Effect of various surface preparation techniques on the delamination properties of vacuum infused Carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminates (CARALL): Experimentation and numerical simulation

Carbon fiber reinforced aluminum laminates (CARALL) are one of the aluminum based Fiber metal laminates (FMLs) which, due to their high strength to weight ratio and good impact resistance are greatly replacing aluminum alloys in aircraft structures. In this research work, interlaminate shear strength of Vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) manufactured CARALL has been investigated. Numerical simulation model incorporated with real time material data has been developed to predict the delamination behavior of CARALL laminates. Standard CARALL specimens with different surface morphologies were prepared by electric discharge machining, mechanical, chemical and electrochemical surface treatments. T-peel tests were carried out according to standard ASTM D1876-08 to find out inter laminate shear strength. FMLs made out of mechanically, chemically and electrochemically cleaned metal sheets depicted high interlaminate shear strength. SEM micrographs of failed surfaces verify the high adhesive strength of epoxy. Developed numerical simulation model accurately predicts the delamination behavior of CARALL as observed during experimentation.     

SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF ANIONIC SURFACTANT AND NONIONIC POLYMER ADDITIVES ON DRAG REDUCTION

Turbulent drag reduction (DR) behavior of mixed nonionic polymer and anionic surfactant solutions in water was studied in a pipeline set up to explore the synergic effects of mixed additives on DR. The concentration of polymer polyethylene oxide (PEO) was varied from 0 to 2000 ppm and the concentration of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was varied from 0 to 5000 ppm. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC), where the interaction between the polymer and the surfactant begins, and the polymer saturation point (PSP), where the polymer molecules become saturated with the surfactant, were determined using electrical conductivity and surface tension measurements. As the polymer concentration was increased the CAC decreased but the PSP increased. The relative viscosity showed a remarkable increase upon the addition of surfactant to the polymer solution due to extension of polymer chains caused by the formation of micelles on the backbone of the polymer molecules. The data exhibited a considerable increase in DR in the case of mixed polymer/surfactant systems. The percent reduction in friction factor was as high as 79 when 3000 ppm or more surfactant was added to the 500 ppm polymer solution. Furthermore, the drag reduction behavior of the polymer solution changed from so-called Type A to Type B. In Type A drag reduction, a transition from laminar to turbulent regime is observed with a clear-cut onset point. In Type B drag reduction, no transition or onset point is observed; the data fall on a gradual extension of the laminar line.     

INFLUENCE OF HEAT TRANSFER IN THE SQUEEZING FLOW BETWEEN PARALLEL DISKS

This article addresses the squeezing flow and heat transfer between parallel disks when one disk is impermeable and the other is porous. Appropriate similarity transformations are invoked to convert the partial differential equations into ordinary ones. Expressions for velocity and temperature fields have been obtained by homotopy analysis method (HAM). The effects of embedding parameters such as squeeze number (S), Hartman number (M), Prandtl number (Pr), and Eckert number (Ec) are analyzed through graphs for the velocity and temperature profiles and tables for skin friction coefficient and local Nusselt number. It is observed that the series solutions are convergent only at third-order of approximation. The obtained results for velocity are also compared with the homotopy perturbation method (Domairry and Aziz, 2009).     

Influence of the Ethylene Glycol, Water Treatment and Microwave Irradiation on the Characteristics and Performance of VPO Catalysts for n-Butane Oxidation to Maleic Anhydride

In this paper, the preparation of vanadium phosphate catalysts was shown to be improved by (1) using V₂O₅ and ethylene glycol as starting and reducing agent material, respectively for VOPO₄ · 2H₂O, (2) subsequent water treatment and (3) microwave irradiation. In particular, the preparation route, based on the reduction of VOPO₄ · 2H₂O with various alcohols, is described in detail and contrasted with other three established methods performed by using ethylene glycol and isobutyl alcohol as reductant and solvent for V₂O₅ or distilled water as a solvent material. The preparation of catalyst precursor is carried out by two different methods, namely conventional heating and microwave irradiation. With this new technique, catalysts derived from the reduction of VOPO₄ · 2H₂O by ethylene glycol exhibit substantially higher surface area (typically >40 m² g^?1) and activity. In fact, the surface area of the catalyst is significantly enhanced when the precursor is refluxed by distilled water and dried by microwave heating. The characterization of catalysts was carried out using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmer–Teller (BET) surface area measurement, temperature programmed reduction (H₂-TPR), temperature-programmed reaction (TPRn) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). This study shows that employing ethylene glycol as reducing agent, followed by adding the water treatment step to catalyst synthesis procedure, and using microwave irradiation would give rise to enhanced surface area, activity and selectivity of the catalyst. Moreover, it introduces a more energy efficient procedure for preparation of vanadium phosphate catalyst used in selective oxidation of n-butane process.     

Characterization of the Ion Beam Current Density of the RF Ion Source with Flat and Convex Extraction Systems

Silicon - The characterization of ion beam current density distribution and beam uniformity is crucial for improving broad-beam ion source technologies. The design of the broad ion beam extraction...     

Microwave-assisted urea-modified sorghum biomass for Cr (III) elimination from aqueous solutions

The present study concentrated on the use of an agro-waste biodegradable sorghum biomass in its simple and modified forms for the binding of Cr (III) ions. A relatively new method of modification was adopted using urea under microwave irradiation. FTIR analysis showed the presence of oxygen and nitrogen bearing functional groups in unmodified (UMS) and modified (MS) sorghum biomass. The appearance of new bands and shifts in the peaks confirmed the modification. The influence of different process parameters such as the adsorbent dose, solution pH, contact time, agitation speed and initial metal ion concentration was studied thoroughly to evaluate optimum conditions for adsorption. Maximum adsorption for Cr (III) ions occurred at pH 5.0–6.0 using UMS and MS. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models in a non-linear fashion were used to explain the phenomenon. Maximum adsorption capacity was 7.03 and 16.36 mg of Cr (III) per gram of UMS and MS, respectively. Adsorption mechanism was explored by pseudo-first- and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, and it was found that the process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. Thermodynamic study indicated the process favorability. The study concluded that urea modification under microwave irradiation produces a non-toxic and more effective adsorbent for Cr (III) remediation by inducing new nitrogen bearing functional groups to sorghum biomass.     

A carbon gel catalyst layer for the roll-to-roll production of dye solar cells

Carbon gel catalyst layers were used in dye solar cells. These layers were prepared on flexible plastic substrates at low temperatures (130 °C). The carbon gel, demonstrated excellent flexibility which is an important feature for roll-to-roll production and special applications of dye solar cells. The use of these low cost and highly flexible catalyst layers resulted in good photovoltaic performance; only 10% lower than dye solar cells with rigid glass-based counter electrodes prepared with thermal platinization at ∼400 °C temperature.     

The Effect of Nanoparticles on the Mass Transfer in Liquid–Liquid Extraction

This article investigates the effect of nanoparticles on mass transfer in the liquid–liquid extraction for the chemical system of n-butanol–succinic acid–water. For this purpose, nanofluids containing various concentrations of ZnO, carbon nanotubes (CNT), and TiO₂ nanoparticles in water, as base fluid, were prepared. To examine the flow mode effect on mass transfer rate, different fluid modes including dropping and jetting were employed in the process. Results show that mass transfer rate enhancement depends on the kinds and the concentration of nanoparticles and the modes of flow. It was observed that after adding nanoparticles, the mass transfer rate significantly increases up to two-fold for ZnO nanoparticles. Furthermore, the results indicate that under the circumstances in which the mass flow rate is high enough, the effect of nanoparticles on the mass transfer phenomenon is too slight.