Sliding wear of Al2O3P/6061 Al composite

The mild sliding wear behaviour of a 15 vol % Al₂O_3P/6061 Al composite has been investigated by using a pin-on-disc reciprocating sliding machine. The composite has been shown to exhibit an excellent wear resistance as compared to the unreinforced matrix alloy. The wear rate of the composite under dry wear conditions with a 12N load is approximately one tenth of that in the 6061 aluminium alloy. The wear rate of the composite under lubrication with 15W/40 gear oil under a 100N load is only one thousandth ofthat in the 6061 aluminium alloy.The dry wear resistance of an over-aged sample is shown here to be better than a peak aged or under-aged sample when the composite was aged at 160°C. The coefficient of friction of the composite was approximately 0.5–0.6 under dry conditions and 0.07 in lubricated wear experiments.In the initial stage, the worn surface of the composite under dry conditions is primarily composed of ploughed grooves and ductile tear. The composite makes a conducting contact with the steel pin. The worn surface is composed of compacted powder and the contact potential gradually increases when the period of the wear experiment goes beyond 2 h.     

Growth of Fe on Si (100) at room temperature and formation of iron silicide

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), Auger electron spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigations of both the growth of an iron film on silicon (100) at room temperature and the subsequent formation of iron silicide are the subjects of this paper. An in-situ cleaned silicon (100) wafer without carbon or oxygen contamination exhibiting the known 2 × 1 reconstruction in the LEED pattern served as the substrate. Iron was deposited on this reconstructed surface at 300 K. The comparison of theoretical calculations based on three growth mechanisms with XPS data obtained with take-off angles of 0° and 50° clearly demonstrates a layer-by-layer growth of the iron film on silicon (100). At 300 K no formation of iron silicide was observed, although an interaction between iron and silicon could be detected at the interface. The formation of iron silicide was observed at annealing temperatures of 630–730 K. Quantitative XPS analysis yields the presence of FeSi₂, when the thickness is large enough. Neither the iron film on silicon nor the silicide shows any LEED pattern.     

Useful NMR solvent mixture for polyesters: Trifluoroacetic acid-d/chloroform-d

Summary NMR spectra of high molecular weight polyesters such as polyglycolide (PG) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) have not been available because of low solubility in suitable NMR solvents. Although PG is not soluble enough at ambient temperatures for NMR spectra in either chloroform-d or trifluoroacetic acid-d alone, it dissolves readily to over 0.9% in a mixture of the two. At this concentration, ¹H and ¹³C spectra can be obtained on samples where end group signals are visible from which molecular weights can readily be determined. The solutions are stable up to at least four days when moisture is excluded. NMR spectra of PET can likewise be obtained at ambient temperatures in the solvent mixture which dissolves up to at least 0.6% of PET.     

Movement stability analysis of a pipe string in a thixotropic fluid

Features of movement of a drill pipe string in a well filled with a thixotropic fluid are analyzed taking into account inertial and elastic forces of the rope system. It is shown that processes of fluid structure degradation can lead to nonstationary movement of the pipes. In this case periodic and chaotic auto-oscillations are excited in the system.Bashkir State University, Ufa, Russia. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 66, No. 4, pp. 405–411, April, 1994.     

A single-chip 12.7 Mchips/s digital IF BPSK direct sequencespread-spectrum transceiver in 1.2 μm CMOS

This paper describes a fully integrated digital-spread spectrum transceiver chip fabricated through MOSIS in 1.2 μm CMOS. It includes a baseband spread spectrum transmitter and a coherent intermediate frequency (IF) receiver consisting of a Costas loop, an acquisition loop for the pseudo-noise (PN) sequence, and a clock recovery loop with a 406.4 MHz onchip numerically controlled oscillator (NCO). The transceiver is capable of operating at a maximum IF sampling rate of 50.8 MS/s and a maximum chip rate of 12.7 R Mchips/s (Mcps) with selectable data rates of 100, 200, 400, and 800 kbps. At the maximum operating speed of 50.8 R MS/s, it dissipates 1.1 W. In an additive white Gaussian noise channel the IF receiver achieves a receiver output SNR within 1 dB of theory and can acquire code with a wide range of input SNR from -17 dB to over 30 dB. The transceiver chip has been interfaced to an RF up/down converter to demonstrate a wireless voice/data/video link operating in the 902-928 MHz band     

