Local residual stress mitigation after curing process by spread fiber tow in carbon fiber-reinforced plastic

The application of the tow spreading technique to wound filaments or woven composites seems promising because of its advantageous strength enhancement mechanism. The effects of tow spreading on the curing progress and the residual stress of the resin were investigated in this study. We hypothesized that the homogeneous distribution of fibers realized by the tow spreading technique suppresses the stress concentration of the resin in the vicinity of close-packed fibers. This hypothesis was examined through finite element simulation using a micro-scale model with the definite separation of fiber and resin. The residual stress and strain after the curing process were investigated using a newly developed simulation system.     

Lattice distortion of porous Si by Li absorption using two-dimensional photoelectron diffraction

Lithiation and delithiation of porous silicon were studied using reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), two-dimensional photoelectron diffraction, and a stereo atom-scope, which is realized by the combination of a display-type spherical mirror analyzer and circularly polarized soft X-ray. A nanosized porous silicon layer was prepared by electrochemical etching of p-type silicon (001) wafer in ethanolic solutions containing hydrofluoric acid. The morphology of the as-grown porous silicon as observed using SEM was filled with about 9 nm holes. This porous silicon also retains the crystallographic orientation of the wafer from which it was etched and is optically active with visible photoluminescence. The measured RHEED pattern and 2π steradian Si 2p photoelectron diffraction pattern from Si (001) surface showed an increase in lattice constant by lithiation, and that change in lattice constant was restored to its original values by delithiation.     

Impact of Wisteria floribunda Agglutinin-Positive Mac-2-Binding Protein in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus-Related Compensated Liver Cirrhosis

We aimed to examine the effect of Wisteria floribunda agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA⁺-M2BP) level on survival comparing with other laboratory liver fibrosis markers in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related compensated liver cirrhosis (LC) (n = 165). For assessing prognostic performance of continuous fibrosis markers, we adapted time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves for clinical outcome. In time-dependent ROC analysis, annual area under the ROCs (AUROCs) were plotted. We also calculated the total sum of AUROCs in all time-points (TAAT score) in each fibrosis marker. WFA⁺-M2BP value ranged from 0.66 cutoff index (COI) to 19.95 COI (median value, 5.29 COI). Using ROC analysis for survival, the optimal cutoff point for WFA⁺-M2BP was 6.15 COI (AUROC = 0.79348, sensitivity = 80.0%, specificity = 74.78%). The cumulative five-year survival rate in patients with WFA⁺-M2BP ≥ 6.15 COI (n = 69) was 43.99%, while that in patients with WFA⁺-M2BP < 6.15 COI (n = 96) was 88.40% (p < 0.0001). In the multivariate analysis, absence of hepatocellular carcinoma (p = 0.0008), WFA⁺-M2BP < 6.15 COI (p = 0.0132), achievement of sustained virological response (p < 0.0001) and des-γ-carboxy prothrombin < 41 mAU/mL (p = 0.0018) were significant favorable predictors linked to survival. In time-dependent ROC analysis in all cases, WFA⁺-M2BP had the highest TAAT score among liver fibrosis markers. In conclusion, WFA⁺-M2BP can be a useful predictor in HCV-related compensated LC.     

Improved technique for measuring the size distribution of black carbon particles in liquid water

We developed an improved technique for measuring the size distribution of black carbon (BC) particles suspended in liquid water to facilitate quantitative studies of the wet deposition of BC. The measurement system, which consists of a nebulizer and a single-particle soot photometer, incorporates two improvements into the system that we developed earlier. First, we extended the upper limit of the detectable BC size from 0.9 μm to about 4.0 μm by modifying the photo-detector for measuring the laser-induced incandescence signal. Second, we introduced a pneumatic nebulizer (Marin-5) with a high extraction efficiency (～50.0%) that was independent of particle diameter up to 2.0 μm. For BC mass concentrations less than 70 μg L^?1, we experimentally showed that the diameters of BC particles did not appreciably change during the Marin-5 extraction process, consistent with theoretical calculations. Finally, we demonstrated by laboratory experiments that the size distributions of ambient BC particles changed little during their growth into cloud droplets under supersaturation of water vapor. Using our improved system, we measured the size distributions of BC particles simultaneously in air and rainwater in Tokyo during summer 2014. We observed that the size distributions of BC particles in rainwater shifted to larger sizes compared with those observed in ambient air, indicating that larger BC particles in air were removed more efficiently by precipitation.

Copyright © 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research     

Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior at Inconel and Low Alloy Steel Weld Interfaces

Three-dimensional microstructure observations, macro- to micro-scopic residual stress measurements by three methods and creviced bent beam SCC tests were performed for Inconel/low alloy steel (LAS) weld samples. The possible reasons for the suppression of SCC crack propagation near the weld interface found at a nuclear power plant were estimated to include the crack branching at the grain boundary (GB) parallel to the interface, i.e., Type II GB, compressive residual stresses in the LAS region and crack tip oxidation in the LAS at the interface. The formation mechanism of Type II GB and stress gradient in individual grains in the Inconel are also discussed.     

Mechanochemical synthesis of zinc-apatitic calcium phosphate and the controlled zinc release for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

In this study, in order to control zinc (Zn)-release from calcium phosphate (CaP), the crystalline forms of CaP-containing Zn were modified by wet ball milling and/or heat treatment. The CaP (CaO:CaHPO₄:ZnO?=?7:20:3, molar ratio) was ground in a ball mill with the addition of purified water, and the ground products were heated to 400?°C and 800?°C. The physicochemical properties of these ground products were measured by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Zn release characteristics from the samples were evaluated using a dissolution tester. The results of XRD and IR suggested that the structures of the starting materials were destroyed after 2.5?h of grinding, and new apatite-like amorphous solid containing Zn was generated. The Zn-release from the ground products was markedly suppressed after 2.5?h of grinding.