The High-Temperature Wear and Oxidation Behavior of CrC-Based HVOF Coatings

Three commercially available chromium carbide-based powders with different kinds of matrix (Cr₃C₂-25%NiCr; Cr₃C₂-25%CoNiCrAlY and Cr₃C₂-50%NiCrMoNb) were deposited by an HVOF JP-5000 spraying gun, evaluated and compared. The influence of heat treatment on the microstructure and properties, as well as the oxidation resistance in a hot steam environment (p = 24 MPa; T = 609 °C), was evaluated by SEM and XRD with respect to their potential application in the steam power industry. The sliding wear resistance measured at room and elevated (T = 600 °C) temperatures according to ASTM G-133. For all three kinds of chromium carbide-based coatings, the precipitation of secondary carbides from the supersaturated matrix was observed during the heat treatment. For Cr₃C₂-25%NiCr coating annealed in hot steam environment as well as for Cr₃C₂-25%CoNiCrAlY coating in both environments, the inner carbide oxidation was recorded. The sliding wear resistance was found equal at room temperature, regardless of the matrix composition and content, while at elevated temperatures, the higher wear was measured, varying in dependence on the matrix composition and content. The chromium carbide-based coating with modified matrix composition Cr₃C₂-50%NiCrMoNb is suitable to replace the Cr₃C₂-25%NiCr coating in a hot steam environment to eliminate the risk of failure caused by inner carbide oxidation.     

Non-uniqueness of cohesive-crack stress-separation law of human and bovine bones and remedy by size effect tests

It is shown that if the bilinear stress-separation law of the cohesive crack model is identified from the complete softening load-deflection curve of a notched human bone specimen of only one size, the problem is ill-conditioned and the result is non-unique. The same measured load-deflection curve can be fitted with values of initial fracture energy and tensile strength differing, respectively, by up to 100 and 72.4 % (of the lower value). The material parameters, however, give very different load-deflection curves when the specimen is scaled up or down significantly. This implies that the aforementioned non-uniqueness could be avoided by testing human bone specimens of different sizes. To demonstrate it, tests of notched bovine bone beams of sizes in the ratio of 1: $\sqrt{6}$ :6 are conducted. To minimize random scatter, all the specimens are cut from one and the same bovine bone, even though this limits the number of specimens to 8. A strong size effect is found, but an anomaly in the size effect data trend is obtained, probably due to random scatter and too small a number of specimens. Further it is shown that the optimum range of size effect testing based on Ba?ant’s size effect law approximately coincides with the size range of beams that can be cut from one bovine bone. By size effect fitting of previously published data on human bone, it is shown that the optimum size range calls for beam depths under 10 mm, which is too small for the standard equipment of mechanics of materials labs and would require a special miniaturized precision equipment.     

Identification of viscoelastic C-S-H behavior in mature cement paste by FFT-based homogenization method

A powerful and robust numerical homogenization method based on fast Fourier transform (FFT) is formulated to identify the viscoelastic behavior of calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) in hardened cement paste from its heterogeneous composition. The identification is contingent upon the linearity of the creep law. To characterize cement paste microstructure, the model developed by Bentz at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which has the resolution of 1 μm, is adopted. Model B3 for concrete creep is adapted to characterize the creep of C-S-H in cement paste. It is found that the adaptation requires increasing the exponent of power law asymptote of creep compliance. This modification means that the rate of attenuation of creep with time is lower in C-S-H than in cement paste, and is explained by differences in stress redistribution. In cement paste, the stress is gradually transferred from the creeping C-S-H to the non-creeping components. The viscoelastic properties of C-S-H at the resolution of 1 μm were identified from creep experiments on cement pastes 2 and 30 years old, having the water-cement ratio of 0.5. The irreversible part of C-S-H creep, obtained from these old specimens at almost saturated state, is found to be negligible unless the specimens undergo drying and resaturation prior to the creep test.     

Modeling and numerical analysis of counter-current dialyzer at steady state

A mathematical model of a continuous counter-current dialyzer in the case of the transport of one component, which is based on the mass balance and balance of transported component, has been presented. It enables users to calculate the component recovery yield if parameters of the dialyzer (height, dimensions of compartments), parameters of the membrane (thickness, partition coefficients, diffusivity of the component in the membrane, flux of solution through the membrane), parameters of liquids in both the compartments (density, viscosity, diffusivity of the component) and parameters of streams entering the dialyzer (component concentration, volumetric liquid flow rate) are specified.     

Ternary polymer electrolytes with 1-methylimidazole based ionic liquids and aprotic solvents

New polymer gel electrolytes containing ionic liquids were developed for modern chemical power sources—supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries. Ternary systems polymer-ionic liquid-aprotic solvent as well as materials containing also lithium salts (LiClO₄ or LiPF₆) were prepared by direct, thermally initiated polymerisation. Poly(2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate) PEOEMA was combined with various ionic liquids based on 1-methylimidazole. Only 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate BMIPF₆ formed a homogenous and slightly translucent polymer electrolyte, where aprotic solvents—propylene carbonate and ethylene carbonates were used as plasticisers. Materials were studied using the electrochemical and thermogravimetric methods and exhibit high ionic conductivity up to 0.94 mS cm⁻¹ at 25 °C together with high electrochemical stability: the accessible potential window on the glassy carbon was found ca. 4.3 V. Prepared non-volatile materials are long-term and thermally stable up to 150 °C.     

Homogeneous nucleation rate at various initial supersaturations in a closed system

The rate of formation of nuclei in a closed system is studied by numerical solution of kinetic equations at various supersaturations. Depletion of vapor (decrease of supersaturation) due to the phase transition process is taken into account. At a relatively low value of initial supersaturations, the decrease of supersaturation is negligible. At somewhat higher initial supersaturations, the phase transition process is more intense and the decrease of supersaturation plays an important role. As a consequence the nucleation rate after reaching a maximum decreases with time and for sufficiently long times only the nuclei of certain size are formed. At high initial supersaturation the nucleation rate for subcritical cluster sizes is negative, i.e. the number of subcritical clusters tends to get reduced. Critical size increases with time due to lowered supersaturation.     

Justification and refinements of model B3 for concrete creep and shrinkage 1. statistics and sensitivity

Model B3 for creep and shrinkage prediction in the design of concrete structures, presented as a RILEM Recommendation inMater Struct.28 (1995) 357–365, is calibrated by a computerized data bank comprising practically all the relevant test data obtained in various laboratories throughout the world. The coefficients of variation of deviations of the model from the data are distinctly smaller than for the latest CEB model, and much smaller than for the previous ACI model (which was developed in the mid-1960's). The effect of concrete composition and design strength on the model parameters is identified as the main source of error. The model is simpler than the previous models (BP and BP-KX) developed at Northwestern University, yet it has comparable accuracy and is more rational.