Linear correlation between pH value of stimulated beef and electrical current intensity

The aim of the present study was to determine mathematical relationships between pH changes in beef 24 h post-slaughter and changes in the intensity of electrical current flowing through bull and heifer carcasses during high-voltage electrical stimulation. The electrical stimulation was applied 40 min postmortem for 120 s. The pH values of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum were analyzed in the function of electrical current intensity changes and its change during electrical stimulation. Mathematical linear correlations of the y = ax ± b type were demonstrated between pH values at 2, 6, and 24 h postmortem and the initial (I_i) and ultimate (I_u) electrical current intensity values, the difference between them and the initial pH values determined before electrical stimulation. High multiple correlation coefficients (R² = 0.416, α ≤ 0.001) between I_u and pH values 24 h post-slaughter enabled concluding that there is a possibility to predict a pH value of stimulated carcass with high accuracy, and thus also beef quality, based merely on the ultimate electrical current intensity values.     

Corrosion of hot-dip-galvanised steel and zinc alloy-coated steel in ammonia and ammonium chloride

There are many potential causes of corrosion in animal buildings. Animals exhale large quantities of moisture into the air creating high relative humidity in the building if the moisture is not properly vented. High humidity increases the potential for condensation. In addition, ammonia may be found in large quantities in animal buildings. Ammonia is released from manure and urine. In addition, ammonium chloride is used as a nitrogen source in fertilisers. In this study, the atmospheric corrosion of hot-dip-galvanised steel and zinc alloy-coated steel such as zinc–aluminium and zinc–aluminium–magnesium has been studied in atmospheres containing different levels of ammonia. Investigations have also been conducted at different levels of ammonium chloride. The results are discussed in view of the mechanisms of corrosion of zinc and zinc alloy-coated steel in ammonia and ammonium chloride-containing environments.     

The influence of volume fraction of amorphous phase on corrosion resistance of Mg67Zn 29Ca 4 alloy

The aim of this study was to investigate the structure and corrosion resistance of amorphous, amorphous‐crystalline, and crystalline Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy for biodegradable applications. This paper presents a preparation method and results of the structural characterization and corrosion resistance analysis of the material. Samples were prepared in the form of 3 mm diameter rods. The structure of the alloy was examined with the use of X‐ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The thermal properties of the samples were examined with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Results of DSC analysis were used to determine heat treatment temperatures, allowing to obtain different fractures of crystalline phase in the material. Corrosion resistance of heat‐treated samples was investigated by immersion tests and electrochemical measurements performed in the simulated body fluid. The X‐ray diffraction results confirmed that the prepared Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy's structure is fully amorphous. After heat treatment, samples with different fractions of amorphous phase in the structure were obtained. Immersion tests of the samples showed that the structure significantly influenced corrosion resistance in examined materials. It should be pointed out, that certain amounts of crystalline phase in amorphous matrix can greatly improve the corrosion resistance of Mg₆₇Zn₂₉Ca₄ alloy.     

Strength of pure alumina ceramics above 1 GPa

Up to now, commercially available alumina ceramics were claimed to have strength between 400 and 550 MPa. However, our study shows strength ~ 2 times higher for commercially available alumina than commonly believed. The average and characteristic strength, measured on 31 pure alumina ceramic discs by ball on three balls (B3B) test, were 1205 ± 93 MPa and 1257 MPa, respectively, with a Weibull modulus of m = 11.8. Tested specimens were in form of discs with a diameter of 5 mm and thickness 0.5 mm. The grain size distribution of the alumina is bimodal with an average grain size of ~ 850 nm measured at the surface. The fracture reveals a mixed transgranular / intergranular failure mode. To avoid incorporation of additional flaws, the discs were tested as sintered. The characteristic flexural strength measured in B3B was recalculated according to Weibull theory for standard 4-point bending bars of size 3 × 4 × 45 mm as bend 856 MPa. The measured strength of nearly 900 MPa shows the potential of strength for high purity alumina ceramics.     

Low concentration short time ozonation of rapeseed seeds reduces the stability of the oil and content of some antioxidant components

Ozonation is an innovative way to preserve high quality of seed during storage and it is an alternative to harmful organophosphorus agents. Disclosure of changes in the rapeseed oil under the influence of oxidative action of ozone on the seeds was the aim of the work and is presented for the first time. Two ozone concentrations and different length of ozonation were applied. The changes in tocopherols, phenolics, flavonoids contents, antiradical activity and oxidative stability were examined. The average vitamin E concentration was 33 mg per 100 g of oil before and 31.7 after ozonation of seeds. The average content of phenolic compounds was 14.3 mg of sinapic acid g⁻¹ and 16.9 after the ozone treatment. Changes in the flavonoids content and antioxidant activity were observed too. Ozonation caused a decrease in the vitamin E concentration which resulted also in reducing the quenching of free radicals and reduction of oil induction time.     

Fully automatic welding of thick-walled pressure vessels by the narrow gap subarc process

The demands for welding of thick-walled pressure vessels are very stringent. The cost of repairing a weld defect deep down in a weld joint could be very high. As submerged arc welding is considered to be a reliable process for both the welding of pressure vessels and other demanding applications, ESAB chose this process when developing their narrow gap welding technique. This two-pass narrow gap process is described together with the welding and control equipment. The welding results using two types of agglomerated fluxes are presented.     

Nonuniformity of phase structure in immiscible polymer blends

This article is focused on the phase structure development in immiscible polymer blends during melt mixing. Nonuniformity of the phase structure, i.e., the coexistence of areas containing particles with markedly different size distribution, was detected in quenched and compression molded samples of a number of various blends prepared by long and intensive mixing in the chamber of a Plasticorder. The same effect was found also for polystyrene/polyamide blends prepared in a twin‐screw extruder. It was shown that neglecting nonuniformity of the phase structure can lead to considerable error in evaluation of the effect of system parameters on the blend morphology. The reasons for the effect were discussed and it was found that inhomogeneous flow field in mixers is a plausible explanation of the nonuniform phase structure. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Disc filtration for separation of flocs from a moving bed bio-film reactor.

A Discfilter with 10 and 18 microm filter openings, respectively, was placed in parallel to a flotation plant for separation of biological flocs from a post-denitrifying Kaldnes Moving Bed Process, the last treatment step at the municipal wastewater treatment plant at Sj?unda, Malm?, Sweden. The effluent concentrations from the 10 and 18 microm filter were 2-5 and 2-8 mg SS L(-1), respectively, which is comparable to, or better than, the flotation plant. Comparison with experiences from activated sludge plants shows that the Discfilter works especially well after the Kaldnes process. Particle size distribution (PSD) studies show that particles larger than the filter openings of 10 and 18 microm are separated with approximately 90% efficiency, whereas most of the smaller particles pass the filter. This fact indicates that the major particle separation mechanism is physical blocking. These findings point to the possibility of improving the prediction of the separation efficiency by combining measurements of turbidity and suspended solids with particle size analysis.