Influence of Kevlar Hybridization on Dielectric and Conductivity of Bamboo Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Composite

In a motive to develop a natural fiber-based dielectric material, bamboo fiber-reinforced epoxy composite is fabricated using hand layup technique and hybridized with Kevlar K29 fiber to enhance its properties. Dielectric and conductivity studies are performed using LCR meter on the composite samples as a function of frequency (100 Hz-1 MHz) and temperature (22–120°C). From the experiment, it is observed that the dielectric properties of bamboo-based natural composite are significantly enhanced by Kevlar hybridization. And also the influence of variation in frequency and temperature on the electrical properties i.e. dielectric and conductivity of the fabricated composite was studied. The morphological study is also carried out using scanning electron microscope (SEM).     

Diffusion of zinc in the lamellar eutectic,Al-CuAl2

Diffusion of Zn in the aligned lamellar Al-CuAl₂ eutectic has been studied. Couples were prepared to observe diffusion either parallel or perpendicular to eutectic interfaces at temperatures of 193, 240, and 287° and times to 1.66 × 10⁸ sec. Both optical and electron microprobe techniques were used to study the resultant microstructures. Zn is present in the α Al platelets at distances far greater than predicted by lattice diffusion. The diffusion of Zn into 0-CuAl₂ causes a rapid transformation of θ to a two phase mixture of α particles in a matrix of T-Al₃ZnCu₃. Advance of the growth front (θ → Τ + α) is parabolic with time, and the growth rate increases with increasing temperature. The transformation to Τ + α is observed to be slower in the 0 platelets of the eutectic than in bulk 0. In the eutectic, less Zn reaches the advancing transformation front because of lateral diffusion of Zn into adjacent a platelets. An experimentally determined activation energy for the combined transformation and diffusion processes suggests that the α -Τ boundaries act as high-diffusivity paths for Zn diffusion. This paper is based upon a thesis submitted by M. R. Jackson in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Lehigh University.     

Found in translation: Mackintosh,Muthesius and Japan

The theme of this paper is the presence of the Japanese influence in the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and, in particular, the Glasgow School of Art. This has often been observed but never satisfactorily explained. Rather than simply listing the evidence, this paper investigates the relationship between him and Hermann Muthesius against the background of the time Muthesius spent working as an architect in Tokyo. Using the correspondence held in the Deutscher Werkbund Archiv, Berlin, as evidence of the close relationship between the two men and the others of The Four, this paper suggests that it was Muthesius's sensitivity to Japanese architecture which encouraged the direction of Mackintosh's work in the late 1890s and early 1900s and in so doing, offers an explanation of the more idiosyncratic and unexplained features of the library at the Glasgow School of Art.     

Dilute solution properties of randomly branched poly(methyl methacrylate)

Randomly branched poly(methyl methacrylate) samples were prepared by copolymerization with different amounts of ethylene dimethacrylate. The molecular weight distributions, radius of gyration distributions, and intrinsic viscosity distributions were measured by size exclusion chromatography with refractive index, multiangle light-scattering, and viscosity detectors. The effect of branching on the radius of gyration was compared with the effect on the intrinsic viscosity. It was found that the intrinsic viscosity contraction factor gⁱ scales with the radius of gyration contraction factor g, with the exponent, ϵ, having a value in the range 0.8–1.0. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Shock Initiation of PBX-9404 by electrically driven flyer plates

The shock initiation threshold of PBX-9404 has been studied over the pressure range 3.1 GPa-28 GPa with pulse lengths ranging from 0.007 μs-0.63 μs. The short-duration, high pressure pulses were produced by the impact of thin plastic flyer plates accelerated by electrically exploded metal foils. We performed the experiments on explosive pellets 25.4 mm in diameter with thicknesses of 6.0 mm, 10.1 mm and 19.1 mm. No dependence of the initiation threshold on pellet thickness was observed. The data are represented reasonably well by either the critical initiation energy or by the constant P²τ initiation criteria.     

