ESR studies of solvent penetration into polymer-blend-like material: Particles formed from poly(methyl methacrylate) and polyisobutylene

Solvent penetration into nonaqueous dispersions (NAD) of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) sterically stabilized by PIB were studied by ESR spectroscopy. These colloidal particles were exposed to dilute solution of spin probe 3-carbomoyl 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl 3-pyrolin-1-yloxy and the bimodal distribution of ESR spectra of this probe molecules were carefully monitored as a function of time. Fickian type diffusion of spin probes into the particles was observed and a spherical model was employed to obtain the diffusion coefficients (D) in various solvents. D values were found around 10^?15 cm²/s, and interpreted as the parameter, inversely proportional to the apparent viscosity of the environment inside the colloid particle. Maximum amount of diffused solvent molecules (M_∞) into the PMMA particle was found inversely proportional to polymer-solvent interaction through the solubility parameters. The interconnected network of PIB was found to be responsible for the penetration of spin-probe (i.e., solvent) molecules into the glassy PMMA phase and/or PIB-PMMA interface.     

Modification of polybutadienes by catalytic and photochemical decomposition of dimethyldiazomalonate

Modifications of polybutadienes via catalytic and photolytic decomposition of dimethyldiazomalonate (dmdm) are described. This method pertains to the generation of highly reactive carbenes which give rise to the formation of addition and insertion products. Chemical structures of the modified polymers were confirmed by NMR spectroscopy. It was found that carbene dimers were also formed in a significant extent depending on the molecular weight and microstructure of the initial polymers.     

Polymers with acyloxime ester groups in the main chain. 2. Photochemical synthesis of block copolymers

Block copolymers of styrene and methyl methacrylate (MMA) were prepared in a two-stage free-radical polymerization by means of an azo-acyloxime ester (AOE) initiator. In the first stage, photosensitive styrene prepolymers were synthesized by using AOE initiator. These polymers were photolysed in the presence of MMA in the second stage to form block copolymers. The block copolymer structure was elucidated by means of extraction by appropriate solvents, GPC analysis and IR and NMR spectral measurements.     

Potential of varietal resistance and Piper guineense seed oil to control infestation of stored millet seeds and processed products by Tribolium castaneum (Herbst)

Three grain forms (whole grains, broken grains and wholemeal flour) of three improved varieties (ICMV-N89305, GB8735 and Sosat) developed at ICRISAT (Patancheru, India), one cultivar which originated in Zimbabwe (Zimbabwean dwarf) and two local cultivars (Ex-borno and Gwagwa), of pearl millet were compared for their susceptibility to the rust-red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) under tropical storage conditions. The biological effects of Piper guineense seed oil were also investigated on T. castaneum confined on similar forms of millet (Ex-borno) contained in ventilated or unventilated devices. Mortality of adult flour beetles was significantly higher on whole grains of GB8735 (99.7%), Gwagwa (92.3%) and Ex-borno (77.7%) stored in unventilated glass jars than on whole grains of Zimbabwean dwarf (52.7%) stored in a similar device. The number of adult progeny was significantly higher in wholemeal flour than in broken grains; the number in broken grains was significantly higher than that in whole grains. Development of the beetle was significantly longer in GB8735 than in Zimbabwean dwarf and the overall susceptibility of Zimbabwean dwarf was significantly higher than that of ICMV-N89305. Susceptibility of the cultivars increased with decreasing grain particle size; susceptibility indices for the whole grains, broken grains and wholemeal flour were 2.52, 12.14 and 14.16, respectively. Significantly fewer beetles developed in grains/products treated with P. guineense seed oil than in untreated grains/products. The unventilated glass jar retained the biological efficacy of the two lower dosages (20 and 40 mg/10 g) of P. guineense seed oil significantly more than the ventilated clay pot or polypropylene sack.     

Direct adaptive control of end milling process

A direct adaptive control algorithm, which is spindle speed and drive dynamics independent, has been developed for machining operations. The combined dynamics of feed motion and cutting process are modelled as a third order system whose parameters may vary with spindle speed and part geometry changes during machining. The algorithm does not use any specific time interval, thus sampling time dependent discrete transfer functions and pole assignments are avoided. The adaptive controller is designed to have a closed loop characteristic function which behaves like an open loop regular and stable machining operation. The proposed direct adaptive controller is practical, can be used in any multi-axes machining, and can be combined with chatter suppression techniques which require spindle speed regulation. The algorithm is applied to the adaptive control of milling. Satisfactory results are obtained in constraining the maximum cutting forces and dimensional surface errors in milling experiments.     

