Estimation of permeation rate of chemicals through elastometric materials

Elastometric materials are used as barriers to protect workers against exposure to chemicals. The effectiveness of a polymer as a chemical protective material therefore depends on the rate of the permeation of chemicals through it. The permeation rate depends on the solubility and the diffusion coefficient of chemicals in the materials. The diffusion coefficient itself is a strong function of concentration of the chemicals in the polymeric material. Permeation rates can be measured directly using a permeation cell or they can be calculated from the solubility and the diffusion coefficient data. Sorption/desorption experiments can be used to determine solubility and an expression for the diffusion coefficient in terms of concentration. Experiments were conducted for the sorption and desorption of ethyl acetate in three glove (one butyl and two neoprene materials) and two garment (neoprene and chlorinated polyethylene) materials. The data collected were used to estimate the steady‐state permeation rates of ethyl acetate through the materials. The results of the experiments show that the solubility of ethyl acetate in butyl rubber is 0.795 g/cm³, and the steady‐state permeation rate is 0.32 μg cm⁻² s⁻¹. The solubility of the chemical through the three neoprene materials is in the range of 2.25–5.31 g/cm³, and the steady‐state permeation rates vary from 27 to 43 μg cm⁻² s⁻¹. The solubility of ethyl acetate in the chlorinated polyethylene is 7.14 g/cm³, and the steady‐state permeation rate is 62.43 μg cm⁻² s⁻¹. The experimental method is very simple to use and it requires a small sample of the material (less than 1 cm²) and only a few milliliters of the chemical. Sorption/desorption experiments can also provide information on the amount of additives extracted from an elastomeric material during contact with a chemical. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 1265–1272, 2001     

Design and evaluation of an efficient traffic control scheme for integrated voice,video, and data over asynchronous transfer mode networks: Explicit allowed rate algorithm

Asychronous transfer mode (ATM) networks are high‐speed networks with guaranteed quality of service. The main cause of congestion in ATM networks is over utilization of physical bandwidth. Unlike constant bit‐rate (CBR) traffic, the bandwidth reserved by variable bit‐rate (VBR) traffic is not fully utilized at all instances. Hence, this unused bandwidth is allocated to available bit‐rate (ABR) traffic. As the bandwidth used by VBR traffic changes, available bandwidth for ABR traffic varies; i.e., available bandwidth for ABR traffic is inversely proportional to the bandwidth used by the VBR traffic. Based on this fact, a rate‐based congestion control algorithm, Explicit Allowed Rate Algorithm (EARA), is presented in this paper. EARA is compared with Proportional Rate Control Algorithm (PRCA) and Explicit Rate Indication Congestion Avoidance Algorithm (ERICA), in both LAN and WAN environments. Simulations of all three algorithms are conducted under both congestion and fairness configurations with simultaneous generation of CBR, rt‐VBR, nrt‐VBR and ABR traffic. The results show that, with very small over‐head on the switch, EARA significantly decreases the required buffer space and improves the network throughput. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of Bonding Temperature on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of WC–Co/Steel Diffusion Brazed Joint

In this work, the diffusion brazing of AISI 4145 steel to WC–Co cemented carbide using RBCuZn-D interlayer with bonding temperature values of 930, 960, 990 and 1020 °C was studied. The microstructure of the joint zone was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Vickers microhardness and shear strength tests were performed to investigate mechanical behaviors of the brazed joints. The XRD and SEM results indicated that with increase of bonding temperature, the elements readily diffused along the interface and formed various compounds such as γ, α and β and Co₃W₃C. The results also showed that with the increase of bonding temperature from 930 to 960 °C, a sound metallurgical bond was produced, however in higher bonding temperatures (990 and 1020 °C) a decrease in mechanical properties of the joints was observed which could be due to the excessive zinc evaporation, interface heterogeneity and voids formation. The maximum shear strength of 425 MPa was obtained for the bond made at 960 °C.     

Petrographic and petrophysical characterization of some Paleozoic rocks,Um Bogma area,Southwest Sinai,Egypt

Sixty-two samples were collected from the five formations at Um Bogma area, (Southwest Sinai, Egypt). Nine samples were collected from Sarabit El Khedim Formation, ten samples were collected from Abu Hamata Formation, eighteen samples were collected from Adedia Formation, eight samples were collected from Um Bogma Formation and eighteen samples were collected from Abu Thora Formation.The Paleozoic rocks at Um Bogma area, consist mainly of sandstones, siltstones, shales, limestone and dolostones, which are unconformably overlie igneous and metamorphic rocks (granite, diorite and gneiss) of Precambrian age.The petrographic studies were applied to identify different rock units, different facies and its diagenetic history and to reveal its effect on the storage capacity properties. Different types of porosity (oversized, intergranular, fracture and vuggy porosities) have been identified based on the petrographic investigation of the studied thin sections.The Paleozoic sandstone rock samples are characterized by porosity average about 19% for Facies 1 (quartz wack) and about 18%for Facies 2 (quartz arenite) and permeability average 420?mD for Facies 1 (quartz wack) and 690?mD for Facies 2 (quartz arenite), so these rocks can be considered as good reservoir rocks. The Paleozoic carbonate rock samples (Facies 3) are characterized by poor porosity (less than 7%) and very low permeability (less than 0.5?mD), which caused by matrix and diagenetic processes and refer to bad reservoir rocks.Porosity can be linked to the two derived electrical properties (formation resistivity factor and electrical tortuosity) of the studied Paleozoic rocks at Um Bogma area. The electrical tortuosity has significant effects on both permeability and formation resistivity factor. The permeability decreases with increasing electrical tortuosity and the relation between both of them is inverse relationship with good coefficient of correlation. The permeability decreases with increasing electrical tortuosity and the relations between both of them are inverse relationships with high coefficient of correlation. The formation resistivity factor increases with increasing electrical tortuosity and the relations between both of them are positive relationships with a fair to very high coefficient of correlation.     

