On the capabilities of the double-layer representation for Stokes flows. Part I. Analytical solutions

Boundary-integral equations of the second kind for Stokes flows known as the completed-double-layer (CDL) representations are promising formulations for the solution of many-body problems in suspension mechanics. It is therefore important to analyze their numerical properties for geometries where accurate numerical results are not readily obtained. In this paper, several analytical and semi-analytical results are derived for the double-layer representation where particles are in close proximity to one another. In particular, the onset of spatial oscillation of the surface density is explored as a function of particle-particle separation. These oscillations are not spurious and pose a significant challenge for discretization schemes.     

A modified Peng–Robinson equation of state for phase equilibrium calculation of liquefied,synthetic natural gas,and gas condensate mixtures

A modified Peng–Robinson equation of state, MPR2 EOS, is introduced by incorporating a new alpha function and a temperature dependent function for covolume, b. The modified cubic EOS has three input per each substance: critical temperature, critical pressure, and acentric factor. The coefficients of temperature dependence of the alpha and beta functions, relating to the parameters a and b of the new cubic EOS, are obtained by simultaneous fitting of saturated experimental vapour pressure and liquid density data for several pure components. The percent absolute average deviation (AAD%) of 1.38, 4.80 and 2.89 are obtained to correlation of the saturation vapour pressure, liquid density and vapour volume, respectively. Also the ADD% of 2.575 is computed for prediction of saturation enthalpy of vapourisation of the pure compounds. For calculation of phase equilibrium of mixture, the modified PR EOS is used for prediction of liquid density of the LNG mixtures. Also the new EOS is applied for construction of the phase envelop of synthetic natural gas, SNG, mixtures and calculation vapour–liquid equilibria of gas condensates. The results demonstrate that the new MPR2 EOS can be used for calculation of vapour–liquid equilibrium of pure components and mixtures with good accuracy.     

Alcohophilic gels: Polymeric organogels composing carboxylic and sulfonic acid groups

Polymeric organogels based on acrylic acid (AA) and sodium allyl sulfonate (SAS) were prepared through solution polymerization using a persulfate initiator and a polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) crosslinker. FTIR spectroscopy, elemental, and rheological analyses were used for a preliminary characterization. Thermo‐mechanical analysis was also carried out for characterizing samples. Glass transition temperature (T_g) of copolymer was decreased after acid treatment which could be attributed to detachment of ion pairs during the post‐treatment. Due to counterion binding of Na⁺ to form ionomer, the poly(AA‐SAS) gels showed no polyelectrolyte behavior to have high swelling capacity in conventional alcohols, i.e., ethanol and methanol. It was postulated that modification via removing Na⁺ could help breaking ion pair aggregates which leads to swelling enhancement. Thus, poly(AA‐SAS) was treated with hydrochloric acid to remove (Na⁺) counterions. This modification led to the gel transform from ionomer regime to a polyelectrolyte regime in which free mobile ions were existed in the network. The gel swelling capacity was increased due to raise of mobile ions after the treatment. It was found that both of the acid concentration and treatment time had constructive influence on the gel alcohophilicity. The acid‐treated samples could imbibe ethanol and methanol as high as 25.8 and 39.5 g/g, respectively. They may be superior candidates for applications such as pharmaceuticals gels and fire starters. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Numerical and experimental study of hysteretic behavior of cylindrical friction dampers

Frictional dampers utilize the mechanism of friction for absorbing and dissipating the energy imparted to the dynamic systems. Frictional dampers are widely used in mechanical systems in various industries in order to mitigate the impact and vibration effects. Frictional dampers are also utilized in structures as means of passive control to improve the seismic behavior of structures.In this investigation, an innovative type of frictional damper called cylindrical friction damper (CFD) is proposed. This damper consists of two main parts, the inner shaft and the outer cylinder. Dimensions and properties of the main parts are defined based on seismic demand of structures. These two parts are assembled such that one is shrink fitted inside the other. Upon application of proper axial loading to both ends of the CFD, the shaft will move inside the cylinder by overcoming the friction. This in turn leads to considerable dissipation of mechanical energy. In contrast to other frictional dampers, the CFDs do not use high-strength bolts to induce friction between contact surfaces. This reduces construction costs, simplifies design computations and increases reliability in comparison with other types of frictional dampers.The hysteretic behavior of CFD is studied by experimental and numerical methods. The results show that the proposed damper has great energy absorption by stable hysteretic loops, which significantly improves the performance of structures subjected to earthquake loads. Also, a close agreement between the experimental and numerical results is observed.     

