Preparation of Tubular Silica-Glass Membranes with Thin Silica Layers by Sputtering, Using the Novel Sputtering Apparatus for Tubular Supports

Tubular SiO₂-glass membranes with thin, dense SiO₂layers on porous glass supports were prepared via sputtering, using the novel sputtering apparatus for tubular supports. This apparatus had a holder for tubular supports and a rotation mechanism. The sputtering conditions of the membranes were investigated. A support temperature of 573 K was determined to be the best among the temperatures that were selected in our experiments. Scanning electron microscopy observations showed that the membrane surfaces became smooth as the sputtering time increased and had no cracks. The permeances of helium, nitrogen, and CO₂were measured at a temperature of 373 K. The permeances for the membranes were on the order of 10^-9 molm^-2s^-1Pa^-1 (10^-5 cm³(STP)cm^-2s^-1(cm Hg)^-1). The ratio of the permeances of helium to nitrogen was similar to the theoretical Knudsen value. These values were much lower than the values that were expected from the dense SiO₂glass. This phenomenon was considered to be attributable to the presence of microcracks during the sputtering deposition.     

Nondestructive inspection of thermal barrier coating of gas turbine high temperature components

A thermal barrier coating (TBC) is applied to high‐temperature components in gas turbines, and consists of a ceramic topcoat and a metallic bondcoat. Various kinds of TBC degradation and damage occur in high‐temperature components during service, such as topcoat thinning, topcoat delamination, and formation of a thermally grown oxide (TGO) layer below the topcoat, each of which can be examined using a suitable nondestructive inspection technique. Topcoat thinning can be detected by topcoat thickness measurement using terahertz waves, which are electromagnetic waves in the frequency region between optical and radio waves. The measurement resolution is about 10 μm, which is comparable to microscopic observation of the cross section in destructive inspection. Topcoat delamination can be detected by active thermography, in which the topcoat surface is scanned by a heating laser and the surface temperature distribution is measured by a thermal infrared camera. The combination of temperature peak and residual thermal image detection is effective in eliminating false detection. The TGO layer can be detected using photoluminescence, in which the Cr³⁺ ions included as an impurity in Al₂O₃ are detected. Since delamination tends to occur at locations at which the TGO layer has grown, TGO layer detection provides an effective method to select regions where delamination has occurred or is likely to occur. An inspection flow based on these techniques is proposed, which is expected to aid the establishment of condition‐based maintenance strategies of high‐temperature components. © 2016 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Study on new GMA welding process with duplex current feeding

Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) under pure argon shielding gas atmosphere (pure argon-GMAW) is suitable to obtain a high-strength and high toughness welded joint. However, it is difficult that pure argon-GMA welding is applied practically welding structure because of arc instability. In order to perform stable pure argon-GMA welding, duplex current feeding GMAW (DCF-GMAW) has been developed. The DCF-GMAW consists of primary GMA welding current and secondary welding current by constant-current power resource. DFC-GMAW can feed larger current near wire tip. This effect makes that weld penetration depth is deeper, weld bead shape is improved using DCF-GMAW.     

Development and characterization of micro-dispersed lacquer

本文利用一种特制的搅拌装置来制备微分散生漆。研究了在不同的搅拌速率和搅拌时间下所获得的生漆微粒子的直径和性能的关系。粒度分布测定表明,经过60分钟且每分钟240转搅拌处理的生漆,其粒子直径分布最窄,平均为0.194微米。凝胶色谱(GPC)分析显示生漆中的寡聚体增加的同时单体的百分含量减少了,意味着在搅拌的过程中发生了聚合反应。另外,微分散生漆的粘度、干燥成膜时间、膜亮度、膜颜色、膜光泽以及耐紫外线等特性也作了深入的探讨。     

Optical and adhesive properties of composite silica-impregnated Ca-α-SiAlON:Eu2+ phosphor films prepared on silica glass substrates

The compaction of a Eu-doped Ca-α-SiAlON phosphor powder was performed by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The effect on the adhesion and optical properties of the silica precursor as both a binder of the powder and a filler of the air voids were evaluated. The adhesion of the silica impregnated composite film to the silica glass substrate was characterized by the tape test. The improvement of the external quantum efficiency was confirmed from the PL spectra measurement after the silica impregnation. The temperature dependence of the external quantum efficiency was also investigated in order to discuss the advantage of using the silica precursor as a binder for high-brightness LED applications.     

