Synthesis and characterisation of free standing,one­dimensional,Al–SiC based functionally gradient material

Abstract

In the present study, an aluminium–silicon carbide based functionally gradient material was successfully synthesised using a new technique termed here as gradient slurry disintegration and deposition process. The gradient of SiC was successfully established using this technique for 21 wt-%SiC. The results were confirmed using microstructural characterisation techniques, microhardness measurements, and wear rate determination. The results further revealed that an increase in the weight percentage of silicon carbide particulates along the deposition direction lead to a concurrent increase in porosity, degree of clustering, and microhardness while the nature of silicon carbide/aluminium interfacial integrity remained the same. The results of wear rate determination indicated that a difference of ～9.53 vol.-%SiC on the opposite faces of the functionally gradient material led to the wear resistance increasing to ～31.5× that of the high aluminium end. An attempt is made to interrelate the processing methodology, microstructure, microhardness, and wear rate results obtained in the present study.     

Synthesis of Al/SiC based functionally gradient materials using technique of gradient slurry disintegration and deposition: effect of stirring speed

Abstract

In the present study, Al/SiC based functionally gradient materials (FGMs) were successfully synthesised using the gradient slurry disintegration and deposition technique. Gradients of SiC for the starting weight of 18% were successfully established by varying the stirring speed of the molten melt. The results revealed, in general, increases in the weight percentage and clustering tendency of SiC, porosity, and microhardness and a reduction in grain size, with increasing distance from the base of the FGM ingots. The results also showed that an increase in the stirring speed increases the homogeneity of SiC particulates distribution, thus resulting in a decrease in the gradient of reinforcement along the deposition direction. Furthermore, an increase in the stirring speed decreases the number of clusters formed per unit area. An attempt has been made in the present work to establish the trend between processing parameters, such as stirring speed and the gradient of SiC particulates realised in the ingots.     

Influence of stirring speed on the synthesis of Al/SiC based functionally gradient materials

In the present study, thick aluminum–silicon carbide based functionally gradient materials, with starting weight of 18% SiC were successfully synthesized, using different stirring speeds and an innovative gradient slurry disintegration and deposition technique. The results revealed, in common, an increase in: (a) the weight percentage of SiC particulates, (b) the clustering tendency of SiC, (c) porosity and (d) microhardness, and a reduction in grain size with increasing distance from the base of the functionally gradient material ingots. The results of X-ray diffraction studies indicated no evidence of interfacial reaction products. Furthermore, results revealed an increase in stirring speed increases the homogeneity of SiC particulates' distribution, thus resulting in a decrease in the average gradient of reinforcement along the deposition direction. An attempt is made in this study to establish the trend between processing parameter such as stirring speed with the gradient of SiC particulates realized in the ingots.     

碳/碳/Al2O3陶瓷功能梯度材料的制备与研究

从功能梯度材料的原材料的筛选、制备工艺路线的确定出发,对碳/碳/Al2O3陶瓷功能梯度材料的组分分布、微观结构、烧蚀性能及热学性能进行了研究.从试样内表面向外表面,基体碳含量从88%变化到近乎为15%,而Al2O3陶瓷含量从12%变化到85%左右.材料内表面氧-乙炔烧蚀率为0.012nn/s,这表现为碳/碳材料的特性.材料外表面的导热系数达到0.86W/m·K(25℃),表现为良好的隔热效果.     

Interface crack problem of functionally graded piezoelectric materials: effects of the position of electromechanical impact and gradient

This paper analyzes the transient response of the dynamic stress intensity factor for an interfacial crack of a functionally graded piezoelectric material (FGPM) coated on the surface of a homogeneous piezoelectric substrate. Different from previous analyses, this study mainly considers a realistic situation when electromechanical loadings are suddenly applied at the material surface. Obtained results are compared with those when the crack surfaces are directly loaded by the same impacts. By using the integral transform method, the problem is reduced to solving two singular integral equations. It is found that dynamic stress intensity factors are significantly amplified and reduced depending on the negative and positive gradient for electromechanical impacts at the material surface. Positive or negative electric impact also decreases or increases the overshoot of the dynamic stress intensity factor. It is suggested that designing an FGPM with a positive gradient index is safer than a negative gradient index.     

