Surface Forces and the Adhesive Contact of Axisymmetric Elastic Bodies

A synthetic approach to the problem of the adhesive contact of axisymmetric elastic bodies is proposed. A convenient and general formulation is thus obtained, which is shown to yield directly most of the useful models. In particular, the roles of the shape of the indenter on the one hand, and of the nature of the attractive interactions on the other hand are clearly separated. By nature, this approach can also be used in the case where the bodies are in interaction but not in contact. This results in a consistent treatment of long-range interactions and contact properties.     

Bond Strength of a Silicone Soft Lining Material to Poly(methyl methacrylate) Resin Treated with Maleic Anhydride and its Terpolymers

This study investigated the effectiveness of surface treatment of Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) denture base resin on tensile bond strength between PMMA/silicone-based soft liner. A total of 25 specimens were fabricated and assigned into five groups (n = 5). The surfaces of PMMA were treated with maleic anhydride, maleic anhydride-styrene-vinyl-acetate, n-butylmaleate-styrene-vinyl-acetate, or n-pentamaleate-styrene-vinyl-acetate prior to Primo adhesive primer application and silicone liner placement. The Primo adhesive primer on applied group untreated dentuse base resin served as control. The tensile test was performed using a universal testing machine. Fractured surfaces were observed under Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and spectroscopic interpretation of the interfaces was done by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR). Test results showed that surface treatment increased interfacial strength giving the highest value for n-butylmaleate-styrene-vinyl acetate treated group. SEM micrographs revealed that the specimens with n-butylmaleate-styrene-vinyl-acetate and n-penta maleate-styrene-vinyl-acetate terpolymers underwent cohesive failure. FTIR analysis indicated secondary interactions such as hydrogen bonding, possibly on acrylic resin surfaces, caused by the use of maleic anhydride and its terpolymers, and the adhesive.     

High Cr ODS steels performance under supercritical water environment

This paper summarizes the results of supercritical water corrosion studies of two ferritic oxide dispersion strengthen (ODS) steels MA956 and PM2000 at the temperature of the upper limit of potential peak cladding temperature under normal operation, according to the conceptual design being developed in the EU. As the high temperature and pressure above the thermodynamic critical point of water result in higher oxidation rate for conventional austenitic alloys than observed in sub-critical light water reactor (LWR) conditions, ensuring adequate corrosion resistance is critical for thin-wall components like fuel cladding. This study concentrated on the investigation of two effects, surface finish and orientation of the cuts. Two different surface treated coupons were prepared in order to study the effect of cold work in sample surface on corrosion resistance. Samples were exposed in supercritical water at 650 °C and 25 MPa, for up to 1800 h. The corrosion rate was evaluated by measuring the weight change of the samples and by cross-section examinations. The microstructure of the oxide layers was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in conjunction with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Weight gain results of both ODS steels proved a good resistance to general corrosion. Nevertheless the cross-sectional SEM study showed signs of nodular corrosion, observed mostly on the ground specimens after long exposure times.     

Winds are from Venus, mountains are from Mars: Science fiction in chemical engineering education

In an elective course recently created at Simón Bolívar University, Chemical Engineering students are encouraged to apply their previously acquired knowledge of thermodynamics, transport phenomena and other core subjects to the analysis and solution of problems drawn from science fiction works. We present a brief outline of the course contents, and describe two case studies that illustrate the general approach. The first example deals with the sublimation of carbon dioxide in Mars, and provides the basis for a discussion of the thermodynamics of phase transitions, the differences between water ice and dry ice, and the phenomenon of surface melting. The second example involves the thermal separation of strong winds in Venus, and is used to develop a simplified model of the Ranque–Hilsch vortex tube that helps understand its working principles, limitations and differences with the equivalent but physically impossible action of Maxwell's demon. In both cases, the science fiction narratives are concluded to be unrealistic, either theoretically unsound or based on inaccurate information.     

Selective Metal Pattern Fabrication Through Micro-Contact or Ink-Jet Printing and Electroless Plating onto Polymer Surfaces Chemically Modified by Plasma Treatments

Simple versatile processes combining plasma treatments, micro-contact printing (µCP) or ink-jet printing (IJP), and electroless deposition (ELD) have been developed to produce micrometer and sub-micrometer scale metal (Ni, Ag) patterns at the surface of polymer substrates. Plasma treatments were mainly used to graft the substrate surfaces with either nitrogen-containing functionalities on which a palladium-based catalyst can be subsequently chemisorbed (case of Ni deposition through a tin-free process in solution) or oxygen-containing functionalities on which a tin-based sensitization agent can be subsequently chemisorbed (case of Ag deposition through a redox reaction). µCP of the catalyst or of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) as well as ink printing were used to obtain locally active or non-active areas at the polymer surfaces. The metal micro-patterns were characterized using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface chemical characterization was carried out by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).     

