The hot blow forming of AZ31 Mg sheet: Formability assessment and application development

The hot blow forming of magnesium sheet offers significant opportunity for forming complex, lightweight parts for automotive applications. This paper characterizes the elevated-temperature formability of AZ31 magnesium sheet materials and the effect of processing conditions on the performance of these materials. In addition, magnesium sheet application development at General Motors Corporation is reviewed.     

Simulation of Strength Distribution in Ground Ceramics by Incorporating Residual Stress Effect

Strength of ground ceramics may be affected by residual stress as well as surface flaws induced by grinding. Strength prediction for ground ceramics is convenient for mechanical design of ceramic components. In this article, a numerical procedure based on fracture mechanics was proposed to estimate strength distribution of ground ceramics by considering grinding-induced residual stress. Bending strength and residual stress of ground ceramics were measured for three grinding-conditions. By comparison of simulated results with experimental ones, it was revealed that strength characteristics in experiments were well simulated by using the proposed procedure.     

Efficient data processing and quantum phenomena: Single-particle systems

We study the relation between the acquisition and analysis of data and quantum theory using a probabilistic and deterministic model for photon polarizers. We introduce criteria for efficient processing of data and then use these criteria to demonstrate that efficient processing of the data contained in single events is equivalent to the observation that Malus' law holds. A strictly deterministic process that also yields Malus' law is analyzed in detail. We present a performance analysis of the probabilistic and deterministic model of the photon polarizer. The latter is an adaptive dynamical system that has primitive learning capabilities. This additional feature has recently been shown to be sufficient to perform event-by-event simulations of interference phenomena, without using concepts of wave mechanics. We illustrate this by presenting results for a system of two chained Mach-Zehnder interferometers, suggesting that systems that perform efficient data processing and have learning capability are able to exhibit behavior that is usually attributed to quantum systems only.     

Avalanche multiplication in a compact bipolar transistor model forcircuit simulation

A simple weak avalanche model valid in a wide range of voltages and currents, is presented. The proposed model is derived by using the base-collector depletion capacitance for predicting the avalanche current. The model needs only one additional transistor parameter; the extraction method and temperature dependence of this parameter are discussed. The decrease in avalanche current for high collector current densities may originate from internal device heating, a voltage drop in the epilayer, or mobile carriers in the depleted part. From experimental results it is concluded that, below a critical hot-carrier current, the decrease in avalanche current due to mobile carriers is negligible     

Synthesis,characterization and ion exchange properties of zirconium(IV) tungstoiodophosphate,a new cation exchanger

Zirconium(IV) tungstoiodophosphate has been synthesized under a variety of conditions. The most chemically and thermally stable sample is prepared by adding a mixture of aqueous solutions of 0·5 mol L⁻¹ sodium tungstate, potassium iodate and 1 mol L⁻¹ orthophosphoric acid to aqueous solution of 0·1 mol L⁻¹ zirconium(IV) oxychloride. Its ion exchange capacity for Na⁺ and K⁺ was found to be 2·20 and 2·35 meq g⁻¹ dry exchanger, respectively. The material has been characterized on the basis of chemical composition, pH titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis. The effect on the exchange capacity of drying the exchanger at different temperatures has been studied. The analytical importance of the material has been established by quantitative separation of Pb²⁺ from other metal ions.     

A One-Dimensional Nonlocal Damage-Plasticity Model for Ductile Materials

This paper presents a new 1-D non-local damage-plasticity deformation model for ductile materials. It uses the thermodynamic framework described in Houlsby and Puzrin (2000) and holds, nevertheless, some similarities with Lemaitre’s (1971) approach. A 1D finite element (FE) model of a bar fixed at one end and loaded in tension at the other end is introduced. This simple model demonstrates how the approach can be implemented within the finite element framework, and that it is capable of capturing both the pre-peak hardening and post-peak softening (generally responsible for models instability) due to damage-induced stiffness and strength reduction characteristic of ductile materials. It is also shown that the approach has further advantages of achieving some degree of mesh independence, and of being able to capture deformation size effects. Finally, it is illustrated how the model permits the calculation of essential work of rupture (EWR), i.e. the specific energy per unit cross-sectional area that is needed to cause tensile failure of a specimen.     

Preparation and photochromism of nanocomposite thin film based on polyoxometalate and polyethyleneglycol

A photochromic nanocomposite based on Keggin structure phosphomolybdic acid (PMoA) well dispersed in polyethyleneglycol (PEG) was fabricated. TEM image showed that PMoA nanoparticles with narrow size distribution were finely dispersed in polymer matrix. FT-IR results showed that the Keggin geometry of polyoxometalates was still preserved inside the composites and strong coulombic interaction was built between PMoA and polymer matrix. Under UV irradiation, the film was reduced photochemically to yield a blue species, which was in accordance with a charge-transfer mechanism.     

Effects of contact shape on biological wet adhesion

Wet adhesion is widely adopted in biological adhesion systems in nature. Wet adhesion is studied in this paper with the focus on the effect of different contact shapes (flat, concave, convex, and ring-like) on the adhesion force. The evolution of the liquid bridge between a fiber tip and substrate during the detaching process shows two transition points. The first transition from the radius-controlled to the contact-angle controlled process is critical to influence the strength and robustness of adhesion. We show that a concave shape is more effective than a flat one, while a convex shape has no advantage. A ring-like contact shape has advantages in a hydrophobic environment and on a rough surface.     

Dye-sensitized solar cell based on nanocrystalline TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> with 3–10 nm in diameter

Nanocrystalline TiO₂ with 3–10 nm in diameter was prepared with a surfactant-template method. Dye-sensitized solar cells were assembled using the prepared nanocrystalline TiO₂ with large surface area and high crystallinity, which achieved significant higher Jsc when compared to cells fabricated with bigger particles of 25 nm in diameter. In the cells with nanocrystalline TiO₂, the sintering temperature drastically affected the conversion performance of the cells.