The wear and arc erosion behavior of novel copper based functionally graded electrical contact materials fabricated by hot pressing assisted electroless plating

In this study, hot pressing was used to fabricate the novel copper based functionally graded electrical contact materials synthesized by silver, nickel and chrome plated copper core particles. For the fabrication of functionally graded materials (FGMs) by hot-pressing; pure copper, two and three layered metallic powders were used in the lower, middle and upper layer, respectively. The wear and arc-erosion performances of the developed materials increased from 3 to 10 times as compared to that of pure copper. Wear tests showed that the abrasive wear mechanism was dominant for the FGMs including electroless nickel and chromium coating layer. The highest specific wear rate (SWR) value was found in Cu_f-Ag′ (4.9 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm) materials under the load of 20 N while the lowest SWR value belongs to Cu_f-Ag-Ni′ (2.3 × 10⁻⁴ mm³/Nm) materials under the load of 10 N. While severely melted and deformed regions are dominant on arc erosion surfaces of pure copper and copper-silver containing contacts, flatter and relatively less melted regions were detected on the surfaces of FGMs containing nickel and chromium. The arc-erosion loss values (cm³ × 10⁻⁴) measured for FGM₁ sample were 0.75 and 0.70, 0.99 and 0.88, 1.21 and 1.04 at 3000 cycles under the current of 5 A, 10 A and 15 A in fixed and moving contacts, respectively.     

Fracture problems,vibration, buckling,and bending analyses of functionally graded materials: A state-of-the-art review including smart FGMS

Composite materials fail under extreme working conditions, particularly at high temperature, due to delamination (separation of fibers from matrix). And therefore it is needed to switch over functionally graded materials (FGMs) which can sustain at high temperature conditions (250–2000°C). There is a need to analyze the fracture and fatigue characteristics of FGM structures and so through this review the emphasis is given on fracture analysis of FGM materials. It has been reported that a combination of extended finite element method and isogeometric analysis methodologies has been used for general mixed-mode crack propagation problems after the introduction of extended isogeometric analysis. Furthermore, recent computational advances have been in the form of multiscale simulations where the part of model is simulated by a finer modeling scale, which can represent details of the material behavior and the interacting effects of material constituents in the finest way. The review is also focused on new advances in analytical and numerical methods for the stress, vibration, and buckling analyses of FGMs. Emphasis has been primarily on to restrict 2D analysis with sorts of compromise in the accuracy of results. First shear deformation theory (FSDT) and third-order shear deformation theory have been extensively used among the various 2D plate theories. FSDT can help us in terms of getting reasonably accurate results with less computational afford. This paper also outlines review on carbon nanotubes (CNT) reinforced FGMs, functionally graded nanocomposites, functionally graded single-walled CNT, FG nanobeam as well as functionally graded piezoelectric materials. Future applications would be based on these smart materials which are supposed to serve us in adverse conditions. Of course, with rise and advent of promising nanotechnology and its potential impact on aerospace industry as well as on other areas, it becomes important to us to compile this review article.     

Analysis of thermal effects in laser materials, 2: Disk and slab geometry

Modeling of optical and electro-optical devices requires the implementation of properties of these device materials over a broad temperature range. The accurate evaluation of temperature is essential for the calculation of optical, thermo-optical, elasto-optical and gain characteristics of solid-state laser materials. Among thermally induced effects in optical materials one finds that thermal focus escalates with pump power as well as does its induced aberration. Derived in this paper is a closed form solution to the problems of nonlinear heat transfer and stress field, resulting in expressions for the local temperature, stress and strain, refractive index, trajectories of propagating rays, optical path difference, thermal lensing, tilt and third order aberrations, induced birefringence and depolarization. In the analysis the temperature dependent coefficients were best fitted to existing experimental data. Calculations are presented for some thermally-induced optical effects in the temperature range of 77-770 K. It is found that for large heat deposition rates the use of the nonlinear solution is uniquely necessary to accurately assess the thermal and optical characteristics, that high pumping loads require cryogenic cooling to maintain reasonably low thermal lensing and that thermally induced dioptric power quadratic dependence on the heat level. Finally, it is found that the disk configuration suffers the least adverse thermo-optical effects.     

Mechanical behaviour of Zr doped Ni3Al alloy: effects of heat treatment,environment, and temperature

Abstract

The mechanical behaviour of polycrystalline Ni₇₆Al₂₃Zr alloy was studied as a function of heat treatment, environment, and temperature. It was found that the tensile ductility was very sensitive to temperature, the alloy showing low ductility at temperatures from 700 to 1000°C both in air and vacuum. Environmental embrittlement could be alleviated for those specimens with elongated grains. The ductile transgranular fracture was explained by stress concentration at the intersection of slip bands and grain boundaries. It was also found that an oxide layer, formed during tensile testing at elevated temperature, affected the environmental embrittlement of Ni₃Al(Zr) alloy. An adherent Al rich oxide film was effective in protecting the underlying alloy from oxygen penetration.     

