The history of the metallographic study of the Japanese sword

The traditional Japanese Sword (Nihon Token) is an object of great beauty and a marvel of empirical technology. The development of metallography in modern Japan is closely tied to the scientific study of the Japanese Sword, with the first metallographic studies started in 1908 by Kuni-ichi Tawara.     

A passion for plants: Collections and power games in botany in the Russian Empire from the 18th to the early 19th century

In this paper, private gardens are portrayed as spaces and implements of aristocratic passion for plant collecting, of competition within the gentry, as well as of scientific professionalisation for botanists. This paper traces the early history of botanical collections in the Russian Empire from the 18th to the early 19th century as part of an elite culture which encouraged amateur patrons to invest in expeditions, gardens, and, consequently, in professionals to manage such projects. Young graduates of European universities who began their careers working at private botanical institutions could later successfully apply for academic positions. The circulation of specimens had developed as a key element of botanical collection and an important basis for the networking of professionals and amateurs around the world. This paper argues that collecting plant specimens became an important means for engaging in “power games” and even “plant diplomacy.” These new responsibilities significantly increased botanists' status as experts. A diverse group of personalities, such as the Empress Catherine II, King George III of England, the industrialist Prokophy Demidov, aristocrat Alexei Razumovsky, Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, the academician Peter Simon Pallas—all shared a passion for botanical collecting and were engaged in power games at different levels, using botany as an instrument of influence.     

Shear resistance verification of late 19th century masonry according to EC 6 – State of the art

A large part of buildings in Central European cities like Vienna was built in the Gründerzeit period between about 1840 and 1918 [1]. These buildings were constructed according to traditional rules. Current urban development requires historic buildings to be structurally adapted, which requires retroactive analysis of the masonry walls; in Austria according to ÖNORM EN 1998‐3 [2] and ÖNORM EN 1996‐3 (EC 6) [3]. Here, special focus is on the load transfer of horizontal earthquake loads, i. e. the shear strength of masonry walls. This paper describes the verification of historic masonry in detail and discusses individual components. Initial shear strength, load‐influenced friction and the length of the compressed part of the wall are first determined using results from experimental testing and relevant literature and then compared to the approaches in EC 6. Based on this analysis, recommendations are provided to make theoretical approaches more realistic.     

Radiometric phenomena: From the 19th to the 21st century

Many of the major scientists of the late 19th and early 20th century have weighed in on the mechanisms that influence the forces produced in the Crookes radiometer. However, even today, there is still some uncertainty, and in fact confusion, about the order of magnitudes of forces produced by these mechanisms and the dominant mechanisms in various operational regimes and configurations. The development of a better understanding of the radiometric force, aimed at resolving that confusion, has been helped by modern computational techniques. In the transitional flow regime, where the radiometric force is observed, kinetic approaches are necessary for valid results. These modern kinetic approaches, coupled with significant increases in computational speed, have qualitatively improved the level of understanding of radiometric flows. For the first time, flowfields near the vanes of a radiometer can be fully investigated in an attempt to quantify the importance of various mechanisms involved in the production of the radiometric force. In many cases, the computational techniques have been validated by highly accurate experiments. Various operational regimes and geometric configurations have been studied in an attempt to maximize the force. This review looks at the historic context of three types of radiometers, most notably the Crookes radiometer, develops a modern understanding of the mechanisms behind the radiometric force, and documents recent applications.     

金相试样制备技术与技巧

在现代金相试样制备方法还没有完全普及的情况下,描述了传统手工制样过程中应注意的问题,并通过表面处理及高锰钢等特殊金相试样的制备,进一步说明试样制备的一些小技巧,对初学者可以起到事半功倍的作用,其他金相检验工作者也可以借鉴。     

金相试样制备技巧及具体方法

合理的金相试样制备方法是获得清晰、高质量显微组织图像的保障,是材料金相研究的基础.对高纯钨、高氮不锈钢、汽车钢板、涂层材料的金相制备技巧及具体方法进行了分析,解决了制样中切割、镶嵌、磨抛和浸蚀等过程遇到的问题.结果表明:高纯钨硬度高,要保证磨抛时间;高氮不锈钢采用三氯化铁盐酸甘油混合液浸蚀,可获得浸蚀均匀的显微组织形貌...     