Current rectification with poly-l-lysine-coated quartz nanopipettes

Ion current rectification with quartz nanopipette electrodes was investigated through the control of the surface charge. The presence and absence of a positively charged poly-l-lysine (PLL) coating resulted in the rectified current with opposite polarity. The results agreed with the theories developed for current-rectifying conical nanopores, suggesting the similar underlying mechanism among asymmetric nanostructure in general. This surface condition dependence can be used as the fundamental principle of multi-purpose real-time in vivo biosensors.     

Volume computed tomography air kerma index and image quality evaluation in Brazil

The aim of this study was to evaluate the image quality of 29 computed tomography (CT) scanners in Brazil and to perform estimations of patient dose and image quality of common CT examinations at these equipment. The volume CT air kerma indexes (C(VOL)) were estimated, using normalised weighted air kerma indexes, supplied by the ImPACT group. The image quality tests were performed using the phantom and accreditation protocol from the American College of Radiology (ACR). The C(VOL) values for head scans varied between 8.7 and 108 mGy. The Hi-res chest examinations presented C(VOL) values varying from 0.4 to 32 mGy. For abdominal scans, the estimated C(VOL) values varied between 4.1 and 94 mGy. This wide variation of air kerma between different centres is related to the scanner type and also to the scanning parameters. The results also showed that the image quality did not attend all ACR CT accreditation requirements.     

Experimental realization of optical lumped nanocircuits at infrared wavelengths

The integration of radiofrequency electronic methodologies on micro- as well as nanoscale platforms is crucial for information processing and data-storage technologies. In electronics, radiofrequency signals are controlled and manipulated by 'lumped' circuit elements, such as resistors, inductors and capacitors. In earlier work, we theoretically proposed that optical nanostructures, when properly designed and judiciously arranged, could behave as nanoscale lumped circuit elements--but at optical frequencies. Here, for the first time we experimentally demonstrate a two-dimensional optical nanocircuit at mid-infrared wavelengths. With the guidance of circuit theory, we design and fabricate arrays of Si3N4 nanorods with specific deep subwavelength cross-sections, quantitatively evaluate their equivalent impedance as lumped circuit elements in the mid-infrared regime, and by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy show that these nanostructures can indeed function as two-dimensional optical lumped circuit elements. We further show that the connections among nanocircuit elements, in particular whether they are in series or in parallel combination, can be controlled by the polarization of impinging optical signals, realizing the notion of 'stereo-circuitry' in metatronics-metamaterials-inspired optical circuitry.     

Cyclic behavior of concentrically braced frames with built-up braces composed of channel sections

Concentrically braced frames are earthquake resistant systems commonly used in buildings. Seismic behavior of this type of structures is affected by their configurations, brace properties, and brace to gusset plate connections. In this paper, the results of three experiments conducted to investigate the cyclic behavior of concentrically braced frames with braces built-up of double channels are reported. Significant damage was observed in beam to column connections. Large out of plane deformation of braces caused some cracks in the connector welds; however they did not result in fracture. Although large drift was applied to the frames, no brace fracture was observed. Furthermore, experiments showed that the majority of compressive strength in post-buckling state and a noticeable portion of tensile strength originated from frame action. By choosing connector spacing as the main parameter and using finite element models, a parametric study was performed to investigate the effect of this parameter on this type of frames with two different details of brace to gusset plate connections. It is observed that reducing the connector spacing increases the inelastic strain demand in braces and decreases it in gusset plates. However, gusset plates, which accommodate 2t linear clearance, are less dependent on connector spacing, compared to those accommodating 6t elliptical clearance. It seems that the limitations of slenderness ratio of individual section, stipulated in current seismic provisions, need further study.     

Eco-friendly biodiesel production from olive oil waste using solar energy

This study was carried out to produce biodiesel from olive oil waste by transesterification reaction. Several important reaction variables (the weight ratio of oil to methanol, the temperature, and reaction time) were evaluated to obtain a high quality of biodiesel fuel that meets authentic standards. Solar energy was applied for the transesterification reaction and electricity generated by photovoltaic panels was used to power a motor for mixing the reaction solution.