High hardness BaCb-(BxOy/BN) composites with 3D mesh-like fine grain-boundary structure by reactive spark plasma sintering

Boron carbide B4C powders were subject to reactive spark plasma sintering (also known as field assisted sintering, pulsed current sintering or plasma assisted sintering) under nitrogen atmosphere. For an optimum hexagonal BN (h-BN) content estimated from X-ray diffraction measurements at approximately 0.4 wt%, the as-prepared BaCb-(BxOy/BN) ceramic shows values of Berkovich and Vickers hardness of 56.7 +/- 3.1 GPa and 39.3 +/- 7.6 GPa, respectively. These values are higher than for the vacuum SPS processed B4C pristine sample and the h-BN -mechanically-added samples. XRD and electronic microscopy data suggest that in the samples produced by reactive SPS in N2 atmosphere, and containing an estimated amount of 0.3-1.5% h-BN, the crystallite size of the boron carbide grains is decreasing with the increasing amount of N2, while for the newly formed lamellar h-BN the crystallite size is almost constant (approximately 30-50 nm). BN is located at the grain boundaries between the boron carbide grains and it is wrapped and intercalated by a thin layer of boron oxide. BxOy/BN forms a fine and continuous 3D mesh-like structure that is a possible reason for good mechanical properties.     

Densification kinetics of nanocrystalline zirconia powder using microwave and spark plasma sintering--a comparative study

Two-stage densification process of nanosized 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3Y-SZ) polycrystalline compacts during consolidation via microwave and spark-plasma sintering have been observed. The values of activation energies obtained for microwave and spark-plasma sintering 260-275 kJ x mol(-1) are quite similar to that of conventional sintering of zirconia, suggesting that densification during initial stage is controlled by the grain-boundary diffusion mechanism. The sintering behavior during microwave sintering was significantly affected by preliminary pressing conditions, as the surface diffusion mechanism (230 kJ x mol(-1)) is active in case of cold-isostatic pressing procedure was applied.     

Non-catalytic facile synthesis of superhard phase of boron carbide (B13C2) nanoflakes and nanoparticles

Boron Carbide is one the hardest and lightest material that is also relatively easier to synthesis as compared to other superhard ceramics like cubic boron nitride and diamond. However, the brittle nature of monolithic advanced ceramics material hinders its use in various engineering applications. Thus, strategies that can toughen the material are of fundamental and technological importance. One approach is to use nanostructure materials as building blocks, and organize them into a complex hierarchical structure, which could potentially enhance its mechanical properties to exceed that of the monolithic form. In this paper, we demonstrated a simple approach to synthesize one- and two-dimension nanostructure boron carbide by simply changing the mixing ratio of the initial compound to influence the saturation condition of the process at a relatively low temperature of 1500 degrees C with no catalyst involved in the growing process. Characterization of the resulting nano-structures shows B13C2, which is a superhard phase of boron carbide as its hardness is almost twice as hard as the commonly known B4C. Using ab-initio density functional theory study on the elastic properties of both B12C3 and B13C2, the high hardness of B13C2 is consistent to our calculation results, where bulk modulus of B13C2 is higher than that of B4C. High resolution transmission electron microscopy of the nanoflakes also reveals high density of twinning defects which could potentially inhibit the crack propagation, leading to toughening of the materials.     

Characterization of corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure for thermochemical conversion

Corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure were characterized to evaluate their acceptability for thermochemical conversion. The energy densities of ground corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure after totally drying were 3402, 11,813 and 10,374 MJ/m³, compared to 37,125 MJ/m³ for coal. The contents of volatiles in corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure were 77.4, 82.6 and 82.8%, respectively, on a dry and ash-free basis compared to 43.6% for coal. About 90% of the volatiles in corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure were released at pyrolysis temperatures of 497, 573 and 565 °C, respectively. The combustion of corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure were completed at 620, 840 and 560 °C, respectively. The heat values of the biomass and air mixture for stoichiometric combustion were 2.64, 2.75 and 1.77 MJ/kg for dried corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure, respectively, as compared to 2.69 MJ/kg for coal. Combustion of 1 kg of dry corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure generated 5.33, 6.20 and 5.66 Nm³ of flue gas, respectively, compared to 8.34 Nm³ for coal. Simulation showed that gasification of 1 kg of dried corn stover, distiller grains and cattle manure at 850 °C and ER of 0.3 generated 2.02, 2.37 and 1.44 Nm³ dry syngas at a heating value of about 4.5 MJ/Nm³, compared to 3.52 Nm³ at 5.8 MJ/Nm³ for coal. The molecular ratio of H₂ to CO in the biomass-derived syngas was close to 1.0, compared to about 0.5 for the coal-derived syngas.     

