Kinetics of chlorination of tantalum pentoxide in mixture with sucrose carbon by chlorine gas

The mechanism and kinetics of β-Ta₂O₅ chlorination, mixed with sucrose carbon, have been studied by a thermogravimetric technique. The investigated temperature range was 500 °C to 850 °C. The reactants and reaction residues were analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method for surface area (BET). The effect of various experimental parameters was studied, such as carbon percentage, temperature, chlorine partial pressure, and flow, use of the multiple sample method, and carbon previous oxidation. The carbon percentage and previous treatment have an effect on the system reactivity. The temperature has a marked effect on the reaction rate. In the 500 °C to 600 °C temperature interval, the apparent activation energy is 144 kJ/mol of oxide, while at higher temperatures, the activation energy decreases. With high chorine partial pressures, the order of reaction is near zero. The kinetic contractile plate model, X=kt, considering carbon oxidation as the controlling stage, is the one with the best fit to the experimental data. A probable mechanism for the carbochlorination of β-Ta₂O₅ is proposed: (1) activation of chlorine on the carbon surface, (2) chlorination of Ta₂O₅, (3) oxidation of carbon, and (4) recrystallization of β-Ta₂O₅.     

In situ polymerization and characterization of polyester‐based polyurethane/nano‐silica composites

Polyester‐based polyurethane/nano‐silica composites were obtained via in situ polymerization and investigated by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), or FTIR coupled with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR‐ATR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), an Instron testing machine, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and ultraviolet‐visible spectrophotometry (UV‐vis). FTIR analysis showed that in situ polymerization provoked some chemical reactions between polyester molecules and nano‐silica particles. FTIR‐ATR, TEM and AFM analyses showed that both surface and interface contained nano‐silica particles. Instron testing and DMA data showed that introducing nano‐silica particles into polyurethane enhanced the hardness, glass temperature and adhesion strength of polyurethane to the substrate, but also increased the resin viscosity. UV‐vis spectrophotometry showed that nano‐silica obtained by the fumed method did not shield UV radiation in polyurethane films. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry     

Self-Consistent Effects on the Starting Current of Gyrotron Oscillators

Self-consistent effects on the starting current of gyrotron oscillators are examined. Field profiles in the open cavity are shown to be sensitive to the interaction dynamics. This can either significantly raise or lower the oscillation threshold, particularly for the low-Q modes. The transition from resonant-mode oscillations at the low magnetic field to backward-wave oscillations at the high magnetic field is demonstrated.     

Programmable group-delay module using binary polarization switching

We demonstrate the first programmable group-delay module based on polarization switching. With a unique binary tuning mechanism, the device can generate any differential group delay value from -45 to +45 ps with a resolution of 1.40 ps, or any true-time-delay value from 0 to 45 ps with a resolution of 0.7 ps. The delay varying speeds for both applications are under 1 ms and can be as fast as 0.1 ms. We evaluate both the dynamic and static performances of the device while paying special attention to its dynamic figures of merit for polarization-mode dispersion emulation and compensation applications. Our experiment shows that the device exhibits a negligible transient-effect induced power penalty (<0.2 dB) in a 10-Gb/s nonreturn-to-zero system.     

Effect of precyclic loading on stress-corrosion-cracking initiation in an X-65 pipeline steel exposed to near-neutral pH soil environment

A study was carried out to understand the effect of precyclic loading on stress-corrosion-crack initiation in an X-65 pipeline steel exposed to a near-neutral-pH soil environment. The test specimens were precyclically loaded before corrosion exposure to represent a service history of up to about 20 years, depending on the severity of pressure fluctuation. Microcracks had initiated on the polished surface of the X-65 pipeline steel after long-time exposure at open-circuit potential (OCP) in a near-neutral-pH synthetic soil solution. These microcracks were mostly initiated from pits at metallurgical discontinuities such as grain boundaries, pearlitic colonies, and banded phases in the steel. Strong preferential dissolution was observed along planes of the banded structures in the steel. The selective corrosion attack at these metallurgical discontinuities is attributed to the galvanic nature of those areas to their neighbors. Cyclic loading prior to corrosion exposure had significant effects on microcrack initiation and propagation during subsequent corrosion exposure. Cyclic loading prior to corrosion exposure either reduced or increased the probability of crack initiation and the rate of crack propagation, depending upon the magnitude of the stress cycles. The largest reduction was seen at a peak cyclic stress of about 0.8 of the yield strength. This cyclic-loading-dependent cracking behavior might be related to the alteration of the substructures and the residual stress in the steel as a result of precyclic loading.     

Web-based systems design: a study of contemporary practices and an explanatory framework based on “method-in-action”

This paper reports the findings of a detailed study of Web-based systems design (WBSD) practices in Ireland based on data collected over a 3-year period (2002–2005), the objectives of which were to (1) contribute towards a richer understanding of the current “real-world” context of WBSD by characterising the profile of a typical project (team size, timeframe, nature of requirements, etc.) and identifying the key challenges, constraints, and imperatives (i.e. “mediating factors”) faced by Web-based system designers, and (2) understand how those contextual parameters and mediating factors influence the activity of WBSD as regards the selection and enactment of whatever design practices are therefore engaged (i.e. the use of methods, procedures, etc.). Data was gathered through a survey which yielded 165 usable responses, and later through a series of semi-structured qualitative interviews. Using grounded theory, an explanatory conceptual framework is derived, based on an extension of the “method-in-action” model, the application of which to WBSD has not been previously investigated in depth. It is proposed that this framework of WBSD issues is valuable in a number of ways to educators, researchers, practitioners, and method engineers.