Surface damage of poly(methylmethacrylate) under fretting loading

The initial fretting damage in a glass/PMMA contact was investigated by means of experiments and numerical (F.E.M.) simulations. Both micro-crack nucleation at the contact edges and particle detachment were identified on the PMMA's surface. Micro-crack initiation was related to the combination of high tensile stresses and positive hydrostatic pressures which are known to enhance crazing. During the early stages of the fretting tests, the distribution of the detached particles within the contact was correlated to the spatial distribution of the cumulative interfacial energy dissipated by friction. As the number of cycles was increased, it was observed that detached particles moved toward the middle of the contact. On the basis of FEM simulations, this particle displacement within the contact was attributed to the existence of differential micro-displacements during the fretting cycle.     

Electrodeposition of lead dioxide on Fe electrode: application to the degradation of Indigo Carmine dye

Journal of Applied Electrochemistry - The modification of an iron electrode was carried out according to the following two steps. In a first step, a cathodic reduction is performed to form a film...     

Non-iterative nodal solution for transient simulation of nonlinear and time-varying elements

A non-iterative algorithm based on nodal equation formulation is proposed for transient simulation of nonlinear and time-varying elements. Terminal equations of inductors and capacitors are transformed into algebraic equations using the trapezoidal rule of integration by treating all nonlinear elements as linear and nodal equations are formulated as a set of algebraic equations. LU factorization is used for the solution of nodal equations. Variation of system elements is represented by renewing the nodal conductance matrix at each time step of the solution accordingly. In the first illustrative example, a nonlinear oscillator circuit is considered. In the second, the transient response of a transmission line with a surge arrester is computed by including the corona effects and in the third, a time-dependent primary arc model of a faulty transmission line is examined. Obtained results are compared with those obtained using EMTP and state-space method. Change of simulation time with respect to the step length of the numerical integration is also investigated.     

Reliability Prediction of Composite Tubular Structure Under Mechanical Loading by Finite Element Method

The diversified use of filamentary composites in harsh marine environments, recorded in recent years, has prompted researchers to focus their work on the reliability prediction. Through failure criteria, Tsai–Wu and the maximum stress, the reliability of multilayer tubular structures under mechanical loading is the subject of this paper, where Monte Carlo method estimated the failure probability. A sensitivity analysis was performed in order to identify the influence of the different parameters, such as materials’ properties, geometry, manufacturing and loading, on the reliability of the composite cylindrical structure studied. To achieve a high accuracy of the results, we have carried out 105 simulations. The results showed great influence on pressure loading, ply thickness and finally winding angle of filament composite.     

Thermomechanical material parameters characterization of the superalloy PN 3601669-7 under low-velocity impacts

This work concerns the characterization of the thermodynamic behavior of the superalloy Airsist 215 (PN 3601669-7) containing cobalt. Such superalloys are used in aeronautical construction, in the hot parts of the turbine. They are frequently used for the production of the paddles. The parts in service are subjected to dynamic solicitations and thermal fluctuations over the course of time. They are responsible for modification and degradation of material properties. This can lead to the appearance of cracks and, in the long term, to the rupture of these parts. In this paper, a preliminary physical study is made on the appearance of the cracks, followed by experiments using shocks at ambient temperature and under a heating situation which simulates combustion. It is found that these dynamic loads have a significant impact on the development of the cracks that appear on the segments of the turbine nozzle. The study is devoted to the elastic shock of Hertz-Boussinesq extended to viscoelastic bodies by direct convolution of Riemann-Stielges. The interest resides in the local convolution and the distribution of stresses in the contact zone. The shock excitation method includes a deduced force in the load and disload phases. This force is an impulse which approaches a Dirac function. The sample can be modeled approximately by a system of one degree of freedom for natural frequency, damping and transfer function. The spectral response of the specified shock allows calculation of the damping. Every point of this spectrum gives the response for the linear system of the transfer function. Then, viscoelastic shock parameters are deduced.     

Novel adhesive system based on 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) and hyperbranched polyglycerols

Two hyperbranched polyglycerols bearing 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)propane or Bisphenol A core and terminal hydroxyl functionality were examined as components of novel wood adhesive systems. Two 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea resins (DMDHEU) were used as crosslinkers. Shear strength tests revealed that the adhesives containing up to 75 wt% of renewable glycerol-derived polyglycerols retained performance comparable to that of neat DMDHEU. The results give way to extending the area of application of hyperbranched polyglycerols in the field of wood adhesives.     

On consensus algorithms design for double integrator dynamics

This paper considers the consensus problem of double integrator multi-agent systems where: (i) each agent is subject to input saturations, and (ii) the velocity (second state) of each agent is not available for feedback. We present new consensus algorithms that handle simultaneously the above mentioned situations. Sufficient conditions are derived such that consensus algorithms developed for first- and second-order multi-agent systems in ideal situations can be used to account for input saturations and remove the requirement of velocity measurements. To illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, we propose solutions to two different second-order consensus problems in the case where the input is saturated and the velocity states are not available for feedback and simulation results are provided in each case.     

Crystallographic Properties of Ge/Si Heterojunctions Fabricated by Wet Wafer Bonding

Ge/Si heterojunctions formed by wet wafer bonding were observed using transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. For the samples annealed at 880°C, there was a transition layer at the heterointerface with modified regions in the Si and Ge extending 20 nm to 30 nm from the interface. In these modified regions, crystal defects were observed, and a large amount of Ge was detected on the Si side of the junction. For the samples annealed at 250°C or 350°C, the transition layers had an amorphous-like structure with a thickness of about 10 nm. No modified layer or enlargement of lattice spacing was observed.     

Electron Charge Density Distribution from X-ray Diffraction Study of the M-Nitrophenol Compound in the Monoclinic Form

At room temperature, the m-Nitrophenol (m-NPH) appears in two polymorphic structures: orthorhombic and monoclinic forms. In the present work, we shall focus on the monoclinic form of this compound which has a centrosymmetric structure with the space group P2₁/n. The molecular dipole moment has been estimated experimentally. High resolution single crystal diffraction experiment was performed at low temperature with MoKα radiation. The crystal structure was refined using the multipolar model of Hansen and Coppens (1978). The molecular electron charge density distribution is described accurately. The study reveals the nature of inter-molecular interactions including charge transfer and hydrogen bonds. In this crystal, hydrogen bonds of moderate strength occur between the hydroxyl group and the O atom in the nitro one.