Functional characteristics of Bi2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 + δ/ZrN composites

We present the results of investigation of the magnetic, transport, structural, and mechanical properties of composites obtained by introducing finely dispersed zirconium nitride into a matrix of a Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O_{10 + δ} (Bi2223) high-temperature superconductor. It is established that the introduction of ZrN particles in the range of very small concentrations (0.1–0.3 wt %) leads to a significant (more than threefold) increase in the critical current density of Bi2223 and increases the density of the composite, while the microhardness of the superconducting phase remains unchanged.     

Mössbauer study of the Ge two-electron donor centers in PbSe

Mössbauer emission spectroscopy at ⁷³As(⁷³Ge) is used to show that the charge state of the ⁷³Ge antisite defect formed in the anion sublattice after the radioactive transformation of ⁷³As is independent of the position of the Fermi level. In contrast, the ⁷³Ge center in the cation sublattice of PbSe is an electrically active substitutional impurity. For the n-type samples, the spectrum corresponds to the neutral state of the donor center (⁷³Ge²⁺), and for the p-type samples, the spectrum corresponds to the doubly ionized state (⁷³Ge⁴⁺) of this center.     

The characteristics and measuring technique of refractory dissolved organic substances in urban runoff.

It is considered that refractory dissolved organic substances have caused an increase in the COD concentration in Lake Biwa in recent years. We investigated the organic matter in the first flush of stormwater runoff from a road in the watershed area of the lake, and studied the possibility of improvement in the water environment from that aspect. After percolating the stormwater through soil, we analyzed organic substances fractionated by using GPC-TC. And we examined the effect of removal of organic substances by comparing the peak height before and after percolation. In the result of the experiments, we found that soil infiltration reduced the refractory dissolved organic substance and we successfully designed a system for a simple and easy experimental facility to treat urban runoff.     

Steady-state longitudinal vibrations of sectional,physically nonlinear plates

The artile deals with steady-state longitudinal vibrations of plates consisting of curvilinear rings placed one inside the other without interference, under the effect of a harmonic distorting load acting along the outer periphery. The rings are made from different isotropic materials that are physically nonlinear. The problem is solved by the method of successive approximations. In each approximation the sought functions are represented in the form of expansions with respect to a small parameter. Numerical investigations were carried out for plates consiting of two concentrically arranged circular rings.Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 3, pp. 24–27, March, 1991.     

Process and design analysis for ultrafine-pitched wiresweep elimination in advanced copper heat spreader BGA package

The semiconductor device trend for increasing functionalities and performances yet with smaller overall feature sizes presents escalating obstacles to the decreasing form factor along with demanding thermal carrying capability required at the package level. To confront this compounding issue, ultrafine-pitch wirebond interconnect coupled with thermally enhanced copper heat spreader attached to the package are introduced. However, the additional copper heat spreader thickness introduced within the package challenges the design of the package's wire, its loop height, and the molding process control to prevent wire sweeping occurrences. This study investigates the impact of different ultrafine pitched wire types, wire loop designs, copper heat spreader structures, and mold material types on eliminating device short from occurring due to the wire sweeping phenomena. A full factorial experiment is performed using an active silicon device packaged in a thermally enhanced ball grid array (BGA) test vehicle. In addition, test characterization is carried out using x-ray and multiinsertions hot/cold continuity tests. Then, a detailed failure analysis is performed by package decapsulation and scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive x-ray (SEM/EDX) to confirm the experimental findings. In conclusion, the study finds that for an ultrafine-pitched thermally enhanced BGA package, wire type is insignificant to reduce wire shorting occurrences. However, mold material and copper heat spreader structure using an optimized wire loop design are significant factors in eliminating wiresweep shorting phenomena. This study concludes with a wirebond interconnect and heat slug design recommended along with an improved process parameters and assembly material sets found from the experiment.     

Oil Spill Cleanup from Sea Water by Sorbent Materials

Three sorbents were compared in order to determine their potential for oil spill cleanup. Polypropylene nonwoven web, rice hull, and bagasse with two different particle sizes were evaluated in terms of oil sorption capacities and oil recovery efficiencies. Polypropylene can sorb almost 7 to 9 times its weight from different oils. Bagasse, 18 to 45 mesh size, follows polypropylene as the second sorbent in oil spill cleanup. Bagasse, 14 to 18 mesh size, and rice hull have comparable oil sorption capacities, which are lower than those of the two former sorbents. It was found that oil viscosity plays an important role in oil sorption by sorbents. All adsorbents used in this work could remove the oil from the surface of the water preferentially.     

Magnetic Resonance Visualisation of Flow and Pore Structure in Packed Beds with Low Aspect Ratio

Different NMR techniques were combined to obtain the structure and velocity information for a systematic investigation of fixed beds with low aspect ratio (tube diameter to particle diamter, d_t/d_p) in the range 1.4 to 32. The structure of the void space was determined for a variety of packed beds of glass beads or regular and irregular porous pellets by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Based on the images the radial distribution of the voids within the bed was obtained. Ordering effects were found even for non‐spherical and polydisperse particles, and a maximum of the fluid density near the tube wall was confirmed for all pellet geometries and sizes. By combining MRI with velocity encoding, velocity profiles and distributions of flow velocity components of a single fluid phase through packed beds have been acquired. The radial velocity distribution follows an oscillatory pattern which largely reflects the ordering of the particles, which can be accessed from the density distribution of the interparticle fluid. Maximum velocities of up to four times the average value were found to occur near the tube wall. This wall effect was observed for all but the smallest particles, where the aspect ratio was d_t/d_p = 32. Moreover, a visualisation of flow pattern in the presence of packed particles was achieved by using a tagging technique, and the stationary flow field could be identified for an experimental time of several hours.