Influence of zinc oxide on thermoplastic elastomer‐based composites: Synthesis,processing, structural,and thermal characterization

It was aimed to investigate how thermal conductivity and stability properties of synthesized thermoplastic elastomers were influenced by zinc oxide (ZnO) additives which differed in size and surface treatment. ZnO particles were prepared by the homogeneous precipitation method by mixing aqueous solutions of hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) and zinc nitrate. The obtained particles were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) was used as a modifier to reduce aggregation among the ZnO particles. The composites, prepared by melt compounding method, were characterized in terms of their morphology and thermal properties. Uniformly distributed surface treated particles caused an enhancement in thermal conductivity properties. At 10 wt% ZnO concentration the thermal conductivity of composite reached 1.7 W/mK compared with 0.3 W/mK for the neat polymer. At the same filler loading, ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a greater effect on thermal conductivity compared with submicron sized particles. It was found that the coefficient of thermal expansion of composites decreased at low temperature (55°C) with increasing ZnO content. Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the neat polymer and the composites were resistant up to 340°C without significant mass loss. POLYM. COMPOS., 37:2369–2376, 2016. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A benchmarking service for the manufacturing control research community

This paper presents the development—by the IMS Network of Excellence (cf. http://www. ims-noe.org)—of a web-based benchmarking service for manufacturing control systems. The paper first discusses the rationale behind this development. Next, the architecture and usage of the benchmarking service is presented and illustrated. Finally, the paper addresses the current status of the benchmarking service.     

Carbothermal Synthesis of α-SiC Micro-Ribbons

We report the synthesis of microscopic α-SiC ribbons (belts) on the surface of a graphite rod at 1800°–1900°C by a carbothermal process. The width of the ribbons produced ranged from 500 nm to 5 μm and the aspect ratio was up to 400. The ribbon thickness ranged from 50 to 800 nm. Their growth mechanism was explained by accelerated growth along the twin boundary. SiC whiskers grew on the rod along with the ribbons. Frequently, ribbons were growing from the tip of a whisker or whiskers were growing from the edge of a ribbon. SiC ribbons may find applications in high-temperature sensors, photo-electronic devices, or robust cantilevers in micro (or nano) electro mechanical systems. Alternatively, they can be used as reinforcements in composite materials, conferring anisotropic mechanical properties, such as unidirectional flexibility, to the composite.     

Coarsening mechanisms in a dendritic Al–10% Cu alloy

Coarsening of a dendritic Al–10 wt.% Cu alloy at 570 °C was investigated by fast in situ X-ray tomography. The variation of the specific solid–liquid interface area as a function of time was found to follow a power-law relation with an exponent close to ?1/4. Three coarsening mechanisms operate in the alloy: (i) melting of small dendrite arms to the benefit of the adjacent arms (small arm melting), similar to Ostwald ripening; (ii) gradual movement of the base of the interdendritic grooves towards the tips (interdendritic groove advancement); (iii) coalescence of dendrites near the tips leading to the entrapment of liquid tubes or droplets (coalescence and groove advancement). The coarsening models proposed in the literature do not adequately resemble or predict the behaviour observed in the experiments. New models were developed for the first two coarsening mechanisms and predict the coarsening rate with very good agreement.     

Measurement of deflections in buried flexible pipes by close range digital photogrammetry

In this study, the monitoring of the load–deflection behavior of buried flexible pipes by digital close range photogrammetry was described. Experimental investigations were performed in a test box made of steel, with a Plexiglas front wall. An online vision system with three CCD cameras was developed to measure automatically the deflections of pipes during load tests. The system can also correct image distortions caused by refraction of light rays passing through different medias. The computational approach involves first determining camera calibration parameters, then calculating of object coordinates of targets placed on pipe wall section after each load step using the results of the calibration process. In loading tests, LVDTs were also used to measure the changes in vertical diameters of the pipes. The comparison of results obtained from both measurement systems indicated that photogrammetric system is reliable and accurate to monitor deflection behavior of pipes under loading conditions.     

