A comparative study of thermal and hydraulic autofrettage

Thermal autofrettage is a potential process to generate beneficial compressive residual stresses at and around the inner wall of a thickwalled cylinder for increasing its pressure carrying capacity. Due to its simplicity and inexpensive arrangement, it can compete with the conventional hydraulic autofrettage process. In this work, a comparative study of the thermal autofrettage and the hydraulic autofrettage is carried out. As the thermal autofrettage does not require hydraulic power pack, the process is more economical than the hydraulic autofrettage. The thermal autofrettage process is also studied for the thick-walled cylindrical vessels subjected to high thermal gradient with or without pressure and is compared with the hydraulic autofrettage. Comparison shows that for cylinders subjected to high thermal gradient without pressure, the thermal autofrettage is superior to the hydraulic autofrettage.     

Evaluation of some non-toxic thiadiazole derivatives as bronze corrosion inhibitors in aqueous solution

The inhibiting effect of four innoxious thiadiazole derivatives (2-mercapto-5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (MAT), 2-mercapto-5-acetylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (MAcAT), 2-mercapto-5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazole (MMeT) and 2-mercapto-5-phenylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole (MPhAT)) on bronze corrosion in an aerated solution of 0.2 g L⁻¹ Na₂SO₄ + 0.2 g L⁻¹ NaHCO₃ at pH 5 was studied by potentiodynamic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.The corrosion parameters determined from the polarisation curves indicate that the addition of the investigated thiadiazole derivatives decreases both cathodic and anodic current densities, due to an inhibition of the corrosion process, through the adsorption of thiadiazoles on the bronze surface. The inhibiting effect of the investigated organic compounds appears to be more pronounced on the anodic process than on the cathodic one and, except for the case MPhAT, it is enhanced by the increases of the inhibitors’ concentration.The adsorption of the thiadiazole derivatives on bronze was confirmed by the presence of the nitrogen atoms in the EDX spectra of the bronze exposed to inhibitor-containing solutions.The magnitude of polarisation resistance values and, consequently, the inhibition efficiencies are influenced by the molecular structure of thiadiazole derivatives. The strongest inhibition was noticed in the presence of compounds with phenyl amino- or amino-functionalities in their molecules. The maximum protection efficiencies were obtained by addition of: 5 mM MAT (95.9%), 1 mM MAcAT (95.7%), 5 mM MMeT (92.6%) and 0.1 mM MPhAT (97%). EIS measurements also revealed that the inhibitor effectiveness of the optimal concentrations of thiadiazole is time-dependent.     

Pre-treatment by dry ice blasting for adhesive bonding

In recent years, the constant development of adhesives and coatings has contributed to the establishment of the adhesive and coating technology in several fields. Based on findings in macro-molecular chemistry, the cohesive strength, e.g. the internal strength of adhesives, has been enhanced continuously. In contrast to the adhesive strength, the mechanical, chemical and physical adhesion, the cohesive strength is relatively strong. As a consequence, adhesion is usually the weakest link of an adhesive bond, thus, most often it is adhesive fracture that can be observed. Pre-treatment and the use of so-called coupling reagents represent an approach to improve the adhesive strength. The paper presents dry ice blasting as a pre-treatment process and a process model with which the reasons for the increased adhesive strength can be clarified. With respect to the relevant blasting parameters, the effects of a pre-treatment with dry ice blasting on roughness, surface topography, specific surface, mechanical activation, surface energy and chemical composition depending on relevant parameters have been determined.     

Printing cotton fabrics with reactive dyes of high reactivity from an acidic printing paste

The behaviour of reactive dyes of high reactivity during the printing process of 100% cotton fabrics from an alkaline and acidic printing paste was studied in detail. The printing pastes were stored for different periods of time and then the fabrics were printed. The samples were subjected to two methods of fixation, the first by steaming and the second by thermofixation. The effects of different factors such as alkali and acid concentration, storage time of the printing pastes and method of fixation on the K/S values of the prints were investigated. The fastness properties of the printed areas were also measured to determine the improvement obtained by acidic printing with high-reactivity reactive dyes on cotton fabrics.     

Investigations on composition and morphology of electrochemical conversion layer/titanium dioxide deposit on stainless steel

In this study, the formation and characterization of conversion coatings modified by a sol-gel TiO₂ deposit were investigated as a way to develop a new photocatalyst for water and air depollution. The conversion coating, characterised by strong interfacial adhesion, high roughness and high surface area facilitates the sol-gel deposition of titania and enhances its adhesion to the substrate. The conversion treatment is carried out in an acid solution. Observation by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) reveals a rough surface with pores and cavities. According to SIMS measurements, the thickness of the initial conversion layer is evaluated at about 1.5 μm. On this pre-functionalised support, the titanium dioxide was deposited by the sol-gel method. The roughness measurements coupled with SIMS analysis allowed a precise evaluation of the surface state of the final layers. The coating consists of two layers: a TiO₂ outer layer and an inner layer containing iron chromium oxides. Characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the existence of the TiO₂ anatase structure as the main compound.     

