A comparative study of the corrosion protective properties of chromium and chromium free passivation methods

Commercially available passivation methods for white-rust protection of hot-dip galvanized steel have been investigated. The passivations were either based on trivalent chromium or chromium free. A chromate based conversion coating was used for reference. The treated panels were tested with regard to white rust protection and paintability. The surface chemistry of the conversion coatings was monitored with scanning Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Coating thicknesses were measured using Auger electron sputter depth profiling.The passivations were applied with a thickness recommended by the supplier and thus showed large variation. The thickness of the chromium free passivation (Cr-free) is approximately 75 nm. The coating contains the active ions; H₃O⁺, Ti⁴⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, PO₄³⁻. The passivation based on trivalent chromium (Cr-III) is approximately 30 nm thick and contains the active ions; H₃O⁺ Cr³⁺, PO₄³⁻, F. The chromate based passivation (Cr-VI) is approximately 5 nm thick and contains the active ions Cr⁶⁺/Cr³⁺, F⁻.The Cr-free and the Cr-III passivations showed similar white rust protection in the corrosion tests. The corrosion resistance was good although it did not fully reach the level of the Cr-VI passivation. The results from the tests of the painted panels showed that the powder paint worked well on all three passivations. The solvent born paint worked best on the passivation based on trivalent chromium. The water born paint showed poor resistance to blistering in the Cleveland humidity test for all three passivations. In this test the passivation with hexavalent chromium showed slightly better results than the chromate free passivations.     

A study of airborne wear particles generated from organic railway brake pads and brake discs

Brake pads on wheel-mounted disc brakes are often used in rail transport due to their good thermal properties and robustness. During braking, both the disc and the pads are worn. This wear process generates particles that may become airborne and thus affect human health. The long term purpose of ‘Airborne particles in Rail transport’ project is to gain knowledge on the wear mechanisms in order to find means of controlling the number and size distribution of airborne particles. In this regard, a series of full-scale field tests and laboratory tests with a pin-on-disc machine have been conducted. The morphology and the matter of particles, along with their size distribution and concentration, have been studied. The validity of results from the pin-on-disc simulation has been verified by the field test results. Results show an ultra-fine peak for particles with a diameter size around 100 nm in diameter, a dominant fine peak for particles with a size of around 350 nm in diameter, and a coarse peak with a size of 3–7 μm in diameter. Materials such as iron, copper, aluminum, chromium, cobalt, antimony, and zinc have been detected in the nano-sized particles.     

Note: fast and reliable fracture strain extraction technique applied to silicon at nanometer scale

Simple fabrication process and extraction procedure to determine the fracture strain of monocrystalline silicon are demonstrated. Nanowires/nanoribbons in silicon are fabricated and subjected to uniaxial tensile stress along the complete length of the beams. Large strains up to 5% are measured for nanowires presenting a cross section of 50 nm × 50 nm and a length of 2.5 μm. An increase in fracture strain for silicon nanowires (NWs) with the downscaling of their volume is observed, highlighting the reduction of the defects probability as volume is decreased.     

Elasto-plastic model for analysis of influence of imperfections on stiffness of fully anchored light-frame timber shear walls

In order to stabilize timber-framed buildings against lateral loads, the diaphragm action of roofs, floors and walls is often used. This paper deals with the influence of imperfections such as gaps and uplift on the stiffness and the horizontal displacement of fully anchored shear walls. The significance of analyzing the effects of imperfections is evident when evaluating the stiffness of shear walls; tests of walls show that the horizontal displacement is underestimated in calculations using the stiffness of sheathing-to-framing joints as obtained from experiments. Also, in real structures where hold-downs are used, the influence of gaps and uplift should be included in order to obtain realistic displacements in the serviceability limit state. The analytical model is based on ideal plastic behavior of the mechanical sheathing-to-timber joints with stresses parallel to the perimeter of the frame and on linear elastic behavior for stresses perpendicular to the bottom rail. Using this elasto-plastic model, the equations for the stiffness and the deflection versus the number of segments in the wall are derived. The fully anchored condition for the shear walls is simulated by applying a diagonal load to the shear wall. Three types of imperfections are evaluated: Walls with gaps at all studs, a gap only at the trailing stud, and gaps at all studs, except at the trailing stud. It is shown that the effect of imperfections on the stiffness of the wall in the initial stage is considerable. Depending on the distribution of the gaps and the number of segments included in the shear wall, the displacement of the shear wall is increased several times compared to that of a fully anchored wall diaphragm with no gaps; e.g. for a single segment wall more than four times. However, for walls with more than six segments the effect of imperfections can be neglected. Finally, the theoretical model is experimentally verified.     