Using X-ray microtomography to evaluate cavity formation in a superplastic magnesium alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing

The magnesium AZ31 alloy exhibits excellent superplastic properties after processing by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) and testing in tension at a temperature of 623 K. Experiments show that there is an increase in the elongations to failure with increasing numbers of passes in ECAP. X-ray microtomography was used to obtain detailed information on the morphologies of cavities developed during superplastic flow and the results were analyzed in terms of the different possible cavity growth mechanisms. The results show that superplastic elongations are attained in this alloy because the finer grain structure introduced by ECAP is associated with lower flow stresses in tensile testing at elevated temperatures and this leads to a reduction in the rate of growth of internal cavities.     

Characterization of the kinetic behavior of resin modified Glass-ionomer cements by DSC, TMA and ultrasonic wave propagation

In this study the isothermal kinetic behavior of two resin modified glass ionomer cements (RMGIC) and a dental composite have been compared by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermo-mechanical analysis (TMA). The simultaneous evolution of the multiple reactions occurring in RMGIC has been analyzed not only by DSC and TMA but also by ultrasonic wave propagation using the pulse-echo technique. The propagation of ultrasonic waves, acting as a dynamic mechanical deformation at high frequencies, is proportional to the longitudinal bulk moduli of the material and may be used to measure the changes of mechanical properties induced by a chemical reaction as occurs in RMGIC. TMA and ultrasonic analysis have been used to monitor the acid-base reaction of RMGIC in dark conditions. Moreover an RMGIC presenting a double reactive mechanism in dark conditions, a thermally activated radical polymerization and an acid-base reaction are studied using these experimental techniques. Finally DSC and TMA results obtained during photopolymerization of an RMGIC and of a dental composite have been compared.     

Identification of large coherent structures in supersonic axisymmetric wakes

Direct numerical simulation data of supersonic axisymmetric wakes are analysed for the existence of large coherent structures. Wakes at Ma=2.46 are considered with results being presented for cases at Reynolds numbers Re_D=30,000 and 100,000. Criteria for identification of coherent structures in free-shear flows found in the literature are compiled and discussed, and the role of compressibility is addressed. In particular, the ability and reliability of visualisation techniques intended for incompressible shear-flows to educe meaningful structures in supersonic wakes is scrutinised. It is shown that some of these methods retain their usefulness for identification of vortical structures as long as the swirling rate is larger than the local compression and expansion rates in the flow field. As a measure for the validity of this condition in a given flow the ‘vortex compressibility parameter’ is proposed which is derived here. Best ‘visibility’ of coherent structures is achieved by employing visualisation techniques and proper orthogonal decomposition in combination with the introduction of artificial perturbations (forcing of the wake). The existence of both helical and longitudinal structures in the shear layer and of hairpin-like structures in the developing wake is demonstrated. In addition, elongated tubes of streamwise vorticity are observed to emanate from the region of recirculating flow.     

An AFLP-based procedure for the efficient mapping of mutations and DNA probes in barley

A strategy based upon AFLP markers for high-efficiency mapping of morphological mutations and DNA probes to linkage groups in barley is presented. First, 511 AFLP markers were placed on the linkage map derived from the cross Proctor x Nudinka. Second, loci controlling phenotypic traits were assigned to linkage groups by AFLP analysis, using F2 populations consisting of 30-50 mutant plants derived from crosses of the type "mutant x Proctor" and "mutant x Nudinka." To map DNA probes, 67 different wild-type barley lines were selected to generate F2 populations by crossing with Proctor and Nudinka. F2 plants that were polymorphic for a given RFLP fragment were classified into genotypic classes. Linkage of the RFLP polymorphism to 1 of the 511 AFLP loci was indicated by cosegregation. The use of the strategy is exemplified by the mapping of the mutation branched-5 to chromosome 2 and of the DNA probes Bkn2 and BM-7 to chromosomes 5 and 1, respectively. Map expansion and marker order in map regions with dense clustering of markers represented a particular problem. A discussion considering the effect of noncanonical recombinant products on these two parameters is provided.