Comparison of corrosion behavior of zirconium bombarded with self-ion and molybdenum ion

In order to study the effects of zirconium and molybdenum ion bombardment on the aqueous corrosion behavior of zirconium, one group of specimens was implanted with zirconium ions with ions surface densities ranging from 1 × 10¹⁵ to 2 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm² at about 170 °C, using a metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) source operated at an extraction voltage of 50 kV. The other group of specimens was bombarded with molybdenum ion with ions surface densities ranging from 1 × 10¹⁶ to 5 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm² at about 160 °C, using a MEVVA source operated at an extraction voltage of 40 kV. The valence states and depth distribution of elements in the surface of the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), respectively. Polarization curves measurement was employed to evaluate the aqueous corrosion resistance of the zirconium samples in a 1N H₂SO₄ solution. It was found that the aqueous corrosion resistance of zirconium implanted with 5 × 10¹⁶ Zr ions/cm² is the best in first group samples. For molybdenum ion implantation, the aqueous corrosion resistance of samples declined with raising ions surface densities. The natural corrosion potentials of zirconium samples bombarded with self-ions are more negative than that of the as-received zirconium. While, as for molybdenum ion implantation, the results are opposite. Finally, the mechanisms of the corrosion behavior of the zirconium samples implanted with zirconium and molybdenum ions are discussed.     

Effect of synthesis temperature on density and microstructure of MgB2 superconductor at ambient pressure

The experimental thermodynamic of MgB₂ synthesis process and phase compositions have been investigated by diffraction thermal analysis (DTA) technology and X-ray diffraction. The fabrication of MgB₂ bulks and superconducting properties at the temperatures range from 600 to 800°C were reported. And microstructure of MgB₂ bulks were observed by scanning electron microscope (SEM). A method was developed to determine the porosity of MgB₂ and the highest density can be obtained in MgB₂ prepared at 650°C at ambient pressure. It is found that the vapor pressure of Mg increases remarkably at high temperature, leading to the high porosity in MgB₂ samples. MgB₂ bulk with good superconducting property and fine microstructure was synthesized at 750°C.     

Repair of notched beam under dynamic load using piezoelectric patch

In this paper, the repair of a cracked beam under an external dynamic load employing the electro-mechanical characteristic of piezoelectric material to induce a local moment is presented. Conceptually, an external voltage is applied to actuate a piezoelectric patch bonded on the beam to effect closure of a crack so that the singularity at the crack tip under dynamic load may be decreased. Globally, this has the effect of altering the resonant frequency of the cracked beam towards that of the healthy beam, which is the criterion used for the repair. To demonstrate the repair methodology, a cantilever beam is used as an illustration, where the repair moment coefficient and the voltage required are mathematically derived. The relationship between repair moment coefficient, crack parameters and length of piezoelectric patch is investigated. The difference between the proposed repair criterion and an earlier published criterion for cracked beam under static load is also shown. A numerical example is used to study the effectiveness of the proposed repair methodology and its results are compared with those from 3-D finite element analyses using ABAQUS 6.4 as one means of verification.     

Effects of lubrication and humidity on the abrasiveness of a thin boron carbide coating

Studies using thin boron carbide (B₄C) coatings have previously been performed in order to investigate their potential use as finite-life run-in coatings. Such coatings have been shown to polish the mating surface in a relatively short time. The inherent ability of these coatings to polish can potentially allow them to function as finite-life run-in coatings. Employing such coatings requires a thorough understanding of the parameters which directly influence the changes that occur in the coating abrasiveness throughout the duration of the polishing process. In past studies, changes in the coating abrasiveness during dry sliding wear under ambient conditions have been investigated. However, both lubrication and humidity can strongly influence the abrasive wear process. In this study, the influences of the operating environment, namely humidity and lubrication, on the coating abrasiveness are directly investigated. The coating abrasiveness decreases at a slower rate when a lubricant is added and when the humidity decreases.     

