sintering. The relative density changed slightly for higher pressure, and microcracks were observed as well as abnormal grain growth. Both the compressive and flexural strengths reached the peaks at 98.5 MPa and 26.5 MPa for the uniaxial pressure of 400 MPa, which were improved by 2.6 and 2.0 times, respectively comparing with the bulk gypsum prepared by traditional method from α-plaster. Furthermore, the dry-pressed gypsum compacts were very fragile, and had relative densities 5–12 % lower than the cold-sintered ceramics, indicating that the slight solubility of gypsum in water (0.2 g/100 g) played a critical role in the densification, microstructural evolution and greatly improved mechanical properties of cold-sintered gypsum ceramics.     

Biomineralization,strength and cytocompatibility improvement of bredigite scaffolds through doping/coating

Coprecipitation-derived, sacrificial polymeric (urethane) foam-fabricated bredigite (Ca₇MgSi₄O₁₆) scaffolds were processed by individual and combined treatments of fluoride doping and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) coating and then studied in terms of structure, mechanical strength, bioactivity and cell biocompatibility in vitro. According to scanning electron microscopy and Archimedes porosimetry, the geometrical characteristics of pores for all the scaffolds are in the appropriate range for hard tissue regeneration applications. The apatite-formation ability of the samples immersed in a simulated body fluid is improved by doping for both the bare and coated conditions, based on microscopic and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopic analyses. Both the treatments advantageously buffer physiological pH changes imposed due to the fast bioresorption of the ceramic. Also, the biodegradable PLGA coating typically enhances the compressive strength of the scaffolds, which is critical for bone tissue engineering. In accordance with the MTT assay on osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) cultures, both the processes individually enhance the cell viability, while the highest improvement is obtained for the combined application of them. It is finally concluded that fluoride doping and PLGA coating are impressive approaches to improve the bioperformance of bredigite-based scaffolds.     

Effect of corn‐zein coating on the mechanical properties of polypropylene packaging films

In this study, a novel film structure of corn zein coated on polypropylene (PP) synthetic films for food packaging applications was developed, and the mechanical properties of the resulting coated film, as affected by the coating formulation, were investigated. Composite structures of PP films coated with corn zein were obtained through a simple solvent casting method. Different amounts of corn zein (5 and 15%) were dissolved in 70 and 95% aqueous ethanol solution at 50°C. Solutions of corn zein plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) and glycerol (GLY) at various levels (20 and 50%) were applied on corona‐discharge‐treated PP. A statistical analysis based on full factorial design was performed to examine the influence of the coating formulation on the final properties of the corn‐zein‐coated PP films. A significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the coated film's mechanical properties was observed compared to those of the uncoated PP. The effect of the plasticization of the coating solutions was also quite significant. In general, GLY provided better improvements in the mechanical properties of the corn‐zein‐coated PP films. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the corn‐zein and plasticizer concentrations and plasticizer type used in the coating formulations were more effective parameters and had significant effects on the mechanical behavior of the coated PP films. In conclusion, corn‐zein coatings could have potential as alternatives to conventional synthetic polymers used in composite multilayer structures for food packaging applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Crystallization and dynamic mechanical properties of polypropylene/polystyrene blends modified with maleic anhydride and styrene

Polypropylene (PP)/polystyrene (PS) blends modified with reactive monomers, such as maleic anhydride (MAH) and styrene (St), and in situ formed PP/PS blends were prepared by melting extrusion. The crystallization and melting behavior and the dynamic mechanical properties of the PP/PS blends, including the structure of the grafted copolymer, were investigated with differential scanning calorimetry, dynamic mechanical analysis, and Fourier transform infrared. The results indicated that the addition of MAH hardly influenced the crystallization temperature of PP in the blends, but the addition of MAH and St increased the crystallization temperature of PP in its blends. The blends showed no remarkable variety for the melting temperature, but the shapes of the melting peaks were influenced by the addition of the reactive monomers. In addition, a significant increase in the storage and loss moduli of all the modified PP/PS blends was observed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 2038–2045, 2005     

Synthesis and thermal performance of polymer precursor for ZrC ceramic

A novel ZrC preceramic precursor (PZC) was compounded via liquid phase chemical reaction without any organic solvent choosing ZrOCl₂·8H₂O and polyvinyl alcohol as Zr source and C source, respectively. The composition and structure of ZrC precursor were analysed through XRD, FT-IR, XPS and SEM. The results showed both Zr-O-C bonds and Zr-O bonds existed in the precursor. The results observed by SEM showed that many irregular particles were generated, whose particle sizes were mainly in the range of 0.2–3 μm. In addition, particle aggregation can be easily observed. Besides, the thermal property and pyrolysis process of PZC were studied. In accordance with XRD, the initial temperature of the earliest detection of ZrC in pyrolysis products of PZC was 1300 °C. Monoclinic ZrO₂ and tetragonal ZrO₂ can be observed at this temperature as well. Ulteriorly, when the pyrolysis temperature was risen up to 1500 °C, only ZrC ceramic can be found.     

Kinetic Analysis of Crystallization in Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 Glass Ceramics

The crystallization mechanisms for Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ (LATP) glass ceramics were studied using thermophysical property characterization techniques. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed two separate exothermic events that were ascribed to the initial growth and growth to coherency of a dendritic phase. It was found that the commonly used Johnson‐Mehl‐Avrami is not a suitable kinetic model for this material. Rather, the Sestak‐Berggren (SB) autocatalytic kinetic model was used to analyze the DSC data and the activation energy for initial growth (259 kJ/mol) and coherency (272 kJ/mol) was calculated using isoconversional methods. The calculated parameters for the SB model were used to compare experimental and calculated values for heat flow during the crystallization of LATP and good fits were found for both exothermic events.     

Influence of chemical degradation on mechanical behavior of a petroleum cement paste

Cement paste used in the Oil Industry is generally subjected to chemical degradation due to flow of acid fluids in various situations. The present study focuses on the evolution of thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behavior with chemical degradation of petroleum cement paste. Triaxial compression tests with different confining pressures (0, 3, 10 and 20 MPa) are carried out on a standard oil cement paste in sound state and completely degraded state by ammonium nitrate solution under a temperature of 90 °C. The results obtained show that the material in its initial state exhibits a small elastic phase and a strong capacity of compaction. The mechanical behavior depends on the load induced pore water pressure. Because of the increase in porosity caused by chemical degradation, the mechanical strength (cohesion and friction angle) and Young's modulus decrease. The dependence of mechanical strength and Young's modulus on confining pressure is smaller in the chemically degraded cement paste than in the sound one. In fine, the mechanical behavior of the whole material becomes more ductile. As a result, such effects of chemical degradation should be taken into account when modeling such cement paste materials exposed to such chemical degradations.     

Sintering, crystallization and mechanical properties of a gel-cast cordierite glass-ceramic body

Gel-cast bodies based on cordierite glass-ceramics were prepared by sintering route. Effect of monomer and cross-linker values as well as sintering temperatures on bending strength of dried and sintered bodies were investigated. While the bending strength of dried gel-cast bodies was increased with the percentage of the polymers, bending strength of sintered bodies was changed conversely with them. Therefore, it was concluded that the least amount of monomer acrylamid (3 wt.%) and moderate amount of cross-linker (∼0.75 wt.%) guarantees the required dried and fired bending strengths. The optimum sintering temperature was about 1270 °C and specimens that was fired at this temperature showed a maximum bending strength of about 200 MPa.