Influence of electrical conditions on performance of electrical discharge machining with powder suspended in working oil for titanium carbide deposition process

This paper describes the influence of the discharge current and the pulse duration on the titanium carbide (TiC) deposition process by electrical discharge machining (EDM) with titanium (Ti) powder suspended in working oil. Although the influence of the electrical conditions for removal EDM has been investigated, the criteria for deposition have not been discussed. In the experiments, a 1-mm copper rod was used for an electrode to prevent the flushing of working oil from the gap between the electrode and a workpiece. Ti powder reacted with the cracked carbon from the working oil, then depositing a TiC layer on a workpiece surface. A major criterion of the deposition or removal was the discharge energy over a pulse duration of 10 μs. A thickness of the TiC layer became the maximum at a certain discharge current and pulse duration. Larger discharge energy and power promoted the removal by heat and pressure caused by the discharge. The removal was classified further into two patterns; cracks were observed on the Ti-rich surface in removal pattern 1 and a workpiece was simply removed in removal pattern 2. The maximum hardness of the deposition was 2000 Hv. The workpiece about 10 μm beneath its surface was also hardened because of the dispersion of TiC. The machining conditions for the hardest deposition did not coincide with those for the highest one. Therefore, the discharge current and pulse duration should be optimized for the deposition.     

In Situ Observation of Wear Process Before and During Scuffing in Sliding Contact

In this study, a direct observation of a point contact area was conducted to understand the scuffing phenomenon. The contact area was produced between a rotating sapphire disc and a stationary steel ball and it was lubricated using n-hexadecane. The image detected by a colour digital CCD camera, load, and friction were synchronously recorded by a computer during the test. It was found that wear debris produced in the contact area played an important role in the wear process, which includes running-in and scuffing. In the test, debris particles accumulated in the inlet zone, and some particles entered the contact area to cause abrasive wear of the ball surface, even in the light-load stages. During the running-in process, the abrasive wear by debris particles changed the conformity between the sliding surfaces. In the high-load stage, just before the occurrence of scuffing, the whole contact area was flattened at once. When scuffing occurred, the contact area suddenly expanded. The conformity of the contact area was dramatically changed during its expansion. The flattening of the whole contact area and dramatic expansion with changing the conformity seemed to play important roles in scuffing.     

Difference between mechanical alloying and mechanical disordering in the amorphization reaction of Al50Ta50 in a rod mill

Amorphous Al₅₀Ta₆₀ alloy powders have been synthesized by mechanical alloying (MA) from elemental powders of aluminium and tantalum, and mechanical disordering (MD) from crystalline intermetallic compound powders of AlTa respectively using the rod milling technique. The mechanically alloyed and the mechanically disordered alloy powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, transmission electron microscopy, differential thermal analysis, differential scanning calorimetry and chemical analysis. The results have shown that the crystal-to amorphous transformation in the MD process occurs through one stage, while the crystallineto-amorphous formation in the MA process occurs through three stages. At the early and intermediate stages of the MA time, heating the alloy powders to 700 K leads to the formation of an amorphous phase by a solid-state amorphizing reaction. At the final stage of the MA time, the amorphous phase is crystallized through a single sharp exothermic peak. Contrary to this, amorphous alloy powders produced by MD are crystallized through two broad exothermic peaks.     

Batch foam separation of a soluble protein

Removal of protein dissolved in water by batch foam separation was conducted with using ovalbumin (OA) as a model protein in the light of wastewater treatment reducing organic loading. The removal efficiency had a maximum value near the i.e.p. of OA (pH 4.6); thus, most experiments were conducted at pH 4.6. Typical experimental conditions; superficial gas velocity, U(g): 1.97 x 10(-2)-5.37 x 10(-2)cm/s; initial bulk concentration of OA, C(i): ca. 0.05-0.25 g/L; liquid volume, V: 600 cm(3). A model estimating bulk concentration profile was proposed by taking into account a mass balance of the present system. The model predicted that OA could be removed perfectly, however, was not all removed experimentally. The residual OA concentration of the bulk liquid within the column reached plateau value, which correspond to ca. 18% of the initial OA concentration. The plateau value of the bulk concentration was attained for ca. 100-500 min with U(g)=1.97 x 10(-2)-5.37 x 10(-2)cm/s. Foaming ability test revealed that the foaming limit concentration of OA at pH 4.6 was 9.72 x 10(-3)g/L. These results suggested that OA molecules could be damaged by interaction of bubble surface in the dispersed phase, since there were the residual OA concentrations over the limit concentration. To take account of this phenomena and correct the model, average surface density, X(d), which should convert protein molecule into the denatured protein molecule, was introduced. The corrected model could explain well the time profile of OA bulk concentration.     

