Replication of liner collapse phenomenon observed in hyperbaric type IV hydrogen storage vessel by explosive decompression experiments

An experimental design based on representative sample is described in order to reproduce the detachment and deformation of the inner polymer layer (called liner) of hyperbaric hydrogen storage vessels during the emptying step. It is the first step of a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the creation of a liner collapse. Results showed that a hydraulic testing machine fitted with a pressure hydrogen chamber enables to create a liner collapse on small samples by explosive decompression experiments. Tomographic observations have revealed that the collapse appears at the polymer liner/composite interface in areas that are not sufficiently bonded, nor consistently. Determination of liner collapse amplitudes, assessed by tomography, has underlined that, under some specific conditions, the deformation of the liner is permanent even when hydrogen has completely desorbed from the sample. In addition to liner collapses, composite cracks were also highlighted.     

Nonlinear Convective Oscillations in Two-Layer Systems under the Action of the Horizontal Component of the Temperature Gradient

The influence of the horizontal component of the temperature gradient on nonlinear oscillatory convective flows, developed under the joint action of buoyant and thermocapillary effects in the 47 v2 silicone oil - water system, is investigated. The layers of equal thicknesses are considered. Transitions between nonlinear regimes of convection, have been studied. It is shown that under the action of the horizontal component of the temperature gradient, the asymmetric oscillatory flow takes place in the system.     

Evaluation of the dielectric properties of biodiesel fuels produced from different vegetable oil feedstocks through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

Biodiesel fuels were prepared from different vegetable oil sources (canola, soybean, sunflower, and corn) and studied through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The dielectric constant from these biofuels evidenced no important dependence on feedstock, suggesting basically no change in fuels' polarity from varying the raw materials. In a different way, huge variations of the electrical resistivity and relaxation frequency were found when comparing among the studied biodiesels. Our findings demonstrate that these variations are closely associated with changes in the biodiesel viscosity, which is known to modulate charge mobility and was feedstock dependent. Accordingly, the impedance spectroscopy is here revealed to be a sensitive, alternative and reliable analytical approach for distinguishing among different feedstock-related biodiesels and monitoring certain biofuels' properties, like viscosity and interrelated parameters, usually connected with fatty acid structural profiles in biodiesel fuels.     

Mass spectrometry-based metabolomics: accelerating the characterization of discriminating signals by combining statistical correlations and ultrahigh resolution

A strategy combining autocorrelation matrices and ultrahigh resolution mass spectrometry (MS) was developed to optimize the characterization of discriminating ions highlighted by metabolomics. As an example, urine samples from rats treated with phenobarbital (PB) were analyzed by ultrahigh-pressure chromatography with two different eluting conditions coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection in both the positive and negative electrospray ionization modes. Multivariate data analyses were performed to highlight discriminating variables from several thousand detected signals: a few hundred signals were found to be affected by PB, whereas a few tenths of them were linked to its metabolism. Autocorrelation matrices were then applied to eliminate adduct and fragment ions. Finally, the characterization of the ions of interest was performed with ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry and sequential MS(n) experiments, by using a LC-LTQ-Orbitrap system. The use of different eluting conditions was shown to drastically impact on the chromatographic retention and ionization of compounds, thus providing a way to obtain more exhaustive metabolic fingerprints, whereas autocorrelation matrices allowed one to focus the identification work on the most relevant ions. By using such an approach, 14 PB metabolites were characterized in rat urines, some of which have not been reported in the literature.     

