Mechanical Characteristics of Superplastic Deformation of AZ31Magnesium Alloy

As the lightest constructional metal on earth, magnesium (and its alloys) offers a great potential for weight reduction in the transportation industry. Many automotive components have been already produced from different magnesium alloys, but they are mainly cast components. Production of magnesium outer body components is still hindered by the material’s inferior ductility at room temperature. Magnesium alloys are usually warm-formed to overcome this problem; however, it was observed that some magnesium alloys exhibits superior ductility and superplastic behavior at higher temperatures. More comprehensive investigation of magnesium’s high temperature behavior is needed for broader utilization of the metal and its alloys. In this work, the high temperature deformation aspects of the AZ31B-H24 commercial magnesium alloy are investigated through a set of uniaxial tensile tests that cover forming temperatures ranging between 23 and 500 °C, and constant true strain rates between 2 × 10⁻⁵ and 2.5 × 10⁻² s⁻¹. The study targets mainly the superplastic behavior of the alloy, by characterizing flow stress, elongation-to-fracture, and strain rate sensitivity under various conditions. In addition, the initial anisotropy is also investigated at different forming temperatures. The results of these and other mechanical and microstructural tests will be used to develop a microstructure-based constitutive model that can capture the superplastic behavior of the material. This article was presented at the AeroMat Conference, International Symposium on Superplasticity and Superplastic Forming (SPF) held in Seattle, WA, June 6–9, 2005.     

Stochastic Simulation of Construction Bidding and Project Management

Abstract: A stochastic simulation model of a project management game was developed to assist in training estimators in developing bidding strategies in construction. This paper discusses the development of the conceptual gaming model for bidding on construction projects and the implementation of the model on portable software. The model simulates the actual bidding in construction by creating projects, initiating random phenomena, and keeping track of the performance of the individual players of the game. Upon conclusion of the game the winner is selected as the player that maximizes his relative return on the original investment assigned to him by the game. The paper describes the underlying construction management concepts and the bidding process in general. The database management model is then detailed focusing on the requirements and strategy behind the development of the various databases. The paper also describes the various models utilized in simulating the involved random processes. Finally the operation of the program is introduced and its use in educating construction engineers and managers is highlighted.     

Quantitative measurement of texture orientation in biomedical images using an artificial neural network

Texture orientation is one of the most important attributes used in biomedical and clinical image interpretation. It provides critical clues of continuity and connectivity useful in relating adjacent image areas. We report a novel approach in which image data are convolved with directional convolution masks and the results are used as input to an artificial neural network for classification of image areas into a number of discrete texture orientation classes. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 9, 351–355, 1998     

On the High Temperature Testing of Superplastic Materials

The simplest test in characterizing the behavior of superplastic materials is the uniaxial tensile test. Since superplasticity is achieved at relatively high temperatures, heat involvement adds so many unpredictable problems to the simplest testing technique. In spite of the vast number of research activities directed towards studying the various aspects of superplastic deformation, there is a lack of a standardized testing procedure that can tackle the various issues associated with high temperature testing. In this work, we attempt to shed some light on the controversial issues associated with high temperature superplastic testing. The effects of various testing procedures and parameters on the accuracy of the results are investigated. We address the issues related to gripping and test sample geometry, heat and temperature effects, and comment on the available testing and analysis procedures. We hope that this study highlights the urgent need to develop a standardized testing approach that takes into account all the important issues affecting high temperature testing. This article was presented at the AeroMat Conference, International Symposium on Superplasticity and Superplastic Forming (SPF) held in Seattle, WA, June 6–9, 2005.     

