Characterization of Fe–C–Cr Based Hardfacing Alloys

Hardfacing is one of the adaptable methods that can build up the hard and wear resistant surface layer of different materials on the surface of substrate material. It helps them withstand wear, as well as prevent corrosion and high temperature oxidation. In the present investigation three different types of Fe–C–Cr based hardfacing electrodes with varying chemical compositions were deposited on ASTM A36 steel substrate by using manual metal arc welding (MMAW) process. ASTM A36 steel was selected as a base material after consulting with Pressure and Process Boilers, Saharanpur (India), which is a leading manufacturer of boilers. ASTM A36 steel is mostly used by this company for the production of induced draft fans. MMAW process with direct current constant current type power source was used to deposit the hardfaced layers of uniform quality. Straight polarity was used for MMAW process so that more of the arc heat should be concentrated on the electrode. The hardfaced samples were characterized using various characterization techniques and the results of the same were also outlined in the present investigation.     

Characterisation of honey produced from different fruit plants of northern India

Studies were carried out to determine the affect of different fruit plant sources viz., Litche chinensis (litchi), Citrus sinensis (sweet orange), Ziziphus mauritiana (ber) and Prunus persica (peach) on moisture content, pH, free acidity, reducing sugars and sucrose contents, fructose/glucose ratio, ash and proline content, invertase and diastase activities, hydroxymethylfurfural and mineral (sodium, potassium, iron, calcium, zinc, and copper) contents as well as on rheological properties of honey. The source of honey had a significant (P < 0.05) effect on moisture content, free acidity, reducing sugar, fructose/glucose ratio, hydroxymethylfurfural content, invertase and diastase activities, sucrose content, proline content, ash content, pH and mineral content. The honey from various sources exhibited Newtonian behaviour and the activation energy ranged from 63.63 to 81.48 kJ mol^?1. Pattern recognition methods such as principal component analysis andlinear discriminate analysis were performed to classify honey on the basis of physico‐chemical properties and mineral content. The variables proline, potassium and free acidity exhibited higher discrimination power.     

Recent progress on synthetic strategies and applications of transition metal phosphides in energy storage and conversion

Continuous advancements in the field of energy conversion and storage, including the development, evaluation of abundant and inexpensive materials with good electrochemical performance, aim to meet the future energy demands. Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have recently emerged as excellent energy conversion and storage materials due to their highly active surface sites, electrical conductivity, thermal and structural stability. TMPs exhibit numerous other desirable properties, like hardness and chemical stability, which result from the presence of strong M ? P bonds in the molecules. In this work, comprehensive review of recent advancements in research concerning TMPs and their applications in the area of energy conversion and storage was conducted. Additionally, the frequently employed synthetic strategies for the production of TMPs were investigated. Particularly, hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER), dye-sensitized solar cells for energy conversion and storage, lithium-ion batteries, and supercapacitors were examined. TMPs display remarkable electrochemical behavior due to the synergistic effects of various compositions and surface structures. Moreover, the M-centers and P-sites possess high electrocatalytic activity. The P-sites of phosphides are negatively charged; thus, they attract protons, enhancing the HER/OER activities. Eventhough platinum-based electrocatalysts perform best in HER, their bifunctional properties have not been extensively studied due to poor OER activities. In energy storage, TMPs used as efficient and stable electrodes owing to their low charge-discharge potentials, high theoretical specific capacities, and a decreased ion-diffusion pathway. Finally, the challenges, future perspectives in the area of energy are discussed and several approaches for the improvement of multifunctional TMPs are proposed.     

An Efficient Low Computational Cost Method of R-Peak Detection

Wireless Personal Communications - Visual inspection of R-peaks in an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal may lead to wrong diagnosis due to physiological variability and the noisy status of the QRS...     

Combining Fractography with High-Energy x-Ray Diffraction to Study Fatigue Crack Growth in Ti-6Al-4V

JOM - Fatigue crack growth in Ti-6Al-4V has been explored through the combined use of high-energy x-ray diffraction (HEXD) analysis, electron backscatter diffraction analysis, and fractography to...     

Further experience with model updating incorporating damping matrices

Most of the model updating techniques do not employ damping matrices and hence cannot be used for accurate prediction of complex frequency response functions (FRFs) and complex mode shapes. In this paper, response function method (RFM) is extended to deal with the complexity of FRF by updating damping matrices along with mass and stiffness matrices. The effectiveness of the damped FE model updating procedure is demonstrated by actual laboratory experiments of an F-shaped test structure. The updated results have shown that the damped RFM model updating procedure can be used to derive accurate model of the system. This is illustrated by matching of the complex FRFs obtained from the updated model with the experimental data.     

