Experimental validation of FE predicted fracture behaviour in thermally sprayed coatings

The fracture behaviour of a brittle coating on a substrate is not only governed by its intrinsic fracture strength, but also by a range of other parameters. In order to be able to understand (and thus predict) the fracture response, it is very important to accurately determine the key coating properties such as elastic modulus, residual stresses and fracture strength. In the present work, the fracture behaviour of three different high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed WC–17% Co coatings on Ti–6Al–4V substrates was studied using four-point bending with the acoustic emission technique. The key coating properties were determined experimentally and finite element (FE) models incorporating these experimentally measured properties were used to predict the cracking behaviour. It was found that the FE model was able to predict the differences in the fracture responses of the three coating types based upon differences in their mechanical properties, which in turn enabled the properties which dominate the fracture response to be identified. Moreover, the ability to predict the fracture behaviour of the coatings provided validation of the physical basis of the FE model.     

Removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions using pre-consumer processing agricultural waste: a case study of rice husk

This paper reports the feasibility of using pre-consumer processing agricultural waste to remove Cr(VI) from synthetic wastewater under different experimental conditions. For this, rice husk, has been used after pre-treatments (boiling and formaldehyde treatment). Effect of various process parameters, namely, pH, adsorbent dose, initial chromium concentration and contact time has been studied in batch systems. The removal of chromium was dependent on the physico-chemical characteristics of the adsorbent, adsorbate concentration and other studied process parameters. Maximum metal removal was observed at pH 2.0. The efficiencies of boiled and formaldehyde treated rice husk for Cr(VI) removal were 71.0% and 76.5% respectively for dilute solutions at 20gl(-1) adsorbent dose. The experimental data were analyzed using Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models. It was found that Freundlich and D-R models fitted well. The results revealed that the hexavalent chromium is considerably adsorbed on rice husk and it could be an economical method for the removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous systems. FTIR and SEM were recorded, before and after adsorption, to explore number and position of the functional groups available for Cr(VI) binding on to studied adsorbents and changes in adsorbent surface morphology.     

Validating generality of recently developed critical plane model for fatigue life assessments using multiaxial test database on seventeen different materials

The present studies are aimed at validation of a newly developed critical plane model with respect to large variety of engineering materials used for different applications. This newly developed model has been recently reported by present authors. To strengthen general applicability of this model, multiaxial test database consisting of a wide variety of multiaxial loading paths have been considered. The strain paths include pure axial, pure torsion, in‐phase axial‐torsion, out‐of‐phase axial‐torsion with phase shift angles varying from 30° to 180° having sine/trapezoidal/triangular strain waveforms, with/without mean axial/shear strains and asynchronous axial‐torsion strain paths of different frequency ratios etc. The materials covered in present study are mainly categorized as ferrous and nonferrous alloys. In ferrous alloy category, material grades from plain carbon steel (mild steel, 16MnR, SA333 Gr. 6, E235 and E355), low‐alloy steel (1Cr‐Mo‐V and S460 N) and austenitic stainless steel (SS304, SS316L and SS347) have been considered. In nonferrous alloy category, aluminium alloys (2024T3‐Al, 7075T651‐Al, and PA38‐T6‐Al), titanium (pure titanium and TC4 alloy), cobalt base super‐alloy (Haynes 188), and nickel alloy (Inconel‐718) have been considered. The predicted and test fatigue lives are found in good agreement for all these materials and complex multiaxial loading paths.     

Raman Study of Hi-Nicalon-Fiber-Reinforced Celsian Composites: II, Residual Stress in Fibers

Band shifts in Raman spectra were used to assess, on a microscopic scale, the residual strain existing in Hi-Nicalon silicon carbide fibers reinforcing celsian-matrix composites. Uncoated as well as p-BN/SiC-coated and p-B(Si)N/SiC-coated Hi-Nicalon fibers were used as the reinforcements. We unambiguously conclude that the fibers were in a state of compressive residual stress. Quantitative determination of the residual stress was made possible by taking into account the heating induced by laser probing and by using a reference line, of fixed wavenumber. We found fiber compressive residual stress values between 110 and 960 MPa, depending on the fiber/matrix coating in the composite. A stress relaxation-like phenomenon was observed at the surface of p-BN/SiC-coated Hi-Nicalon fibers whereas the uncoated or p-B(Si)N/SiC-coated Hi-Nicalon fibers did not show any stress relaxation in the celsian-matrix composites.     

