Effect of anisotropy in commercial purity titanium on deep drawability at elevated temperatures

Abstract

Commercial purity Ti sheets (0.88 mm thick) were deep drawn by a complex working process at two temperatures using a hot die and a cool punch. The working temperature ranged from 25 to 400°C. Generally, the limiting drawing ratios (LDRs) along both the rolling direction (RD) and transverse direction (TD) increased with increasing operating temperature, while the optimal blank holding force decreased with temperature. The LDR(RD) is larger than the LDR(TD) at all temperatures in the range tested and the difference (ΔLDR) is largest at 200°C or higher. The deep drawn cups failed at the cup wall near the die throat along the TD. The thickness strain along the TD was consistently smaller than that along the RD. The anisotropy index δ _011¯1 increased significantly at 100°C and the largest δ _hkil values were found in δ ₀₀₀₂ along the RD and δ _112¯0 along the TD. The reorientation bands that appeared when drawn at 25°C are a result of work hardening, but the microshear bands that occurred in the 400°C specimen are a result of large deformation. The difference in microstructures along the TD and RD may explain the anisotropy in deep drawing properties.     

Entities’ representation modes and their communication effects in collaborative design for SMEs

In distributed product development, Web-enabled collaborative design system with virtual reality (VR) function is good for representing the design features of 3D product entities in design communication. However, it is too expensive and complicated for most small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to implement it. This paper explains that the series of still images, which also present the same efficiency in representing the design features of 3D product entities, can be easily produced at low cost and require less Internet bandwidth. In order to certify the weaknesses of the remote collaborative design system (RCDS) for the SMEs, this research started with a preliminary study to identify the unsatisfied problems associated with the mutual understanding between multi-disciplinary product development team members when using RCDS. Further investigation was presented as the perception/recognition ability experiment, which was conducted to use three types of 3D product entities representation, namely the group of still images, image-based VR and model-based VR, to certify the efficient product data visualization for remote design communication. This research concludes that the proposed representation mode and results of the research would be helpful for SMEs, which are relatively resource-restrictive, to handle the issues of remote design communication well.     

Application of an Artificial Neural Network for Simulating Robust Plasma-Sprayed Zirconia Coatings

This article presents the application of the artificial neural network (ANN) of a statistically designed experiment for developing a robust wear-resistant zirconia coating. In this research, experimental design with orthogonal arrays efficiently provides enough information with the least number of experiments, reducing the cost and time. A radial basis function (RBF) network for the wear behavior is adopted. The friction and tribological properties of zirconia coatings were investigated. The microstructural feature of the coatings is also addressed in this study. It is found that the worn volumes of plasma-sprayed zirconia coatings after wear tests are greatly improved by the optimal parameters. The relationships between the microstructure of the worn surface and their properties are examined, and the results reveal a higher wear resistance and a lower worn surface roughness with a large amount of plastic deformations. These wear resistant structures formed as a result of a dense lamellar formation during sprayed zirconia coatings. The RBF network can be established efficiently. A comparison of the predicted results with that of the RBF network and the Taguchi method predictor shows average errors of 2.735% and 9.191% for the RBF network and the Taguchi method, respectively. It is experimentally confirmed that the RBF network predictions are in agreement with the experiments, and it can be reliably used for the prediction of wear for plasma sprayings. The experimental results demonstrate that the RBF network used for a statistically designed experiment is an effective, efficient, and intelligent approach for developing a robust, high efficiency, and high-quality zirconia coating process.     

Effects of ultraviolet irradiation on the static and dynamic properties of neoprene rubbers

Rubbers deteriorate when they are exposed to ultraviolet irradiation for long periods of time. By conducting a series of hardness measurements and simple tension tests, the static properties of neoprene rubbers before and after exposure to various durations of ultraviolet irradiation were first measured. It is found that the Shore A hardness and tensile modulus of neoprene rubbers after exposure to ultraviolet irradiation are increased but their elongation at break, tensile strength, and energy to break are significantly decreased. On the basis of a complex spring model of a vibration system, the dynamic shear properties of neoprene rubbers before and after exposure to different durations of ultraviolet irradiation were then determined from the experimental results of dynamic transmissibility tests. It is also found that the storage modulus, loss modulus, and loss factor of neoprene rubbers are drastically affected by the duration of ultraviolet irradiation they experienced. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Protective Effect of Caffeic Acid on Paclitaxel Induced Anti-Proliferation and Apoptosis of Lung Cancer Cells Involves NF-κB Pathway

Caffeic acid (CA), a natural phenolic compound, is abundant in medicinal plants. CA possesses multiple biological effects such as anti-bacterial and anti-cancer growth. CA was also reported to induce fore stomach and kidney tumors in a mouse model. Here we used two human lung cancer cell lines, A549 and H1299, to clarify the role of CA in cancer cell proliferation. The growth assay showed that CA moderately promoted the proliferation of the lung cancer cells. Furthermore, pre-treatment of CA rescues the proliferation inhibition induced by a sub-IC(50) dose of paclitaxel (PTX), an anticancer drug. Western blot showed that CA up-regulated the pro-survival proteins survivin and Bcl-2, the down-stream targets of NF-κB. This is consistent with the observation that CA induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Our study suggested that the pro-survival effect of CA on PTX-treated lung cancer cells is mediated through a NF-κB signaling pathway. This may provide mechanistic insights into the chemoresistance of cancer calls.     