Disparities of indoor temperature in winter: A cross-sectional analysis of the Nationwide Smart Wellness Housing Survey in Japan

The WHO Housing and health guidelines recommend a minimum indoor temperature of 18°C to prevent cold-related diseases. In Japan, indoor temperatures appear lower than in Euro-American countries because of low insulation standards and use of partial intermittent heating. This study investigated the actual status of indoor temperatures in Japan and the common characteristics of residents who live in cold homes. We conducted a nationwide real-world survey on indoor temperature for 2 weeks in winter. Cross-sectional analyses involving 2190 houses showed that average living room, changing room, and bedroom temperatures were 16.8°C, 13.0°C, and 12.8°C, respectively. Comparison of average living room temperature between prefectures revealed a maximum difference of 6.7°C (Hokkaido: 19.8°C, Kagawa: 13.1°C). Compared to the high-income group, the odds ratio for living room temperature falling below 18°C was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.04-1.84) and 2.07 (95% CI: 1.28-3.33) for the middle- and low-income groups. The odds ratio was 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19-3.22) for single-person households, compared to households living with housemates. Furthermore, lower room temperature was correlated with local heating device use and a larger amount of clothes. These results will be useful in the development of prevention strategies for residents who live in cold homes.     

崇明东滩国际湿地公园规划设计

通过崇明东滩湿地公园建设的实践,在基地环境质量优、劣势分析的基础上,总结湿地公园的功能定位、规划内容以及水体与土壤、种植设计、引鸟设计等生境设计与创造方法等,以期对正在进行和将要进行的湿地建设提供有益的借鉴.     

Analysis of Economic Incentive Policies for Improving a Low Carbon Society—Case Study of the Building Industry in China and Japan

In the process of promoting the development of a low carbon society, economic incentive policies play an important role. In order to see the effectiveness of implementing the economic incentive policies, we put forward two questions in this study: How effective are economic incentive policies in the building industry in China and Japan? What are the obstacles preventing these policies from being effectively applied and how to overcome them? Considering the energy consumption in the building industry accounts for a significant proportion in both China and Japan, economic incentive policies for promoting building energy saving in the two countries have been chosen as case studies. Policies discussed in this article are divided into national and city levels, in which the city level policy analysis mainly focused on the active Carbon Trading Programs. Methods of stakeholder investigation and literature review are applied in exploring the economic incentive polices' effects and constraints. Based on the outcomes of our research, policy recommendations for overcoming the barriers of economic incentive policies in the building industry are worked out.     

Total emission control for managing regional water quality: a game theoretic decision process

A simple game theoretic model with hierarchical structure is developed for regulating the total amount of pollutant discharged by all the effluent producers in a given region, where the allowable limit on total emission, that is the environmental carrying capacity, is assumed to be given. It is proposed that the total emission is to be allocated amongst all the polluters so as to maximize the social benefit, and that the social benefit is to be allocated through taxation on the companies under the criterion of impartiality. The concept of impartiality is defined as equal individual satisfaction for the polluters who cooperate. This concept is applied to solve the characteristic function game. A numerical example is included.     

Lack of significantly positive correlations between elemental concentrations in hair and in organs

Elemental concentrations (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, P, Se and Zn) in the hair of Japanese were examined in relation to those in internal organs (cerebrum, cerebellum, heart, spleen, liver, kidney and rib). No significantly positive correlation was found between elemental concentration in hair and that in internal organ. This result indicates the restricted use of hair as a medium for the estimation of nutritional status of the essential elements examined in the present study, at least on an individual basis. The correlations between the concentrations in organs are also presented.     

Formation and chemical leaching effects of nonequilibrium Al0.6(Fe25Cu75) alloy powder produced by rod milling

The formation and chemical leaching effects of a nonequilibrium Al_0.6(Fe₂₅Cu₇₅)_0.4 powder produced by rod milling is described. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and vibrating sample magnetometry were used to characterize both the as-milled and leached specimens. After 400 h of milling, only the bcc AlFe phase with an amorphous phase was detected in the XRD patterns. The crystallite size for the bcc AlFe phase (110) after 400 h of milling was about 5.3 nm. The peak temperature and the crystallization temperature of the as-milled powders were 448.7 and 428.0 °C, respectively. Al atoms leaching from the as-milled bcc AlFe powders in the L1 condition did not alter the diffraction pattern significantly, even though Al atoms had been removed. After the L1 specimen was annealed at 500 °C for 1 h, the bcc AlFe phase transformed to the fcc Cu, Fe, and CuFe₂O₄ phases. The peak widths of L1 and L2 specimens were similar, but became broader than that of the as-milled powder. The saturation magnetization decreased with increasing milling time, and a value of 10.4 emu/g was reached after 400 h of milling. After cooling the specimen from 750 °C, the magnetization slowly increased at approximately 491.4 °C, indicating that the bcc AlFe phase had transformed to the fcc Cu and Fe phases.