An experimental investigation of the properties of cross-ply laminate used for manufacturing of small aircraft components

This paper discusses the observations and results from an experimental investigation of cross ply laminates used to construct major structural components of a small aircraft manufactured in Australia. The static and fatigue experimental results are compared with established models in composites analysis and with the available data in composite databases. An analysis was done to statistically quantify any deviation of actual properties from the calculated values and investigate the differences in designed and actual capacities/operational life of the components made using this laminates.     

Leydig cell hyperplasia and adenoma formation: mechanisms and relevance to humans

Leydig cell adenomas are observed frequently in studies evaluating the chronic toxicity of chemical agents in laboratory animals. Doubts have been raised about the relevance of such responses for human risk assessment, but the question of relevance has not been evaluated and presented in a comprehensive manner by a broad group of experts. This article reports the consensus conclusions from a workshop on rodent Leydig cell adenomas and human relevance. Five aspects of Leydig cell biology and toxicology were discussed: 1) control of Leydig cell proliferation; 2) mechanisms of toxicant-induced Leydig cell hyperplasia and tumorigenesis; 3) pathology of Leydig cell adenomas; 4) epidemiology of Leydig cell adenomas; and 5) risk assessment for Leydig cell tumorigens. Important research needs also were identified. Uncertainty exists about the true incidence of Leydig cell adenomas in men, although apparent incidence is rare and restricted primarily to white males. Also, surveillance databases for specific therapeutic agents as well as nicotine and lactose that have induced Leydig cell hyperplasia or adenoma in test species have detected no increased incidence in humans. Because uncertainties exist about the true incidence in humans, induction of Leydig cell adenomas in test species may be of concern under some conditions. Occurrence of Leydig cell hyperplasia alone in test species after lifetime exposure to a chemical does not constitute a cause for concern in a risk assessment for carcinogenic potential, but early occurrence may indicate a need for additional testing. Occurrence of Leydig cell adenomas in test species is of potential concern as both a carcinogenic and reproductive effect if the mode of induction and potential exposures cannot be ruled out as relevant for humans. The workgroup focused on seven hormonal modes of induction of which two, GnRH agonism and dopamine agonism, were considered not relevant to humans. Androgen receptor antagonism, 5 alpha-reductase inhibition, testosterone biosynthesis inhibition, aromatase inhibition, and estrogen agonism were considered to be relevant or potentially relevant, but quantitative differences may exist across species, with rodents being more sensitive. A margin of exposure (MOE; the ratio of the lowest exposure associated with toxicity to the human exposure level) approach should be used for compounds causing Leydig cell adenoma by a hormonal mode that is relevant to humans. For agents that are positive for mutagenicity, the decision regarding a MOE or linear extrapolation approach should be made on a case-by-case basis. In the absence of information about mode of induction, it is necessary to utilize default assumptions, including linear behavior below the observable range. All of the evidence should be weighed in the decision-making process.     

Polymeric seal degradation in nuclear power plants: Determination of physical and mechanical properties

To assess the suitability of different materials as polymeric seals in the Nuclear Industry three commercial samples of nitrile rubber at grades BA40, BA50, and BA60 have been tested. Differential scanning calorimetry was used to find the glass transition temperature (T_g) and a Lloyds Texture Analyser 500 (TA500) was used to find the ratio of energy returned during relaxation against energy applied during compression. The mechanical properties determined from these experiments were then compared against the materials infrared spectra to infer structural characteristics. These were in turn cross‐analyzed against the materials ability to swell in a liquid solvent and absorption behavior in a gaseous solvent. From this information, a statement could be made about each material's capacity to perform as a seal. It was thus found that the high energy retention and low absorption characteristics of BA40 made this material the best choice out of those studied for use as a polymeric seal in the nuclear industry. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45814.     