Mechanical testing of titanium/aluminium–silicon interfaces by push-out

Mechanical properties of Ti/Al–7Si assemblies produced by insert moulding were studied with a classical push-out test and a variant that is the circular-bending test. Special care has been taken for controlling both the reactivity at the Ti/Al–7Si interface and the metallurgical health of the Al–7Si matrix. Mechanical tests until complete debonding have been completed with interrupted tests, metallographic characterizations and FEM analysis of elastic stress state. A mean shear strength of the interface of about 120 MPa was obtained. When the Ti insert is solely fretted in the matrix, without chemical interaction between Ti and the Al–7Si alloy, the mean shear strength is significantly lower (48 MPa). This result clearly shows that chemical interaction at the interface (formation of a thin TiSi layer at the Ti side and a thick Al₃Ti(Si) layer at the Al–7Si alloy side) improves the mechanical properties of the assembly. It is also shown that the failure sequence is characterized both by crack propagation from bottom to top and matrix yielding from top to bottom. Actually, interface damaging begins by crack initiation at the specimen bottom face (not at the top face and under the indenter) in a nearly pure mode I solicitation at a radial tensile stress of about 100 MPa.     

Cohesiveness and hydrodynamic properties of young drinking water biofilms

Drinking water biofilms are complex microbial systems mainly composed of clusters of different size and age. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements were performed on 4, 8 and 12 weeks old biofilms in order to quantify the mechanical detachment shear stress of the clusters, to estimate the biofilm entanglement rate ξ. This AFM approach showed that the removal of the clusters occurred generally for mechanical shear stress of about 100 kPa only for clusters volumes greater than 200 μm³. This value appears 1000 times higher than hydrodynamic shear stress technically available meaning that the cleaning of pipe surfaces by water flushing remains always incomplete. To predict hydrodynamic detachment of biofilm clusters, a theoretical model has been developed regarding the averaging of elastic and viscous stresses in the cluster and by including the entanglement rate ξ. The results highlighted a slight increase of the detachment shear stress with age and also the dependence between the posting of clusters and their volume. Indeed, the experimental values of ξ allow predicting biofilm hydrodynamic detachment with same order of magnitude than was what reported in the literature. The apparent discrepancy between the mechanical and the hydrodynamic detachment is mainly due to the fact that AFM mechanical experiments are related to the clusters local properties whereas hydrodynamic measurements reflected the global properties of the whole biofilm.     

A flexible-arm as manipulator position and force detection unit

This paper presents a self-sensory robot arm to two basic sensing problems in control of flexible manipulators: detection of the position and orientation variations due to structural deformation and detection of the contact force of end-effector when manipulator interacts with its environment. Taking advantage of structural flexibility, a flexible robot arm with strain gauges distributed on it acts as a sensing unit. The position and orientation of flexible arm are expressed as a function of curvature of the arm. An interpolation technique gives this continuous curvature function from a finite set of measurements made with strain gauges. A relation between strain measurements and endpoint force of flexible arm is developed and the contact force of end-effector is then determined using a force propagation algorithm. The proposed technique and algorithm were implemented and evaluated in a laboratorial flexible arm. Experimental validations using a vision system and two force sensors have shown that the self-sensory flexible arm can provide accurate endpoint position and force in both static and dynamic loading situations.     

316L不锈钢粉末注射成形件的烧结致密化行为

为了控制粉末注射成形零件的最终尺寸精度和力学性能,对316L不锈钢粉末注射成形件的烧结致密化行为进行了试验研究,分析了烧结温度和升温速率对试件致密化行为以及烧结件力学性能的影响.试验结果表明,致密化过程始于1080℃左右,主要在1200～1300℃的升温过程中快速进行,致密化速率随着升温速率的升高而升高.烧结件的抗拉强度、抗弯强度以及延伸率,不但取决于致密化程度,而且与微观结构有关.分析表明,将基于扩散控制和强度控制的烧结理论结合,可以有效地解释316L不锈钢粉末的致密化行为,需在现有的烧结模型中考虑强度影响因素,才能更真实地模拟烧结过程.     

NO ions as IR probes for the location of OH groups and Na ions in main channels and side pockets of mordenite

NO⁺, generated from NO and O₂, is an infrared probe for the differentiation of Brønsted sites in the main channels and side pockets of mordenites, and for the location and accessibility of sodium ions in the structure. Na⁺ ions in cationic positions in the main channels are replaced by NO⁺, and sodium nitrate is formed. The band assignment was checked by isotopic experiments.