An Innovative Submerged Entry Nozzle Design for Billet and Bloom Casting

Fluid flow in the mold has a significant impact on the quality of continuously cast steel products.Since it is strongly influenced by the SEN design,attention h...     

Photoinitiierte Polymerisation mit Dialkoxythiocarbonyldisulfiden – eine Polymerisationsreaktion mit Primärradikalabbruch

Photoinitiated Polymerization with Dialkoxy Thiocarbonyl Disulfides – a Polymerization Reaction with Primary Radical Termination The photoinduced free radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and some other vinyl monomers using dialkoxy thiocarbonyl disulfides ( 1 – 4 ) as photoinitiators was studied. The photolysis of these initiators leads to cleavage of the S S bond, which was determined by spin trapping experiments with phenyl tert-butyl nitrone. No evidence was found for a further thermal decomposition of the primary alkoxy thiocarbonyl sulfide radicals (R·) at room temperature. In the absence of scavengers the primary radicals react back exclusively to the initial compounds, due to a strong cage effect. By means of UV spectroscopic measurements and in the presence of MMA the quantum yields of the initiator decomposition were detected to be 0.8. The polymerization of acrylic and methacrylic derivatives can be initiated by the R·, contrary to the situation with fumarates and maleates. The mechanism of MMA polymerization depends on the light intensity absorbed by the initiators. At high intensities the combination of primary and polymer radicals terminates the chain reaction. This follows from the measured monomer exponent of α = 2, the light intensity exponent of β = 0,2 and the number of thiocarbonyl end groups of 2 in the polymers isolated. Contrary to this, in the low intensity region the experimental data obey the ideal kinetic equation. Kinetic modelling gives evidence for an interaction of the monomer with the cage radicals.     

Dose-response feeding study of short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in laying hens: effects on laying performance and tissue distribution, accumulation and elimination kinetics

Technical short chain chlorinated paraffins (C10-C13 with 60% chlorine) were fed to 93 laying hens from 24 to 32 weeks of age in increasing concentrations of up to 100 mg/kg feed. No significant influence on health, relative organ weights or performance (laying intensity, egg weight, feed consumption) was noted. The chlorinated paraffin content of the tissues was linearly related to the concentration of short chain paraffins of the feed. The highest concentrations were found in abdominal fat, egg yolk and fatty tissues. Breast muscle, egg albumen and bile fluid contained minimal or no residues. Less than 1% of the chlorinated paraffins ingested were incorporated into the body (without head, feet, gut and feathers), whereas about 1.5% were eliminated with the egg yolk and 30% were excreted with urine and faeces. A six-week kinetic depuration study revealed a biphasic elimination with half-lifes of 4-40 min (liver, kidneys, legs, fat, blood) for the initial rapid phase, and 15-30 days (blood, fat, liver, yolk, kidneys, legs) for the terminal slow phase.     

Silage fermentation of fish or fish waste products with lactic acid bacteria

Silage fermentation of minced fish and fish offal after inoculation with cereals prefermented with Pediococcus acidilactici and Lactobacillus plantarum initiates a rapid fall in pH to below 4.5 within 30 h, and the content of competing gram-negative fermenters and fish pathogens, such as Vibrio anguillarum and Aeromonas salmonicida, is eliminated. The addition of 0.1% sorbic acid inhibits the growth of yeasts during the initial fermentation period and during storage but does not affect the lactic acid fermentation. Degradation of nitrogen components proceeds during storage and is manifested as an increase in volatile basic nitrogen compounds, amino acids and peptides. These substances increase the pH and/or force the bacteria to produce more acid. The rate of production of these basic substances is mainly temperature-dependent and cannot be attributed to microbial activity. The proteolytic activity is mainly caused by tissue proteases (e.g., cathepsins) and, to a lower degree, by gut proteases. It is doubtful whether fish fermentation can be utilised on an industrial scale without improving the technique. Such improvements consist of the selection and use of psychotrophic lactic acid fermenters and commercially acceptable inhibitors of proteolytic activity and yeast growth.     

Development of an event-specific detection method for genetically modified rice Kefeng?6 by quantitative real-time PCR

The genetically modified (GM) rice Kefeng?6 has gained resistance against several rice pests by inserting the cpti and cry1Ac genes. As this transgenic line is not approved for import, processing and cultivation in the European Union (EU), sensitive and specific detection methods need to be available to monitor any illegal presence of Kefeng?6 in food products within the EU. The aim of this study was to develop and validate an event-specific detection method by means of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) for the detection of Kefeng?6 in foodstuff. A primer pair and hydrolysis probe were designed according to the right border junction sequence of the transgene. The qPCR assay was validated according to the ENGL/EURL-GMFF guidelines for GMO testing and is presented according to the MIQE guidelines. The in-house validation process resulted in a limit of detection of 5 DNA copies of the transgene with confidence intervals (95?%) between 0.07 and 0.52, a PCR efficiency of 105?% and a correlation coefficient (R ²) value of 0.9997. The specificity of the assay was tested by end-point PCR, gel electrophoresis and subsequent sequencing of the PCR products. By testing DNA of several GM and non-GM crops, cross reactivity of the assay was not observed. Further, 35 food products were analyzed for the presence of Kefeng?6 by means of the event-specific detection method. For 9 out of 35 samples, PCR products for Kefeng?6 DNA were observed.     

