Influences of miscible and immiscible oils on flow characteristics through capillary tube—part I: experimental study

A capillary tube is widely used as an expansion device for small refrigeration cycles. In a practical refrigeration cycle, some amount of refrigeration oil is discharged from a compressor and refrigerant/oil mixture flows through the capillary tube. This study investigated experimentally the influence of mixing of the refrigeration oil with the refrigerant on the flow through the capillary tube. The experiments are carried out with not only a miscible combination of refrigerant and oil but also an immiscible combination. In both cases, the mass flow rate through the capillary tube and temperature and pressure distributions along the tube are measured under several conditions of subcooled degree and oil concentration. In the case of miscible combination, the mass flow rate of refrigerant decreases with increasing the oil concentration because the viscosity of liquid phase increases by the mixing of viscous oil. Even in the case of the immiscible combination, the oil droplet is so small that it mixes homogeneously in the liquid phase in the capillary tube and the refrigerant mass flow rate decreases by the mixing of immiscible oil. There is no significant influence of the oil concentration on the underpressure, which means pressure difference between saturation pressure and flash inception pressure, in both miscible and immiscible combinations.     

Flow‐controlled thermosyphon using multi‐stacked radiator cores

We have been developing a more compact cooling unit compared with the conventional cooling aluminum fin and the heat pipe‐type cooling unit. The aim of this paper is to examine the cooling performance of the cooling unit using multi‐stacked radiator cores and a new flow controller. We propose a new simple structure for the refrigerant circulation flow using multi‐stacked radiator cores with holes at both ends. Further we clarified that the cooling performance is greatly improved by the new refrigerant flow controller if the cooling unit is inclined. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 29(8): 648–659, 2000     

Outdoor facility measurement system using multiviewpoint stereo measurement

This paper proposes a novel outdoor facility measurement system. The purpose of this system is to enable survey work on roads to be undertaken both safely and efficiently. This system employs a stereo measurement method and measures facility positions by integrating stereo measurement data from multiple viewpoints whose relationship is unknown. The system involves two processes, which consist of recording images in the field and then analyzing those images indoors. The system is set up in the field and stereo images are recorded in a digital camera from several viewpoints around an intersection. The image analysis is divided into three parts. First, the facility positions from each viewpoint are obtained by a stereo measurement method with the aid of an operator. Second, the correspondences between the stereo measurement data from the multiple viewpoints are obtained. Finally, the facility positions and the relationship between the viewpoints are estimated. The second and final stages of this image analysis are performed automatically. This paper presents highly accurate measurement algorithms for this system, which reduces the amount of assistance required from an operator, and describes facility measurement for some actual intersections. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 128(2): 24–35, 1999     

An experimental study of the characteristics of a Darrieus turbine for tidal power generation

The Darrieus turbine was initially developed for wind turbines. An example of its application to water turbines is found in the Darrieus turbine installed in a duct for low head power generation, but no example is known of its application in a natural water channel. The authors have developed a Darrieus turbine that is suitable for tidal current power generation with the aim of establishing tidal current power generation technology through demonstrations in test channels and oceans. The efficiency of tidal current power generation is influenced by the characteristics of the turbine. The characteristics of the Darrieus turbine are mainly affected by the solidity and the number of blades. The Darrieus turbine was tested in test channels to find the most suitable values for the rotor solidity and the number of blades. This paper describes and examines those test results. © 2000 Scripta Technica, Electr Eng Jpn, 132(3): 38–47, 2000     

Mechanical properties, morphologies, and crystallization behavior of plasticized poly(l-lactide)/poly(butylene succinate-co-l-lactate) blends

The blends of poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) with poly(butylene succinate-co-l-lactate) (PBSL) containing the lactate unit of ca. 3 mol% and Rikemal PL710 (RKM) which is a plasticizer mainly composed of diglycerine tetraacetate were prepared by melt-mixing and subsequent injection molding. The studied RKM content of the PLLA/PBSL/RKM blends was 0-20 wt%, and the PLLA/PBSL weight ratio was 100/0 to 80/20. Although elongation at break in the tensile test did not increase by the addition of 10 wt% RKM to PLLA, the addition of a small amount of PBSL to the PLLA/RKM blend caused a considerable increase of the elongation. The SEM and DSC analyses revealed that all the PLLA/PBSL/RKM blends are immiscible blends where the PBSL particles are finely dispersed, and that there is some compatibility between PLLA-rich phase and PBSL-rich phase in the amorphous state when the RKM content is 20 wt%. As a result of investigation of the crystallization behavior by DSC and polarized optical microscopic measurements, it was revealed that the addition of RKM causes the acceleration of crystalline growth rate at a lower annealing temperature, and the addition of PBSL mainly enhances the formation of PLLA crystal nucleus.     

Enhancement of Epoxy Resin/Copper Heterojunction by Introduction of Sulfur‐Containing Polymers

Summary: Epoxy resins are widely used in electronics and electric industries because of their superior properties. In recent years, excellent bonding properties for metals (e.g., copper, gold, aluminium, silver, etc.), to which it is hard to adhere, have become desirable for epoxy resins in the electric and electronics industrial fields. However, epoxy resins have only poor bonding strength to the metals. In order to increase the heterojunction strength between epoxy resins and copper, the introduction of sulfur, providing strong interactions with metals, was investigated. TDP polyester and MPS polythioesters containing sulfur moieties were employed as the sulfur‐containing modifiers for the epoxy resin. Epoxy resins containing a modifier (5–20 phr) and a curing agent were cured between copper plates at 120 °C for 2 h and at 170 °C for 2 h. The effect of the added modifiers was evaluated by the lap‐shear testing method. It could be demonstrated that MPS polythioesters have a beneficial effect on the enhancement of the epoxy resin/copper heterojunction. The most effective example was the addition of 20 phr of the MPS_7 polythioester, which increased the lap shear strength from 5.7 to 17 MPa.

