Analysis on effect of electroless coated SiCp on mechanical properties of polymer matrix composites

ABSTRACT

The versatility of polymer matrix composites in industrial applications has gained reputation and adaptability among advanced materials. Still, treatment of reinforcement for these composites has emerged as a vital domain to be explored. With a continuance to this fact, the present paper aims to analyze the effect of reinforced electroless coated silicon carbide particulates on mechanical properties of composites. The composite is developed using epoxy polymer as matrix and glass fibers as primary reinforcement. The electroless coated and uncoated silicon carbide particulates were used as secondary reinforcement. The phase identification of copper on secondary reinforcement was identified using X-ray powder diffraction technique. Fracture analysis during tensile testing and bonding behavior between matrix and reinforcement is examined using field emission scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The presence of copper particles on secondary reinforcement results in improved interfacial bonding and resistance against fracture during loading.     

Two-Step Greedy Algorithm for Reduced Order Quadratures

We present an algorithm to generate application-specific, global reduced order quadratures (ROQ) for multiple fast evaluations of weighted inner products between parameterized functions. If a reduced basis or any other projection-based model reduction technique is applied, the dimensionality of integrands is reduced dramatically; however, the cost of approximating the integrands by projection still scales as the size of the original problem. In contrast, using discrete empirical interpolation points as ROQ nodes leads to a computational cost which depends linearly on the dimension of the reduced space. Generation of a reduced basis via a greedy procedure requires a training set, which for products of functions can be very large. Since this direct approach can be impractical in many applications, we propose instead a two-step greedy targeted towards approximation of such products. We present numerical experiments demonstrating the accuracy and the efficiency of the two-step approach. The presented ROQ are expected to display very fast convergence whenever there is regularity with respect to parameter variation. We find that for the particular application here considered, one driven by gravitational wave physics, the two-step approach speeds up the offline computations to build the ROQ by more than two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the resulting ROQ rule is found to converge exponentially with the number of nodes, and a factor of $\sim $ 50 savings, without loss of accuracy, is observed in evaluations of inner products when ROQ are used as a downsampling strategy for equidistant samples using the trapezoidal rule. While the primary focus of this paper is on quadrature rules for inner products of parameterized functions, our method can be easily adapted to integrations of single parameterized functions, and some examples of this type are considered.     

Laboratory and greenhouse assessment of plant availability of organic N in animal manure

Laboratory data (thermal fractionation, pepsin extraction, C:N_o ratio) of dung and manure were mutually compared and contrasted with plant-availability of organic N (N_o) as found in a greenhouse experiment according to the double-pot technique. Two types of fresh cow dung (one with a relatively wide and the other with a relatively narrow C:N_o ratio) and four types of manure (from poultry, sheep, pigs and cow) were compared with ammonium nitrate as chemical reference fertilizer. Relative effectiveness of organic N (RE_o) was used as characteristic; it was calculated as the fraction of organic N that has the same availability to plants as inorganic N. RE_o for poultry and sheep manure could not be assessed, probably because of NH₃ volatilization causing direct damage to plants and N losses. RE_o values decreased in the order: dung with narrow C:N_o > dung with wide C:N_o > pig manure > cow manure. Thermal fractionation did not provide a suitable index of plant-availability of organic N. Pepsin extracted organic N gave a positive, and C:N_o ratio a negative relationship with RE_o. Also between pepsin extracted organic N and C:N_o ratio a negative relationship was found. As C:N_o ratio is relatively easy to determine, it is considered the most practical laboratory index for plant availability of organic N in animal manures low in ammonia. When using the double-pot technique, application rates of manure types high in ammonia should be restricted.     

Domain decomposition and model reduction for the numerical solution of PDE constrained optimization problems with localized optimization variables

We introduce a technique for the dimension reduction of a class of PDE constrained optimization problems governed by linear time dependent advection diffusion equations for which the optimization variables are related to spatially localized quantities. Our approach uses domain decomposition applied to the optimality system to isolate the subsystem that explicitly depends on the optimization variables from the remaining linear optimality subsystem. We apply balanced truncation model reduction to the linear optimality subsystem. The resulting coupled reduced optimality system can be interpreted as the optimality system of a reduced optimization problem. We derive estimates for the error between the solution of the original optimization problem and the solution of the reduced problem. The approach is demonstrated numerically on an optimal control problem and on a shape optimization problem.     

Machine Learning-Based Erosion Behavior of Silicon Carbide Reinforced Polymer Composites

Silicon - The machine learning methodology is gaining immense exposure as a potential methodology for solving and modelling the machining behaviour of advanced materials. The present paper deals...     

Controlling the Kelvin force: basic strategies and applications to magnetic drug targeting

Motivated by problems arising in magnetic drug targeting, we propose to generate an almost constant Kelvin (magnetic) force in a target subdomain, moving along a prescribed trajectory. This is carried out by solving a minimization problem with a tracking type cost functional. The magnetic sources are assumed to be dipoles and the control variables are the magnetic field intensity, the source location and the magnetic field direction. The resulting magnetic field is shown to effectively steer the drug concentration, governed by a drift-diffusion PDE, from an initial to a desired location with limited spreading.     

Modelling and Multi-Objective Optimization during ECDM of Silicon Carbide Reinforced Epoxy Composites

Silicon - The silicon carbide (SiC) reinforced epoxy composites has evidenced their reputation as advanced composite material in domain of strength and durable nature. But, presence of SiC...     

Optimization with Respect to Order in a Fractional Diffusion Model: Analysis,Approximation and Algorithmic Aspects

We consider an identification (inverse) problem, where the state \({\mathsf {u}}\) is governed by a fractional elliptic equation and the unknown variable corresponds to the order \(s \in (0,1)\) of the underlying operator. We study the existence of an optimal pair \(({\bar{s}}, {{\bar{{\mathsf {u}}}}})\) and provide sufficient conditions for its local uniqueness. We develop semi-discrete and fully discrete algorithms to approximate the solutions to our identification problem and provide a convergence analysis. We present numerical illustrations that confirm and extend our theory.     

Humic acid/polypyrrole on a paraffin‐impregnated graphite electrode and its use in arsenic extraction

A novel and simple electrode with rapid preparation was developed with humic acid (HA) and polypyrrole (PPy) films. The method for modified electrode preparation embraced the abrasive transfer technique on a paraffin‐impregnated graphite electrode (PIGE) followed by the electrochemical incorporation of a PPy polymeric film upon bare PIGE and PIGE/HA electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and chronoamperometry were used for the study of the modified electrodes. Morphological characterization was performed by scanning electron microscopy. The obtained results demonstrated that the presence of HA did not affect the electrical properties of the system but indeed provoked changes in the polymer morphology, turning it more granular. Next, PIGE/HA/PPy was tested in arsenic solutions [As(V)] because arsenic contamination of water is an important worldwide environmental issue because of the sources of arsenic contamination of water come from both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. The modified electrode displayed good and reversible extraction properties toward the analyte in acid medium and was 18% more efficient than a previously reported PPy‐modified electrode (PIGE/PPy). From an environmental standpoint, this novel application of conductive polymer properties with the chelating capacity of humic substances constitutes a first step in the development of more efficient technologies for the removal of contaminants present in soil–water media. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009