Fluid jet polishing of optical surfaces

We present a new finishing process that is capable of locally shaping and polishing optical surfaces of complex shapes. A fluid jet system is used to guide a premixed slurry at pressures less than 6 bars to the optical surface. We used a slurry comprising water and 10% #800 SiC abrasives (21.8 mum) to reduce the surface roughness of a BK7 sample from 350 to 25 nm rms and to vary the shape of a polished sample BK7, maintaining its surface roughness of 1.6 nm rms, thereby proving both the shaping and polishing possibilities of the presented method.     

Retroreflective grating generation and analysis for surface measurement

An efficient system for retroreflective grating generation andanalysis has been constructed to measure the derivative and the contourof specular surfaces. In this system, a new optical configurationhas been provided to generate and capture a grating image with aretroreflective screen. Tests show that the system can detectindents and outdents with a maximum depth of less than 10mum. The method can be developed for automated industrialinspection and machine vision.     

Creation of TiN paths on titanium alloy OT4-1 by the use of a laser beam

TiN paths have been created on the surface of the titanium alloy OT4-1 by the use of a laser beam. The results of investigations of structure, phase composition, microhardness and surface roughness of the created TiN paths are given in the paper. The paths created in the work are inhomogenous two-phase mixtures of TiN and -Ti, in which the TiN phase with strong (2 0 0) texture is predominant over the other phase and presents a dendritic structure. © 1998 Chapman & Hall     

Determination of porosity of reduced hematite by stereologic methods

The stereologic analysis of a solid grain has been applied for determination of its porosity. The investigations were carried out on a natural hematite grain reduced to magnetite at 723 K. Stereologic analysis enabled the porosity of this material to be determined on the basis of independently measured grain contours and volume fractions of grain components: hematite, magnetite and pores. A conformity criterion has been formulated, regarding determination of grain volume on the basis of known densities of components and their measured volume fractions in the grain, and on the basis of weight and apparent grain density measurements. The volume increase accompanying reduction of hematite to magnetite, determined from these independent measurements, was in the range 7–19%. By measuring Ferets diameter, the volume of the convex envelope of the grain increased as a result of phase transformation by about 11%. Simultaneously, the volume of the solid phase was found to decrease by 1.5%. The total porosity of the reduced grain, determined by stereologic analysis amounted to 17.5%; 7.7% of which was related to cracks and large pores, and 9.8% to small pores in the magnetite phase. The porosity value determined by the classical mercury method was approximately the same.     

Isochoric p-ρ-T Measurements on 1,1-Difluoroethane (R152a) from 158 to 400 K and 1,1,1-Trifluoroethane (R143a) from 166 to 400 K at Pressures to 35 MPa

The p--T relationships have been measured for 1,1-difluoroethane (R152a) and 1,1,1-trifluoroethane (R143a) by an isochoric method with gravimetric determinations of the amount of substance. Temperatures ranged from 158 to 400 K for R152a and from 166 to 400 K for R143a, while pressures were up to 35 MPa. Measurements were conducted on compressed liquid samples. Determinations of saturated liquid densities were made by extrapolating each isochore to the vapor pressure, and determining the temperature and density at the intersection. Published p--T data are in good agreement with this study. For the p--T apparatus, the uncertainty of the temperature is ±0.03 K, and for pressure it is ±0.01% at p>3 MPa and ±0.05% at p<3 MPa. The principal source of uncertainty is the cell volume (28.5 cm³), which has a standard uncertainty of ±0.003 cm³. When all components of experimental uncertainty are considered, the expanded relative uncertainty (with a coverage factor k=2 and thus a two-standard deviation estimate) of the density measurements is estimated to be ±0.05%.     

Re-inventing the electrical machines curriculum

Undergraduate courses in electromechanical energy conversion are typically oriented toward the steady-state analysis of electrical machines. The advent of low-cost computer power and the availability of numerical software tools provide the opportunity to fundamentally reorient the pedagogical approach to the topic. A new approach is consistent with the developing need to emphasize the study of new machine designs and machines employed for control purposes as well as machines for use in more traditional power applications. This paper presents the results obtained from simulations developed as an integral part of an undergraduate electrical machines course at the University of Dayton, USA. Sample simulation files are presented to demonstrate the ease with which the matrix model of the machine is transferred to the program. The matrix models and simulation results of the following machines are included: the single-phase transformer; the variable-reluctance machine; the cylindrical-rotor dual-winding machine; the symmetrical two-phase induction motor; a PWM-controlled DC machine; and an inverter-driven brushless machine. The selected machines provide a systematic framework for analysis and simulation and present problems of increasing complexity to the student