Comparison of the fatigue life of F.F. shaft material according to various environmental temperatures

A rotary bending fatigue test was carried out with two kinds of materials, S43C and S50C, using the front engine and front driveshaft (F.F. shaft) of the vehicle. The specimens were heat-treated using the high frequency induction method (about 1 mm depth and HRC56∼60) and the test environment temperatures were -30 °C (-22 °F), +25 °C (+77 °F), and +80 °C (+176 °F) in order to determine the influence of the heat treatment and the temperatures. The fatigue life increased on the order of +80 °C, +25 °C, and -30 °C regardless of heat treatment. In comparison of the fatigue lives with the basis of the tested result at +25 °C, the fatigue lives of non-heated specimens decreased about 35%, but that of heat-treated specimens decreased by only about 5% at +80 °C, more than at +25 °C. And fatigue life of non-heated and heat-treated specimens were about 110% and 120% higher at -30 °C than that of +25 °C. The initiation of surface microcracks was observed at 0.2 fatigue life ratio in as-received S43C and S50C, but the average crack length in S50C was about 14% longer than that of S43C at the same fatigue life ratio.     

Proteins in longissimus muscle of Korean native cattle and their relationship to meat quality

Proteomic profiling by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry of longissimus dorsi muscle tissue from Korean native cattle identified seven proteins that are differentially expressed in animals producing low and high quality grade beef. The expression level of alpha actin is increased in high quality grade beef and the expression levels of T-complex protein 1 (TCP-1), heat shock protein beta-1 (HSP27), and inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor type1 (IP3R1), a new protein to be associated with meat quality, are increased in low quality grade beef. In particular, the quantitation of HSP27 and IP3R1 by both silver staining and immunoblotting correlated well with intramuscular fat content, meat tenderness, and free calcium levels. The data suggest that HSP27 and IP3R1 are potential meat quality biomarkers and their identification provides new insight into the molecular mechanisms and pathways associated with overall beef quality.     

Massless links with external forces and bushing effect for multibody dynamic analysis

When the contribution of lightweight components to the total energy of a system is small, the inertia effects are sometimes ignored by replacing them to massless links. For example, a revolute-spherical massless link generates two kinematic constraint equations between adjacent bodies and allows four relative degrees of freedom. In this paper, to implement a massless link systematically in a computer program using the velocity transformation technique, the velocity transformation matrix of massless links is derived and numerically implemented. The velocity transformation matrix for a revolute-spherical massless link and a revolute-universal massless link are appeared as a 6X4 matrix and a 6X3 matrix, respectively. A massless link model in a suspension composite joint transmitting external forces is also developed and the numerical efficiency of the proposed model is compared to a conventional multibody model. For a massless link transmitting external forces, forces acting on links are resolved and transmitted to the attached points with a quasi-static assumption. Numerical examples are presented to verify the formulation.     

Die extrusion behavior of carbon black-filled block copolymer thermoplastic elastomers

The properties of carbon black-filled thermoplastic elastomers were studied. We compared the extrudate swell behavior and the rheological properties of carbon black-filled polymers with those of raw polymers. The shear viscosity increases with increasing amount of carbon black. The extrudate swell becomes smaller with increasing carbon black amount, indicated by the decreased elasticity of the material when adding carbon black. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

High Dielectric,Robust Composite Protective Layer for Dendrite‐Free and LiPF6 Degradation‐Free Lithium Metal Anode

The development of lithium metal anodes for next generation batteries remains a challenge. Uncontrolled Li dendrite growth not only induces severe safety issues but also leads to capacity fading by continuously consuming the electrolyte. This study demonstrates the design and fabrication of a composite protective layer composed of a high dielectric polymer, inorganic particles, and an electrolyte to overcome these obstacles. This layer not only suppresses dendrite growth, but also prevents LiPF₆ degradation. The electrolyte introduced in the protective layer remains within the coating layer after solvent removal and acts as an ion transport channel at the interface. This enables the protective layer to exhibit high ionic conductivity and mechanical strength. The composite protective layer, which exhibits synergistic soft‐rigid characteristics, is placed on the Li metal anode and facilitates superior interfacial stability during long‐term cycles. LiMn₂O₄/coated lithium full cells using the composite protective layer show a superior rate capability and enhanced capacity retention compared to the cells using a bare lithium anode. The proposed strategy opens new avenues to fabricate a sustainable composite protective layer that affords superior performance in lithium metal batteries.     

The orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase transition in YBa2(Cu1−xFex)3O7−y

The phase transition YBa₂(Cu_1–x Fe _x )₃O_7–y (0x0.05) prepared through solid-state reaction was studied with X-ray diffraction analysis and optical microscope. It was found that the orthorhombic-to-tetragonal phase change was induced between x=0.02 and x=0.03 by X-ray diffraction. The phase transition was also identified by the disappearance of striations in plate-like grains under polarized light. The microstructures of the specimens with compositions of x=0.01 and x=0.02 showed faint striation images. It is considered that a mixture of the orthorhombic and tetragonal phase exists in these compositions.     

Process engineering economic evaluation of the ethanol extraction of cottonseed: Preliminary analysis

This preliminary analysis was undertaken to determine if the operations being developed for the aqueous ethanol extraction of cottonseed oil are economical and whether further research of this process should be pursued. Results of the conversion of hypothetical hexane extraction plants to ethanol extraction, in the plant capacity range of 300-600 tons of cottonseed flakes/day and operating 150-350 days annually, show that two unconventional operations, namely, chill-separation of miscella exiting the extractor and reduction of oil in recycled ethanol by reverse osmosis, require less energy and are less expensive than conventional alternatives. However, additional work is needed to determine the overall efficiency of an alcohol process as compared to a conventional hexane process.