Synthesis of copoly(ethylene terephthalate /imide)s and crystallization kinetics

Copoly(ehtylene terephthalate/imide)s (PETI) were prepared by melt polycodensation of bis(2-hydroxyethyl)terephthalate (BHET) and imide containing comonomer, 4,4′-bis[(4-carbo-2-hydroxyethoxy)phthalimido]diphenylmethane (BHEI) with Sb₂O₃ as catalyst at 280°C under vacuum (～ 1 mm Hg). The change of T_m with an increase of the BHEI repeat unit in the PETI copolymer was analyzed by the Flory equation. On isothermal crystallization, a longer induction time and a lower activation energy than for the PET homopolymer were observed with an increasing amount of BHEI repeat unit. The Avrami exponent, n, increased from 1.5 to 2.3 as the content of BHEI or crystallization temperature was increased. The Avrami rate constant K decreased with the increase of the BHEL unit. On nonisothermal crystallization, the Ozawa equation and Lawton plot were used to investigate the effect of BHEI units on the crystallization kinetics of PETI copolymers. From the change of the cooling crystallization function and the result of the Lawton plot, it was found that the BHEI unit effectively decreases the rate of crystallization.     

Friction and wear of single-crystal silicon at elevated temperatures

Single-crystal silicon wafers ((1 1 1) and (1 0 0)p-type) were abraded at room temperature 300 °C, and 600 °C by a polycrystalline partially stabilized zirconia ball in a ball-on reciprocating flat geometry. The sliding direction was 1 1 0. The friction coefficient was recorded as a function of reciprocating strokes and the deformation mode of the silicon. The friction coefficient at room temperature decreased with the number of strokes, and this variation was less affected by the number of strokes at the higher temperatures. The wear track width and depth were measured at the three temperatures. Wear increases as the temperature is raised to 300 and 600 °C. Optical and scanning electron microscopy of the subsurface damage reveals that cracks are generated at RT and 300 °C and dislocations are produced at 600 °C. The change in deformation mode with temperature from brittle fracture to plastic deformation accounts for the differences in wear.     

Performance analysis of trigger frame in enhanced UL and DL MU MIMO transmissions

In an Internet-of-Things (IoT) environment, congestion and scarcity problems may occur because many mobile stations (STAs) access wireless networks simultaneously. The IEEE 802.11ax/802.11be standards for large-scale wireless communications have defined a trigger frame (TF) to control multiple STAs. During resource allocation, the downlink (DL) transmission is divided in a control period from the access point (AP) to multiple STAs. The resource allocation (RA) is then assigned to an uplink (UL) transmission by a TF and a DL period from the AP to STAs. However, because the DL transmission should be considered separately in terms of the control and DL periods, it is necessary to analyze the DL transmission. We propose a scheduled MU transmission (SMT) algorithm for enhanced UL and DL MU MIMO transmissions. In this study, we analyze and systematically model medium access control (MAC) performance when the DL transmission is divided in the control and data periods when the UL coexists with the DL data transmission. To achieve this, we mathematically analyze the time-efficient throughput, estimate the transmission and collision probabilities for wireless local area network (WLAN) STAs, and generalize the transmission interval. In addition, we propose an access category (AC) for the TF that is defined in the DL transmission. All data transmissions are defined as the ACs for basic channel access, but the AC is not defined for the TF. Therefore, we clarify the transmission by defining the AC of the TF to control the UL transmissions of various STAs. Evaluation results demonstrate that the SMT algorithm can improve the MAC throughput by up to 70% – 87% compared to UL and DL MU MIMO transmissions.

     

Power Smoothing of a Variable-speed Wind Turbine Generator

This paper presents a power-smoothing scheme of a variable-speed wind turbine generator (VSWTG) that employs separate control gains for the over-frequency section (OFS) and under-frequency section (UFS). In the proposed scheme, an additional proportional control loop based on the system frequency deviation operating in conjunction with maximum power point tracking operation is used. In the OFS, to improve the energy-storing capability, the scheme suggests the gain of the frequency deviation control loop, which is set to be monotonously decreasing with the rotor speed while being significantly larger than that in the UFS. In the UFS, to improve the energy-releasing capability while preventing over-deceleration, the gain of the frequency deviation control loop is set to be a linear function of the rotor speed. The simulation results under continuously varying wind speeds with different wind patterns and wind speeds clearly demonstrate that the proposed scheme significantly mitigates the output power fluctuations of a VSWTG. The proposed scheme keeps the frequency within a narrow range, thereby reducing the required primary frequency control reserve for regulating the frequency under normal operations.

     

Estimation and correction method for the two-dimensional positionerrors of a planar XY stage based on motion error measurements

This paper describes an estimation and correction method for the two-dimensional (2D) position errors of a planar XY stage that is driven along the Y-axis by two linear motors. The 2D position errors of the stage were estimated and corrected based on measured motion errors from a conventional laser interferometer system. To compensate for the planar XY stage 2D position errors, corrections were introduced for the yaw, perpendicular, straightness and 1D position errors along each axis, which are predominantly caused by linear scale, yaw, and pitching motion errors. The effect of the motion error corrections was evaluated by diagonal measurements based on the ISO230-6 standard and six different 1D position error measurements along the X and Y-axes. By applying error motion corrections, the diagonal systematic deviation at the center point was improved from 499.7 μm to 1.16 μm, and the estimated maximum 2D position errors were improved to −0.263 and 0.530 μm in the X and Y directions, respectively. The diagonal systematic deviation at a corner point was 1.23 μm and the estimated maximum difference between the corner and center points improved from −2.603 and 2.603 μm to −0.05 and 0.12 μm in the X and Y directions respectively.     

