A study on thermal analysis of MgH2 powder made by hydriding chemical vapor deposition method

The desorption kinetics of Mg hydride made by the HCVD method was assessed by thermal analysis in order to study desorption behavior. Desorption kinetics was analyzed by the theoretical equation which was derived on the basis of a continuous moving boundary model. At various initial hydride wt% from 1.65 to 7.42, the sample was heated to 573 K at a rate of 1.0 K/min. The starting temperature of evolution of hydrogen rises higher as the initial hydride wt% increases. The number of thermal desorption peaks corresponds to the occupation sites of hydrogen. As the heating rate was increased, the peak temperatures increased; the peak temperatures for heating rates 1, 2, 3 and 4 K/min were 667, 683, 690 and 698 K, respectively. The pressure range is 0.1 to 0.2 atm for measuring. The activation energy for the decomposition of Mg hydride made by HCVD method was 166 kJ/ mol.     

The optimal design scheme of an SUGV for surveillance and reconnaissance missions in urban and rough terrain

In this paper, we propose the optimal design scheme for designing an SUGV (Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle) for the purpose of surveillance and reconnaissance in urban and rough terrain, tunnels, sewers, and caves. In general, an SUGV for military operations must be light-weight and small in size to attain portability, and must be able to overcome a variety of obstacles including stairs, curbs, and ramps in urban terrain. Consequently, we propose the optimal design scheme to find the optimal size and optimal actuation system of such an SUGV. The scheme is composed of three parts. The first is to find the optimal body length of the SUGV through estimating the CG point moving path in geometrical coordination when climbing stairs. The second is to find material having the required static friction coefficient by estimating the required traction force and wheel moment. The third is to find the actuation load by estimating the wheel load while it climbs up a ramp with ??. From this scheme, we find an optimally designed SUGV for the purposes of military operations. In this paper, to prove the efficiency of the proposed design scheme, we build an SUGV and experiment its mobility performance. The experimental results demonstrate its stair climbing performance on 20cm high and 40degree inclined ramps. The SUGV weighs 21kg and has a minimum body length of 625mm.     

Satellite data visualization system for education

It is important for environment protection to monitor changes in the environment by natural and human causes. It is also important to educate the next generation on the importance of the global environment issues. Recently, it has become possible to continually monitor the global environment using various satellite sensor data. But these satellite data are used for highly specialized analysis by experts in such fields, and the data cannot easily be used by non-experts. In this paper, we propose a satellite data visualization system for educational use. In the proposed system, a gray-scale 2-dimensional image is created from the satellite data. Next, a pseudo-color image is created from the gray-scale image to assist the comprehension of the data. A 3-dimensional data representation of the image is also created, to assist the comparison of the individual data. The aim of the created image is for educational use, and the image is created with emphasis on comprehension of the data, rather than presentation of data details. The aim of the proposed system is presenting the satellite data visually so that non-experts can easily understand. The target of this research is to apply the proposed system for natural science education and to improve the awareness of global environmental issues.     

Experimental investigation of structure vulnerabilities to firebrand showers

Attempting to experimentally quantify the vulnerabilities of structures to ignition from firebrand showers has remained elusive. The coupling of two facilities has begun to unravel this difficult problem. The NIST Firebrand Generator (NIST Dragon) is an experimental device that can generate a firebrand shower in a safe and repeatable fashion. Since wind plays a critical role in the spread of WUI fires in the USA and urban fires in Japan, NIST has established collaboration with the Building Research Institute (BRI) in Japan. BRI maintains one of the only full scale wind tunnel facilities in the world designed specifically for fire experimentation; the Fire Research Wind Tunnel Facility (FRWTF). The present investigation is aimed at extensively quantifying firebrand penetration through building vents using full scale tests. A structure was placed inside the FRWTF and firebrand showers were directed at the structure using the NIST Dragon. The structure was fitted with a generic building vent, consisting of only a frame fitted with a metal mesh. Six different mesh sizes openings were used for testing. Behind the mesh, four different materials were placed to ascertain whether the firebrands that were able to penetrate the building mesh assembly could ignite these materials. Reduced scale test methods afford the capability to test new vent technologies and may serve as the basis for new standard testing methodologies. As a result, a new experimental facility developed at NIST is presented and is known as the NIST Dragon's LAIR (Lofting and Ignition Research). The NIST Dragon's LAIR has been developed to simulate a wind driven firebrand attack at reduced scale. The facility consists of a reduced scale Firebrand Generator (Baby Dragon) coupled to a bench scale wind tunnel. Finally, a series of full scale experiments were conducted to visualize the flow of firebrands around obstacles placed downstream of the NIST Dragon. Firebrands were observed to accumulate in front of these obstacles at a stagnation plane, as was observed when the structure was used for firebrand penetration through building vent experiments, due to flow recirculation. The accumulation of firebrands at a stagnation plane presents a severe threat to ignitable materials placed near structures.     

Ag/Ni Metallization Bilayer: A Functional Layer for Highly Efficient Polycrystalline SnSe Thermoelectric Modules

The structural and electrical characteristics of Ag/Ni bilayer metallization on polycrystalline thermoelectric SnSe were investigated. Two difficulties with thermoelectric SnSe metallization were identified for Ag and Ni single layers: Sn diffusion into the Ag metallization layer and unexpected cracks in the Ni metallization layer. The proposed Ag/Ni bilayer was prepared by hot-pressing, demonstrating successful metallization on the SnSe surface without interfacial cracks or elemental penetration into the metallization layer. Structural analysis revealed that the Ni layer reacts with SnSe, forming several crystalline phases during metallization that are beneficial for reducing contact resistance. Detailed investigation of the Ni/SnSe interface layer confirms columnar Ni-Sn intermetallic phases [(Ni₃Sn and Ni₃Sn₂) and Ni_5.63SnSe₂] that suppress Sn diffusion into the Ag layer. Electrical specific-contact resistivity (5.32 × 10^?4 Ω cm²) of the Ag/Ni bilayer requires further modification for development of high-efficiency polycrystalline SnSe thermoelectric modules.