Effect of Preconstruction Planning Effort on Sheet Metal Project Performance

The complexity of construction industry requires the identification of work tasks and the coordination of interactions among them. As a result, construction planning is considered to be one of the most critical steps toward success and is the main focus of past research. Consequently, little research has been performed regarding the preconstruction planning, which is the planning completed by the contractor in the period between project award and project execution. This paper focuses on sheet metal preconstruction planning, primarily that of mechanical and heating ventilations and air conditioning contractors. The research was completed in three phases: phase one gathered data on the current state of preconstruction planning, phase two developed a model sheet metal preconstruction planning process to be used by sheet metal contractors, and phase three validated the model preconstruction planning process. Based on project data collected for this research, projects that used a planning process similar to the model process performed more successfully—they achieved an average profit margin of 23% while projects that were poorly planned experienced an average profit margin of ?3%.     

Neutral electrolyzed water (NEW), chlorine dioxide,organic acid based product,and ultraviolet‐C for inactivation of microbes in fresh‐cut vegetable washing waters

The effect of decontamination methods on fresh‐cut vegetable washing waters was evaluated. NEW, ClO₂, organic acid‐based product FPW, and UV‐C were tested with and without an interfering carrot juice of 1% (IS), on Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, Escherichia coli, and yeast Candida lambica. The use of ClO₂ (50 ppm active chlorine) resulted in >4 log reduction of Y. enterocolitica, Y. pseudotuberculosis, E. coli and >3 log reduction of C. lambica. The antibacterial effect of NEW was less effective in the presence of IS when compared with ClO_2. The inactivation of C. lambica by FPW reached a maximum of 2.8 log cfu/mL (concentration 0.125%), but the antimicrobial effect was delayed by the IS. The effect of FPW on E. coli was significantly reduced by 1% IS. The inactivation of E. coli and C. lambica with UV‐C IS decreased the inactivation and lengthened its time. Filtration improved the effect of UV‐C inactivation.

Practical applications

When chemical decontamination methods were used in fresh‐cut vegetable processing, the presence of organic matter in process water increased the reaction times and the need for higher concentrations of the chemical decontamination and the time of physical decontamination. Yersinia required longer inactivation times than E. coli. When UV‐C is used for decontamination of process waters, waters should be filtered to enhance the disinfection efficacy.     

Nanosized fibers' effect on adult human articular chondrocytes behavior

Tissue engineering with chondrogenic cell based therapies is an expanding field with the intention of treating cartilage defects. It has been suggested that scaffolds used in cartilage tissue engineering influence cellular behavior and thus the long-term clinical outcome. The objective of this study was to assess whether chondrocyte attachment, proliferation and post-expansion re-differentiation could be influenced by the size of the fibers presented to the cells in a scaffold. Polylactic acid (PLA) scaffolds with different fiber morphologies were produced, i.e. microfiber (MS) scaffolds as well as nanofiber-coated microfiber scaffold (NMS). Adult human articular chondrocytes were cultured in the scaffolds in vitro up to 28 days, and the resulting constructs were assessed histologically, immunohistochemically, and biochemically. Attachment of cells and serum proteins to the scaffolds was affected by the architecture. The results point toward nano-patterning onto the microfibers influencing proliferation of the chondrocytes, and the overall 3D environment having a greater influence on the re-differentiation. In the efforts of finding the optimal scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering, studies as the current contribute to the knowledge of how to affect and control chondrocytes behavior.     

An Ytterbium-doped Monomode Fibre Laser: Broadly Tunable Operation from 1·010 μm to 1·162 μm and Three-level Operation at 974 Nm

Abstract

Continuous-wave laser action has been observed from an ytterbium-doped monomode fibre laser on the three-level transition at 974 nm and on the four-level transition at 1036 nm with slope efficiencies of 67% and 77% respectively, with respect to absorbed power. Tuning behaviour is described, in which polarisation control by means of fibre loops has allowed smooth continuous tuning from 1·010 μm to 1·162 μm.