Effect of surface coating on the screw loosening of dental abutment screws

Regardless of the type of performed restoration, in most cases, a screw connection is employed between the abutment and implant. For this reason, implant screw loosening has remained a problem in restorative practices. The purpose of this study was to compare the surface of coated/plated screws with titanium and gold alloy screws and to evaluate the physical properties of coated/plated material after scratch tests via FE-SEM (field emission scanning electron microscopy) investigation. GoldTite, titanium screws provided by 3i (Implant Innovation, USA) and TorqTite, titanium screws by Steri-Oss (Nobel Biocare, USA) and gold screws and titanium screws by AVANA (Osstem Implant, Korea) were selected for this study. The surface, crest, and root of the abutment screws were observed by FE-SEM. A micro-diamond needle was also prepared for the scratch test. Each abutment screw was fixed, and a scratch on the surface of the head region was made at constant load and thereafter the fine trace was observed with FE-SEM. The surface of GoldTite was smoother than that of other screws and it also had abundant ductility and malleability compared with titanium and gold screws. The scratch tests also revealed that teflon particles were exfoliated easily in the screw coated with teflon. The titanium screw had rough surface and low ductility. The clinical use of gold-plated screws is recommended as a means of preventing screw loosening.     

Design of Bulk metallic glasses with high glass forming ability and enhancement of plasticity in metallic glass matrix composites: A review

To overcome some of the limits of existing metallic alloys, a new alloy design concept has been introduced recently in order to control the crystallinity, i.e. to utilize crystalline, quasicrystalline, and amorphous structures. In particular, bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) receive great attention because of their unique properties due to their different atomic configuration. Recently, significant progress in enhancing glass forming ability (GFA) has led to the fabrication of BMGs having potential for application as structural and functional materials. Moreover, successful design of BMG matrix composite microstructure suggests that the plasticity of BMGs can be controlled properly. In this review article, we introduce recent research results on the design of BMGs with high GFA and on the enhancement of plasticity in metallic glass matrix composites.     

Receptance coupling for end mills

Identification of chatter free cutting conditions, the chatter stability lobes, requires a measurement of the frequency response function (FRF) of each tool mounted on the spindle. This paper presents a method of assembling known dynamics of the spindle–tool holder with an analytically modeled end mill using the receptance coupling technique. The classical receptance technique is enhanced by proposing a method of identifying the end mill–spindle/tool holder joint dynamics, which include both translational and rotational degrees of freedom. The method requires measurement of FRFs with impact tests applied on the spindle–tool holder assembly and blank calibration cylinders attached to the spindle. The spindle and tool holder characteristics are completely identified from the two experiments, and used for the mathematical prediction of FRF for end mills with arbitrary dimensions. The proposed method is experimentally proven and verified in cutting tests.     

The influence of titanium on the electrochemical properties of the AB5-type metal hydrides

AB₅-type intermetallic compounds were prepared by arc-melting in argon atmosphere. The composition of a stoichiometric compound LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3 with a hexagonal CaCu₅ structure was varied by stoichiometric and nonstoichiometric addition of Ti. With the increase of the Ti y0.05 content in LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3Ti_y, the hydrogen storage capacity is enhanced, whereas when y=0.1–0.3, it is decreased. The discharge capacity and cyclability are increased considerably by addition of titanium in the range of 0.02–0.1 with a maximum value at about 0.1%. The highest maximum capacity is achieved for a nonstoichiometric addition of 0.05% Ti. The kinetic properties are also additionally improved by the formation of a titanium-rich second phase. This can explain the improvement of the capacity for alloys with low Ti content. The decrease in capacity for high Ti content was also correlated with the amount of the Ti-rich phase. Therefore, the improvement of kinetics are due to the catalytic effect, grain boundary diffusion effect or more pronounced alloy pulverization upon cycling. This study has been aimed to improve the electrode properties of a series of multicomponent LaNi_3.6Al_0.4Co_0.7Mn_0.3Ti_y (y=0.0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3) alloys which have mutual complementary properties. All the prepared alloys have been subjected to analyses by EDS, SEM and XRD. In order to determine the hydrogen storage capacity, the pressure composition isotherms (P–C–T curves) have been used. The metal hydride electrodes were characterized by galvanostatic cycling test.     

Effect of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of plain carbon steel

In a continuous casting steelmaking operation, the surface of a slab is under a condition that can be characterized as high-temperature, low-cycle fatigue in which the tensile and compressive stress is repeatedly developed. For this reason, for the evaluation of the hot ductility of a slab, considering the fatigue deformation is more feasible before a tensile or compressive test. In this study, the effects of low-cycle fatigue on the hot ductility of steels with a carbon content of 0.06–0.8 wt.% are investigated at various temperatures. For a carbon content of 0.06%, there were no significant differences between the RA values from a simple tensile test and those from a tensile test after fatigue deformation. The tendency of ductility deterioration with fatigue deformation is evident in 0.1 %C steel, and is due to the deformation-induced ferrite film that forms around the prior austenite grain. Conversely, high carbon steel containing 0.8 %C did not show a recovery of hot ductility in a low temperature region, and the specimen on which the tensile was measured after fatigue showed a higher hot ductility in the low temperature region, which is thought to result from the pearlite refinement effects. As the results obtained in this work showed noticeable differences in the hot ductility of carbon steel through the test conditions, it is suggested that for more accurate data, fatigue deformation be adopted in which the temperature range in an unbending operation is determined in the steelmaking factory.