A mathematical model for prediction of microporosity in aluminum alloy A356

In the present work, a mathematical model was developed based on finite difference method to predict the microporosity distribution in A356 aluminum alloy casting. Heat, mass, and gas conservation equations were solved in this model. Moreover, Darcy’s equation was considered in the mushy zone. Results show that the distribution and concentration of microporosities in cast parts vary with both cooling rate and initial gas content. Simulation results were compared with experimental data where proportionally good agreement with experimental results was found. Finally, a complex cast part was simulated presenting the ability of the model to predict the porosities in industrial cast parts.     

Influence of prior cold working on the tribological behavior of Cu–0.65 wt.%Cr alloy

The influence of prior cold working on the friction and wear behavior of Cu–0.65 wt.%Cr alloy under dry sliding against a steel disk was investigated on a pin-on-disk wear tester. The worn surfaces and debrises of Cu–Cr alloy were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectrum. The results indicated that prior cold working and aging had an effect on the hardness and wear resistance of Cu–Cr alloy; in other words hardness and wear rate increased with the amount of cold working. At constant aging temperature, the wear rate of Cu–Cr alloys increase with cold working and reached maximum at 50% cold working. At constant amount of cold working aged specimens at 500 °C shows higher wear resistance than 450 °C. Crack initiation and propagation in the tribolayer and at the interface of subsurface and tribolayer was the dominant mechanism during the sliding process.     

Electrochemical mass transfer measurements in a Y‐bifurcation model

A novel technique was used to fabricate nickel flow models of a straight pipe and a Y‐bifurcation. These were used to obtain integral mass transfer coefficients by the electrochemical technique. For the straight pipe, good agreement was obtained with previously reported mass transfer correlations. The use of an upstream anode in addition to the downstream anode led to higher mass transfer at the cathode with laminar flow because of the additional near‐wall ions produced by the upstream anode. With increasing Schmidt number, the effect of transition from laminar to turbulent flow on mass transfer was delayed to progressively higher Reynolds numbers because of the reduced mass transfer boundary layer thickness relative to the viscous sublayer. With the Y‐bifurcation, possible flow separation and the formation of a new mass transfer boundary layer in the daughter branches significantly influence the mass transfer behaviour.     

Tribological degradation of two vegetable‐based lubricants at elevated temperatures

Renewable‐based lubricants are being considered as potential alternatives to petroleum‐based lubricants for various reasons, mainly increased environmental sensitivity. However, understanding the tribological performance of such vegetable‐based lubricants under elevated temperatures is critical for their industrial implementation. This study focuses on the friction and abrasion rate characteristics of soybean and sunflower base oils in comparison to a base mineral oil under sliding wear at elevated temperatures. It was found that the abrasion rate and friction were less severe for the vegetable‐based lubricants up to temperatures around 100°C. The observed performance of the vegetable‐based lubricants was verified using a kinetic reaction mechanism model of lubricant degradation. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nonlinear control techniques for an atomic force microscope system

Two nonlinear control techniques are proposed for an atomic force microscope system. Initially, a learning-based control algorithm is developed for the microcantilever-sample system that achieves asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for periodic trajectories. Specifically, the control approach utilizes a learning-based feedforward term to compensate for periodic dynamics and high-gain terms to account for non-periodic dynamics. An adaptive control algorithm is then developed to achieve asymptotic cantilever tip tracking for bounded tip trajectories despite uncertainty throughout the system parameters. Simulation results are provided to illttstrate the efficacy and performance of the control strategies.     

Controlled release from polyurethane films: Drug release mechanisms

In this study, polyurethane-films loaded with diclofenac were used to analyze the drug release kinetics and mechanisms. For this purpose, the experimental procedures were developed under static and dynamic conditions with different initial drug loads of 10, 20, and 30%. In the dynamic condition, to better simulate the biological flow, drug release measurements were investigated at flow rates of 7.5 and 23.5 ml/s. These values indicate the flow rate of the internal carotid artery (ICA) for a normal state of a body and for a person during the exercise, respectively. The experimental data were analyzed and adjusted by Higuchi, Korsmeyer–Peppas, First-order, zero-order, and Peppas–Sahlin models in order to understand the mechanisms contributed. Finally, drug release mechanisms were specified by investigating the model correlation coefficients. Experimental results showed that increasing the flow rate and initial drug loads enhance drug liberation. In addition, the rate of release is more influenced by the drug dosage in the static state. The analysis revealed that diffusion, burst, and osmotic pressure are the principal mechanisms contributed. Moreover, Fickian type was the dominant mechanism at all duration of release. However, it was discovered using Peppas–Sahlin model that the contribution of the diffusion mechanism decreases with increasing flow rate and initial dosage. Furthermore, the tests at different drug dosages showed that the number of stages in medication release profile is independent of the flow rate and the medicine percentage. One can conclude that the drug release kinetic in static state is more influenced by drug dosage compared with dynamic state.     

通州门楼 中国北京

正在距北京三十英里的地方,一个由200多名具有国际知名度的中国艺术家组成的社区,缺乏一个互动吸引点、艺术展示区或接待场所。一个由艺术家、评论家和代理人组成的财团收购了一处地产,准备为通州的艺术组织建设一个这样的项目。这是一个分期项目,已完工的首期是门楼,包括定居在此的艺术家们的住房和工作室。项目场址被一堵现有的砖墙隔开,一边是一片树林,另一边是一片贫瘠的工业场