Influence of different wood flour fractions on the mechanical properties of injection molded WPC with cellulose propionate

This research investigated the effect of different fractions of commercial wood flour (Type c100 from JRS, Germany) on mechanical and physical properties of wood-polymer composites (WPC). The fractions were named regarding the mean lengths of their particles in µm; 80, 130, 255, 405 and 485. The composite samples were manufactured with 30 wt% of wood flour fractions of all five groups as well as the not fractionated flour, and 70 wt% of cellulose propionate (CP). The melt mass-flow rate (MFR) of the different granules, tensile strength, and modulus of elasticity, flexural strength, flexural modulus and the impact strength of the injection molded specimens as well as the water uptake were determined in this study. WPCs with the specific size range used in this investigation exhibited improved strength and modulus of elasticity in tensile and flexural tests, compared to pure CP. Using fraction 255, the mechanical properties increased the most. Tensile strength rose by 28 and 13% compared to CP and to WPC with the not fractioned wood powder, respectively. Fraction 255 increased flexural strength by 33 and 5% compared to CP and WPC with the not fractioned flour. The MFR (tested at 190 °C with 7.16 kg) of WPC_255 is the lowest with 2.3 g/10 min. Composites with the smallest particles showed the least water uptake.     

Thermophysical and Microstructural Studies on Thermally Sprayed Tungsten Carbide-Cobalt Coatings

The development of new hardmetal coating applications such as fatigue-loaded parts, structural components, and tools for metal forming is connected with improvement of their performance and reliability. For modelling purposes, the knowledge of thermophysical, mechanical, and other material data is required. However, this information is still missing today. In this study, the thermophysical data of a WC-17Co coating sprayed with a liquid-fuelled HVOF-process from a commercial agglomerated and sintered feedstock powder from room temperature up to 700 °C was determined as an example. The dependence of the heat conductivity on temperature was obtained through measurement of the coefficient of thermal expansion, the specific heat capacity, and the thermal diffusivity. Heat conductivities ranging from 29.2 W/(mK) at 50 °C to 35.4 W/(mK) at 700 °C were determined. All measurements were performed twice (as-sprayed and after the first thermal cycle) to take into account the structural and compositional changes. Extensive XRD and FESEM studies were performed to characterize the phase compositions and microstructures in the as-sprayed and heat-treated states. Bulk samples obtained by spark plasma sintering from the feedstock powder were studied for comparison.     

Investigations of ductile damage during the process chains of toothed functional components manufactured by sheet-bulk metal forming

Sheet-bulk metal forming processes combine conventional sheet forming processes with bulk forming of sheet semi-finished parts. In these processes the sheets undergo complex forming histories. Due to in- and out-of-plane material flow and large accumulated plastic strains, the conventional failure prediction methods for sheet metal forming such as forming limit curve fall short. As a remedy, damage models can be applied to model damage evolution during those processes. In this study, damage evolution during the production of two different toothed components from DC04 steel is investigated. In both setups, a deep drawn cup is upset to form a circumferential gearing. However, the two final products have different dimensions and forming histories. Due to combined deep drawing and upsetting processes, the material flow on the cup walls is three-dimensional and non-proportional. In this study, the numerical and experimental investigations for those parts are presented and compared. Damage evolution in the process chains is simulated with a Lemaitre damage criterion. Microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy is performed in the regions with high mechanical loading. It is observed that the evolution of voids in terms of void volume fraction is strongly dependent on the deformation path. The comparison of simulation results with microstructural data shows that the void volume fraction decreases in the upsetting stage after an initial increase in the drawing stage. Moreover, the concurrent numerical and microstructural analysis provides evidence that the void volume fraction decreases during compression in sheet-bulk metal forming.     

Identification of the Sex Pheromone of the Currant Shoot Borer Lampronia capitella

Under an artificial light:dark cycle, females of Lampronia capitella were observed calling, with extended terminal abdominal segments, during the first 2 hr of the photoperiod. Extracts of terminal abdominal segments from females elicited large electroantennographic responses from male antennae. Gas chromatography with electroantennographic detection revealed three active peaks. Based on comparison of retention times and mass spectra of synthetic standards, these compounds were identified as (Z,Z)-9,11-tetradecadienol and the corresponding acetate and aldehyde. The electroantennographic activity of the four geometric isomers of all three compounds was investigated, and the respective (Z,Z)-isomer was found to be the most active in all cases. Aldehydes generally elicited larger antennal responses than alcohols, whereas acetates were the least active compounds. A subtractive trapping assay in the field, based on a 13:26:100 micrograms mixture of (Z,Z)-9,11-tetradecadienal, (Z,Z)-9,11-tetradecadienyl acetate, and (Z,Z)-9,11-tetradecadienol confirmed that all three compounds are pheromone components. Subtraction of (Z,Z)-9,11-tetradecadienol from the blend completely eliminated its attractiveness, whereas the other two-component blends showed reduced activity. This is the first pheromone identification from the monotrysian superfamily Incurvarioidea, confirming that the common pheromones among ditrysian moths (long-chain fatty acid derivatives comprising alcohols, acetates, and aldehydes with one or more double bonds) is not an autapomorphy of Ditrysia, but a synapomorphy of the more advanced heteroneuran lineages.