Experimental and modelling study of the solubility of CO2 in various CaCl2 solutions at different temperatures and pressures

Study of the thermodynamic behaviour of CaCl2-H2O-CO2 systems is important in different scientific areas in the chemical and petroleum engineering fields. For example, a system including salt- H20-CO2 is a common system in CO2 geological storage. During carbonate matrix acidizing, this mixture also appears as the spent acid. Hence, study of the behaviour of this system and the solubility of CO2 in CaCl2 brine in different thermodynamic conditions is critical. In this study, CO2 solubility in 0, 1.90 and 4.80 mol/L CaCl2 solutions at 328.15 to 375.15 K and 68.9 to 206.8 bar were measured. These values are normal for oil reservoirs. A popular thermodynamic model is available in the literature for estimating the CO2 solubility in pure water and NaC1 solutions. In this paper, the available model was modified by experimental work to be applicable for CaCl2 as well. Based on the measured data, the component interaction parameters in the base model were adjusted for a CaCl2-H2O-CO2 system. The developed model could predict CO2 solubility in different conditions with remarkable accuracy, particularly for high concentration solutions and at high pressures. This improvement is up to 65% better than in the base model. This model can be used in Darcy scale models for predicting wormhole propagation during carbonate matrix acidizing.     

Investigating microstructural evolution during homogenization of the equiatomic NiTi shape memory alloy produced by vacuum arc remelting

The vacuum arc remelting process is widely used for the commercial production of NiTi shape memory alloys. Due to the absence of electromagnetic forces in this method, several remelting and long-time homogenizing are required. In this work, a Ti-50 at.% Ni alloy was prepared using the non-consumable vacuum arc melting technique in a water-cooled copper crucible. After four times of remelting process, specimens were subjected to homogenization at 1000 °C. Micro/macrostructural changes during homogenization were investigated by optical microscope and SEM equipped with EDS analyzer. The results showed that the as-cast specimen consisted of mostly Ni₃Ti, Ti₂Ni and monoclinic (B1^9′) phases with high segregation. By increasing the holding time during the homogenization process at 1000 °C, the amount of austenite (B₂) phase was increased, while segregation and unfavorable phases, and accordingly, hardness were decreased. After 4 h of homogenization, austenite (B₂) was the only phase maintained in the microstructure of Ti-50 at.% Ni. In addition, macrostructure of the alloy was turned into polygonal structure after such a homogenization treatment.     

Heat Induced Damage Detection by Terahertz (THz) Radiation

Terahertz (THz) and sub-terahertz imaging and spectroscopy are becoming increasingly popular nondestructive evaluation techniques for damage detection and characterization of materials. THz radiation is being used for inspecting ceramic foam tiles used in TPS (Thermal Protection System), thick polymer composites and polymer tiles that are not good conductors of ultrasonic waves. Capability of THz electromagnetic waves in detecting heat induced damage in porous materials is investigated in this paper. Porous pumice stone blocks are subjected to long time heat exposures to produce heat induced damage in the block. The dielectric properties extracted from THz TDS (Time Domain Spectroscopy) measurements are compared for different levels of heat exposure. Experimental results show noticeable and consistent change in dielectric properties with increasing levels of heat exposure, well before its melting point.     

Environmental-friendly mortar produced with treated and untreated coal wastes as cement replacement materials

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - This study aims to examine the influence of untreated coal waste (UCW) and treated coal waste (TCW) as supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) on...     

Laboratory evaluation of the effect of SBS and Lucobite on performance properties of bitumen

In this research, the effects of two additives namely SBS (3, 5%) and Lucobite (3, 5%) on the performance properties of binder were evaluated. The binder fatigue and rutting performance was evaluated through linear amplitude sweep (LAS) and multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) test, respectively. Results indicated that 3% SBS modified binder has the highest percent recovery value and the lowest Jnr value, but had the highest sensitivity to a sudden increase in the stress level inside the asphalt mixture. The LAS test results demonstrated that the fatigue behavior of asphalt binders modified with 3% Lucobite, is the highest one.     

Intercalating Electron Dyes for TEM Visualization of DNA at the Single-Molecule Level

Staining compounds containing heavy elements (electron dyes) can facilitate the visualization of DNA and related biomolecules by using TEM. However, research into the synthesis and utilization of alternative electron dyes has been limited. Here, we report the synthesis of a novel DNA intercalator molecule, bis-acridine uranyl (BAU). NMR spectroscopy and MS confirmed the validity of the synthetic strategy and gel electrophoresis verified the binding of BAU to DNA. For TEM imaging of DNA, two-dimensional DNA origami nanostructures were used as a robust microscopy test object. By using scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging, which is favored over conventional wide-field TEM for improved contrast, and therefore, quantitative image analysis, it is found that the synthesized BAU intercalator can render DNA visible, even at the single-molecule scale. For comparison, other staining compounds with a purported affinity towards DNA, such as dichloroplatinum, cisplatin, osmium tetroxide, and uranyl acetate, have been evaluated. The STEM contrast is discussed in terms of the DNA–dye association constants, number of dye molecules bound per base pair, and the electron-scattering capacity of the metal-containing ligands. These findings pave the way for the future development of electron dyes with specific DNA-binding motifs for high-resolution TEM imaging.