Equation of state and the dynamic compression of cerium in the range of the γ-α phase transition

A thermodynamically complete equation of two-phase (γ, α) state of cerium was derived in terms of a pseudobinary solid-solution model developed by Aptekar’ and Ponyatovskii. According to the model, unalloyed cerium is considered to be a substitutional solid solution whose components are represented by atoms with different electron configurations. The free energy of the individual phases (solid-solution components) is represented as a sum of three terms that describe the atomic interaction at T = 0 K, quasi-harmonic lattice vibrations, and the combined contribution of the anharmonicity and thermally excited electrons. The equation of state is shown to adequately describe the unusual behavior of cerium under the effect of static actions. In this work, calculations of the dynamic compression of cerium are performed. The calculations indicate that, up to the completion of the γ-α transition, the formation of the shockwave front in cerium is impossible and compression of cerium occurs in an isentropic wave of simple compression. As the pressure increases, a multiwave configuration with the participation of isentropic and shock waves is realized in cerium. The initial state in which the shock wave is propagated changes depending on the wave intensity; i.e., the initial state “slides” along the leading isentropic wave. The shock adiabat was shown to not pass through the very complex range of metastable existence of α-, α′-, and α″ phases. This provides prerequisites for experimental finding the α-ε transformation which can occur in the shock wave and is not masked with the preceding α-α′ and α′-α″ transformations. When assuming the absence of the α-ε transformation, the calculated coordinates of the point corresponding to the start of melting in the shock wave are p _melt = 11.3 GPa and T _melt = 1130 K.     

Interaction of La3+ and Ce4+ with polyethylene and polypropylene polymeric matrices

The different modes of interaction of La³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺ as simulated radioactive lanthanides found in the backend of the nuclear fuel cycle with polyethylene and polypropylene macromolecules were considered. The various compositions were characterized before and after irradiation at different gamma ray doses. The mechanical properties including stress–strain parameters were also tested. The morphological and mechanical behaviors of the various composites were different from those of the corresponding pure polymers and affected by the chemistry of the interacting elements. Besides, the leaching characteristics were carried out using the short‐ and long‐term procedure; the leaching rates were evaluated as an index for immobilization of these lanthanides. Two semiempirical models were applied to find out the dominant leaching mechanism of La³⁺ and Ce⁴⁺. Dissolution associated with diffusion was the dominant leaching path and the elemental leaching characteristics depended upon its solubility in water. Diffusion coefficients and dissolution rate constants, the main parameters in the long‐term prediction model, were obtained using short‐ and long‐term experimental data. The model was found to be useful in predicting the long‐term behavior of such elements to assess the stability of the used waste forms. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2141–2151, 2007     

Investigation of conductivity characteristics of nitrile butadiene rubber vulcanizates filled with semiconducting carbide ceramic

SiC‐ and B₄C‐filled NBR rubber composites were prepared with various volume fractions of filler by a conventional roll‐mill method. The morphological structures of the NBR–SiC and NBR–B₄C composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy. The dependence of room‐temperature volume resistivity (ρ_v) on the concentration of filler in the two systems was studied. In addition, variation in the number of current carriers (n), mobility carriers (μ), dielectric constant (ε), and dielectric loss factor (tan δ) on filler concentration in the two systems were investigated in detail. The applicability of composites as negative temperature coefficient (NTCR) linear thermistors was studied by the dependence of volume resistivity on temperature. The resistivity showed negative temperature dependence and changed linearly with temperature parallel. The conduction mechanism of the conductivity of the two composites was analyzed in terms of the computed activation energy and hopping energy. Change in volume resistivity as a function of frequency for the two systems was also investigated. Finally, the dependence of volume resistivity on applied pressure and possible real applications of these composites as transducers in pressure sensors were also studied. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2158–2165, 2007     

Lignin‐based polycondensation resins for wood adhesives

Lignin‐based wood adhesives are obtained that satisfy the requirements of relevant international standards for the manufacture of exterior‐grade wood particleboard. Formulations based on low molecular mass lignin and presenting an increase in the relative proportion of reactive points yield better results than the higher molecular mass lignin used in the past. These lignins allow a higher proportion of hydroxymethylation during preparation of methylolated lignins. These lignin‐based adhesives also yield acceptable results at particleboard pressing times that are sufficiently low to be of industrial significance. Lignin‐based wood adhesives, in which a nonvolatile nontoxic aldehyde (glyoxal) is substituted for formaldehyde in their preparation, are prepared and tested for application to wood panels such as particleboard. The adhesives yield good internal bond strength results for the panels, which are good enough to comfortably pass relevant international standard specifications for exterior‐grade panels. The adhesives also show sufficient reactivity to yield panels in press times comparable to that of formaldehyde‐based commercial adhesives. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1690–1699, 2007     

Chitosan phosphate induced better thermal characteristics to cotton fabric

Chitosan phosphate was prepared and applied at different concentrations with and without low formaldehyde N‐methylol finishing agent (resin) to cotton fabrics. Chitosan phosphate was characterized by FTIR, nitrogen content, and phosphorus content. The so‐treated fabrics were monitored for thermogravimetric analysis (maximum decomposition temperature and residue contents after decomposition), nitrogen content, phosphorus content, tensile strength, and elongation at break. Results indicate that extent of reaction of chitosan phosphate with the cotton fabric relies on concentration of the former; increasing the concentration of the resin has practically no effect on this reaction though the resin functions as a chemical bridge between the chitosan phosphate and the cotton fabric. On the other hand, the nitrogen of the resin and the phosphorus of chitosan undergo synergetic effect and enhance the thermal properties of the treated cotton. Strength properties display higher values in the presence than in the absence of chitosan phosphate when the latter was used along with the resin. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2021–2026, 2007