Fundamental Limits of Organic Packages and Boards and the Need for Novel Ceramic Boards for Next Generation Electronic Packaging

The system-on-a-package (SOP) paradigm proposes a package level integration of digital, RF/analog and opto-electronic functions to address future convergent microsystems. Two major components of SOP fabrication are sequential build-up of multiple layers (4–8) of conducting copper patterns with interlayer dielectrics on a board and multiple ICs flip-chip bonded on the top layer. A wide range of passives, wave-guides and other RF and opto-electronic components buried within the dielectric layers provide the multiple functions on a single microminiaturized platform.The routing of future nanoscale ICs with 10,000+ I/Os require multiple build-up layers of ultra fine board feature sizes of 10 m lines/space widths and 40 m pad diameters. Current FR4 boards cannot achieve this build-up technology because of dimensional instability during processing. These boards also undergo high warpage during the sequential build-up process which limits the fine-line lithography and also causes misalignment between the vias and their corresponding landing pads. In addition, the CTE mismatch between the silicon die and the board leads to IC-package interconnect reliability concerns, particularly in future fine-pitch assemblies where underfilling becomes complicated and expensive.This work reports experimental and analytical work comparing the performance of organic and novel ceramic boards for SOP requirements. The property requirements as deduced from these results indicate that a high stiffness and tailorable CTE from 2–4 ppm/C is required to enable SOP microminiaturized board fabrication and assembly without underfill. A novel ceramic board technology is proposed to address these requirements.     

Taking the grind out of grinding

Existing uses of RF/microwave heating involve soft targets. This article focuses on current research being carried out in the United Kingdom and South Africa, where microwave energy is being applied to "soften up" rocks for the purpose of mineral extraction.     

Cutting to the chase [microwave car stopper]

This article presents a microwave device that could spell the end of hair-raising car chases. A prototype has been commissioned by law enforcement agencies and police forces in the United States and Britain have ordered tests of the new system. This car zapper is designed to fit in the trunk of a police car with a directive antenna mounted on the roof. At the touch of a button, a police officer can direct a jolt of microwave energy at a speeding car. The electromagnetic impulse induces high transient currents in the wires leading to the microprocessor of the suspect's car and disables the ignition.     

Evaluating the role of composition and local structure on alkali out-diffusion in glasses for thin-film solar cells

The presence of alkali ions has reportedly improved the performance of CIGS/CZTS–based thin-film solar cells. The out-diffusion of the alkali ion, in particular, Na, from the glass substrate offers a facile scalable route of supplying the alkali ions during the growth of the absorber layer. In this work, we demonstrate the diffusion of different alkali ions (Li/Na/K) from composition tuned glasses with intentionally incorporated excess alkali ions into a thin Mo film, typically used as a bottom electrode in solar cells. We also evaluate the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of the glasses for suitability as a substrate in thin-film deposition. The out-diffusion of alkali ions to the overlayer is found to be critically influenced by the composition and the local structure of the glasses. The Na ions exhibit the highest extent of diffusion among the alkali ions present in glass substrates, while that for the K-ions is the lowest. For the glasses with mixed alkali ions, the presence of Li facilitated the out-diffusion of Na, whereas K ions appear to inhibit the same. Differently with the existing reports, we show that the activation energy and the presence of Ca ions as additional modifiers play a crucial role in the transport mechanism of the ions. In addition, the synthesized glasses exhibit hardness of the order 5-7 GPa, density ~2.55 g cm^-3. The glass transition temperature lies between 535 and 580°C and the coefficient of thermal expansion 8.5-10 ppm/K, which is highly suitable for use as substrates in thin-film solar cells.     

A technoeconomic simulation model for A hybrid solar water heating system

A simple mathematical model has been developed to evaluate the technoeconomic performance of a hybrid solar water heating system for commercial and industrial applications. Numerical calculations, corresponding to Delhi climatic data and for the prevalent cost of a solar energy system in the Indian market, show that the optimum collector area (meeting nearly 45 percent of the daily hot water demand M litres) is 0–0075 Mm²; either a reduction of about 35 per cent in the present solar collector costs or a more than 20 per cent rise in the cost of presently subsidized diesel oil makes the solar option economic. With the present parameters the cost of useful solar energy is higher than that obtained from the conventional system.