Development of macropores in calcium carbonate body using novel carbonation method of calcium hydroxide/sodium chloride composite

Calcium carbonate is one of the bioceramics and has been used clinically as a bone substitute in dental and orthopedic surgery. Introduction of macropores into the bioceramics is highly recommended because those pores enable tissue ingrowth and accelerated osteointegration. We tried to prepare calcium carbonate body with macropores through the new carbonation method of calcium hydroxide/sodium chloride composite. Sodium chloride acted as a water-soluble porogen in developing macropores in calcium carbonate body and was removed completely by washing with distilled water after carbonation. We investigated effects of sodium chloride content and molding pressure on the porosity and the mechanical strength of the calcium carbonate body. Through this study, it was found that the porosity of body increased with the sodium chloride content in composite and was hardly affected by molding pressure. On the other hand, the mechanical strength was increased with the molding pressure and reduced with the porosity. In addition, the increase in content of sodium chloride caused the enlargement of hole size as well as the enhancement of extent of interconnection among pores through hole. Especially, the calcium carbonate body with over 90% porosity could be prepared when 90 wt.% sodium chloride was used under 10 MPa molding pressure. Its average pore and hole size were 177 and 80 μm, respectively.     

A thermostable histamine oxidase from Arthrobacter crystallopoietes KAIT-B-007

A thermostable histamine oxidase (EC 1.4.3.-) was found in cells of Arthrobacter crystallopoietes KAIT-B-007 isolated from soil. The enzyme was purified about 715-fold over the cell free extracts with a yield of 55% by ammonium sulfate fractionation and various column chromatographies. The purified enzyme was homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresis (native-PAGE). When the enzyme was kept at 65 degrees C and 70 degrees C for 10 min, the activity was fully stable at 65 degrees C and decreased to 9% of the initial level at 70 degrees C. The enzyme was very thermostable. The optimum pH for histamine oxidase activity was found to be at 9.0, and the enzyme was stable over the pH range of 6 to 9. The purified enzyme showed a single protein band on SDS-PAGE and its molecular mass was estimated to be about 81 kDa. The enzyme showed potent activity toward histamine, whereas it was inactive toward putrescine, cadaverine, spermine, and spermidine. Histamine oxidase was inhibited by N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC). The inactive enzyme was restored with Cu2+ to 65% of the initial activity, but Cu+ did not enhance the enzyme activity. It is suggested that Cu2+ is essential for expression of histamine oxidase activity. The enzyme was a copper-containing protein having one atom of copper per mol of the enzyme protein as a result of atomic absorption analysis. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of the purified enzyme was different from that of histamine oxidase from Arthrobacter globiformis IFO12137.     

Curing reaction of elastomers with triazine thiols and sulfen amides

Curing reaction of elastomers with triazine thiols and sulfen amides in the presence of ZnO and stearic acid was investigated for curing parameters and curing mechanism. The curing parameters such as curing rate, induction period, and curing efficiency were influenced by the pKa of thiol groups in triazine thiols and amines corresponding in sulfen amides, by the steric hinderance of 6-substituted groups in triazine thiols and on amino groups in sulfen amides, by the molar ratio of sulfen amides to triazine thiols, and by the reacting positions and the properties of elastomers. Triazine thiols acted as curing agents. Sulfen amides played two important roles in curing elastomers with triazine thiols. They gave poly(triazinyl disulfide) which is a curing precursor. Curing activators are formed in the reaction of the precursors, sulfen amides, and ZnO. The activators react with elastomers to give crosslinks, pendants and triazine dithiols or triazinyl disulfide oligomers. The pendants react with sulfen amides to give the crosslinks. The triazine thiols or triazinyl disulfide oligomers react with sulfen amides to reproduce the curing precursors. The structure of crosslinks is estimated to be      

Stress corrosion cracking countermeasure observed on Ni-based alloy welds of BWR core support structure

The effect of hydrostatic test on the residual stress re-distribution was simulated by experiment to confirm the residual stress behavior of the cone-shaped shroud support to reactor pressure vessel (RPV) weld, where a number of cracks due to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) were observed on the inner side only. Test specimen with tensile residual stress was loaded and unloaded with axial plus bending load, which simulates the hydrostatic test load, and the strain change was measured during the test to observe the residual stress behavior. The results verify that the residual stresses of the shroud support to the RPV weld were reduced and the stresses on inner and outer sides were reversed by the hydrostatic test. As the SCC countermeasure, the shot peening (SP) technology was applied. Residual stress reduction by SP on the complicated configuration, and improvement of SCC resistance and endurance of the compressive residual stress were experimentally confirmed. Then, SP treatment procedures on the actual structure were confirmed and a field application technique was established.     

An improved thermal response test for U-tube ground heat exchanger based on optical fiber thermometers

As part of a new thermal response test (TRT) and to determine ground thermal conductivities, vertical temperature profiles were obtained using retrievable optical fiber sensors inserted into the U-tubes of two ground heat exchangers (GHEs) installed at Maebaru City (Fukuoka, Kyushu) and Kushiro City (Hokkaido), Japan. Measured profiles and outlet temperatures from TRTs were history-matched with the cylindrical source function. Nonlinear regression was used to estimate the vertical distribution of ground thermal conductivities. The computed distribution is consistent with measured data indicating both the reliability of the optical fiber thermometer and TRT interpretation. It is expected that TRTs and optical fiber thermometers will prove to be increasingly useful for optimizing the depth of the GHEs installed in heterogeneous formations, and consequently will minimize installation costs of geothermal heat pump systems.     

