Fuel properties of biodiesel produced from selected plant kernel oils indigenous to Botswana: A comparative analysis

Fuel characteristics of biodiesel derived from kernel oils of Sclerocarya birrea, Tylosema esculentum, Schiziophyton rautanenii and Jatropha curcas plants were investigated in comparison with petroleum diesel. The fuel properties under review include flash point, cloud point, kinematic viscosity, density, calorific value, acid value, and free fatty acids. These were determined and discussed in light of major biodiesel standards such as ASTM D 6751 (American Society for Testing and Materials) and EN 14214 (European standards). The best biofuel in terms of cold flow properties was S. rautanenii, with a cloud point of 0 °C and a pour point of −5 °C. The good cold flow properties demonstrate operational viability during the cold season. The heating values of S. birrea and S. rautanenii biodiesel fuels were found to be 9.2% and 10.3% lower than that of petroleum diesel while those of T. esculentum and J. curcas were both 9.7% lower. Other fuel properties analysed demonstrate that biodiesel fuels produced from kernel oils of S. birrea, T. esculentum, S. rautanenii and J. curcas plants have properties that are comparable to, and in some cases better than, those of petroleum diesel. The results of this study indicate the feasibility of producing quality biodiesel fuel from indigenous seed oils found in Botswana. A balanced allocation of resources however needs to be established to ensure that the cultivation of these oil-bearing plants does not compete with the cultivation of food crops.     

Monitoring the damage evolution of flexural fatigue in unidirectional carbon/carbon composites by electrical resistance change method

This paper reported simultaneous monitoring damage evolution of flexural fatigue in unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced carbon composites (C/C composites) by electrical resistance change (ERC) methods. The degree of irregularity in electrical resistance changes increased with stress levels increasing. The shapes of electrical resistance change rate–fatigue cycle curves can reflect stress levels and damage types of tested samples: sawtooth shapes reflected delamination at a higher stress level; and “peak” shapes reflected inner damages in one fiber bundle at the fatigue limit stress level. In addition, the similarity of initial electrical resistance–fatigue life curve and S–N curve was observed clearly. In summary, ERC methods can monitor the damage evolution and qualitatively estimate the fatigue life of unidirectional C/C composites.     

The development of the direct strength method for welded steel members with buckling interactions

The direct strength method (DSM) has been adopted by the NAS (2004) and AS/NZS 4600 (2005) for the design of cold-formed steel members. The method can be successfully applied to the design of welded and hot-rolled sections. This paper reviews the development of the DSM for welded steel structural members. The design strength formulae for welded section columns and beams for the DSM are provided based on the tests performed on welded H-section, C-section, circular and rectangular hollow section columns fabricated from steel plates whose nominal yield stress is 235 MPa or 315 MPa. The comparison between the design strength of welded sections predicted by the DSM and that estimated by existing specifications is provided. This paper verifies that the DSM which adopts the nominal axial strength and flexural strength in the AISC (2010) or EC3 (2004) can properly predict the ultimate strength of welded section columns and beams.     

铸造工艺对钛合金Ti5Al2.5Sn ELI铸态组织及性能的影响

Ti5Al2.5Sn ELI钛合金是航空航天等领域重要的结构材料。本工作采用3种铸型同炉浇注的方法研究了铸造工艺对该合金铸态组织和室温拉伸性能的影响。结果表明,该合金石墨型铸造试样表面粗糙,陶瓷型和金属型的则较光滑;石墨型试样宏观组织为大量等轴晶和少量柱状晶,金属型的为少量等轴晶和大量柱状晶,陶瓷型的为粗大柱状晶和等轴晶;不同工艺下显微组织均由不规则边界α集束组成,其内部为片状α相,石墨型的α片宽度最小,金属型的次之,陶瓷型的最大;该合金铸态抗拉强度715~731 MPa、伸长率8%~15%,石墨型的伸长率最高,金属型的次之,陶瓷型的最低,铸造工艺对该合金塑性影响强烈,但对强度的影响较小;铸型表面形貌、导热系数、α集束大小及α片厚度的不同是上述现象产生的主要原因。     

基于激光多普勒效应的轴系振动综合测量

为了实现轴系的实时综合振动测量,提出了一种基于激光多普勒效应的能同时测量轴系弯曲振动与扭转振动的方法.设计了能分离轴系瞬时转速与其截面弯曲振动的多普勒外差干涉光路;针对弯扭振动特性搭建了相应地测试平台,并对贴在轴系上不同反光膜对多普勒频移影响进行了测试与对比,分析了微棱镜与玻璃微珠回归反射特性对轴系空间振动的影响;最后,在轴系表面采用回归反射强度特性显著的玻璃微珠反光膜,以削弱动态反射表面对多普勒效应的影响.针对数控立式铣床的切削转轴进行了相应的测量,结合设定的转速进行对比分析,结果表明:该原理可实现对轴系瞬时转速的波动与弯曲振动实时精确测量,其线速度的测量偏差小于±0.5 mm/s,可满足高速旋转状态下的轴系振动综合测量.     

