Monte Carlo simulation of microparticle motion in vacuum gap

Breakdown voltages of vacuum gaps become lower when the gaps are contaminated by metallic and ceramic microparticles. In this paper, the motion of the microparticles in the gap is simulated using Monte Carlo method in order to evaluate the effect of parameters upon motion and the removal time of the microparticles. As the parameters, we focused on the material of the microparticle, the frequency, the peak value of the applied voltage, the gap length, and the diameter of the lower and upper electrodes. It turned out that the maximum time needed to remove all microparticles could be expressed as multiple regression function. It is suggested that the reliability of the microparticle removal can be increased by spark conditioning with opening/closing operation.     

Viscosity measurements of ethylene glycol solution with flow drag reduction additives

The viscous characteristics of ethylene glycol (EG) solution with flow drag reduction additive have been investigated experimentally. In this study, oleyldihydoroxyetyl amineoxide (ODEAO) was used as the flow drag reduction additive, and an aqueous solution of EG was used as a secondary refrigerant. The viscosity of the EG solution with ODEAO was measured with a rotational rheometer. The experimental parameters of viscosity measurement were the temperature of the EG solution with ODEAO, the ODEAO concentration, and the EG concentration. From the experimental results, the apparent viscosity of the EG solution with ODEAO showed SIS (shear induced state). The non‐linear dependence of shear stress on shear rate has been well approximated by the power‐law model under high shear conditions. The power‐law contents, pseudoplastic viscosity, and index number have been estimated for each experimental parameter. Using the measured viscosity and non‐dimensional analysis, the flow drag and heat transfer reduction effect of the EG solution with ODEAO has been investigated. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 35(8): 553–567, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20134     

Influence of pH,concentration of sodium lactate as an additive and ultrasonic treatment on synthesis of zinc phosphate white pigments

Zinc oxide that has the photocatalytic activity is used as a white pigment for cosmetics. A certain degree of sebum on the skin is decomposed by the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. In this work, zinc phosphates were prepared from zinc nitrate and phosphoric acid at pH 5 and 7 with and without the addition of sodium lactate and ultrasonic treatment as a novel white pigment for use in cosmetics. The chemical composition, powder properties, photocatalytic activity, colour phase, moisture retention and smoothness of the zinc phosphates were studied. The obtained materials had a Zn/P ratio of about 1.5, which corresponds to zinc orthophosphate Zn₃(PO₄)₂. Samples prepared with ultrasonic treatment indicated the high ratios of large particles in scanning electron microscopy images and particle‐size distributions. The photocatalytic activity of these zinc phosphate particles was too less to protect the sebum on the skin. The materials obtained and their thermal products at 100°C showed a high reflectance within the range of visible light. The slipping resistance and roughness of the powder were enough low for use in cosmetics.     

Determination of Critical Parameters Based on the Intensity of Transmitted Light Around Gas–Liquid Interface: Critical Parameters of CO_{2}

A precise determination of the critical temperature and density for technically important fluids would be possible on the basis of the digital image for the visual observation of the phase boundary in the vicinity of the critical point since the sensitivity and resolution are higher than those of naked eyes. In addition, the digital image can avoid the personal uncertainty of an observer. A strong density gradient occurs in a sample cell at the critical point due to gravity. It was carefully assessed to determine the critical density, where the density profile in the sample cell can be observed from the luminance profile of a digital image. The density-gradient profile becomes symmetric at the critical point. One of the best fluids, whose thermodynamic properties have been measured with the highest reliability among technically important fluids, would be carbon dioxide. In order to confirm the reliability of the proposed method, the critical temperature and density of carbon dioxide were determined using the digital image. The critical temperature and density values of carbon dioxide are ( \(304.143\,\pm \,0.005)\hbox { K}\) and ( \(467.7\,\pm \,0.6)\) kg \(\cdot \) m \(^{-3}\) , respectively. The critical temperature and density values agree with the existing best values within estimated uncertainties. The reliability of the method was confirmed. The critical pressure, 7.3795 MPa, corresponding to the determined critical temperature of 304.143 K is also proposed. A new set of parameters for the vapor-pressure equation is also provided.     