An accurate analytical approach to electron crystallography

A much more accurate analytical expression of dynamical electron diffraction than the phase object approximation (POA) formula has been derived in this paper which decreases the restriction of sample thickness up to almost one order of magnitude compared to POA theory. The importance of the new expression is twofold. First, a sample with such a thickness that new expression remains valid can be prepared experimentally. Second, the new expression reveals a clear and straightforward relationship between the wave function and crystal potential. In the expression, the effect of dynamical diffraction on wave function can be simply attributed to two factors TP(D) = (sin(lambda pi zg2))/(4pi2g2) and TA(D) = [1 - cos(lambda pi zg2)]/4pi2g2. Compared to the effect of transfer functions of an electron microscope on wave function, we found that TP(d) and TA(d) play the same role as transfer function but are independent of the instrument.For this reason, we here call the former as "extrinsic transfer functions" and the latter as "intrinsic" ones. In principle, one should correct not only extrinsic transfer functions but also intrinsic ones if one desires to achieve higher resolution.     

Rotor resonances of high-speed permanent-magnet brushless machines

For high-speed machines, in particular, it is very important to accurately predict natural frequencies of the rotor at the design stage so as to minimize the likelihood of failure. Finite-element analysis and experimental measurements are used to establish the natural frequencies and modes of the rotor of a high-speed permanent-magnet brushless motor, and to assess the influence of leading design parameters, such as the active length, the shaft diameter and extension, the bearings, and the material properties.     

A microcomputer-based system for processing 31-phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance spectra from studies of cardiac metabolism in immature hearts

We designed an interactive microcomputer-based digital data processing system for analysis of 31-phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) spectra from studies of cardiac metabolism in immature and neonatal hearts. This system included a digitizing tablet (Kurta Series Two), a microcomputer (IBM PC XT) and a graphics plotter (Hewlett-Packard 7470A) used in conjunction with a Nicolet 1280 NMR signal processing computer. We obtained 31P spectra from isolated perfused rabbit hearts with a Nicolet NT-200 4.7 Tesla superconducting NMR spectrometer operated in the pulsed Fourier transform mode. The small size of the hearts resulted in increased noise in spectra and demanded comparison of methods used to quantitate changes in inorganic phosphorus, phosphocreatine and ATP during ischemic stress. We performed microcomputer operations and interfacing functions with a software package written in BASIC. This system simplified documentation, data filing and statistical data processing. Our microcomputer system displayed and made hard copies of digitized spectra and results of analyses. Errors in data entry were rectified directly with this program. Consistent data reduction improved the precision of the physiological results and reduced the influence of noise on 31P spectra from neonatal hearts weighing about 0.5 g. The system flexibility extends its application to NMR spectra analysis for other in vivo organ systems, and signal processing in other biological research.     

e-Automation,an architecture for distributed industrial automation systems

Due to the complexity of modern industrial systems, a conventional automation system is not capable of providing sufficient information management and high-level intelligent approaches, as achieving these functionalities requires the support of comprehensive data management and coordination between system devices and heterogenous information. This paper proposes the concept of e-Automation, in which computer networking and distributed intelligence agent technologies are applied to industrial automation systems, and presents a hardware and software architecture that implements this concept. An open infrastructure based on multi-agent systems is employed in the proposed architecture of e-Automation, which aims to allow the implementation of diverse tasks and to permit greater configurability than can be obtained from a traditional system. To evaluate our proposed e-Automation concept, this paper presents a case study of substation information management which adopts the proposed e-Automation architecture in power system domain.     

Microstructure and mechanical property of laser melting deposition (LMD) Ti/TiAl structural gradient material

This article presents fabrication, microstructure and mechanical properties study of Ti/TiAl functional gradient material. Ti–47Al–2.5V–Cr/Ti–6Al–2Zr–Mo–V gradient material was successfully fabricated by the laser melting deposition (LMD) manufacturing process. Microstructure and chemical composition was characterized by OM, SEM, TEM and EPMA. The Vickers hardness and room-temperature tensile property was evaluated on longitudinal direction. Results showed that fully lamellar (FL) microstructure consisted of γ-TiAl and α₂-Ti₃Al was formed on the Ti–47Al–2.5V–Cr side, while coarse basket weave microstructure was formed on the Ti–6Al–2Zr–1Mo–1V side. No cracking was found in the gradient zone after aging at 800 °C for 48 h. The room-temperature tensile strength of the as-deposited specimen is up to approximately 1198.8 MPa in the longitudinal direction, while the tensile elongation is approximately 0.4%, indicating a typical brittle fracture.