Measurement and correlation of the solid-liquid-gas equilibria for carbon dioxide + normal chain saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon systems

The pressure p-temperature T projections of solid-liquid-gas (S-L-G) three-phase coexistence lines for the carbon dioxide + tetradecanoic acid (C₁₄H₂₈O₂) system, the carbon dioxide + hexadecanoic acid (C₁₆H₃₂O₂) system, and the carbon dioxide + 1-hexadecanol (C₁₆H₃₄O) were measured by the first melting point method in which the initial appearance of the liquid phase was observed. The profiles of the p-T projections of the S-L-G lines for the carbon dioxide + acid systems are similar to each other, the S-L-G equilibria for the carbon dioxide + acid systems are, however, different from that for the carbon dioxide + 1-hexadecanol systems. The experimental p-T projections of the S-L-G lines were also correlated by the Peng-Robinson equation of state and the van der Waals type mixing rules with two binary interaction parameters introduced into attraction term and size terms, respectively. The present model gave good correlation results for all of the experimental S-L-G lines with maximum average absolute relative deviations of 0.075% for the carbon dioxide + tetradecanoic acid system, 0.14% for the carbon dioxide + hexadecanoic acid system and 0.28% for the carbon dioxide + 1-hexadecanol system, respectively.     

Effective synthesis of ethanol from CO2 on polyfunctional composite catalysts

Synthesis of ethanol by hydrogenation of carbon dioxide has been investigated by developing the novel composite catalysts. The three different kinds of elementary reaction functions for ethanol synthesis were undertaken. The catalytic functions are partial reduction of CO₂ to CO, C–C bond formation, and –OH group insertion. For this purpose, supported Rh catalyst, Fe-based modified Fisher–Tropsch catalyst, and Cu-based modified methanol synthesis catalyst were combined by different ways. As a result, high space–time yields of ethanol as high as 0.8–0.9 kg/l h were obtained.     

A communication protocol based on IR-space division transceivers for mobile robots

In this article, we propose MAC protocols based on our infrared-space division transceiver (IR-SDT) for mobile robots. The IR-SDT has eight communication modules, so it can communicate with a maximum of eight other nodes simultaneously. The number of parallel multiple accesses will be improved by using this transceiver and its specialized protocol. In addition, we consider situations in which a packet collision occurs, and propose a protocol that resolves communication conflicts using the signal collision-detection function of IR-SDT. Finally, we consider the performance of these protocols, and discuss the influence of signal collision-detection accuracy.     

Micro-/nanostructural investigation of laser-cut surfaces of single- and polycrystalline diamonds

Micrometer- to nanometer-scale structures of the cut surfaces of single- and polycrystalline diamonds by a pulsed ultraviolet laser have been thoroughly investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Within the laser-cut grooves, the processed diamond surfaces are extensively covered with laser-modified debris which consists of complex layered units of graphite with various crystallinities. The units consist of 1) highly oriented graphite, 2) corrugated graphite, and 3) nanocrystalline graphite, which are sequentially located from the surface of the underlying diamond substrate to the center of the grooves. Detailed textural examinations revealed that the highly oriented graphite unit is a product of the initial graphitization of diamond by a solid-state diffusion process, whereas the latter two units are deposition products from the liquid and/or vapor phases of carbon in the later stage. The present study demonstrates that the laser-cutting of diamonds proceeds in a two-step process: 1) extensive graphitization of laser-scanning path and 2) subsequent sublimation of the pre-formed graphite. These processes are basically identical among the three different types of diamonds (single crystal type Ib, single crystal type IIa and nano-polycrystalline aggregate) tested in this study.