Force‐deflection behaviour of NiTi archwires in a polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) bracket system

In orthodontic treatment, archwire forces for tooth movement is influenced by the magnitude of friction encountered during the sliding motion of archwire along the bracket slot. Friction will reduce the archwire force, and subsequently modify the constant force delivery trend into a slope. The aim of this work is to investigate the force‐deflection behaviour of nickel‐titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy archwire on polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) as the bracket. Sliding tests was performed to determine the coefficient of friction of polytetrafluoroethylene‐NiTi material combinations. The force‐deflection behaviour was evaluated from a modified bending tests, at two different configurations; commercial stainless‐steel bracket and hand‐made polytetrafluoroethylene bracket. During test, wires were deflected into different deflections (2 mm, 3 mm and 4 mm) by using four commercial NiTi archwires at different sizes and geometry. From the test; coefficient of friction for polytetrafluoroethylene‐NiTi wire was recorded as small as 0.07. On force‐deflection graphs, bending load on 3 mm and 4 mm deflection were observed higher on stainless steel (SS) bracket compared with polytetrafluoroethylene bracket. Due to small coefficient of friction on polytetrafluoroethylene‐NiTi configuration, the NiTi archwire exhibited the activation and deactivation force within the plateau limit. Greater friction on stainless steel‐nickel‐titanium bracket configuration causes wire to release force in a slope trend. This finding highlights the potential of polytetrafluoroethylene as a material in the bracket slot to minimize friction during orthodontic treatment.     

Life cycle costing of thermal energy storage system using CAPEX and OPEX

Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology - Electric chillers and thermal energy storage (TES) tanks are important equipment for gas district cooling plants. One feasible way of assessing the...     

Energy Efficiency Award system in Malaysia for energy sustainability

Many countries have organised energy awards as an instrument to promote energy efficiency (EE), to contribute towards energy sustainability and to provide a mechanism for organisations to continuously search, benchmark and acknowledge initiatives and best practices in EE. To be effective, an award system must be tailored towards the needs, the level of readiness and the acceptance of a nation. This paper presents a framework for implementation of a national EE award in the context of Malaysia. The current energy scenario and energy issues relevant to Malaysia are first highlighted to establish the premise for organising a national energy award. Models and success stories of EE awards in other countries are discussed as possible benchmarks for implementation. The results of a survey conducted on various energy stakeholders in Malaysia confirmed the needs, readiness and acceptance for a national EE award. A framework for the implementation of a Malaysian EE award is proposed based on the survey conducted, and on various models of energy award implementation worldwide.     

Electrical studies on a single,binary, and ternary nanocomposites of Mn3O4@TiO2@rGO

Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics - The present work is concerned with studying the electrical and dielectric properties of a single, binary, and ternary nanocomposite of Mn3O4...     

Changes in volatile compounds and oil quality with malaxation time of Tunisian cultivars of Olea europea

While there has been considerable work examining the effect of malaxation time on different characteristics of olive oils, there have been few that deal with all the major aspects. Here, the influence of malaxation time was evaluated using major local Tunisian (cv. Chemlali and Chetoui) cultivars. Standard characteristics were measured as well as detailed analyses of volatile compounds were conducted. Headspace solid‐phase microextraction (HS‐SPME) was applied to the analysis of volatile compounds of virgin olive oils from Chemlali and Chetoui varieties with differing malaxation time. Twenty‐seven compounds were characterised by GC‐FID and GC–MS. Compounds belonging mainly to alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones and hydrocarbons chemical classes characterized the volatile profile. Significant differences in the proportion of volatiles from oils of different malaxation time were detected. The results suggest that besides genetic factors, malaxation time influences volatile formation. The main variables that were affected by malaxation time were the total amount of phenols and composition of the volatile compounds. At malaxation time of 30 min, Chemlali and Chetoui olive oils presented the highest total phenol content (244.19 and 877.63 mg kg^?1, respectively), while the lowest content was observed at 60 min from regardless of cultivars. In turn, this influenced the oxidative stability and peroxide value. It was also clear that the cultivars behaved differently and this prevented general conclusions being made for all of the quality characteristics.     

Comparative study on volatile compounds from Tunisian and Sicilian monovarietal virgin olive oils

The effects of ripening degree of olives on volatile profile of monovarietal virgin olive oils (VOO) from Tunisian and Sicilian cultivars were investigated. Fruits obtained from Tunisia (Chétoui and Chemlali) and Italy (Nocellara del Belice, Biancolilla and Cerasuola) were picked at three different stages of ripeness and then immediately processed. Moreover, the changes in volatile composition were evaluated in Chétoui variety as a function of the irrigation regime versus the rain-fed control. Using headspace–solid-phase microextraction (HS–SPME) technique coupled to GC–MS and GC–FID, the volatile compounds of the monovarietal virgin olive oils were identified and quantitatively analyzed. The proportions of different classes of volatiles of oils showed significant differences throughout the maturity process. The results suggest that adding to the genetic factor; agronomic conditions affect the volatile formation and therefore the organoleptic properties of VOO.     

Sterolic composition and triacylglycerols of Oueslati virgin olive oil: comparison among different geographic areas

The main triglycerides (TG) identified in the Oueslati virgin olive oil were 1,2,3‐trioleylglycerol (OOO), 2,3‐dioleyl‐1‐palmitoylglycerol (POO) and 2,3‐dioleyl‐1‐linoleylglycerol (LOO) representing more than 80% of the total area of peaks in the chromatogram. Other minor triacylglycerols were 2,3‐dioleyl‐1‐stearoylglycerol (SOO), 2‐oleyl‐3‐palmitoyl‐1‐stearoylglycerol (SOP), 1‐linolenoyl‐2‐oleyl‐3‐palmitoylglycerol (LnOP), 1, 2‐dilinoleyl‐3‐palmitoylglycerol (LLP), 1, 3‐dioleyl‐2‐linolenoylglycerol (OLnO), 1‐linolenoyl‐2‐linoleyl‐3‐oleylglycerol (LnLO) and 1,2,3‐trilinoleylglycerol (LLL). The sterol profile of Tunisian virgin olive oils produced from Oueslati cultivar was established by gas chromatography using a flame ionisation detector (GC‐MS). More than 10 compounds were identified and characterised. As expected for virgin olive oil, the main sterols found in all Oueslati olive oils were β‐sitosterol, Δ5‐avenasterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Cholesterol, 24‐methylenecholesterol, clerosterol, campestanol, sitostanol, Δ7‐stigmastenol, Δ5, 24‐stigmastadienol and Δ7‐avenasterol were also found in all samples, but in lower amounts. Most of these compounds are significantly affected by the geographical origin of the oil. Besides the sterol components, two triterpene dialcohols, erythrodiol and uvaol, were also detected.     

Numerical Experiment of Thermoset Particles in Surface Modification System with Discrete Element Method (Quantization of Cohesive Force Between Particles by Agglomerates Analysis)

Numerical simulations using the discrete element method with similar particle assembly model are performed for the surface modification process of thermoset particles. In the simulations, the cohesive force between particles and the effect of thermophoresis are examined numerically in a particle dispersion system. Simulations are also carried out for different gas dispersion velocities. By varying the dimensionless parameter associated with the cohesive force, average agglomerate diameter increases as the cohesive force between particles increases. To the end, it is demonstrated that the cohesive force between particles can be quantitatively determined if the average agglomerate diameter is experimentally or numerically obtained.