The theory and development of user-friendly software for the measurement of surface roughness and geometrical parameters

Computers with analytical capabilities have proven their worth in sophisticated gaging applications, but they can intimidate operators. Dedicated keyboards with a logical button-to-button function connection present the user with multiple options. They can be cumbersome and often require adaptation for different parameters or program options. Standard P.C. keyboards do provide more programming flexibility but keys are not easily related to function. This paper discusses the development of a touch screen and related software functions as a dedicated keyboard which presents a very limited number of operating options at any one time. Using simple color graphic icons or “windows”, the described software guides the operator through the measurement process via a logical series of questions and menu operations. The program presents only specific questions or options that are relevant to the current measurement, which provides for a more friendly interface between operator and instrument.     

Nitrogen plasma source ion implantation of AISI S1 tool steel

Significant economic savings can be achieved by improving the wear lifetime of precision manufacturing tools through nitrogen-ion implantation. This near-ambient temperature, surface modification process preserves dimensional integrity and surface finish while eliminating delamination problems that are often associated with overlay coatings. Conventional ion implantation is a line-of-sight process which requires elaborate manipulation and masking to uniformly implant components of complex shapes. A recently developed process, plasma source ion implantation (PSII), circumvents this line-of-sight restriction and makes ion implantation more attractive economically. In this article, the effects of PSII of nitrogen at a target bias of 50 kV, to a dose of 0.3 × 10¹⁸ atoms/cm² on the surface microstructure and mechanicalproperties of AISI S1 tool steel are presented.     

Unexpected relations between matrix elements of the three-body scalar operators ti in the f shell

It has been known for some time that crystal-field matrix elements (i.e., matrix elements of sums over spherical harmonics involving the coordinates of the individual electrons) are often unexpectedly proportional to one another in the f shell. To see whether similar relations hold for more complicated operators than those provided by the crystal field, we examined the matrix elements of the three-electron scalar operators t_i for all configurations f^N, as calculated by W. T. Carnall on the basis of the computer program of Hannah Crosswhite. These operators are widely used to take configuration interaction into account, and we found a surprising number of proportionalities that go beyond what would be expected on a straightforward application of the Wigner-Eckart theorem, as applied to the irreducible representations of the classic groups SO(7), G₂ and SO(3) used by Racah in defining the f-electron states. A listing of such relations is provided.     

Analysis of the fluorescence of the ion Eu in fluoroborate glasses containing silver particles

We have studied theoretically and experimentally the fluorescence enhancement in fluoroborate glasses, doped with the ion Eu³⁺, containing small silver particles. The model developed shows that the gain coefficient has quenching and enhancement regions. The absorption peak of the metallic particles occurs at 425 nm, which is not in resonance with the ⁵L₆ level of the ion Eu³⁺. For this reason it is not possible to make a complete comparison between theoretical and experimental results, but the structure of the absorption spectra allows us to check some crucial aspects of the problem, such as energy transfer, enhancement of the local field and the high absorption by the particle system. Results of electronic microscopy have revealed non-uniformity of the particle distribution with average radii of approximately 20 Å and 35 Å and a measured localized mean filling factor of 0.02.     

Absorption spectra of solid rare earth complexes obtained from the inner filter effect on luminescence

The inner filter effect is observed in luminescence whenever a second substance is present that has absorptions which overlap the luminescence. This results in a diminution of the luminescence at those wavelengths and is generally observed in solution. In the present communication we show that this effect can be observed when a solid rare earth complex is physically mixed with a solid luminescent organic matrix with which it does not interact. The resulting luminescence is reduced in emission intensity at those wavelengths corresponding to the absorptions of the rare earth ion. This is illustrated with a mixture of Na₃[Ho(ODA)₃] ·2NaClO₄·6H₂O and pyrene at 77 K, and it is shown that the absorption spectrum of the holmium complex can be extracted from the luminescence spectrum of pyrene. This absorption spectrum is in good agreement with that obtained by conventional spectroscopy with a single crystal.     

Catalytic behaviour and surface properties of supported lanthana

This paper deals with the role of dispersed lanthana as an active phase in several catalytic reactions: CO hydrogenation, CO oxidation, and oxidative dimerization of methane.

Characterization of the prepared catalysts indicates that lanthana can be effectively dispersed on silica and on ceria. While in the case of silica-supported catalysts lanthana appears at the surface, leading to an almost full coverage for loadings higher than 40%, in the case of ceria-based systems, lanthana forms a solid solution with the support.

In all the reactions studied, the presence of lanthana can be related to significant changes in the catalytic properties of the bare supports. Thus, the selectivity towards the total oxidation products observed on pure ceria is decreased, and the low activity shown by silica is enhanced. For the CO+H₂ reaction, the addition of lanthana also generates upgraded products.     

Schnelle Lochkorrosion durch ungewöhnliche Anodenstabilisierung in einem Stahl/Wasser-System

Fast pitting corrosion in a steel/water system as a result of unusual stabilization of anodes Corrosion damage as a result of fast pitting was observed in industrial equipment made of unalloyed steel. The rate of formation and the manifestation of the pits are similar to pitting corrosion of stainless steels. Estimation of the kinetics of the localized corrosion in terms of differential aeration cells led to a model which indicates the stabilization of small anodic regions. The stabilization was caused by precipitation of the products of reaction between ferrous ions and polymeric silicate. The high rate of pitting also suggests that the oxygen entering the system during service periods involving the exposure of the system to air has enhanced the corrosion. These ideas could be substantiated by experiments, which also revealed particularly the effect of the concentration of NaCl. Anodic passivation by the addition of Na₂CO₃ or perhaps inhibition may be considered as candidate protective measures.     

Autoklaven-Untersuchungen der Spannungsrißkorrosion von Fe-Cr-Ni-Legierungen in NaCl/Co2/H2S-Medien

Autoclave investigation of stress corrosion cracking behaviour of Fe-Cr-Ni alloys in NaCl/CO₂/H₂S-environment In oil and gas production, the corrosion problems increase as the depth of the reservoirs increases. The oil and gas products contain chloride-rich waters and mixtures of H₂S and CO₂ at high pressures and temperatures. Materials that can be used under these conditions are only high strength high alloy steels and nickel base alloys. These materials must be assessed for corrosion resistance under these conditions. The environment contain chloride ions and hydrogen sulphide, which are known to be critical components for SCC. With the aid of autoclave experiments, the fields of corrosion resistance for the materials no. 1.4462, 1.4563 and 2.4618 were determined as a function of temperature and hydrogen sulphide pressure. The base environment was a 5 Molar sodium chloride solution at 20 bar carbon dioxide. While the corrosion resistance of the duplex steel, material no. 1.4462, decreases markedly as the strength of the material and the hydrogen sulphide pressure increase, the two austenitic materials are completely resistant up to 300 °C and hydrogen sulphide pressure of 15 bar. Only at 300 °C and high partial pressures of hydrogen sulphide the material no. 1.4563 did fail, when stressed to stress levels higher than the YS. The crack path was predominantly transgranular with minute fractions of intergranular cracking. The microstructure appears to have no effect. All results indicate that a mixed mechanism of hydrogen- and chloride induced SCC is operting, while a corrosion enhancement due to interaction of both critical components takes place.