Thermal and flammability properties of a silica–poly(methylmethacrylate) nanocomposite

PMMA, poly(metheylmethacrylate), nanocomposites were made by in situ radical polymerization of MMA, methylmethacrylate, with colloidal silica (ca. 12 nm) to study the effects of nanoscale silica particles on the physical properties and flammability properties of PMMA. Transparent samples resulted and the dispersity of the particles was examined by transmission electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The addition of nanosilica particles (13% by mass) did not significantly change the thermal stability, but it made a small improvement in modulus, and it reduced the peak heat release rate roughly 50%. Last, the flame‐retardant mechanism provided by the addition of nanosilica particles in PMMA is discussed. Published 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 2072–2078, 2003     

Synthesis and photo-induced solution properties of new rigid-rod polyimides

A series of new, substituted pyromellitic dianhydrides were synthesized from 1,2,4,5-tetramethylbenzene. New soluble rigid-rod polyimides were obtained from the dianhydrides and 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4,4′-biphenyl (PFMB) in phenolic solvents in the presence of isoquinoline as a catalyst. The polyimides are soluble in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc), m-cresol and other solvents, in spite of having no bending in their rigid structures.

UV irradiation changed color of the polyimide solutions and also their viscosity. We observed new absorbance in the 700-nm region and an ESR signal by UV irradiation. The new visible absorbance and the ESR signal are derived from the same origin. They are attributed to the anion radical of the diimide moiety in the polyimide as deduced from the hyper fine structure of the ESR signal. In addition, UV irradiation diminishes the solution viscosity.     

Transparent,methacrylate-based polymer networks with controlled crosslinker ductility

A series of transparent methacrylate-based crosslinked polymer networks are prepared in which the crosslinker length is controlled as a means to investigate the effects of network ductility on mechanical and ballistic properties. In each network the optical clarity of pure poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is retained, as well as a low value of haze. Both the glass transition temperature (T_g) and the tensile modulus of the networks are highly tunable, with network values both above and well below that of pure PMMA or the pure crosslinker network. The ballistic performance is likewise affected, with performance values of up to 400% greater than neat PMMA. We examine the effects of the crosslinker molecular weight on the impact performance, finding that, in these systems, the molecular weight between crosslinks is not a driving factor for the impact performance, and this may broadly translate to polymer networks in general. We find that improvements in ballistic performance can be realized at low molecular weight between crosslinks, provided the crosslinking agent is of sufficient ductility.     

The Oxidation of NdFeB Magnets

The oxidation kinetics in air of a commercial NdFeB magnet have been investigated over the temperature range 335–500°C. The oxide microstructure has been characterized by SEM, XRD and cross-sectional TEM. The results show that the external scale formed consists of an outer layer of Fe₂O₃ and an inner layer of Fe₃O₄ but that the principal degradation process is the formation of an extensive zone of internal oxidation. HREM has been used to show that this zone contains NdO particles embedded in an -Fe matrix. These particles are discrete and very small, approximately 2 nm in diameter, and have an amorphous structure. The -Fe matrix has a columnar grain structure with a grain width of approximately 100 nm. It is argued that the high rates of internal oxidation arise because the external-oxide layers are not protective at the oxidation temperature, and oxygen penetrates to the zone front by fast diffusion along the columnar -Fe grain boundaries.     

Sulfidation behavior of Fe-25Cr-20Ni-1.5Al2O3 in simulated coal combustion/gasification environments

The effect of minor addition of -Al₂O₃ dispersoids on the sulfidation behavior of Fe-25Cr-20Ni was investigated over a range of pO₂, 1.13×10^–20 to 1.18×10 ****^–22 atm. at constant pS₂=1.22×10^–8 atm. Fe-25Cr-20Ni and Fe-25Cr-20Ni 1.5 Al₂O₃ with and without preformed oxide scales were exposed to bioxidant gas mixtures H₂/H₂O/H₂S/Ar at 700° C. Both isothermal and cyclic exposures were included. Scales were characterized by a combination of several surface analytical tools. A remarkable improvement in sulfidation resistance is observed in Fe-25Cr-20Ni-1.5Al₂O₃ under the conditions investigated here. This is attributed to the ability of the alloy to form and maintain a predominantly Cr₂O₃ scale with reduced Fe-diffusion and content. Possible scientific reasons for such improvement are discussed. The base alloy, Fe-25Cr-20Ni, fails to develop and retain such a Cr₂O₃ scale and undergoes sulfidation within a few minutes of exposure. The scale breakdown process by sulfidation is explained qualitatively. Experimental evidence suggests that sulfur in the environment enhances Fe-diffusion and content in the scale.     