New Hearts for Two Gulf Cities

Doha in Qatar and Sharjah in the UAE are both currently looking to their own heritage for inspiration in the redevelopment of their urban cores or hearts. Varkki Pallathucheril , an expert in urban planning and Professor at the College of Architecture, Art and Design at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), considers the impact challenges of this type of development.     

Mechanical and optical properties of spark plasma sintered transparent Y2O3 ceramics

Commercial Y₂O₃ nanopowder was used to fabricate transparent Y₂O₃ ceramics by spark plasma sintering under the pressure of 100 MPa for 20 min with the heating rate of 100 °C/min. The microstructures, mechanical and optical properties of the Y₂O₃ ceramics sintered at different temperatures were investigated in detail. Densification occurred up to a sintering temperature of 1500 °C, and above 1500 °C, rapid grain growth and pore growth occurred. The highest relative density of 99.58% and the minimum average grain size of 0.58±0.11 µm were obtained at 1500 °C. The flexural strength, hardness and fracture toughness of the optimal spark plasma sintered Y₂O₃ ceramic were 122 MPa, 7.60 GPa and 2.06 MPa.m^1/2, respectively. The Y₂O₃ ceramic sintered at 1500 °C had the in-line transmission of about 11–54% and 80% in the wavelength range of 400–800 nm and 3–5 µm, respectively.     

Effect of SiO2 content on the microstructure,mechanical and dielectric properties of Si3N4 ceramics

This study investigated the effect of SiO₂ content in the Y₂O₃–Al₂O₃ additive system on the microstructure, mechanical and dielectric properties of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) ceramics. The total sintering additive content was fixed at 8 wt% and the amount of SiO₂ was varied from 0 to 7 wt%. The crystalline phases of the samples were determined by X-ray diffraction analysis. Complete α-to-β transformation of the Si₃N₄ occurred during sintering of all of the samples, which indicated that the phase transformation was unaffected by the SiO₂ content. However, the microstructures showed that the aspect ratio of the β-Si₃N₄ grains decreased and the residual porosity increased with increasing SiO₂ content. Additionally, the flexural strength and the dielectric constant decreased with increasing SiO₂ content because of the residual porosity and the formation of the Si₂N₂O phase via a reaction of SiO₂ with Si₃N₄.     

Spark plasma sintered ZrC-Mo cermets: Influence of temperature and compaction pressure

The microstructure analysis and mechanical characterisation were performed on a ZrC-20 wt%Mo cermet that was spark plasma sintered at various temperatures ranging between 1600 and 2100 °C under either 50 or 100 MPa of compaction pressure. The composite reached ~98% relative density for all experiments with an average grain size between 1 and 3.5 µm after densification. The nature of SPS technology caused a faster densification rate when higher compaction pressures were applied. The difference in compaction pressures produced different behaviors in densification and grain structure: 1900 °C, 100 MPa produced excessive grain growth in ZrC; 1600 °C, 50 MPa revealed a very clear ZrC grain structure and Mo diffusion between carbide grains; and 2100 °C, 50 MPa exhibited the highest overall mechanical properties due to small clusters of Mo phases across the microstructure. In fact, this particular sintering regime gave the most optimal mechanical values: 2231 HV10 and 5.4 MPa*m^1/2, and 396 GPa Young's modulus. The compaction pressure of SPS played a pivotal role in the composites’ properties. A moderate 50 MPa pressure caused all three mechanical properties to increase with increasing sintering temperature. Conversely, a higher 100 MPa pressure caused fracture toughness and Young modulus to decrease with increasing sintering temperature.     

Effects of high-temperature annealing on the microstructure and properties of C/SiC–ZrC composites

C/SiC–ZrC composites were prepared by a combining slurry process with precursor infiltration and pyrolysis, and then annealed from 1200 °C to 1800 °C. With rising annealing temperature, their mass loss rate increased, and the flexural strength and modulus decreased from 227.9 MPa to 41.3 MPa and from 35.3 GPa to 22.7 GPa, respectively. High-temperature annealing, which elevated thermal stress and strengthened interface bonding, was harmful to the flexural properties. However, it improved the ablation properties by increasing the crystallization degree of SiC matrix. The mass loss rate and linear recession rate decreased with increasing annealing temperature and those of the samples annealed at 1800 °C were 0.0074 g/s and 0.0011 mm/s respectively. Taking mechanical and ablation properties into consideration simultaneously, the optimum annealing temperature was 1600 °C.