Capacitor discharge percussion welding of pure aluminum wire to pure copper sheet

This paper presents the results of a research into capacitor discharge percussion welding (CDPW) of pure aluminum wires and pure copper sheets, using percussion welding power and special welding device. A lot of CDPW factors, which will affect aluminum and copper dissimilar bonding, are described and these parameters have also been optimized. The fracture pull, inter'ace compounds, microstructure and hardness are all studied. The results show that aluminum wire welding to copper sheet can form a sound weld and in some conditions the fracture pull is similar to that of the pure aluminum wires. The capacitance, discharge voltage, wire taper angle and machine oil as welding assistant medium affect fracture pull. The intermetallic compounds Al2 Cu appears on the copper side of joint. Narrower heat-affected zone is observed.     

Chemical vapor deposition of SiO2 films by TEOS/O2 supermagnetron plasma

A TEOS/O₂ supermagnetron double electrode plasma system was used to deposit SiO₂ films. Deposition rates were measured as a function of rf power and substrate stage temperature. With an increase of rf power on both electrodes from 40 to 80W, the deposition rate increased; however, with a further increase of rf power from 80 to 120W, the deposition rate ceased to increase or decreased only a small amount. The presence of O-H bonds from bonded water in the film was evaluated using buffered HF (BHF) etching solution. With an increase of rf power from 40 to 120W, the BHF etch rate decreased; i.e., the number of O-H bonds were reduced. A minimum BHF etch rate was observed at a rf phase difference of 180° between the two rf power sources. A SiO₂ film was deposited on a trench-patterned quartz substrate. A flat surface SiO₂ layer with air gaps (voids) was formed on the high-aspect ratio (depth/width=1.5-2) trench area.     

Enzyme-modified organic conducting salt microelectrode.

A miniaturized enzyme-modified electrode has been constructed and evaluated. The tip of a capillary-encased, carbon-fiber electrode is recessed, and tetrathiafulvalene-tetracyanoquinodimethane crystals are electrochemically deposited in the recessed tip. Flavoenzymes are placed in the recess by cross-linking with glutaraldehyde. The specific enzymes used are glucose oxidase to form a microbiosensor for glucose, and a combination of acetylcholine esterase and choline oxidase to form a microbiosensor for acetylcholine. The sensor is operated in an amperometric mode with Eapp = 150 mV versus a sodium saturated calomel electrode, and the response appears to be limited by the kinetics of the enzyme reaction. The effective maximum current density for the glucose electrode is greater than 600 microA/cm2. At low concentrations of glucose, oxygen provides a significant interference by attenuating the signal. The device is simple to prepare and has a rapid response time. Interference from ascorbate has been significantly reduced by the design and by addition of a layer of ascorbate oxidase. Although not yet suitable for use in tissue, the biosensors are suitable for detection in situations where oxygen concentrations do not frequently change.     

Image template matching based on edge‐spin correlation

This paper proposes a new method for image template matching that is based on the correlation between edge‐spins. The edge‐spin is defined by the direction of the change of edge directions between neighboring pixels. When an edge direction rotates to the left from an objective pixel to its right neighboring pixel, the edge‐spin has the value 1. When an edge direction rotates to the right, the edge‐spin has the value 0. The edge‐spin is a binary data that represents the rotation of the edge direction. The edge‐spin is supposed to be robust to the change of brightness because the edge direction is not influenced by the linear change of brightness. The experimental results show that the proposed method has the superior reliability for the matching about most inferior experimental conditions in comparison with the conventional image template matching methods. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 153(2): 45–51, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20184     

A study on product modelling for integration of CAD/CAM

Modelling capability for products to be designed and manufactured plays an important role in order to effectively construct and utilize CAD/CAM systems. Product models should represent all the information about products, which is utilized in manufacturing processes. Therefore it is required that they describe functional structures of machine products, and include not only geometric information but also various non-geometric data, such as physical, technological and management data. Presently there do not seem to exist definite methods or theories for constructing product models. In this paper, we first investigate the whole manufacturing process, and propose a system structure for integration of CAD/CAM, in which product modelling plays a fundamental role. Then requirements for product modelling are studied thoroughly, and a new representation framework for product models is proposed. It consists of an object concept called frame, relations among frames and attributes, and it can incorporate the existing various modelling capabilities, such as solid modelling. We use this representation framework in combination with our solid modelling package GEOMAP-III, and show the effectiveness of this approach by performing illustrative design experiments.     

Fatigue failure of poly(methyl methacrylate) in alcohol environments

Fatigue tests of poly(methyl methacrylate) were conducted in environments of methanol, 1-butanol, and 1-octanol at room temperature under cyclic tensile loading at 10 Hz. The fatigue lifetime increased as the molar volume of the environmental alcohol increased, and indicated no correlation with the solubility parameter. The scanning electron micrographs of the fracture surfaces reveal that crazes strongly participate in the fatigue fracture, and suggest that a great increase in the fatigue lifetime in methanol brought about by pre-soaking the specimen in methanol for a period below 100 h, which has been previously reported, is caused by the combined effects both of the case II diffusion of methanol producing the softened matter and the internal compressive stress in the swollen surface layer and of a cooperative work of crazing, shear flow and/or shear cracking taking place under cyclic tensile loading.     

Studies of synthesis and permeabilities of special polymer membranes. LI. Active transport of halogen ions through chitosan membranes

Anion exchange membranes containing amino groups, insoluble in acidic and alkaline aqueous solutions, were prepared from chitosan, poly(vinyl alcohol), and glutaraldehyde. Using the membrane in a diaphragm cell, one side being adjusted to be acidic and the other alkaline, it was possible to transport actively halogen ions through the membrane from the acidic side to the alkaline side against the concentration gradient between both sides of the membrane. The active transport of halogen ions through the membrane was significantly influenced by the pH difference and electric potential difference between both sides of the membrane.     

Leukemia developing after 131I treatment for thyroid cancer in a patient with Werner's syndrome: molecular and cytogenetic studies

A 40-year-old female patient with Werner's syndrome (WS) suffering from thyroid cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is reported. She had been diagnosed as having WS complicated with thyroid cancer seven years previously. Total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine (131I, 100 mCi/year) therapy for seven years had slowed the progression of thyroid cancer. She suffered a sudden onset of MDS at the age of 40 years. After six months she died from overt leukemia. We found an additional chromosome aberration of chromosome 10 in the progression of leukemia from MDS.