Multiwalled carbon nanotubes synthesis with high yield utilizing Pt/Al-MCM-41 via catalytic chemical vapour deposition technique

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were synthesized over Pt impregnated Al-MCM-41 catalyst by decomposition of acetylene and characterized by XRD and nitrogen sorption isotherm to study the mesophase nature of the material. The optimum temperature and flow rate of the carbon source for CNTs synthesis are 800 °C and 60 mL/min, respectively, within a short reaction period, typically 10 min. Moreover, longer reaction time (i.e. 30 min) favours the formation of more amorphous carbon. When the reaction time is reduced to less than 10 min, formation of amorphous carbon is greatly suppressed by the high yield of MWNTs (85%). The products obtained from the decomposition of acetylene over these catalysts were characterized by TGA, SEM, TEM and Raman spectroscopy. The TEM analysis reveals that CNTs are free from amorphous carbon, whereas Raman spectrum shows two prominent peaks at 1,327 and 1,594 cm⁻¹ as the tangential modes of CNTs. As a conclusion, Pt/Al-MCM-41 is an effective template for MWNTs synthesis using acetylene as a carbon source.     

Potential Improvements in Shock-Mitigation Efficacy of a Polyurea-Augmented Advanced Combat Helmet

The design of the currently used Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) has been optimized to attain maximum protection against ballistic impacts (fragments, shrapnel, etc.) and hard-surface collisions. However, the ability of the ACH to protect soldiers against blast loading appears not to be as effective. Polyurea, a micro-segregated elastomeric copolymer has shown superior shock-mitigation capabilities. In the present work, a combined Eulerian/Lagrangian transient non-linear dynamics computational fluid/solid interaction analysis is used to investigate potential shock-mitigation benefits which may result from different polyurea-based design augmentations of the ACH. Specific augmentations include replacement of the currently used suspension-pad material with polyurea and the introduction of a thin polyurea internal lining/external coating to the ACH shell. Effectiveness of different ACH designs was quantified by: (a) establishing the main forms of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI); (b) identifying the key mechanical causes for these injuries; and (c) quantifying the extents of reductions in the magnitude of these mechanical causes. The results obtained show that while the ACH with a 2-mm-thick polyurea internal lining displays the best blast mitigation performance, it does not provide sufficient protection against mTBI.     

Spall-Fracture Physics and Spallation-Resistance-Based Material Selection

Spallation is a fracture mode commonly observed in ballistically/blast-wave-loaded structures. The interaction between decompression waves generated within the target structure produces tensile stresses which, if of a sufficient magnitude, may cause material damage and ultimate fracture (spallation). In this study, the phenomenon of spall-fracture is analyzed within a one-dimensional Lagrangian framework. Two distinct analyses are carried out. Within the first analysis, decompression waves are treated as decompression shocks, which simplified the analysis and enabled the formation of spallation-strength-based material index. In the second analysis, decompression waves are treated as smooth (centered simple) waves. This increased the fidelity of the computational analysis, but the material-selection procedure could be done only numerically and an explicit formulation of the spallation-strength-based material-selection index could not be carried out. Overall, the two analyses yielded similar results for the spallation-strength-based material-selection criterion suggesting that the simpler (decompression shock based) one is still adequate for use in the material-selection process.     

Modifications in the AA5083 Johnson-Cook Material Model for Use in Friction Stir Welding Computational Analyses

Johnson-Cook strength material model is frequently used in finite-element analyses of various manufacturing processes involving plastic deformation of metallic materials. The main attraction to this model arises from its mathematical simplicity and its ability to capture the first-order metal-working effects (e.g., those associated with the influence of plastic deformation, rate of deformation, and the attendant temperature). However, this model displays serious shortcomings when used in the engineering analyses of various hot-working processes (i.e., those utilizing temperatures higher than the material recrystallization temperature). These shortcomings are related to the fact that microstructural changes involving: (i) irreversible decrease in the dislocation density due to the operation of annealing/recrystallization processes; (ii) increase in grain-size due to high-temperature exposure; and (iii) dynamic-recrystallization-induced grain refinement are not accounted for by the model. In this study, an attempt is made to combine the basic physical-metallurgy principles with the associated kinetics relations to properly modify the Johnson-Cook material model, so that the model can be used in the analyses of metal hot-working and joining processes. The model is next used to help establish relationships between process parameters, material microstructure and properties in friction stir welding welds of AA5083 (a non-age-hardenable, solid-solution strengthened, strain-hardened/stabilized Al-Mg-Mn alloy).     

Shock-Wave Attenuation and Energy-Dissipation Potential of Granular Materials

The propagation of uniaxial-stress planar shocks in granular materials is analyzed using a conventional shock-physics approach. Within this approach, both compression shocks and decompression waves are treated as (stress, specific volume, particle velocity, mass-based internal energy density, temperature, and mass-based entropy density) propagating discontinuities. In addition, the granular material is considered as being a continuum (i.e., no mesoscale features like grains, voids, and their agglomerates are considered). However, while the granular material is treated as a (smeared-out) continuum, it is recognized that it contains a solid constituent (parent matter), and that the structurodynamic properties (i.e., Equations of State (EOS) and Hugoniot relations) of the granular material are related to its parent matter. Three characteristic shock loading regimes of granular material are considered and, in each case, an analysis is carried out to elucidate shock attenuation and energy dissipation processes. In addition, an attempt is made to identify a metric (a combination of the material parameters) which quantifies the intrinsic ability of a granular material to attenuate a shock and dissipate the energy carried by the shock. Toward that end, the response of a typical granular material to a flat-topped compressive stress pulse is analyzed in each of the three shock loading regimes.     