Effects of Combined Heat and Mass Transfer on Entropy Generation due to MHD Nanofluid Flow over a Rotating Frame

The current investigation aims to explore the combined effects of heat and mass transfer on free convection of Sodium alginate-Fe3O4 based Brinkmann type nanofluid flow over a vertical rotating frame. The Tiwari and Das nanofluid model is employed to examine the effects of dimensionless numbers, including Grashof, Eckert, and Schmidt numbers and governing parameters like solid volume fraction of nanoparticles, Hall current, magnetic field, viscous dissipation, and the chemical reaction on the physical quantities. The dimensionless nonlinear partial differential equations are solved using a finite difference method known as Runge-Kutta Fehlberg (RKF-45) method. The variation of dimensionless velocity, temperature, concentration, skin friction, heat, and mass transfer rate, as well as for entropy generation and Bejan number with governing parameters, are presented graphically and are provided in tabular form. The results reveal that the Nusselt number increases with an increase in the solid volume fraction of nanoparticles. Furthermore, the rate of entropy generation and Bejan number depends upon the magnetic field and the Eckert number.     

Effect of filler content on the structure‐property behavior of poly(ethylene oxide) based polyurethaneurea‐silica nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) based polyurethaneurea‐silica nanocomposites were prepared by solution blending and characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry and tensile testing. The colloidal silica nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm were synthesized by modified Stöber method in isopropanol. Silica particles were incorporated into three cycloaliphatic polyurethaneurea (PUs) copolymers based on PEO oligomers with molecular weights of 2,000, 4,600, and 8,000 g/mol. Hard segment content of PUs was constant at 30% by weight. Silica content of the PU nanocomposites varied between 1 and 20% by weight. Soft segment (SS) glass transition and melting temperatures slightly increased with increasing filler content for all the copolymers. Degree of SS crystallinity first increased with 1% silica incorporation and subsequently decreased by further silica addition. Elastic modulus and tensile strengths of PU copolymers gradually increased with increasing amount of the silica filler. Elongation at break values gradually decreased in PEO‐2000 based PU copolymer with increasing silica content, whereas no significant change was observed in PUs based on PEO‐4600 and PEO‐8000. Enhancement in tensile properties of the materials was mainly attributed to the homogeneous distribution of silica filler in polymer matrices and strong polymer‐filler interactions. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 58:1097–1107, 2018. © 2017 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Comparison of measured rain attenuation in the 10.982‐GHz band with predictions and sensitivity analysis

The campaign to collect rain attenuation data on terrestrial links had commenced in Malaysian tropical climates for almost two decades. The terrestrial data so far collected have been greatly utilized to derive useful statistics for various microwave applications, such as frequency scaling, rain rate conversion factor, 1‐min rain rate contour maps, wet antenna losses, and fade slope duration analysis. However, there is still severe scarcity of rain attenuation data on earth–space links in Malaysia. The results of the 2‐year measurement (January 2009–December 2010) of rain rates and rain‐induced attenuation in vertically polarized signals propagating at 10.982 GHz have been presented in this paper. The rain attenuation over the link path was measured at Islamic International University Malaysia and compared with ITU‐R P.618‐10 and Crane global models in this paper. The test results show that the two prediction models seem inadequate for predicting rain attenuation in the Ku‐band in Malaysia. Sensitivity analysis performed on measured data also reveals that the sensitivity variables depend on rain rate. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigation on Wear Behavior of Steels Coated with WC by ESD Technique

Protection of Metals and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces - Electro-spark deposition (ESD) or low energy welding (LEW) technique allows the coating of metallic materials with different metal and...     

Uniform theory for the diffraction of evanescent plane waves

A uniform diffracted field is obtained in terms of Fresnel functions with complex argument by subtracting the unit step function from the Fresnel integral. The method is applied to the problem of diffraction of inhomogeneous plane waves by a perfectly conducting half-plane and wedge. The results are plotted numerically and compared with results reported in the literature.