On the Correction of the Melting Curve of the Eutectic Co–C for the Effect of the Thermal Inertia of the Furnace

This paper considers the influence of the thermal inertia of the furnace on the shape of the melting curve of the eutectic Co–C. To this end, melting experiments have been performed in a uniform three-zone furnace, with an inherent substantial thermal inertia. The thermal inertia has been quantified by measuring the step-response of the furnace with the sample in its solid state, just below its melting temperature. From the analysis of the effect of the thermal inertia of the furnace, it turned out that during melting the temperature distribution within the furnace, surrounding the crucible, is bound to be in a non-stationary state. This provided the key to properly finalizing the correction to be applied. The shape of the corrected curve differs considerably from that of the curve, as measured, in that the former shows a flatter melting plateau, and a larger curvature on the way down to the solidus point. As regards the liquidus temperature \(T_{\mathrm{liq}}\)—of major interest in the characterization of the transition temperature of high-temperature fixed points—it is demonstrated that the thermal inertia of the furnace shows a kind of self-compensating mechanism. But the effects of the thermal inertia of the furnace on the parameters defining the Scheil fit, involved in the correction procedure, were considerable.     

Properties of coatings of the Al–Cr–Fe–Co–Ni–Cu–V high entropy alloy produced by the magnetron sputtering

It has been found that coatings from an Al–Fe–Co–Ni–Cu–Cr–V high entropy equiatomic alloy produced by the magnetron sputtering have nanocrystalline microstructures, are textured, and present a solid two-phase solution, which crystallizes in the bcc (a = 2.91 Å) and fcc (a = 3.65 Å) phases. The ion bombardment of a growing coating caused by the bias voltage (0–(–200) V), which has been applied to the substrate, decreases the growth rate of a condensate and affects its composition and structure. It has been shown that the composition of coatings deposited without an ion bombardment coincides with the target composition, whereas an increase of the ion bombardment intensity leads to the depletion of the coating composition in Al, Cu, and Ni and increase the microhardness. The anisotropy of the coating produced has been revealed.     

On the beat of the drum: improving the flow shop performance of the Drum–Buffer–Rope scheduling mechanism

One of the main elements of the theory of constraints is its Drum–Buffer–Rope (DBR) scheduling (or release) mechanism that controls the release of jobs to the system. Jobs are not released directly to the shop floor – they are withheld in a backlog and released in accordance with the output rate of the bottleneck (i.e. the drum). The sequence in which jobs are considered for release from the backlog is determined by the schedule of the drum, which also determines in which order jobs are processed or dispatched on the shop floor. In the DBR literature, the focus is on the urgency of jobs and the same procedure is used both for backlog sequencing and dispatching. In this study, we explore the potential of using different combinations of rules for sequencing and dispatching to improve DBR performance. Based on controlled simulation experiments in a pure and general flow shop we demonstrate that, although the original procedure works well in a pure flow shop, it becomes dysfunctional in a general flow shop where job routings vary. Performance can be significantly enhanced by switching from a focus on urgency to a focus on the shortest bottleneck processing time during periods of high load.     

Special features of the diamond crystallization in the Mg–Zn–B–C system

The diamond crystallization in the Mg–Zn–B–C system occurring in the diamond thermal stability region have been considered. The phase transformations, which take place during the preparation of the alloy–solvent for carbon and its structure, the diamond crystallization and properties of the resultant diamond crystals have been studied. The formation of the acceptor centers and inclusions in diamond crystals caused by the addition of boron into the growth system have been considered. It has been found that the use of the diamond powder produced in this system for abrasive machining surfaces of sapphire parts makes it possible to increase the machining efficiency and quality as compared with that of the powder produced in the Ni–Mn–C system.     

On the influence of preloading in the nonlinear viscoelastic–viscoplastic response of carbon–epoxy composites

On an ongoing research for the nonlinear viscoelastic response of composites and polymers, a study of the influence of preloading applied to composite laminates subjected to creep–recovery loading is performed. In cases where high stress levels are applied, this response becomes highly nonlinear and has to be taken into account when designing composite parts. A major problem encountered in the experimental investigation of the nonlinear viscoelastic behaviour is the mode of the initial applied loading and its effect in the overall viscoelastic response of the test sample. The damage that occurs due to the instantaneous application of the load leads to an additional viscoelastic/viscoplastic strain component. In order to investigate this effect as well as to compare different preloading modes, as far as viscoelastic/viscoplastic response is concerned, a test program was initiated and the experimental data were investigated in the current study. A preloading mode is applied in each specimen prior to the creep–recovery testing at different applied stress levels. Useful results concerning the effect of preloading in the time dependent response of the material are concluded. Variation of the values of viscoplastic strain in respect to the preloading mode is also of great concern.     