金刚石膜—硬质合金基体横截面组织的金相研究

采用MeF3金相显微镜对CVD金刚石膜－硬质合金基体横截面的组织进行了观察，重点研究了甲烷浓度对CVD金刚石膜－基横截面各组织层次的影响。结果表明：硬质合金基体的表面组织发生了显著的变化，形成了不同的组织层次，在化学侵蚀脱钴和等离子体刻蚀脱碳预处理的基础上所沉积的金刚石膜－基横截面组织层次为：金刚石膜／薄的石墨或游离碳层／细小WC层／残留脱碳层（η相十W相）／残留疏松层／YG8基体，甲烷浓度对各层次的形成和厚度有显著的影响。     

中国标准化协会第六届一次理事会隆重召开

中国标准化协会第六届一次理事会于2004年11月29日在京召开,国家质检总局局长李长江到会并作了重要讲话,国家质检总局党组书记李传卿晚上专程到会看望大家并作了重要指示。中国科协领导孙铭、中国国家标准化管理委员会主任李忠海、副主任孙晓康、石保权、第五届理事会理事长李瑞以及来自全国各行各业的标准化工作者约100人参加了此次会议。第五届理事长李瑞主持会议,并宣读了大会主席团成员名单。协会资深顾问李春田教授宣读了中国标准化协会名誉理事长袁宝华的贺词,中国科协领导孙铭也向大会宣读了中国科协发来的贺信。中国标准化协会秘书…     

Metallographic evaluation of the thermal history and velocity of powders during plasma spraying

Plasma-sprayed coatings are used in a wide range of engineering applications to combat oxidation, corrosion and wear. The plasma spraying process is ideally suited for refractory materials, but there are a number of process variables that need be controlled to obtain dense coatings. In spite of the considerable progress made in the theoretical understanding of this complex process, there is a need for a simple method to evaluate the interaction between the plasma flame and the powder particles that fonn the coatings. As reported in the literature, this involves metallographic observation of the powders collected from the plasma. In this paper, the results of such a study are presented. It is shown that this method is effective in detennining the extent of melting and the relative velocity of both metallic and ceramic powders.     

Cr9Mo铸钢组织和性能的研究

研究了Cr9Mo铸钢组织和性能之间的关系。依据试验结果,指出了热处理工艺变化对其组织、性能的影响,并与Cr5Mo铸钢作比较。     

Synchrotron-based X-ray spectromicroscopy used for the study of an atypical micrometric pigment in 16th century paintings

Grünewald is a famous German painter of the 16th century, whose celebrity is associated with his unique skill in handling colors. This article presents the analysis of materials used to render a metallic aspect in the Isenhein Altarpiece and the Basel's Crucifixion. Such samples are challenging objects for microanalysis due to both chemical and physical complexity. Their study by synchrotron-based X-ray microscopy techniques was made possible thanks to recent developments carried out at the ID21 beam line (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, ESRF). A submicron X-ray fluorescence probe revealed the main presence of lead, sulfur, antimony, and calcium. The fluorescence-line interferences (in particular K-lines of sulfur with M-lines of lead, and K-lines of calcium with L-lines of antimony) were resolved with the fitting program, PyMCA. 2D-mapping highlighted the presence of micrometer grains of sulfur and antimony into a lead matrix. XANES measurements were performed at both the sulfur K-edge and the antimony L-edge to refine information from an atomic to a molecular level. Beam stability was a key point in this study to selectively probe micrometer pigment grains, dispersed in the lead matrix. They confirm that the grains are made of stibnite (antimony sulfide), a very atypical pigment. Chemical mapping of sulfides is perfectly correlated with antimony mapping and provides a clear visualization of the stibnite pigments, in addition to their identification. Besides its artistic relevancy, this work aims at illustrating developments of synchrotron X-ray microprobe methods for the chemical characterization and observation of complex and micrometer-scale materials.     

Identification of an original non-terpenoid varnish from the early 20th century oil painting "the white horse" (1929), by h. Menzel

Different mass spectrometric approaches were used to identify an original non-terpenoid varnish. Direct temperature-resolved MS and pyrolysis-GC/MS mainly showed the phenolic components, whereas thermally assisted (trans)methylation with tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) strongly enhanced the evidence for tung oil as part of the varnish. Transethylation studies of the fatty acids confirmed the TMAH data. The degree of hydrolysis of the oil network was found to be low. No evidence was found for a direct link between the drying oil and phenolic resin. On the basis of the MS information, the aged varnish is identified as an open-structure tert-butylphenol-formaldehyde resin which entangles the tung oil polymer.