Apple quality,storage, and washing treatments affect patulin levels in apple cider

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced primarily by Penicillium expansum, a mold responsible for rot in apples and other fruits. The growth of this fungus and the production of patulin are common in fruit that has been damaged. However, patulin can be detected in visibly sound fruit. The purpose of this project was to determine how apple quality, storage, and washing treatments affect patulin levels in apple cider. Patulin was not detected in cider pressed from fresh tree-picked apples (seven cultivars) but was found at levels of 40.2 to 374 microg/liter in cider pressed from four cultivars of fresh ground-harvested (dropped) apples. Patulin was not detected in cider pressed from culled tree-picked apples stored for 4 to 6 weeks at 0 to 2 degrees C but was found at levels of 0.97 to 64.0 microg/liter in cider pressed from unculled fruit stored under the same conditions. Cider from controlled-atmosphere-stored apples that were culled before pressing contained 0 to 15.1 microg of patulin per liter, while cider made from unculled fruit contained 59.9 to 120.5 microg of patulin per liter. The washing of ground-harvested apples before pressing reduced patulin levels in cider by 10 to 100%, depending on the initial patulin levels and the type of wash solution used. These results indicate that patulin is a good indicator of the quality of the apples used to manufacture cider. The avoidance of ground-harvested apples and the careful culling of apples before pressing are good methods for reducing patulin levels in cider.     

Distraction osteogenesis for lengthening of the hard palate: Part I. A possible new treatment concept for velopharyngeal incompetence. Experimental study in dogs

Many procedures have been described to correct velopharyngeal incompetence. Significant complications can occur, and the results may not be satisfactory. If the short soft palate has satisfactory muscle function and if it could be moved toward the posterior pharyngeal wall by distraction osteogenesis of the hard palate, an entirely new concept of treatment for velopharyngeal incompetence would be available. The object of the present study was to explore the possibility of osteogenesis occurring in the hard palate in dogs after gradual distraction (callus distraction). Six adult, mix-bred dogs were anesthetized, and the palatal mucosa was elevated. A midpalatal transverse osteotomy and two lateral osteotomies were performed. Tantalum bone markers for cephalometric analysis were placed, and an individually fabricated, orthodontic-like distraction device with an expansion screw in the sagittal direction was inserted. The device was stabilized on the premolars and fixed to the palatal bone with titanium miniscrews. Gradual distraction began after a latency period of 10 to 18 days. The rate of the distraction varied from 0.25 to 0.75 mm per day. The device was left in place for 6 to 8 weeks after expansion to allow for bony consolidation. Assessment was by direct examination, cephalograms, computed tomography, and histology with bone labeling. Impressions of the jaws were taken preoperatively and after device removal to examine plaster cast changes in the dental occlusion. Cephalometric and computed tomographic scan analysis demonstrated a distraction of up to 8 mm. All gaps were filled with de novo osteogenesis. Comparison of the plaster casts revealed no change in the occlusion. At 1 month after distraction, the computed tomographic scan showed the first signs of ossification of the experimental gap from the anterior and posterior bone ends. After 4.5 months ossification was almost complete with a small translucent zone in the middle of the experimental gap. After 7 months ossification was complete.     

A versatile facility for laboratory studies of viscoelastic and poroelastic behaviour of rocks

Novel laboratory equipment has been modified to allow both torsional and flexural oscillation measurements at sub-microstrain amplitudes, thereby providing seismic-frequency constraints on both the shear and compressional wave properties of cylindrical rock specimens within the linear regime. The new flexural mode capability has been tested on experimental assemblies containing fused silica control specimens. Close consistency between the experimental data and the results of numerical modelling with both finite-difference and finite-element methods demonstrates the viability of the new technique. The capability to perform such measurements under conditions of independently controlled confining and pore-fluid pressure, with emerging strategies for distinguishing between local (squirt) and global (specimen-wide) fluid flow, will have particular application to the study of frequency-dependent seismic properties expected of cracked and fluid-saturated rocks of the Earth's upper crust.