Synthesis and catalytic properties of metal nanoparticles: Size, shape, support, composition, and oxidation state effects

Exciting new opportunities are emerging in the field of catalysis based on nanotechnology approaches. A new understanding and mastery of catalysis could have broad societal impacts, since about 80% of the processes in the chemical industry depend on catalysts to work efficiently. Efforts in surface science have led to the discovery of new heterogeneous catalysts, however, until recently the only way to develop new or improved catalysts was by empirical testing in trial-and-error experiments. This time-consuming and costly procedure is now rapidly being replaced by rational design methods that utilize fundamental knowledge of catalysts at the nanoscale. The advent of nanoscience and nanotechnology is providing the ability to create controlled structures and geometries to investigate and optimize a broad range of catalytic processes. As a result, researchers are obtaining fundamental insight into key features that influence the activity, selectivity, and lifetime of nanocatalysts. This review article examines several new findings as well as current challenges in the field of nanoparticle based catalysis, including the role played by the particle structure and morphology (size and shape), its chemical composition and oxidation state, and the effect of the cluster support.     

Packaging materials for fermented milk,part 2: solute‐induced changes and effects of material polarity and thickness on food quality

This work is a continuation of the application of a developed methodology for the selection of packaging material for a specific food product, in this case the ‘demanding’ food product: fermented milk. The effects of different packaging material parameters on the quality of fermented milk were studied. Food quality after storage was determined as a function of material polarity and pouch thickness by storing the liquid in pouches of different materials. The material polarity was varied by using laminates with polyethylene, poly(ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol) with two different ethylene contents and an aliphatic polyketone. The effects of pouch thickness were studied using high‐density polyethylene films of different thicknesses between 25 µm and 200 µm. The interactions between the milk product and the pouch material were analysed by oxygen and water permeability, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and tensile testing. The CO₂ and O₂ contents in the headspace of the pouches were determined. The food quality was determined by measuring whey syneresis and the contents of Bifidobacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, yeast and mould. A trained taste panel determined the sensory properties. The content of CO₂, and consequently the sparkling taste, increased with increasing polarity and/or pouch thickness. The CO₂ content was affected more easily by changes in material polarity than by changes in pouch thickness. The increase in whey syneresis and the decrease in Bifidobacteria content with time were independent of material polarity and pouch thickness. The contents of Enterobacteriaceae, yeast and mould in the liquid were always below existing limits for foodstuffs. A newly developed method was used by which the CO₂ and O₂ permeabilities of the pouch/packaging could be estimated, using the kinetics of the gas composition in the pouch headspace. Permeability values, as estimated by the method, revealed that the CO₂ production and the O₂ consumption rates of the fermented milk were dependent on the CO₂ and O₂ headspace concentrations. An increase in permeability, determined by conventional methods, suggested that both the non‐polar and the polar polymers were plasticized by fermented milk. The plasticization was, however, modest and undetectable when the polyethylene tensile test data were analysed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of 1,2-bis(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazine: A key precursor for the synthesis of high performance energetic materials

1,2-Bis(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl) hydrazine (3) is one of the precursors in the synthesis of an important energetic material viz., hexanitrazobenzene. The simple and convenient lab scale synthesis of title compound (3) was carried out by the condensation of picryl chloride (2) with hydrazine hydrate at 30–50 °C in methanol based on the lines of scanty literature reports. Picryl chloride was synthesized by the reaction of picric acid (1) with phosphorous oxychloride based on the lines of reported method. The synthesized compound (3) was characterized by IR and ¹H NMR spectral data. Some of the energetic properties of the synthesized compound have also been studied. The theoretically computed energetic properties of the title compound (3) indicated the superior performance in comparison to tetranitrodibenzo tetraazapentalene (TACOT) and hexanitrostilbene (HNS) in terms of velocity of detonation.     