Heat shock and cold shock treatments affect the survival of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium exposed to disinfectants

The foodborne pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium were subjected to heat shock at 48°C for 10 and 30 min, respectively, and then cold shocked at 15°C for 3 h. The effect of these shocks on the viability of test organisms exposed to chlorine dioxide and quaternary ammonium compounds was then determined. After exposure to the disinfectants, the viable population of each test organism, regardless of heat shock or cold shock treatment, decreased as the exposure period was extended. Both heat shock and cold shock treatments reduced the susceptibility of L. monocytogenes to both disinfectants at 25°C. However, for Salmonella Typhimurium, exposure to the chlorine dioxide disinfectant or quaternary ammonium compounds at 25°C significantly reduced (P < 0.05) survival of heat-shocked cells but significantly increased (P < 0.05) survival of cold-shocked cells compared with control cells. Survival of both L. monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium generally was reduced after exposure to disinfectants at 40°C compared with 25°C.     

Transformation of bisphenol A and alkylphenols by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria through nitration

Transformation of bisphenol A (BPA) by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC 19718 was investigated. On the basis of the ultraperformance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (Q-TOF MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis, we found N. europaea could transform BPA into nitro- and dinitro-BPA, suggesting that abiotic nitration between the biogenic nitrite and BPA played a major role in the transformation of BPA in the batch AOB system. Nitrite concentrations, temperature, and pH values were the major factors to influence the reaction rate. Furthermore, the yeast estrogenic screening assay showed that the formed nitro- and dinitro-BPA had much less estrogenic activity as compared with its parent compound BPA. Similar reactions of abiotic nitration were considered for 4-n-nonylphenol (nNP) and 4-n-octylphenol (nOP) since nitro-nNP and nitro-nOP were detected by UPLC-Q-TOF MS. In addition, results from the local wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) showed the occurrence of nitro-BPA and dinitro-BPA during the biological treatment process and in the effluent, indicating that nitration of BPA is also a pathway for removal of BPA. Results of this study provided implication that AOB in the WWTPs might contribute to removal of selected endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) through abiotic nitritation.     

Hepatoprotection of silymarin against thioacetamide-induced chronic liver fibrosis

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is chronic liver damage usually caused by alcohol, viruses or other toxins and is characterised by an excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen. The aim of this study was to establish an animal model of chronic liver damage and investigate molecular mechanisms of silymarin hepatoprotective effects. RESULTS: Thioacetamide (TAA; 100 mg kg^?1 intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection three times weekly) effectively induced chronic liver fibrosis in male ICR mice. Then 24 ICR mice were randomly divided into four groups: (1) saline (i.p.) + water (gavage); (2) saline (i.p.) + 150 mg kg^?1 silymarin (gavage); (3) 100 mg kg^?1 TAA (i.p.) + water (gavage); (4) 100 mg kg^?1 TAA (i.p.) + 150 mg kg^?1 silymarin (gavage). Eight weeks of TAA treatment resulted in lower body weight, serum cholesterol and triglycerides as well as increased liver size, ALT, AST and LDH values (P < 0.05). These TAA‐induced effects were attenuated by silymarin (P < 0.05); therefore silymarin also ameliorated TAA‐induced liver lesions. Effects of silymarin on TAA‐induced chronic liver damage may be attributed to down‐regulation of hepatic MMP‐2, MMP‐13, TIMP‐1, TIMP‐2, AP‐1, KLF6, TGF‐β1, α‐SMA and COL‐α1. CONCLUSION: A mouse model of chronic liver fibrosis was successfully established by injecting 100 mg kg^?1 TAA three times weekly in male ICR mice. Meanwhile, silymarin showed hepatoprotection against TAA‐induced damage. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/SnO2 anode paper for flexible lithium-ion batteries

Free-standing single-walled carbon nanotube/SnO₂ (SWCNT/SnO₂) anode paper was prepared by vacuum filtration of SWCNT/SnO₂ hybrid material which was synthesized by the polyol method. From field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, the CNTs form a three-dimensional nanoporous network, in which ultra-fine SnO₂ nanoparticles, which had crystallite sizes of less than 5 nm, were distributed, predominately as groups of nanoparticles on the surfaces of single walled CNT bundles. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the anode paper with 34 wt.% SnO₂ had excellent cyclic retention, with the high specific capacity of 454 mAh g^?1 beyond 100 cycles at a current density of 25 mA g^?1, much higher than that of the corresponding pristine CNT paper. The SWCNTs could act as a flexible mechanical support for strain release, offering an efficient electrically conducting channel, while the nanosized SnO₂ provides the high capacity. The SWCNT/SnO₂ flexible electrodes can be bent to extremely small radii of curvature and still function well, despite a marginal decrease in the conductivity of the cell. The electrochemical response is maintained in the initial and further cycling process. Such capabilities demonstrate that this model hold great promise for applications requiring flexible and bendable Li-ion batteries.