Spatial distribution of silica fillers in phase-separated rubber blends investigated by three-dimensional elemental mapping

The distribution of nano-sized silica in binary rubber blends is characterized by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography combined with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX). 3D distribution of silica is visualized by STEM-EDX tomography with the tilt-series of silicon elemental maps, while the phase-separated morphologies of polyisoprene rubber (IR) and styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) are visualized by STEM-tomography in high-angle-annular-dark field (HAADF) mode. The combination of STEM-EDX and STEM-HAADF tomography enables us to determine the distribution of silica between the two rubber phases quantitatively even with high contents of silica up to 70 phr (weight parts per hundred rubber). It is found that silica is preferentially distributed in the SBR phase, but it is also distributed in the IR phase when the IR fraction in the total rubber components is higher than 40 wt%. The preferential distribution of silica in the SBR phase improves the dispersion of the IR domains. This is the first use of this technique for a multicomponent polymer system, showing the advantage to characterize the complicated multicomponent polymer composite morphologies.     

Preparation and properties of TiC-Ni cermets using Ni-plated TiC

TiC powders were coated with Ni by a chemical plating technique and the pressed compacts sintered at 1623K. The density of the sintered bodies was 98–99%. Compared with mechanically-mixed powder, Ni-plated TiC powders gave a more uniform microstructure in which TiC particles were well dispersed in the Ni matrix. The cermets exhibited ductile fracture for TiC-70 vol.% Ni and brittle fracture for TiC-30 vol.% Ni. The flexural strength was improved by the homogeneous dispersion of TiC. The thermal expansion coefficient increased with a decrease in Ni content, following a nearly linear law of mixtures on the basis of volume fractions of pure TiC and Ni.     

Properties of Induction Plasma Sprayed Iron Based Nanostructured Alloy Coatings for Metal Based Thermal Barrier Coatings

Metal-based thermal barrier coatings (MBTBCs) have been produced using high frequency induction plasma spraying (IPS) of iron-based nanostructured alloy powders. The study of MBTBCs has been initiated to challenge issues associated with current TBC materials such as difficult prediction of their “in-service” lifetime. Reliability of TBCs is an important aspect besides the economical consideration. Therefore, the study of MBTBCs, which should posses higher toughness than the current TBC materials, has been initiated to challenge the mechanical problems of ceramic-based TBCs (CBTBCs) to create a new generation of TBCs. The thermal diffusivity (TD) (α) properties of the MBTBCs were measured using a laser flash method, and density (ρ) and specific heat (C _p) of the MBTBCs were also measured for their thermal conductivity (k) calculation (k = αρ C _p).     

Superplasticity of fine-grained 7475 Al alloy and a proposed new deformation mechanism

A study has been made to investigate the superplastic deformation mechanisms of 7475 Al alloy in relation to the variation of grain size ranging between 5.5 μm and 13 μm. The strain-rate sensitivity (m) was increased with decreasing grain size in the superplastic deformation regime. Microstructural investigation after tension tests revealed that the dispersoid free zones were produced mostly at the grain boundaries normal to the tensile direction. A new model for describing the deformation behavior of the 7475 Al alloy has been proposed based on the assumption that the grain boundary sliding was accommodated by both diffusional flow and slip. This new model well predicts many aspects of experimental results.     

Electrochemical analysis of the microbiologically influenced corrosion of steels by sulfate-reducing bacteria

The differences between the general corrosion and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of steels were investigated in terms of its electrochemical behavior and surface phenomena. The corrosion potential of steels in the absence of SRB (sulfate-reducing bacteria) shifted to a negative value with the immersion time. However, the potential of the presence of SRB shifted to a positive value after 30 days' incubation, indicating the growth of SRB biofilms on the test metal specimens and the formation of corrosion products. In addition, the color of a medium inoculated with SRB changed from gray to black. The change in color appeared to be caused by the formation of pyrites (FeS) as a corrosion product, while no significant change in color was observed in a medium without SRB inoculation. Moreover, corrosion rates of various steels tested for MIC were higher compared to those of steels in the absence of SRB. In particular, the corrosion current density of TMCP steels in the presence of SRB was larger than that of other steels. Pitting corrosion was also observed at the surface of all steels in the SRB-inoculated medium. The pitting corrosion likely occurred due to SRB that was associated with the increasing corrosion rates through increasing cathodic reactions, which caused a reduction of sulfate to sulfide as well as the formation of an oxygen concentration cell.     

Discharge characteristics of lead dioxide electrode prepared with cementation lead oxide

Lead acid batteries have had restricted applications because of relatively low energy density below 50Wh/kg. Many efforts have achieved lighter battery components such as separators, connections and containers etc. Thus, the most important problem of the lead acid battery is to improve the low capacity of the active material in the positive electrode. The purpose of this study is to improve the utilization of the active material in the lead dioxide electrode for the lead acid battery through the production of lead oxide with better physicochemical characteristics through cementation. A cementation reaction was performed in 1.0wt.%HCl solution using pure magnesium plate as the reductant. We investigated the utilization of the active material and discharge characteristics of the positive electrode with a current density ranging from 3.4 to 108.8mAcm⁻². As a result, the active material utilization was about 72% at 3.48 mAcm⁻² and increased with decreasing current density. The discharge characteristics according to current density are especially very good at high current density     

Laser-assisted machining of compacted graphite iron

Compacted graphite iron (CGI) is a material currently under study for the new generation of engines, including blocks, cylinder liners, and cylinder heads. Its unique graphite structure yields desirable high strength, but makes it difficult to machine, thus resulting in a machining cost. Laser-assisted machining (LAM) is adopted to improve its machinability and hence machining economics. The machinability of CGI is studied by varying depth of cut, feed, and material removal temperature and then evaluating resultant cutting forces, specific cutting energy, surface roughness, and tool wear. At a material removal temperature of 400 °C and a feed of 0.150 mm/rev at a cutting speed of 1.7 m/s, it is shown that tool life is 60% greater than conventional conditions at a feed of 0.100 mm/rev. Surface roughness is improved 5% as compared to conventional machining at a feed of 0.150 mm/rev. CGI microstructure evaluated post machining by sectioning and polishing shows no change. An economic analysis shows that LAM can offer an approximately 20% cost savings for the machining of an engine cylinder liner.     

A timing controller embedded driver IC with 3.24‐Gbps eDP interface for chip‐on‐glass TFT‐LCD applications

This paper presents a timing controller embedded driver (TED) IC with 3.24‐Gbps embedded display port (eDP), which is implemented using a 45‐nm high‐voltage CMOS process for the chip‐on‐glass (COG) TFT‐LCD applications. The proposed TED‐IC employs the input offset calibration scheme, the zero‐adjustable equalizer, and the phase locked loop‐based bang‐bang clock and data recovery to enhance the maximum data rate. Also, the proposed TED‐IC provides efficient power management by supporting advanced link power management feature of eDP standard v1.4. Additionally, the smart charge sharing is proposed to reduce the dynamic power consumption of output buffers. Measured result demonstrates the maximum data rate of 3.24 Gbps from a 1.1 V supply voltage with a 7.9‐inch QXGA 60‐Hz COG‐LCD prototype panel and 44% power saving from the display system.