Extrusion of starch‐based loose‐fill packaging foams: effects of temperature,moisture and talc on physical properties

Starch‐based loose‐fill packaging foams were made in a single‐screw laboratory‐scale extruder. Corn starch was blended with polystyrene in the ratio of 70 : 30 and extruded into foams using talc and polycarbonate as additives. Extrusions were carried out at moisture contents of 16, 18 and 20% (dry basis), and at barrel temperatures of 140 and 160°C. The influences of extrusion temperature, moisture content of starch, talc and polycarbonate on the radial expansion and other selected physical properties of starch foams were investigated. The effects of moisture and talc contents on the radial expansion of foams were found to be critical, while the role of temperature was close to significant. The expansion ratio increased when the moisture content was increased from 16 to 18%, and then decreased when moisture content was increased to 20%. In general, the expansion ratios of foams were higher at 160°C as compared to 140°C. Although polycarbonate mixed well with the starch–polystyrene melt, it was not effective as a structural and anti‐shrinking agent, and it did not contribute to the radial expansion. In general, the bulk densities and unit densities of the starch foams decreased as the moisture content and extrusion temperature increased. Scanning electron microscope images showed that the addition of talc yielded foams with smaller‐sized cells, with less expansion of the foam melt, and thus a higher density. X‐ray diffractograms revealed that the crystallinity of starch foams increased post‐extrusion, and there was adequate dispersion of the starch and polystyrene polymers to make the foam water‐resistant. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and properties of A6B2(OH)16Cl2·4H2O (A = Mg, Ni, Zn, Co, Mn and B = Al, Fe) materials for environmental applications

Double layered hydroxide materials of composition A₆B₂(OH)₁₆Cl₂·4H₂O (A = Mg, Ni, Zn, Co, Mn and B = Al, Fe) were synthesized by chemical precipitation at 60 °C. Different levels of crystallinity and ordering degree were observed depending upon the chemical environment or the combination between divalent and trivalent cations. The results from high-resolution transmission electron microscopy revealed that nanostructured layered samples were obtained with interplanar spacing compatible with previous literature. Raman scattering was employed to investigate the complex band structure observed, particularly the lattice vibrations at lower frequencies, which is intimately correlated to the cationic radius of both divalent and trivalent ions. The results showed that strongly coordinated water and chloride ions besides highly structured hydroxide layers have a direct influence on the stability of the hydrotalcites. It was observed that transition and decomposition temperatures varied largely for different chemical compositions.     

Synthesis, characterization and thermolysis studies on 3,7-dinitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane (DPT): A key precursor in the synthesis of most powerful benchmark energetic materials (RDX/HMX) of today

This paper reports studies undertaken on 3,7-dinitro-1,3,5,7-tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane (DPT). The synthesis of DPT was carried out by the nitration of hexamine based on the lines of reported method with minor modification. DPT was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. Thermal stability of DPT was studied using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The thermal analysis studies revealed that DPT undergoes decomposition at 211 degrees C. Decomposition of DPT using TG-FTIR indicated the evolution of carbon dioxide, water and oxides of nitrogen as main gaseous products. The electrochemical behavior of DPT was studied using cyclic voltammetric (CV) studies. The experimentally determined sensitivity parameters indicated the insensitive nature of DPT towards external stimuli. The performance parameters of DPT, RDX and HMX have been computed using Linear Output Thermodynamic User Friendly Software for Energetic Systems (LOTUSES) code. The predicted properties of DPT are interesting and important from the point of process technology and/or safety. The work reported in this paper enriches the existing scanty research and development data on one of the key precursor used for synthesis of important high energy materials (HEMs).     

High shear wet granulation: Improved understanding of the effects of process variables on granule and tablet properties of a high-dose,high-hydrophobicity API based on quality by design and multivariate analysis approaches

High shear wet granulation (HSWG), as a widely used granulation technology, has been studied extensively. However, for the HSWG of formulations containing hydrophobic components, the influence of process variables on the properties of granules and tablets has not been reported. In the present study, based on a combination of quality by design and multivariate analysis (MVA) approaches, quercetin with high-dose and high-hydrophobicity was used to study the relationship between process variables, granule properties, and tablet properties in HSWG systematically. Control and response variables were determined using risk assessment. The optimal fitting empirical models established by Box-Behnken design showed that the liquid to solid ratio and impeller speed were the most important factors, which affected all product properties except Carr’s index and yield pressure. Instead, the influence of wet massing time was relatively small (only the effects on yield, granule size, granule hardness, and compression ratio were significant). Then, the process design space was obtained by limiting the related critical quality attributes, which was verified effectively. Scanning electron microscope images showed that smooth granules were produced using higher process parameters, whereas rough and porous granules resulted at lower process parameters. Furthermore, the MVA results demonstrated that increasing the granule hardness led to an increase in the compression ratio and a decrease in tensile strength of the tablets. Tablet fragility and disintegration time were mainly affected by granule density and bulk density, respectively, and both were negatively correlated. The established research paradigm is not only conducive to the successful development of quercetin products, but also provides valuable guidance for improving HSWG–based product development with such formulation characteristics.