Economic Analysis of a High-volume Flexible Manufacturing System by High-speed Processing

Agility in manufacturing requires a quick response to the changes in quantity of products without losing productivity. A high-volume flexible manufacturing system (HV-FMS) attains the high flexibility as well as the high volume production. We consider in this paper the energy-saving effect of HV-FMS from the viewpoint of consumed electric power. We take a production system of cylinder heads for automobile engines as a subject in this study, and draw a comparison of the energy-saving effect between HV-FMS and flexible transfer line to verify the effectiveness of HV-FMS. Moreover, we discuss the economic effect of high-speed processing at HV-FMS. We measure the energy-saving effect by high-speed processing and give the permissible level for additional tooling cost.     

Diagnosis of carcinoma in situ of the pancreas by peroral pancreatoscopy and pancreatoscopic cytology

BACKGROUND: Most pancreatic carcinomas are unresectable at the time of diagnosis, but recently the diagnosis of carcinoma in situ of the pancreas has become possible. This diagnosis can be made by the detection of cancer cells in pancreatic juice and the radiographically demonstrated lack of a mass lesion. It has greatly improved the effectiveness of surgery. Carcinoma in situ remains within the pancreatic ductal epithelium and has not yet invaded the parenchyma. However, it has often been difficult to locate carcinoma in situ by conventional diagnostic methods, such as ultrasonography, endoscopic ultrasonography, computed tomography, and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography. METHODS: Peroral pancreatoscopy and a new method of cytodiagnosis, pancreatoscopic cytology, were used to analyze 11 patients with carcinoma in situ of the pancreas, 10 with disease in the main duct of the pancreas and 1 with disease in the branch ducts. The results of pancreatoscopic cytology were compared with those of conventional pancreatic juice cytology. RESULTS: Under peroral pancreatoscopy, carcinoma in situ of the pancreas in the main duct appeared as papillary mucosa, irregular mucosa, or nodular mucosa. Using pancreatoscopic cytology, cancer cells were obtained from all the lesions, allowing a more thorough analysis than pancreatic juice cytology. CONCLUSIONS: Peroral pancreatoscopy and pancreatoscopic cytology are useful for locating and diagnosing carcinoma in situ of the pancreas.     

Effects of fiber gripping methods on the single fiber tensile test: I. Non-parametric statistical analysis

Single fiber tensile tests using two different gripping methods were carried out on various fiber lengths. One method (the glue-tab grip method) consists of mounting a fiber onto a rigid tab as specified in ASTM C1557-03 using an adhesive, while the other (the direct grip method) involves directly clamping a fiber using poly(methyl methacrylate) blocks. The tensile moduli obtained by the glue-tab grip as a function of the fiber gauge length are clearly different from those of the direct grip for fiber length between 2 and 10 mm, based on graphical statistical analyses using kernel density and q–q plots. This difference is caused by the gripping effect. In addition, the tensile strains and strengths obtained by the glue-tab grip were different from those of the direct grip at the short fiber gauge lengths (i.e., 2–10 mm). The differences between the tensile properties (i.e., modulus, strain, and strength) for the two grips measured with the 60-mm fiber length were not statistically significant compared to the results with the short fiber lengths.     

The effect of nanostructure upon the compressive strength of carbon fibres

The relationship between the structure and the compressive strength of carbon fibres has been studied in detail. In order to determine the compressive strength, a combination of single-fibre composite tests and Raman spectroscopy was employed. It was found that the compressive stress–strain curves showed nonlinear behaviour, with modulus softening in compression. The compressive strengths for the fibres with a modulus ≥400 GPa were measured as ≤2 GPa and those with a modulus <400 GPa were >2 GPa. We have introduced a model to explain this behaviour that assumes that the fibres behave as composites consisting of both crystallites and amorphous carbon. It is suggested that the compressive strength is controlled by the critical stress for kinking the crystallites in the fibres. Hence, the compressive strength of carbon fibres is found to depend upon the shear modulus of the fibres and the orientation of the crystallites within them.