Lipid Encapsulation in Glassy Matrices of Sugar-Gelatin Systems in Freeze-Drying

Entrapment of lipid in glass forming matrices in freeze-drying was investigated. Dispersion of lipid in aqueous solutions of three different sugars was formed by addition of protein and using homogenisation process. Two different levels of proteins in the ratios of 9:1 and 8:2 (sugar:protein) were used. Three different homogenisation processes were used to vary the emulsion droplet size of dispersed lipid. A novel ultra high-pressure homogenisation treatment with pressure levels up to 255 MPa (5MPa in second stage) was used to form emulsion before freeze-drying. The non-fat solids formed a glass in freezing which led to entrapment of dispersed oil. Ultra high-pressure homogenisation at pressure levels higher than 155 MPa caused alterations in emulsifying properties of sugar/gelatin systems. Changes in emulsifying properties of encapsulation matrices affected entrapment of dispersed lipid components. Droplet size of the dispersed phase was a significant factor for encapsulation efficiency. Emulsions with smaller droplet diameter gave higher entrapped amounts of lipid than emulsions with larger droplets. The glass forming properties and physical state of freeze-dried matrices were also determined. Knowledge of glass forming properties of an encapsulation matrix is needed for entrapment and predicting the stability and release properties of entrapped components.     

Blends of high‐density polyethylene with chlorinated polyethylene: Morphology,thermal, rheological,and mechanical properties

Blends of high‐density polyethylene (HDPE) with chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) were generated using melt mixing. CPE of two different chlorination contents was used and its amount in the blends was varied from 1% till 30%. The rheological, thermal, mechanical, and morphological properties of the blends were characterized along with miscibility analysis. In general, better mixing of the CPE polymer in HDPE was observed at lower CPE concentration and reduced mixing or immiscibility occurred at higher concentration of CPE. However, the extent of immiscibility was different in both CPE25 and CPE35 systems. The rheological analysis of the data using Cole‐Cole, Han‐Chuang and van Gurp plots confirmed the miscibility of CPE25 blends (except for 30% CPE25 blend at lower frequency) whereas CPE35 blends with 10–30% CPE content were immiscible. Highest increase in the rheological properties (complex moduli) was observed at 2% CPE content. The mechanical properties of the CPE25 blends were superior than the corresponding CPE35 blends especially at higher CPE concentration where effects of immiscibility as well as matrix plasticization played a role. The morphology characterization using TEM indicated change in the crystalline features of the polymer in the case of CPE35 blends. The optical microscopy also confirmed the better mixing of CPE25 polymers in HDPE than CPE35. The CPE25 blends exhibited uniformly dispersed CPE phase which was also confirmed by the rheological analysis. However, the blends of CPE35 with 10% CPE content onwards had significant phase immiscibility. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 54:85–95, 2014. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers     

“True” biocomposites with biopolyesters and date seed powder: Mechanical,thermal, and degradation properties

Biopolymers have gained research focus due to enhanced property profiles as well as need to replace the fossil fuel based polymeric materials. The generation of biocomposites with functional biofillers can lead to further enhancement of their potential. In this study, composites of date seed powder with biopolyesters poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate) (PBAT) and poly‐l ‐lactide (PLA) have been demonstrated. The composites exhibited individual degradation peaks for the components in the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), but still had suitable thermal performance confirmed by the dynamic TGA. The filler also modified the crystalline morphology of the polymers differently. The tensile modulus of the PBAT‐based composites had enhancement of more than 300% in the composite with 40% filler content. The PLA composites also enhanced the modulus marginally till 20% filler content, however, it was still significant due to the very high modulus of PLA as compared to PBAT. The rheological properties indicated the polymer still had viscous behavior even when high amount of filler was added. The storage and loss modulus of the composites enhanced with filler fraction, the PLA composites with 30 and 40% content, however, exhibited very high values probably due to filler aggregates and low filler‐polymer interfacial interactions. The filler particles were observed to be uniformly distributed in the polymer matrices, though some filler aggregates were also observed in the composites with higher filler fractions. After embedding in compost soil, the composites had significantly enhanced extent of biodegradation as compared to pure polymers, thus, confirming the “true” biocomposite nature. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40816.