Analysis of volatiles evolved during high-temperature treatment of thermally stable polymers. I. Nitrogen-containing acetylene-terminated resin

Cured samples of a nitrogen-containing acetylene-terminated resin, N,N′-(1,3-phenylene-dimethylidene)bis(3-ethynylaniline), have been heated at 10°C/min up to 900°C in a pyroprobe attached to a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Analysis of the volatiles evolved during heating identified both gases and higher boiling compounds. The major higher boiling compounds are benzene, toluene, xylene, aniline, benzonitrile, m-methylaniline, and m-methylbenzonitrile; the gases include ammonia, methane, and traces of carbon dioxide. Correlations between sample temperature and the evolution of each of these compounds have been made. The onset of all volatile formation occurs between 450 and 500°C. The higher boiling volatiles peak, then end by approximately 700°C, while the gases peak then fall off but are still being evolved at 900°C. Average weight loss measurements of 13.6% at 700°C and 15.7% at 900°C agree with previously published thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Gel permeation chromatography: Automatic data acquisition and reduction in real-time with a process computer

A real-time computer system is described which minimizes the total analysis time in gel permeation chromatography by automatically acquiring the data, performing the necessary calculations and displaying the molecular weight distribution and molecular weight averages as soon as the polymer peak has eluted. The calculation method described here is valid for linear homopolymers only, and does not include corrections for instrumental peak broadening. The experimental results show good reproducibility and precision. On-line changes of the constants and other parameters may be implemented by means of an auxiliary program which runs in parallel with the data analysis program. A system such as that described here is suitable for utilization as a measurement technique in process control applications. The programs are written in CORAL 66 for a Ferranti Argus 700 E computer.     

The contact of elastic regular wavy surfaces

A complete solution in closed form to the elastic contact of a one-dimensional sinusoidal surface with a flat surface was presented by Westergaard in 1939. This paper is concerned with the elastic contact of a two-dimensional sinusoidal surface with a flat. In this case the stress distribution within the elastic solids is three-dimensional. As the load is increased the contact areas change in shape from being circular to square and finally leave a circular region of no contact when the waves are almost squashed flat. The problem is solved in general using a numerical method due to Kalker, but asymptotic solutions in closed form have been found for light loads and also for heavy loads at which contact is almost complete. The variation of the mean separation with load, which determines the volume of the space trapped between the two surfaces, is also found.     

Admiral John A. B. Dahlgren (1809–1870): His life, times and technical work in U.S. naval ordnance

John Dahlgren served in the U.S. Navy for nearly 35 years, sometimes in a sea-keeping capacity but mostly developing large naval artillery. To-day, his name, when recognised by students of naval ordnance, is associated with teh Dahlgren or ‘soda bottle shaped’ gun of 9 to 11 inch calibre. He designed, developed and lived to see his guns installed aboard warships and used to considerable effect, especially in the American Civil War. However, a nearly indistinguishable external design of gun was developed for the Army by T. J. Rodman, an officer now even less known than Dahlgren and whose researches and contributions are virtually forgotten. This paper and that in Ref. [1] attempt to appreciate (along with other technical questions of the period) the different ways pursued by these men towards the final development of the ‘soda bottle shaped’ gun, though it is a matter still not entirely understood.

Both names are totally omitted from several ‘classic’ books on artillery and this is a grave misfortune. Besides trying to throw factual light on the Dahlgren-Rodman controversy and the priority issue (though not one pursued with acrimony by the men themselves at the time), the paper describes Admiral Dahlgren's general career, the books he wrote, the technical problems he attacked and the problematic ordnance discussions of his day, to which he gave his life.

The work of Dahlgren and Rodman, in particular, saw the elevation of American gun design from the level of mere copying (of early Columbiads in the first decades of the century) to that which compelled attention from, and study by, the super-powers of the day, Great Britain, France and Russia.     

Current and future water issues in the Oldman River Basin of Alberta, Canada.

Long-term trends in alpine and prairie snow pack accumulation and melt are affecting streamflow within the Oldman River Basin in southern Alberta, Canada. Unchecked rural and urban development also has contributed to changes in water quality, including enhanced microbial populations and increased waterborne pathogen occurrence. In this study we look at changing environment within the Oldman River Basin and its impact on water quality and quantity. The cumulative effects include a decline in net water supplies, and declining quality resulting in increased risk of disease. Our data indicates that decreases in the rate of flow of water can result in sedimentation of bacterial contaminants within the water column. Water for ecosystems, urban consumption, recreation and distribution through irrigation is often drawn from waterholding facilities such as dams and weirs, and concern must be expressed over the potential for contaminate build-up and disproportionate potential of these structures to pose a risk to human and animal health. With disruption of natural flow rates for water resulting from environmental change such as global warming and/or human intervention, increased attention needs to be paid to use of best management practices to protect source water supplies.     

Sensitivity analysis in conjunction with evidence theory representations of epistemic uncertainty

Three applications of sampling-based sensitivity analysis in conjunction with evidence theory representations for epistemic uncertainty in model inputs are described: (i) an initial exploratory analysis to assess model behavior and provide insights for additional analysis; (ii) a stepwise analysis showing the incremental effects of uncertain variables on complementary cumulative belief functions and complementary cumulative plausibility functions; and (iii) a summary analysis showing a spectrum of variance-based sensitivity analysis results that derive from probability spaces that are consistent with the evidence space under consideration.     

Termites live in a material world: exploration of their ability to differentiate between food sources.

Drywood termites are able to assess wood size using vibratory signals, although the exact mechanism behind this assessment ability is not known. Important vibratory characteristics such as the modal frequencies of a wooden block depend on its geometry and boundary conditions; however, they are also dependent on the material characteristics of the block, such as mass, density and internal damping. We report here on choice experiments that tested the ability of the drywood termite Cryptotermes secundus to assess wooden block size using a solid wooden block paired with a composite block, the latter made of either wood and aluminium or wood and rubber. Each composite block was constructed to match mass or low-frequency vibratory modes (i.e. fundamental frequency) of the solid wooden block. The termites always chose the blocks with more wood; they moved to the solid wooden blocks usually within a day and then tunnelled further into the solid wooden block by the end of the experiment. Termites offered composite blocks of wood and rubber matched for mass were the slowest to show a preference for the solid wooden block and this preference was the least definitive of any treatment, which indicated that mass and/or damping may play a role in food assessment. This result clearly shows that the termites were not fooled by composite blocks matched for mass or frequency, which implies that they probably employ more than a single simple measure in their food assessment strategy. This implies a degree of sophistication in their ability to assess their environment hitherto unknown. The potential importance of alternative features in the vibrational signals is discussed.