Improvement of lap shear strengths of adhesive copper joints by sulfur‐containing modifiers.     

Biocomposites composed of epoxidized soybean oil cured with terpene‐based acid anhydride and cellulose fibers

Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) was cured with a terpene‐based acid anhydride (TPAn) at 150°C, and the thermal and mechanical properties of the cured product were compared with ESO cured with hexahydrophthalic anhydride (HPAn), maleinated linseed oil (LOAn), or thermally latent cationic polymerization catalyst (CPI). The ESO‐TPAn showed a higher glass transition temperature (67.2°C) measured by dynamic mechanical analysis than ESO‐HPAn (59.0°C), ESO‐LOAn (?41.0°C), and ESO‐CPI (10.0°C). The storage modulus at 20°C of ESO‐TPAn was higher than those of ESO‐LOAn and ESO‐CPI. Also, ESO‐TPAn showed higher tensile strength and modulus than the other cured ESOs. Regarding the biodegradability measured by biochemical oxygen demand in an activated sludge, ESO‐TPAn possessed some biodegradability, which was lower than that of ESO‐LOAn. Next, biocomposites composed of ESO‐TPAn and regenerated cellulose (lyocell) fabric were prepared by compression molding method. The tensile strength of ESO‐TPAn/lyocell composites increased with increasing fiber content. The tensile strength and modulus of ESO‐TPAn/lyocell composite with fiber content 75 wt % were 65 MPa and 2.3 GPa, which were three times higher than those of ESO‐TPAn. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Preparation and properties of bio‐based epoxy montomorillonite nanocomposites derived from polyglycerol polyglycidyl ether and ε‐polylysine

Glycerol polyglycidyl ether (GPE) and polyglycerol polyglycidyl ether (PGPE) were cured with ε‐poly(L ‐lysine) (PL) using epoxy/amine ratios of 1 : 1 and 2 : 1 to create bio‐based epoxy cross‐linked resins. When PGPE was used as an epoxy resin and the epoxy/amine ratio was 1 : 1, the cured neat resin showed the greatest glass transition temperature (T_g), as measured by differential scanning calorimetry. Next, the mixture of PGPE, PL, and montomorillonite (MMT) at an epoxy/amine ratio of 1 : 1 in water was dried and cured finally at 110°C to create PGPE‐PL/MMT composites. The X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements revealed that the composites with MMT content 7–15 wt % were exfoliated nanocomposites and the composite with MMT content 20 wt % was an intercalated nanocomposite. The T_g and storage modulus at 50–100°C for the PGPE‐PL/MMT composites measured by DMA increased with increasing MMT content until 15 wt % and decreased at 20 wt %. The tensile strength and modulus of the PGPE‐PL/MMT composites (MMT content 15 wt %: 42 and 5300 MPa) were much greater than those of the cured PGPE‐PL resin (4 and 6 MPa). Aerobic biodegradability of the PGPE‐PL in an aqueous medium was ～ 4% after 90 days, and the PGPE‐PL/MMT nanocomposites with MMT content 7–15 wt % showed lower biodegradability. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009     

Thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of organic–inorganic hybrid composites of itaconate‐containing poly(butylene succinate) and methacrylate‐substituted polysilsesquioxane

Itaconate‐unit‐containing poly(butylene succinate) (PBSI) was synthesized by the reaction of 1,4‐butanediol, succinic acid, and itaconic acid in a molar ratio of 2.0 : 1.0 : 1.0, and the obtained PBSI was reacted with methacryl‐group‐substituted polysilsesquioxane (ME‐PSQ) in the presence of benzoyl peroxide (BPO) at 130°C to produce PBSI/ME‐PSQ hybrid composites. The thermal and dynamic mechanical properties of the PBSI/ME‐PSQ hybrid composites were investigated in comparison with those of PBSI cured at 130°C in the presence of BPO. As a result, the hybrid composites showed a much higher thermal degradation temperature and storage modulus in the rubbery state than the cured PBSI (C‐PBSI). The thermal degradation temperature and storage modulus of the hybrid composites increased with increasing ME‐PSQ content. The glass‐transition temperature, measured by dynamic mechanical analysis of the hybrid composites, somewhat increased with increasing ME‐PSQ content. However, the glass‐transition temperatures of all the hybrid composites were lower than that of C‐PBSI. Although the IR absorption peak related to C?C groups was not detected for C‐PBSI, some olefinic absorption peaks remained for all the hybrid composites. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Ultrasonically assisted hydrothermal synthesis of polycrystalline PZT thin film on titanium substrate

Ultrasonically assisted hydrothermal synthesis of PZT thin films was performed using an ultrasonic transducer integrated into the lid of an autoclave. Direct ultrasonic irradiation of 23 W at 53 kHz was carried out during the hydrothermal synthesis at a reaction temperature of 140°C for 24 h. The resultant PZT thin film was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD). The PZT thin film had fine nanoparticles of approximately 100 nm in diameter when the substrate was placed perpendicular to the plane of ultrasonic irradiation. The film exhibited predominantly (001) orientation when the substrate was placed parallel to the plane of ultrasonic irradiation.