The structure of parts produced by stereolithography injection mould tools and the effect on part shrinkage

Stereolithography (SL) tooling for plastic injection moulding provides a low cost and quick alternative to hard tooling methods when producing a small quantity of parts. However, work by the authors has shown that a different rate of polymer shrinkage was experienced in semi-crystalline parts when produced from SL moulds as compared to those from conventional metal tooling methods. Different shrinkage means the parts are not truly the same as those that would be produced by metal tooling and highlights a disadvantage to SL tooling.This work associates the increased shrinkage experienced to a greater percentage crystallinity developed in the parts due to their thermal history during processing. In these experiments the cooling rate, which is imparted due to the heat transfer characteristics of the mould has been identified as the controlling factor of a parts % crystalline content and the cause of shrinkage anomalies.The morphology analysis results show that there is 30% more crystallinity developed in the nylon (PA66) parts produced in SL moulds than those produced from aluminium moulds. The results also reveal different characteristics during thermal analysis that may also be due to the thermal history imparted by the mould.The work utilises the thermal analysis technique differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to quantify the different levels of crystallinity in the parts. The thermal characteristics of the mould are demonstrated by real-time data acquisition.     

Foundations of reusable and interoperable facet models using category theory

Faceted browsing has become ubiquitous with modern digital libraries and online search engines, yet the process is still difficult to abstractly model in a manner that supports the development of interoperable and reusable interfaces. We propose category theory as a theoretical foundation for faceted browsing and demonstrate how the interactive process can be mathematically abstracted. Existing efforts in facet modeling are based upon set theory, formal concept analysis, and light-weight ontologies, but in many regards, they are implementations of faceted browsing rather than a specification of the basic, underlying structures and interactions. We will demonstrate that category theory allows us to specify faceted objects and study the relationships and interactions within a faceted browsing system. Resulting implementations can then be constructed through a category-theoretic lens using these models, allowing abstract comparison and communication that naturally support interoperability and reuse.     

Drought Severity Assessment Based on Bivariate Probability Analysis

Conventionally drought severity is assessed based on drought indices. Recently the Reconnaissance Drought Index (RDI) was proposed to assess drought severity based on the precipitation to potential evapotranspiration ratio (P/PET). In this paper RDI is studied as a bivariate index under a set of assumptions and simplifications. The paper presents a simple computational procedure for estimating the P/PET ratio for selected reference periods varying from 3 to 12 months, for any return period of drought. Alternatively, based on this procedure, the severity of any drought episode is rationally assessed. A bivariate probability analysis is employed based on the assumption that P and PET values are normally distributed and often negatively correlated. Examples for the application of the proposed procedure are presented using data from several meteorological stations in Greece. It is shown that the assumption of normality of both P and PET holds for long periods at all examined stations.     

Nonlinear Robust Tracking Control of a Quadrotor UAV on SE(3)

This paper provides nonlinear tracking control systems for a quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that are robust to bounded uncertainties. A mathematical model of a quadrotor UAV is defined on the special Euclidean group, and nonlinear output‐tracking controllers are developed to follow (i) an attitude command, and (ii) a position command for the vehicle center of mass. The controlled system has the desirable properties that the tracking errors are uniformly ultimately bounded, and the size of the ultimate bound can be reduced arbitrarily by control system parameters. Numerical examples illustrating complex maneuvers are provided.     

An EM approach to mineral analysis using natural gamma rays

We describe here a method for the analysis of materials on a conveyor belt using the natural gamma spectra collected with a BGO (Bismuth Germanate) gamma ray detector. This detector collects gamma ray emissions from the Potassium (K), Uranium (U), and Thorium (Th) atoms in the materials. Based on these data, and using a Poisson model for the data generation, a statistical model is proposed and an approximate maximum likelihood (ML) technique based on the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is then used to estimate the amount of each of the three elements in the material. The statistical model is further refined to incorporate parameters of drift in the detector and an estimation technique for this is developed and tested against real data. The Cramér–Rao lower bounds for the estimators are calculated.