A New Brushless Half-Speed Synchronous Motor with Q-Axis Squirrel-Cage Damper Winding Driven by Voltage Source Inverter

A new brushless half-speed synchronous motor combined with a voltage source inverter is presented. The diode is inserted into one phase of the stator winding, and then the stationary magnetic field is superimposed on the revolving field. The rotor structure of the proposed motor is composed of the quadrature-axis (q-axis) squirrel-cage damper windings on the salient poles. By superimposing a stationary magnetic field on the stator, the motor is compelled to run at exactly half synchronous speed. For purposes of direct comparison the machine is tested with various configurations of damper windings. The experimental results are shown, and it is proved that the motor has excellent performance. The proposed brushless synchronous motor is very simple, robust, and maintenance-free.     

Fabrication of porous low crystalline calcite block by carbonation of calcium hydroxide compact

Calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) has been widely used as a bone substitute material because of its excellent tissue response and good resorbability. In this experimental study, we propose a new method obtaining porous CaCO₃ monolith for an artificial bone substitute. In the method, calcium hydroxide compacts were exposed to carbon dioxide saturated with water vapor at room temperature. Carbonation completed within 3 days and calcite was the only product. The mechanical strength of CaCO₃ monolith increased with carbonation period and molding pressure. Development of mechanical strength proceeded through two steps; the first rapid increase by bonding with calcite layer formed at the surface of calcium hydroxide particles and the latter increase by the full conversion of calcium hydroxide to calcite. The latter process was thought to be controlled by the diffusion of CO₂ through micropores in the surface calcite layer. Porosity of calcite blocks thus prepared had 36.8–48.1% depending on molding pressure between 1 MPa and 5 MPa. We concluded that the present method may be useful for the preparation of bone substitutes or the preparation of source material for bone substitutes since this method succeeded in fabricating a low-crystalline, and thus a highly reactive, porous calcite block.     

The early stage of fatigue crack growth in martensitic steel

In low ductility and high strength steels, the early stage fatigue behavior associated with non-metallic inclusions is a highly localized phenomenon near the inclusions. However, the nature of the fatigue crack initiation process is not clear. In this paper, a special emphasis is placed on the possible differences in the mechanism of initiation and the early growth of fatigue cracks between a martensitic steel and ordinary ductile materials.The poor adhesion between matrix and aluminum oxide inclusion leads to the formation of an inclusion pit which serves as a simple stress raiser. The fatigue crack originates at the periphery of this inclusion pit at an angle of 45 degrees to the principal stress direction. Metallurgical and micro-fractographical observations revealed that the initiation and early growth of fatigue cracks from non-metallic inclusion are of the shear rather than the tensile mode. Thus, it is concluded that, though the fatigue process is quite localized in the vicinity of inclusion, the mechanism for an initiation and early growth of fatigue cracks is essentially the same as that for ductile materials. The effects of metallurgical heterogeneities in the martensite, such as the prior austenite grain boundaries, packets, and plates on the initiation and early growth of the cracks, are also discussed from the mechanical-metallurgical viewpoint.

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Résumé Dans les aciers à faible ductilité et à haute résistance, le comportement à la fatigue au cours des premiers stades du phénomène est associé aux inclusions non métalliques et présente un caractère hautement localisé au voisinage de l'inclusion. Cependant, la nature du processus d'initiation d'une fissure de fatigue n'est pas claire. Dans ce mémoire, l'accent à été placé sur des différences que l'on peut rencontrer dans le mécanisme d'amorçage et dans le début de la croissance des fissures de fatigue entre un acier martensitique et des matériaux de ductilité normale.La faible liaison existant entre la matrice et une inclusion d'oxyde d'aluminium conduit à la formation d'une singularité associée à l'inclusion qui détermine une croissance de la contrainte. La fissure de fatigue prend naissance à la périphérie de cette singularité à un angle de 45° par rapport à la direction de la contrainte principale. Les observations métallurgiques et micro-fractographiques ont révélé que l'amorçage et le début de croissance des fissures de fatigue à partir d'inclusions métalliques relèvent du cisaillement plutôt que de la traction simple. On conclut donc que, bien que le processus de fatigue est entièrement localisé au voisinage d'une inclusion, le mécanisme d'amorçage et de début de croissance d'une fissure de fatigue est essentiellement le même que dans un matériau ductile. L'effet d'hétérogénéités métallurgiques dans la martensite, tel que les frontières du grain austénitique primaire, les empilements et les plaquettes, peuvent être considérés sur l'amorçage et le début de croissance des fissures de fatigue; ce point est également discuté au point de vue mécanique et métallurgique.

     

Nanoporous magnesium

Nano Research - In this study, we present freestanding nanoporous magnesium as a novel lightweight material with high potential for structural and functional applications. Thus far, the high...