Influence of the Dispersion Hardening with Nanooxides on the Corrosion Resistance of High-Entropy Alloys of the Cr–Fe–Mn–Ni System in Lead Melts

Materials Science - We study the corrosion resistance of high-entropy alloys of the Cr–Fe–Mn–Ni system in lead melts at 480°С in testing for up to 1000 h. It is shown...     

The improvement of the amorphous environment of the germanate–tellurate glasses in the presence of the gadolinium ions

Glasses in the system xGd₂O₃·(100 − x)[TeO₂·GeO₂] with 0 ≤ x ≤ 50 mol% have been prepared from melt quenching method. In this paper, we investigated changes of the coordination numbers of germanium, tellurium, and gadolinium ions by investigations of FTIR, EPR, and UV–VIS spectroscopy. By analyzing the structural changes resulted from the IR spectra we found that the bending modes of [GeO₄] structural units and the deformed modes of the Te–O–Te linkages produce intercalation of the [GdO _n ] entities in the germanate–tellurate chain network and densification of the glasses by increasing the number of [GeO₆] structural units. EPR spectra of the studied samples reveal that the gadolinium ions play a role of network former. The UV–VIS spectra show broad UV absorption bands located in the 250–350 nm region. Their intensity increase with the increasing of Gd₂O₃ content showing that these stronger transitions can be due to the presence of the O=Ge bonds (n–π* excitations) of [GeO₅] structural units. The [GeO₅] structural units are more stable thermodynamically than their analogues and the [GeO₆] structural units produce the improvement of the amorphous character of these glasses.     

Computational analysis of the thermal conductivity of the carbon–carbon composite materials

Experimental data for carbon–carbon constituent materials are combined with a three-dimensional stationary heat-transfer finite element analysis to compute the average transverse and longitudinal thermal conductivities in carbon–carbon composites. Particular attention is given in elucidating the roles of various micro-structural defects such as de-bonded fiber/matrix interfaces, cracks and voids on thermal conductivity in these materials. In addition, the effect of the fiber precursor material is explored by analyzing PAN-based and pitch-based carbon fibers, both in the same type pitch-based carbon matrix. The finite element analysis is carried out at two distinct length scales: (a) a micro scale comparable with the diameter of carbon fibers and (b) a macro scale comparable with the thickness of carbon–carbon composite structures used in the thermal protection systems for space vehicles. The results obtain at room temperature are quite consistent with their experimental counterparts. At high temperatures, the model predicts that the contributions of gas-phase conduction and radiation within the micro-structural defects can significantly increase the transverse thermal conductivity of the carbon–carbon composites.     

Calculation of the Free Energy of Fullerenes in the Gross–Neveu Model

Methods of field theory on Riemannian manifolds were used to study the Gross–Neveu model (incorporating the Hubbard model as a special case) at T 0. The generating functional of the Gross–Neveu model on a torus, S ² _r S ¹ , was obtained by the functional integration method. The model was regularized using the theory of zeta functions. Double sums were calculated using recurrent formulas. For the zeta function of the Dirac operator in the limit of s = 1, we obtained a polar singularity of the form 1/(s – 1), characteristic of the local limit of Green's function. The free energy density was computed as a function of the radius of the sphere r and inverse temperature using the Maple 6 pack. The results show no anomalies, indicating that there are no phase transitions to the principal order in 1/N. However, taking into account the kink–antikink configurations of the scalar field A(x) in calculations without the 1/N expansion may drastically change the phase structure of the model.     

Effect of CeLa addition on the mechanical properties of Al–Cu–Mn–Mg–Fe alloy

The rapid development of new energy automobiles leads to an increasing demand for high-strength lithium battery shell alloy. The microstructures, electrical conductivity and mechanical properties of CeLa-containing Al–Cu–Mn–Mg–Fe alloys were investigated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, Eddy Current conductivity tester, tensile testing and Erichsen cup testing. Experiment results indicate that Al₆(Mn, Fe) particles could be refined by CeLa alloying and AlCuCeLa phase nucleates and grew up at the surface of Al₆(Mn, Fe) particle. Major texture of the CeLa-containing alloys was different from that of the CeLa-free alloy. The electrical conductivity decreased with increase of the CeLa content. CeLa addition could greatly enhance the tensile strength of the alloy at temperatures ranging from –40°C to 300°C.     

