Structure and thermal stability of vapour-deposited Fe-Cu alloys

The structure of vapour-deposited Fe-Cu alloys was analysed and compared with that obtained by quenching from the liquid and solid state. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe grain size at room temperature and precipitation at elevated temperatures. A discussion of thermal stability of metastable phases is based on nucleation mechanisms and diffusion coefficients in the highly defect or glassy state and the crystalline state.     

Prenatal and postnatal exposure to environmental pollutants in sewage sludge alters emotional reactivity and exploratory behaviour in sheep

In order to find out whether exposure to environmental pollutants (EP) present in sewage sludge can change the behaviour of sheep, we compared the behaviour of two groups of 5-month old lambs (Ovis aries) with respect to their emotional reactivity and exploratory behaviour. One group (treated, T) comprised the offspring of ewes who had been kept throughout their lives on pastures with slightly elevated, environmental levels of pollutants, as a result of the application of sewage sludge at rates used in normal practice. The other group (control, C) were the offspring of ewes whose pastures had been treated with inorganic fertiliser. During a 1-min period in the weigh crate, T lambs were less reactive than C lambs, but vocalised more. Exploratory behaviour showed a clear sex difference, with female C lambs exploring more than male C lambs. However, this difference was not found in the T lambs, where both males and females showed high levels of exploration. This points to a demasculinising effect of exposure to higher pollutant concentrations with respect to exploratory behaviour. These observations demonstrate the need to take account of the effects of combinations of pollutants, even at very low, environmental concentrations, and further highlight the usefulness of ethotoxicology for the study of biological effects of environmental pollutants.     

Magnetite seeded precipitation of phosphate

Seeded precipitation of Ca phosphate on magnetite mineral (Fe3O4) surfaces was investigated using a Jar Test system in supersaturated solutions at 20 degrees C and ionic strength 0.01 mol l(-1) with relative super saturation, 12.0-20.0 for HAP. pH of the solution, initial phosphorus concentration and molar Ca/P ratio were investigated as the main parameters, which effect the seeded precipitation of Ca phosphate. Results showed that there is no pronounced effect of magnetite seed, neither positive nor negative on the amount of calcium phosphate precipitation. pH was found to be the main parameter that determines the phosphate precipitated onto the seed surface. Increasing of the pH of precipitation reaction was resulted in the decrease in percentage amount of phosphate precipitated onto seed surfaces to total precipitation (magnetite seeded precipitation efficiency). It was concluded that the pH dependence of magnetite-seeded precipitation should be considered in the light of its effect on the supersaturated conditions of solution. Saturation index (SI) of solution with respect to the precipitate phase was considered the driving force for the precipitation. A simulation programme PHREEQC (Version 2) was employed to calculate the Saturation-index with respect to hydroxyapatite (HAP) of the chemically defined precipitation system. It was found a good relationship between SI of solution with respect to HAP and the magnetite seeded precipitation efficiency, a second order polynomial function. Results showed that more favorable solution conditions for precipitation (higher SI values of solution) causes homogenous nucleation whereas heterogeneous nucleation led to a higher magnetite seeded precipitation efficiency.     

Effect and measurement of the machine compliance in the macro range of instrumented indentation test

The contribution concerns the strong effect of the machine compliance in the upper macro range of the instrumented indentation test on hard materials. To achieve a minimum uncertainty in determination of the machine compliance the measurement and analysis needed for the determination are studied in detail. Based on the assumption that the hardness and/or the indentation modulus are force independent, four methods on the determination of the machine compliance are described. Experimental results of a commercial testing machine up to 2500 N and of a standard machine up to 200 N are analyzed. The results show that the uncertainty of the compliance is usually higher than requested for a precisely enough determination of hardness and further materials parameters. Especially for the calibration of reference materials with high hardness and/or Young’s modulus, the machine compliance should be limited in ISO 14577 part 3, 2003 [1].