Infrared and carbon dioxide chemisorption study of Mo/ZrO2 catalysts

The interaction of Mo with zirconia has been investigated by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and carbon dioxide chemisorption. Quantitative analysis of the IR results indicated that Mo interacts preferentially with the most basic hydroxyl group (high frequency band at 3775 cm^–1). An approximately 79% decrease in the 3775 cm^–1 band is observed vs. 21% for the low frequency band at 3673 cm^–1, with increasing the Mo loading up to 1 wt%. The relative decrease of the IR band at 3775 cm^–1 was identical to that measured for the CO₂ uptake. The Mo cross-sections estimated from CO₂ chemisorption results were much higher than those typically reported for the Mo system. It was concluded that, as previously reported for the Mo/Al₂o₃ system, CO₂ chemisorption overestimates the surface coverage of Mo/ZrO₂ catalysts.     

Effect of Buoyancy Ratio on Double-Diffusive Natural Convection in a Porous Rhombic Annulus

This paper reports on the effect of buoyancy ratio due to both heat and mass transfer on natural convection in a porous enclosure between two isothermal concentric cylinders of rhombic cross sections. For negative values of the buoyancy ratio, buoyancy forces due to heat and mass transfer are in opposite directions (opposing mode), while for positive values they are in the same direction (aiding mode). Numerical results demonstrate that the flow strength increases as the absolute value of the buoyancy ratio increases. In the opposing mode, the eye of the vortex flow is located in the lower half of the enclosure, while in the aiding mode it is positioned in the upper part of the annulus. The average Nusselt and Sherwood number values increase as the absolute value of the buoyancy ratio moves away from 1, with values obtained in the aiding mode being higher than corresponding values achieved in the opposing mode. A comparison is also made between the computed average Nusselt and Sherwood number values and similar ones obtained in a circular annulus having the same inner and outer perimeters as the rhombic enclosure. Predictions indicate large percent difference in values, demonstrating that circular geometries cannot be exploited to accurately predict heat and mass transfer in complex geometries.     

Electroplating of cobalt from aqueous citrate baths

Electroplating of cobalt onto steel substrates from citrate baths has been investigated under different conditions of bath composition, current density, pH and temperature. A detailed study has been made of the influence of these variables on the potentiodynamic cathodic polarization curves, cathodic current efficiency and the throwing power as well as the throwing index of these baths. The optimum bath composition has been established and it contains: CoSO₄.7H₂O (0·36 mol dm⁻³) trisodium citrate (0·19 mol dm⁻³) and citric acid (0·1 mol dm⁻³) at pH 5·0. The microhardness of cobalt electrodeposited from citrate baths is high and it may be, under certain conditions, two or three times higher than that reported for cobalt electrodeposited from other different baths. The surface morphology of the as-plated cobalt was investigated by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) while the structure was studied by using X-ray diffraction analysis and anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) techniques. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Reliability-based design of blast-resistant composite laminates incorporating carbon nanotubes

Research efforts have reported on the ability of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) to enhance the stiffness and strength of carbon fiber composites. Systematic design of blast-resistant composites requires considering CNTs–carbon composites characteristics and the uncertainty of blast events. This article suggests a systematic reliability-based design approach where system reliability is used to compute the probability of failure of a composite laminate. A case study for the design of a five-layer composite laminate incorporating CNTs and subjected to uncertain blast event is demonstrated. 0.5–1% CNTs contents by weight seem capable of significantly reducing the composite probability of failure during blast.     

Characterization of a novel bioactive composite using advanced X-ray computed tomography

A novel bioactive, porous silica–calcium phosphate nanocomposite (SCPC) that can be used to treat large bone defects in load-bearing positions has been tested and has shown great potential for applications in tissue engineering. Porosity is essential to the performance of the composite material as a tissue engineering scaffold, as porous scaffolds provide a physical, 3-D template to support new tissue formation. However, porosity characterization using conventional techniques such as porosimetry or scanning electron microscopy requires extensive preparation of samples and may destroy important features during preparation and analysis stage. In this work, the new composite is characterized using an advanced high resolution X-ray computed tomography, which is a non-destructive testing technique that allows construction of the 3-D topology of the microstructure. The results clearly show the effectiveness and versatility of this technique in characterizing the porous architecture of the novel composite biomaterial. The pore distribution, morphology and interconnectivity in the composite scaffolds were found to be ideal for use in tissue engineering applications.