High–temperature phase chemistry of the system Gd–Pd–O

Anisothermal sectionof the phase diagram for the system Gd–Pd–O at 1223 K has been established by equilibrationof samples and phase identification after quenching by optical and scanning electron microscopy, X–ray powder diffraction, and energy dispersive spectroscopy. Three ternary oxides Gd₄PdO₇,Gd₂PdO₄ and Gd₂Pd₂O₅ were identified. Liquid alloys, the four inter–metallic compounds and Pd–rich solid solutionwere found to be inequilibrium with Gd₂O₃.

Based on the phase relations, four solid–state cells were designed to measure the Gibbs energies of formation of the three ternary oxides in the temperature range from 920 to 1320 K. Although three cells are sufficient to obtain the properties of the three compounds, the fourth cell was deployed to cross check the data. An advanced version of the solid–state cell incorporating a buffer electrode with yttria–stabilized zirconia solid electrolyte and pure oxygen gas at a pressure of 0.1 MPa as the reference electrode was used for high–temperature thermodynamic measurements. The standard Gibbs energy of formation of the inter–oxide compounds from their component binary oxides can be represented by the following equations:

Gd₄PdO₇(s) : Δ_f(ox)G⁰/J mol^–1 = –25,030 + 0.33T (±140), Gd₂PdO₄(s) : Δf(ox)_f(ox)G⁰/J mol^–1 = –25,350 + 0.84T (±135), Gd₂Pd₂O₅(s) : Δf(ox)_f(ox)G⁰/J mol^–1 = –48,700 + 0.38T (±270)

Based on the thermodynamic information, isothermal chemical potential diagrams and isobaric phase diagrams for the system Gd–Pd–O are developed.     

p–T–x Phase Diagram of the Sb–O System

Vaporization processes in the Sb–O system are studied by Knudsen cell mass spectrometric measurements. The results indicate that Sb₂O₄ sublimes congruently and is the most stable oxide in the system. Experimental data are used to evaluate the enthalpies of formation of Sb₂O₃, Sb₂O₄, and Sb₆O₁₃ and to construct the p–T–x phase diagram of the Sb–O system.     

Analysis of the scientific productivity of researchers from the Republic of Croatia for the period 1990–1992

The scientific production of researchers from the Republic of Croatia, consisting of the published papers with addresses of the institutions from Croatia only, was analyzed for the period 1990–1992, covering 2047SCI, SSCI, andA&HCI registered papers. The source index ofSCI has registered 1912 (92.50% of total number of published articles) papers,SSCI 118 (5,71%), andA&HCI 37 (1.79%) papers, respectively. The papers were published in more than 700 different journals, covering 122 scientific subfields. The most frequently used journals are the nationalPeriodicum Biologorum, Croatica Chemica Acta andCollegium Antropologicum with 236 published papers or 11.5%. The largest number of papers have been published in scientific subfields:Biology (146 papers),Chemistry (107), andPhysics of Condensed Matter (102). The average paper was published by 3.57 researchers, but subfields ofNuclear Physics (7.40 authors per paper),Immunology (5.67), andHematology (5.60) were with the highest authorship. The partial contributions of institutions were also determined, and the most productive were Ruder Bokovi Institute with 645.0, the Faculty of Medicine with 396.7, and the Faculty of Science and Mathematics with 201.7 published papers, respectively. The average quality of the used journals were estimated; Institute of Physics, Ruder Bokovi Institute, and the Faculty of Science and Mathematics published their papers in journals with bigger impact factor (higher quality) than average institutions. Publications were divided by the type of papers, most frequent being articles (1778 publications, 86.85%), notes (117, 5.71%) and letters (56, 2.74%), respectively. Scientific subfield distribution of papers published by the most productive institutions were also analyzed.     

Role of the reaction product in the solidification of Ag–Cu–Ti filler for brazing diamond

In order to reveal the mechanism for brazing diamond using Ag–Cu–Ti filler metal, thermoanalysis of elemental metals (silver and copper) either with added diamond micropowder or with added titanium carbide micropowder as nucleant were investigated to detect undercoolings. No undercooling for the solidification of silver with added titanium carbide powder was detected by the thermoanalytical curve, and also no undercooling for copper with added diamond powder was detected. These phenomena suggest that titanium carbide powder acts in the solidification of silver effectively as a nucleant and that diamond powder also acts in the solidification of copper as a nucleant. Fine-grained silver was observed in the micrograph of the silver added with titanium carbide powder. The results of the calculations on the planar disregistry, , and the dispersion energy, Edisp revealed that the Ag (100)–TiC(100) interface and Cu(100)–diamond (100) interface are more stable than the other combinations. The results of undercoolings of various specimens correlated with both planar disregistry and dispersion energy. According to these results, the titanium carbide reaction product is considered to play an important role in the solidification of silver. The brazing strength is considered to arise from the solidification of the brazing filler metal from the titanium carbide reaction product. © 1998 Chapman & Hall