Surface pretreatment of plastics for adhesive bonding

Abstraet-Many plastics have a poor tendency to bond to other materials because of their inherent inert chemical structure and thus require a pretreatment. Wet chemical methods are expensive because of the disposal of the waste liquids. In this study, the corona treatment (Ional process), the low-pressure plasma process, and the fluorination process were tested and compared with each other. The following plastics were tested: PP (polypropylene), PBT (polybutyleneterephthalate), PBT blends, and a high-temperature thermoplastic, PEEK (polyetheretherketone). In particular, the low-temperature plasma process results in excellent adhesion strength. In addition, we have shown that the stability of freshly plasma-treated surfaces could be maintained for time periods of at least several days.     

THE EFFECT OF COLUMN GEOMETRY ON SEPARATION EFFECTIVENESS OF AGAROSE FOR POLY(VINYL PYRROLIDONE)

Glass columns packed with agarose gets were evaluated for the analytical fractionation of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). Columns were studied with inside diameters ranging from 0.56 to 1.58 cm. and lengths ranging from 28 to 120 cm. Column efficiencies were found to vary from 250 plates per foot for the least effective column to 1600 plates per foot for a 1.10 by 44 cm. column. The efficiency was judged by the usual criterion of band spreading for a low molecular weight material, in this case 2-pyrrolidone. Another measure of effectiveness used was the separation obtained between two fractions of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) with molecular weights of 12,700 and 58,500. The column geometry giving the highest plate count also separated the polymer fractions most effectively.     

Atom transfer radical polymerization of glycidyl methacrylate followed by amination on the surface of monodispersed highly crosslinked polymer microspheres and the study of cation adsorption

The introduction of reactive groups on the surface of monodispersed highly crosslinked poly(styrene–divinylbenzene) (PSDVB) microspheres was accomplished in two steps. The first step requires immobilizing the initiating groups by a Friedel–Craft acylation between 2-chloropropionyl chlorides and the phenyl groups on the spheres. The second step requires the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) of glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to obtain spheres (PSDVB-g-PGMA) with epoxy groups on the surface. To demonstrate the feasibility of introducing functionality, the epoxy groups were ring-opened by ethylenediamines, resulting in spheres with amino functionality (PSDVB-g-PGMAEDA). The final spheres were found to have an adsorption capacity of 0.66 mmol/g in the Cu²⁺ adsorption experiments, as a preliminary application study.     

Atmospheric plasma treatment of CFRP composites to enhance structural bonding investigated using surface analytical techniques

This paper considers the effects of an atmospheric plasma treatment (APT) on the surface properties of an amine cured carbon fibre/epoxy resin composite, and how those effects manifest over time. In particular, the ability of the APT to remove a thin layer of silicone-containing, proprietary, release agent (Chemlease^® 41 EZ), typically used in the production of composite components, has been investigated. It was concluded that the reduction in water contact angle (WCA) after APT for both the solvent wiped and contaminated surfaces was as a result of an increase in oxygen containing species at the surface, as determined through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Further, it was found that the APT slightly reduced the failure strength of lap shear specimens for solvent wiped surfaces, whereas an increase in failure strength was observed for silicone contaminated samples. WCA and XPS results suggest that the contaminant layer was not removed, but instead transformed to a more stable inorganic form.     

Surface area, pore size distribution and microstructure of combustion engine deposits

The structural characteristics of combustion engine deposits produced from fuels with 22–44% aromatics by volume have been studied using Raman spectroscopy and gas sorption techniques. The lateral sizes of graphitic crystallites were found to increase slightly with the aromatic content of the fuel used. The surface areas of the deposits were evaluated using the BET and DR theories. Density functional theory (DFT) and mercury porosimetry were used to evaluate pore size distributions. The deposits have large internal surface areas (in the approximate range 100–300 m²/g) and their structures are highly porous. The average pore sizes of the largely microporous deposits do not depend on the aromatic content of the precursor fuel. Walls of pores with widths of about 0.5 nm are primarily responsible for the majority of the internal surface area found in the deposits. Heat treatment at temperatures above 573 K results in increased surface areas because the release of small hydrocarbon fragments from the deposits opens pores which were not accessible following heat treatment at lower temperatures.