A Concurrent Product-Development Approach for Friction-Stir Welded Vehicle-Underbody Structures

High-strength aluminum and titanium alloys with superior blast/ballistic resistance against armor piercing (AP) threats and with high vehicle light-weighing potential are being increasingly used as military-vehicle armor. Due to the complex structure of these vehicles, they are commonly constructed through joining (mainly welding) of the individual components. Unfortunately, these alloys are not very amenable to conventional fusion-based welding technologies [e.g., gas metal arc welding (GMAW)] and to obtain high-quality welds, solid-state joining technologies such as friction-stir welding (FSW) have to be employed. However, since FSW is a relatively new and fairly complex joining technology, its introduction into advanced military-vehicle-underbody structures is not straight forward and entails a comprehensive multi-prong approach which addresses concurrently and interactively all the aspects associated with the components/vehicle-underbody design, fabrication, and testing. One such approach is developed and applied in this study. The approach consists of a number of well-defined steps taking place concurrently and relies on two-way interactions between various steps. The approach is critically assessed using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis.     

Formation and characteristics of zinc phosphate coatings obtained by electrochemical treatment: Cathodic vs. anodic

Electrochemical treatment and galvanic coupling are some of the possible modes of acceleration of low temperature phosphating process. The cathodic and anodic treatments during phosphating influence the deposition mechanism, characteristic properties and the corrosion resistance of the resultant coatings in a different way. The present paper aims to compare these aspects and to identify the possible applications of phosphate coatings obtained by these treatments.     

Comparison of the Effects of an Ionic Liquid and Other Salts on the Properties of Electrospun Fibers, 2 – Poly(vinyl alcohol)

Understanding the effect of conductivity in electrospinning solutions is crucial in order to improve or control the electrospinning process. In this paper the effect of adding small amounts (0.039–0.259 mol · kg^?1) of three different conductive additives to aqueous solutions of polyvinyl alcohol has been investigated. The salts were HMICl (a room temperature ionic liquid), TEBAC (a quaternary ammonium salt) and KCl. Addition of these salts caused a steady increase in the solution conductivity but the fiber diameter was typically greater than that of PVA alone, and exhibited an oscillatory trend. The oscillatory trend on the fiber diameter is attributed to fiber backbuilding and fusion that occurs prior to deposition on the collector.

     

Multidisciplinary Design Optimization for Glass-Fiber Epoxy-Matrix Composite 5 MW Horizontal-Axis Wind-Turbine Blades

A multi-disciplinary design-optimization procedure has been introduced and used for the development of cost-effective glass-fiber reinforced epoxy-matrix composite 5 MW horizontal-axis wind-turbine (HAWT) blades. The turbine-blade cost-effectiveness has been defined using the cost of energy (CoE), i.e., a ratio of the three-blade HAWT rotor development/fabrication cost and the associated annual energy production. To assess the annual energy production as a function of the blade design and operating conditions, an aerodynamics-based computational analysis had to be employed. As far as the turbine blade cost is concerned, it is assessed for a given aerodynamic design by separately computing the blade mass and the associated blade-mass/size-dependent production cost. For each aerodynamic design analyzed, a structural finite element-based and a post-processing life-cycle assessment analyses were employed in order to determine a minimal blade mass which ensures that the functional requirements pertaining to the quasi-static strength of the blade, fatigue-controlled blade durability and blade stiffness are satisfied. To determine the turbine-blade production cost (for the currently prevailing fabrication process, the wet lay-up) available data regarding the industry manufacturing experience were combined with the attendant blade mass, surface area, and the duration of the assumed production run. The work clearly revealed the challenges associated with simultaneously satisfying the strength, durability and stiffness requirements while maintaining a high level of wind-energy capture efficiency and a lower production cost.     

TIMP-1 contact sites and perturbations of stromelysin 1 mapped by NMR and a paramagnetic surface probe

Surfaces of the 173 residue catalytic domain of human matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3(DeltaC)) affected by binding of the N-terminal, 126 residue inhibitory domain of human TIMP-1 (N-TIMP-1) have been investigated using an amide-directed, NMR-based approach. The interface was mapped by a novel method that compares amide proton line broadening by paramagnetic Gd-EDTA in the presence and absence of the binding partner. The results are consistent with the X-ray model of the complex of MMP-3(DeltaC) with TIMP-1 (Gomis-Rüth et al. (1997) Nature 389, 77-81). Residues Tyr155, Asn162, Val163, Leu164, His166, Ala167, Ala169, and Phe210 of MMP-3(DeltaC) are protected from broadening by the Gd-EDTA probe by binding to N-TIMP-1. N-TIMP-1-induced exposure of backbone amides of Asp238, Asn240, Gly241, and Ser244 of helix C of MMP-3(DeltaC) to Gd-EDTA confirms that the displacement of the N-terminus of MMP-3(DeltaC) occurs not only in the crystal but also in solution. These results validate comparative paramagnetic surface probing as a means of mapping protein-protein interfaces. Novel N-TIMP-1-dependent changes in hydrogen bonding near the active site of MMP-3(DeltaC) are reported. N-TIMP-1 binding causes the amide of Tyr223 of MMP-3(DeltaC) bound by N-TIMP-1 to exchange with water rapidly, implying a lack of the hydrogen bond observed in the crystal structure. The backbone amide proton of Asn162 becomes protected from rapid exchange upon forming a complex with N-TIMP-1 and could form a hydrogen bond to N-TIMP-1. N-TIMP-1 binding dramatically increases the rate of amide hydrogen exchange of Asp177 of the fifth beta strand of MMP-3(DeltaC), disrupting its otherwise stable hydrogen bond.