A channel model for characterization of the error data recoveredfrom compact discs

The data recovered from compact discs are contaminated with errors that exhibit a bursty behavior. A channel model is developed to characterize the error bursts and good-data gaps that occur in actual data recovered from compact discs. The probability of having m erroneous symbols in a data block of length n symbols is calculated using the channel model. This probability can be used to evaluate the performance of the error-correction code (ECC) used in the compact disc system     

Local staging with CT of tumors of the upper urothelium

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ability of computerized tomography (CT) to stage transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract. METHODS: 29 transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract submitted to nephroureterectomy were retrospectively evaluated. All 29 tumors had preoperative CT scans performed to stage the lesion. The pathological staging was compared to that of CT. RESULTS: 10 of the 29 tumors had CT evidence of tumor extension and 19 had localized noninvasive tumor on CT. Of the 10 patients with CT findings of tumor extension, 2 (20%) had superficial tumors and 8 (80%) had tumors that invaded into the adventitial fat, renal parenchyma or perirenal fat (pT3, pT4). Of the 19 patients with localized noninvasive tumor on CT, 13 (68%) had superficial tumors and 6 (32%) had pT3 or pT4 tumors. CT sensitivity for tumor invasion was 57% with a specificity of 87.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows that CT is of limited value in staging these tumors. When CT demonstrates direct tumor extension through the renal pelvic or ureteral wall, it is a sensitive indicator of high-stage tumor. However, the results obtained in low stage tumors must be viewed with caution.     

Triangular ray-tube analysis of dielectric lens antennas

A new method of analysis for the radiation characteristics of dielectric lens antennas with arbitrary inner and outer surfaces is presented. The analysis is based on representing the feed illumination by a contiguous set of ray tubes and including the effects of surface reflections and ray divergence. Radiation patterns and the antenna gain are then computed by evaluating the closed-form expressions developed for the Kirchhoff's integral of the aperture fields. The validity of the analysis method has been demonstrated by comparing the computations with measured results of two different spherical lenses and a shaped lens configurations. The analysis method presented takes into account some of the practical aspects associated with lens design such as surface zoning to reduce the mass and surface matching to minimize the reflection loss     

A Search for Hidden Relationships: Data Mining with Genetic Algorithms

This paper presents an algorithm that permits the search for dependencies among sets of data (univariate or multivariate time-series, or cross-sectional observations). The procedure is modeled after genetic theories and Darwinian concepts, such as natural selection and survival of the fittest. It permits the discovery of equations of the data-generating process in symbolic form. The genetic algorithm that is described here uses parts of equations as building blocks to breed ever better formulas. Apart from furnishing a deeper understanding of the dynamics of a process, the method also permits global predictions and forecasts. The algorithm is successfully tested with artificial and with economic time-series and also with cross-sectional data on the performance and salaries of NBA players during the 94–95 season.     

Monitoring methodologies of the acid cleaning of steam generators

Some general considerations about the validity and usefulness of corrosion rate monitoring using the polarization resistance method are developed and the theory of Stern and Geary is shortly discussed. The basic aspects of the acid cleaning of steam generators, the role of corrosion inhibitors and the approach of the author with respect to the problem of monitoring this operation are also reviewed. The main aim of this applied research was to verify the reliability of a corrosion meter in predicting the correct order of magnitude of the corrosion rate of a plain carbon steel and two low alloy steels. Measurements under dynamic conditions, with the solution flow rates of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 ms^?1, were performed in 5% by weight HCl solutions at 75°C containing a specific commercial inhibitor at two concentrations. Results indicate that the manufacturer calibration of the corrosion meter is not able to provide a realistic evaluation of the corrosion rate of the probe electrodes. Furthermore, it was experimentally demonstrated that probe and tubular specimens of the same material exhibit a different electrochemical behaviour. Therefore, a reliable evaluation of the true corrosion rate of tubular specimens should be made using appropriate calibration charts for the given environment and geometry of the electrochemical probe. At last, some alternating current measurements performed at 10 Hz showed that corrosion rate monitoring based on low-frequency signals could prove very useful for controlling the aggressiveness of the acid-cleaning solution.