High-throughput screening for kinase inhibitors

Following G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), protein kinases have become the second most important class of targets for drug discovery over the last 20 years. While only four kinase inhibitors have reached the market to date (Fasudil for rho-dependent kinase, Rapamycin for TOR, Gleevec for BCR-Abl, and Iressa for EGFR), many more are already in clinical development. A historical overview of kinase inhibitors was recently published by Cohen. [1] After the previous successes, protein kinases are now regarded as attractive, well-drugable targets, and the analysis of the human genome has yielded 518 protein kinases. [2] We can thus expect screening for protein kinase inhibitors to become even more important in the future. In this review we will focus on the early steps of drug discovery programs producing new lead compounds. We will guide the reader through efficient state-of-the-art assay development and high-throughput screening of large chemical libraries for protein kinase inhibitors.     

A model for micro-slip between flat surfaces based on deformation of ellipsoidal elastic bodies

Micro-slip is a phenomenon that occurs between contacting surfaces when a frictional load, less than that necessary to produce macro-slip, is applied to the contacting surfaces. A model is presented for micro-slip between a flat smooth surface and a flat rough surface. The rough surface is covered with uniformly distributed ellipsoidal elastic bodies. The results from two test cases show that anisotropy of the contacting surfaces influences the tangential stiffness at zero displacement, the length of the micro-slip zone and the energy dissipated in the contact.     

Dual-magnetron open field sputtering system for sideways deposition of thin films

A dual-magnetron system for deposition inside tubular substrates has been developed. The two magnetrons are facing each other and have opposing magnetic fields forcing electrons and thereby also ionized material to be transported radially towards the substrate. The depositions were made employing direct current magnetron sputtering (DCMS) and high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS). To optimize the deposition rate, the system was characterized at different separation distances between the magnetrons under the same sputtering conditions. The deposition rate is found to increase with increasing separation distance independent of discharge technique. The emission spectrum from the HiPIMS plasma shows a highly ionized fraction of the sputtered material. The electron densities of the order of 10¹⁶ m^− 3 and 10¹⁸ m^− 3 have been determined in the DCMS and the HiPIMS plasma discharges respectively. The results demonstrate a successful implementation of the concept of sideways deposition of thin films providing a solution for coating complex shaped surfaces.     

A simplified analysis method for composite beams with interlayer slip

A simplified static procedure is proposed for analysing and designing composite beams with interlayer slip. The method is parallel to the Eurocode 5 method, but it is general in nature and can be applied to arbitrary boundary and loading conditions. In contrast with Eurocode 5, a general and correct way of choosing the effective beam length of the problem is given by the present procedure, which is that the effective beam length equals the buckling length that is found in the corresponding column buckling problem. The procedure predicts the deflections and internal actions and stresses, in principle by replacing the fully composite bending stiffness (EI_∞) with the effective (partially) composite bending stiffness (EI_eff) in the expressions for these quantities in the corresponding fully composite beam. This effective bending stiffness depends on two non-dimensional parameters: the composite action parameter (shear connection stiffness) and the relative bending stiffness parameter. The method is applied to a number of simple practical cases and the results obtained have been compared with the exact values. The applicability of the simplified analysis procedure was found to be very good, except for interlayer shear stresses. The error in the Eurocode 5 procedure, as compared with the method proposed in this paper, can in some cases be up to almost 30% depending on the boundary conditions.     

Exact dynamic analysis of composite beams with partial interaction

The partial differential equations and general solutions for the deflection and internal actions and the pertaining consistent boundary conditions are presented for composite Euler-Bernoulli members with interlayer slip subjected to general dynamic loading. Both free and forced vibrations are treated. The solutions are shown to be unique and complete under certain conditions, and valid for all so-called restricted admissible boundary conditions. Specifically, the exact eigenmode length coefficients are derived for the four Euler BC. They differ from those valid for ordinary, fully composite (solid) beams, except for the pinned-pinned case. The maximum deviation for beams with the other three Euler BC is shown to be less than 2-6% with respect to the eigenmode length coefficient and 3-10% with respect to the eigenfrequency, respectively, depending on the two non-dimensional parameters, composite action or shear connector stiffness and relative bending stiffness parameters. However, these deviations occur in a rather narrow range of the determining parameters, so for most practical cases the eigenmode length coefficients given for solid (fully composite) beams can approximately be used also for partially composite beams. The procedures of analysing beam vibrations are applied to a specific case. These solutions illustrate the effect of interlayer connection on the peak velocity of the beam vibrations. The proposed analytical theory is verified by tests and finite element calculations.     

On-board sample cleaver

An on-board sample cleaver has been developed in order to cleave small and hard-to-cleave samples. To acquire good cleaves from rigid samples the alignment of the cleaving blade with respect to the internal crystallographic planes is crucial. To have the opportunity to mount the sample and align it to the blade ex situ has many advantages. The design presented has allowed us to cleave very tiny and rigid samples, e.g., the high-temperature superconductor La((2-x))Sr(x)CuO(4). Further, in this design the sample and the cleaver will have the same temperature, allowing us to cleave and keep the sample at low temperature. This is a big advantage over prior cleaver systems. As a result, better surfaces and alignments can be realized, which considerably simplifies and improves the experiments.