QCM-D assay for quantifying the swelling,biodegradation, and protein adsorption of intelligent nanogels

Environmentally responsive nanomaterials have been developed for drug delivery applications, in an effort to target and accumulate therapeutic agents at sites of disease. Within a biological system, these nanomaterials will experience diverse conditions which encompass a variety of solute identities and concentrations. In this study, we developed a new quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) assay, which enabled the quantitative analysis of nanogel swelling, protein adsorption, and biodegradation in a single experiment. As a proof of concept, we employed this assay to characterize non-degradable and biodegradable poly(acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) nanogels. We compared the QCM-D results to those obtained by dynamic light scattering to highlight the advantages and limitations of each method. We detailed our protocol development and practical recommendations, and hope that this study will serve as a guide for others to design application-specific QCM-D assays within the nanomedicine domain. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48655.     

Thermodynamic Properties of Aqueous Aerosols to High Supersaturation: I—Measurements of Water Activity of the System Na+−Cl−−NO− 3−SO2− 4−H2O at ~ 298.15 K

ABSTRACT

Water activity/concentration relationships of aqueous NaCl, NaNO₃, Na₂SO₄ and their mixtures from dilute concentration to high supersaturation have been determined at room temperature in an electrodynamic balance. Using a dynamic measurement technique based on the evaporation of the droplets, a set of water activity measurements of a solution droplet can be obtained in less than an hour. The water activities of the mixtures are compared with theoretical predictions of the Pitzer-Simonson-Clegg (PSC) model, the Zdanovskii-Stokes-Robinson (ZSR) equation, and the Kusik and Meissner (KM) model. Comparisons of the data with model predictions indicate that the PSC, ZSR, and KM approaches agree well among themselves and with the experimental data. All three models give similar maximum (±0.02) and standard (0.01) deviations in mass fraction of the solute (mfs). These deviations are close to the experimental error of ±(0.01–0.02). The agreement of the models and the need for single-component water activities at different temperatures, as input for all models, suggest that a high priority should be given to such experiments in the future.     

Three-dimensional electron backscattered diffraction analysis of deformation in MgO micropillars

Small-scale testing is extensively used to study the effects of size on plasticity or characterise plastic deformation of brittle materials, where cracking is suppressed on the microscale. Geometrical and experimental constraints have been shown to affect small-scale deformation and efforts are underway to understand these better. However, current analytical techniques tend to possess high resolution in only one or two dimensions, impeding a detailed analysis of the entire deformed volume. Here electron backscattered diffraction in three dimensions is presented as a way of characterising three-dimensional (3-D) deformation at high spatial resolution. It is shown that, by reconstruction of compressed and then successively sliced and indexed MgO micropillars, this 3-D technique yields information complementary to μ-Laue diffraction or electron microscopy, allowing a correlation of experimental artefacts and the distribution of plasticity. In addition, deformation features which are difficult to visualise by standard scanning electron microscopy are easily detected, for example where only small surface traces are produced or minimal plastic strain can be introduced before failure in brittle materials.     

Anomalous yielding in the complex metallic alloy Al13Co4

The single crystal deformation behaviour of orthorhombic Al₁₃Co₄ has been studied below the brittle-ductile transition temperature observed in bulk material from room temperature to 600 °C, using indentation, microcompression and transmission electron microscopy. At room temperature, slip occurred most easily by dislocation motion on the (0 0 1)[0 1 0] slip system, as observed in the ductile regime at high temperatures. However, as the temperature was increased towards 600 °C, the slip pattern changed to one consisting of linear defects running perpendicular to the loading axis. Serrated flow was observed at all temperatures, although at 600 °C the magnitude of the serrations decreased. Anomalous yielding behaviour was also observed above 226 °C, where both the yield and the 2% flow stress increased with temperature, almost doubling between 226 and 600 °C. It has been suggested that this might arise due to the increasing stability of orthorhombic Al₁₃Co₄ with respect to the monoclinic form with increasing temperature. This is shown to be consistent with the theoretical predictions that exist.     

Evaluating arrhythmias in ECG signals using wavelet transforms

Recent work has attempted to utilize wavelet techniques in the analysis of biomedical signals including ECGs. Here, the authors present an energy-based method of interrogating the ECG in VF using high-resolution, log-scale continuous wavelet plots. With this method, underlying structures within the VF waveform are made visible in the wavelet time-scale half space