Vinyl acetate monomer—a pilot plant study

The kinetics of the reaction of acetic acid and acetylene over zinc acetate-activated carbon catalyst was investigated over a wide range of process variables in a pilot reactor. Although various catalytic reaction mechanisms were postulated, the rate of reaction was most satisfactorily correlated by a mechanism of surface reaction between charged adsorbed acetic acid and acetylene, which assumes that the rate controlling step was the irreversible charged adsorption of acetylene and acetic acid.     

Deposition mechanisms in langmuir-blodgett films

As part of a study of the possible application of polymerisable Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films as ultra-fine-line e-beam resists, an investigation of the variation of film structure of 22-tricosenoic acid with differing deposition conditions has been made. Unexpected effects with significant implications for deposition speed and resist sensitivity have been observed, and the new techniques for film characterisation developed during the investigation have resulted in a revised model of deposition explaining the observed independence of the disorder causing optical scattering and the macroscopic features observed by polarised microscopy.     

Bruchanalyse an Hohlgläsern

Failure analysis of hollow glasses The failure analysis is very important to clarify damages of hollow glasses. Damages of glass bottle through over pressure are very often linked with damages to persons. This is the reason why the causal research is from particular importance. Different surface characteristics of glass fragments as well as the fracture pattern give hints to the direction of the crack, the stress just before breakage and the reason of stress. A reconstruction of the bottle is a further helpful instrument for cause studies. The difference of the various characteristics of the surface will be explained. Further on there will be discussed different reasons and mechanism of fracture.     

Magnetic properties of high-temperature superconductors: Analysis within the framework of the impurity mechanism

The impurity mechanism proposed earlier is used to interpret the magnetic properties of hightemperature superconductors. The appearance of superconductive granules and the existence of weak bonds in grains of ceramics and in single crystals is explained. The irreversibility line is obtained and its new interpretation as the line of thresholds of appearance of infinite nonsuperconductive cluster is given. The relaxation time of the magnetic susceptibility in alternating magnetic fields is calculated. The decrease of the Meissner fraction with increase in magnetic field and decrease in doping, and other magnetic properties are explained.     

Effect of fretting amplitudes on fretting wear behavior of steel wires in coal mines

Given that fretting wear causes failure in steel wires, we carried out tangential fretting wear tests of steel wires on a self-made fretting wear test rig under contact loads of 9 and 29 N and fretting amplitudes ranging from 5 to 180 μm. We observed morphologies of fretted steel wire surfaces on an S-3000N scanning electron microscope in order to analyze fretting wear mecha-nisms. The results show that the fretting regime of steel wires transforms from partial slip regime into mixed fretting regime and gross slip regime with an increase in fretting amplitudes under a given contact load. In partial slip regime, the friction coefficient has a relatively low value. Four stages can be defined in mixed fretting and gross slip regimes. The fretting wear of steel wires in-creases obviously with increases in fretting amplitudes. Fretting scars present a typical morphology of annularity, showing slight damage in partial slip regime. However, wear clearly increases in mixed fretting regime where wear mechanism is a combination of plastic deformation, abrasive wear and oxidative wear. In gross slip regime, more severe degradation is present than in the other regimes. The main fretting wear mechanisms of steel wires are abrasive wear, surface fatigue and friction oxidation.     

Intergranular oxidation of silicon in 20Cr-25Ni niobium-stabilized stainless steel at 1140–1230 K

The kinetics of intergranular oxidation of silicon in a 20Cr-25Ni Nb-stabilized stainless steel are reported, at temperatures in the range 1140–1230 K, in CO₂ at 40 bar pressure. The depth of attack increased parabolically with respect to time, with an activation energy of 335±30 kJ/mol. The mechanism of growth is discussed in terms of classical internal-oxidation theories, and an alternative explanation based on an available-space theory is developed. The internal oxidation rates in a number of different alloys are compared with diffusivities of metals in the base alloy. It is proposed that intergranular oxidation in the 20–25 Nb steel is controlled by the rate of outward diffusion of iron or chromium in the alloy.     

Experimental investigations of machining characteristics and removal mechanisms of advanced ceramics in high speed deep grinding

Machining characteristics and surface integrity of advanced ceramics, including alumina, alumina–titania, and yttria partially stabilized tetragonal zirconia, were studied under high speed deep grinding conditions. Material removal mechanisms involved in the grinding processes were explored. The material removal in the grinding of alumina and alumina–titania was dominated by grain dislodgement or lateral cracking along grain boundaries. The removal for zirconia was via both local micro fracture and ductile cutting. It was found that under a feed rate of 500 mm/min and for all the wheel speeds used, an increase in the wheel depth of cut (DOC) from 0.1–2 mm slightly improved the ground surface finish, but greatly prolonged the wheel life. This increase did not deepen the subsurface damage layer for the alumina and alumina–titania, but resulted in a slightly deeper damage layer for the zirconia.     

Computational simulation of Belousov–Zhabotinskii oscillating chemical reaction

The suitability of computational simulation of the Belousov–Zhabotinskii oscillating chemical reaction by differential kinetic methodology for resolving nonlinear multi-component system is demonstrated in this work. According to the Field–KÖrÖs–Noyes mechanism and the Oregonator model, the change of the concentrations of HBrO₂, bromide ion and cerium ion are simulated. The results of computational simulation are consistent with experimental results very well. At the same time, the effect of variables and parameters, especially the rate constant on the oscillation curve, are investigated deeply. A simple method of estimating rate constants is obtained through simulation the concentrations of key components of the system, and then comparison the simulation results with the experimental ones. The reasonable rate constant is also proposed.     

Mechanical activation-assisted electro-thermal explosion synthesis of the Ti2AlC phase

This study deals with the synthesis of the Ti₂AlC phase using the Electro-Thermal Explosion under Pressure with Confinement (ETEPC) technique. The effects of the ETEPC technique and the milling process parameters on the TiC_x phase content and the formation mechanism of the Ti₂AlC phase were investigated. The latter is mainly affected by the morphology of the powder mixture and aluminum melted amount. The optimization of the above parameters allowed the achievement of the desired reaction, leading to the formation of the Ti₂AlC phase with a purity of about 97?wt%. The results clearly demonstrate that the ETEPC process enables one to control both time and material synthesis temperature.     

An ergonomic comparison of firearm safety mechanisms

As with most machines, the integral safety mechanism on firearms is vital to injury or fatality free operation. Presently, there is little or no standardisation in the design of these mechanisms. In this investigation, five existing designs found on both military and commercial rifles were evaluated ergonomically to determine the most effective characteristics for incorporation into future designs. The designs were evaluated experimentally on ease of use, visual effectiveness and operational impact. Three groups, representing a total of 30 subjects with widely varying experience, were selected. Results strongly suggest that safeties whose actuators are mounted within easy reach of the trigger finger are preferred and have the least operational impact. Subjects also preferred and were more adept at recognising safety status when the indicator was located on the receiver/barrel along the normal line of sight. Subjects more often correctly identified safety status when the indicator utilised colouring, was clearly marked and/or was in the normal line of sight. The results of this research prove that ergonomics can contribute to the understanding of firearm safety dynamics. The two essential components of safety mechanism design identified in this investigation, unambiguous status visibility and impact-free operation, are also likely to have implications in non-firearm safety mechanism design. This is particularly true for devices whose inadvertent operation can cause injury, as well as systems in which operational effectiveness can be jeopardised when attentiveness or operational control are lost in the process of actuating a poorly designed safety mechanism.