Trace uranium analysis by isotope dilution alpha and mass spectrometry and comparison with other techniques

In this paper uranium determination by isotope dilution mass (MSID) and alpha spectrometry (ASID) using ²³³U as an isotope diluent is discussed. In addition, a new form of MSID employing two tracers (²³⁵U and ²³³U) is developed, where two independent uranium values are obtained for single dilution. The precision and accuracy of each technique are evaluated by comparison with other techniques like X-ray fluorescence and instrumental neutron activation analysis. The techniques, employed here for geological samples, can easily be adapted for environmental materials.     

Diameter dependence of interwall separation and strain in multiwalled carbon nanotubes probed by X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering studies

We have made a systematic study on the diameter dependent spectral features in X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering studies of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) of various diameters in the range 5?100 nm. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) imaging reveals a systematic decrease in the interwall separation from 3.8 Å down to 3.2 Å as the diameter of nanotubes increases from 5.8 nm to 63.2 nm. Analysis of the XRD patterns shows an exponential decrease in d₀₀₂ interlayer spacing with increasing tube diameter, in close agreement with the HRTEM results. Further, XRD profile line width shows inverse diameter dependence and exponential increase in intensity as the diameter of the MWCNTs increases. Raman spectra of different diameter nanotubes show different evolutions of metallic and semiconducting components in the G-band, as found from spectral deconvolution. The frequency and full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the semiconducting component of the G^? band gradually decreases as the tube diameter increases. Ratio of intensities of G^? band to D-band first shows a sharp fall as the tube diameter increases from 7 nm to 15 nm and then slowly increases with increasing diameter. On the other hand, G′ mode frequency shows large up shift when average diameter is increased from 7 nm to 15 nm and then saturates for higher diameter tubes. Analysis of Raman and XRD data reveals that the lowest diameter (7 nm) MWCNTs have features similar to those of the single walled nanotubes, while the spectral features are distinctly different for higher diameter MWCNTs due to the interaction among tube walls that is very significant for large diameter MWCNTs. Observed diameter dependence of the spectral features is explained in terms of nanotube curvature and atomic vibrations involving interaction among the walls in MWCNTs. The present study demonstrates the power of XRD for nondestructive evaluation of diameter distribution and interwall separation in MWCNTs with wide range of diameters.     

Seismic retrofitting of nonductile beam-column sub-assemblage using FRP wrapping and steel plate jacketing

The paper discusses the aspects of repair and retrofitting technique adopted for a damaged reinforced concrete beam-column joint specimen under cyclic loading. A specimen designed based on Indian Standard specifications with consideration of seismic load but without adopting ductile detailing (NonDuctile) was investigated under reverse cyclic loading. Then, the damaged nonductile specimen was repaired with epoxy mortar and grouted using low viscous polymer, and retrofitted using fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) wrapping in beam and column components and steel plate jacketing in joint region. The experimental results showed that the retrofitted specimen not only regained its original strength and stiffness but also has overcome the deficiencies of nonductile detailing. The present study shows that a proper repair and adequate retrofitting technique can be used for strengthening and improvement of damaged regions in reinforced concrete structures.     

Frit salvage innovation of cathode ray tube by initiating to crack along the seal edge

This article describes a thermal stress boundary element analysis which was carried out to select a mechanical device that would innovate the frit salvage of cathode ray tubes (CRT). The panel and funnel of a CRT are fritted at the seal edge. To reuse a CRT, the panel and funnel are separated by etching and then applied a thermal shock. This procedure is known as frit salvage. Current yield of the frit salvage success rate is about 61 %, which means that 39% of the components are lost and cannot be reused. The financial burden can be reduced if the salvage rate is improved through a better understanding of the thermal shock mechanism.

During thermal shock, a crack was observed to initiate at the end of the axes and traverses towards the corner along the seal end. A CRT is lost when the crack travels along the diagonal corner. A thermal stress analysis was carried out using the boundary element method. The analysis determined that maximum stresses are located near the blend radius on the panel skirt at approximately 1–2 inches on either side of the diagonal. Also it was found that the stresses along the frit seal edge are uniform from the end of the major and minor axes towards the diagonal. The stresses at the diagonal location were reduced by approximately 29%. The direction and location of the crack obtained by the boundary element anlysis were consistent with those observed in the frit salvage procedure.

The crack's promoter along the seal edge is used to protect thermal shock on the outer face panel near the heel radius in order to prevent thermal failure on the diagonal corner. The resultant stresses' directions through the crack's promoter have two holds. The directions of the dominant high stresses at the seal edge through the crack's promoter were changed perpendicular to the seal edge. Therefore, it induces the crack to follow along the seal edge. Secondly, the stresses' directions on a diagonal corner have also been changed to be perpendicular to the seal edge. Consequently, this will prevent the crack along the seal edge from propagating to the diagonal corner, as the crack will advance normally to the maximum principal stress. The crack continues to traverse along the dominant high stress lines at the seal edge as required for a successful frit salvage process. This application is an excellent example of the advantages of using the boundary element method in an industrial setting.     

Distribution of time to failure of consecutive k-out-of n:F systems

It is shown that by modifying the path-evaluation technique due to R.C. Bollinger and A.A. Salvia (1985) it is possible to compute the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the lifetime of any consecutive k-out-of-n:F system recursively, obtaining it as a mixture of the distributions of the failure times of the various paths. The distribution of the failure time given a path is a convolution of exponential distributions with the distributions of failure times of systems made up of disjoint modules in series, where each module is either a subsystem for which the recursive computation has already been done or an s-coherent system with nonoverlapping min-cut sets whose failure time CDF can be easily found     

An experimental study of soft errors in microprocessors

The issue of soft errors is an important emerging concern in the design and implementation of future microprocessors. The authors examine the impact of soft errors on two different microarchitectures: a DLX processor for embedded applications and a high-performance alpha processor. The results contrast impact of soft errors on combinational and sequential logic, identify the most vulnerable units, and assess soft error impact on the application.     

Heterojunction bipolar transistors using Si-Ge alloys

Advanced epitaxial growth techniques permit the use of pseudomorphic Si_1-xGe_x alloys in silicon technology. The smaller bandgap of these alloys allows for a variety of novel band-engineered structures that promise to enhance silicon-based technology significantly. The authors discuss the growth and properties of pseudomorphic Si_1-xGe_x structures and then focus on their applications, especially the Si_1-xGe_x -base heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT). They show that HBTs in the Si_1-xGe_x system allow for the decoupling of current gain and intrinsic base resistance. Such devices can be made by using a variety of techniques, including molecular-beam epitaxy and chemical vapor deposition. The authors describe the evolution of fabrication schemes for such HBTs and describe the DC and AC results obtained. They show that optimally designed HBTs coupled with advanced bipolar structures can provide performance leverage     

Simulated fault injection: a methodology to evaluate fault tolerantmicroprocessor architectures

A simulation-based fault-injection methodology for validating fault-tolerant microprocessor architectures is described. The approach uses mixed-mode simulation (electrical/logic analysis), and injects transient errors in run-time to assess the resulting fault-impact. To exemplify the methodology, a fault-tolerant architecture which models the digital aspects of a dual-channel, real-time jet-engine controller is used. The level of effectiveness of the dual configuration with respect to single and multiple transients is measured. The results indicate 100% coverage of single transients. Approximately 12% of the multiple transients affect both channels; none result in controller failure since two additional levels of redundancy exist