Calculation of fatigue limits of case-hardened specimens with consideration of mean stresses and residual stresses

 The strength of case-hardened parts under cyclic loading can be determined in an experimental manner, but this can produce a large amount of costs due to the expenditure of material and testing time. Therefore, a calculation method is developed, that strongly reduces the number of experiments. The presented model is based on Weibull's weakest-link concept and allows to compute the survival probability of a case-hardened part which is loaded close to the fatigue limit. The essential quantities in this model are the distribution of Vicker's hardness of the material, the exponents of the Weibull distribution of the volume and the surface, the residual stress state, the surface roughness and the surface oxidation depth. By integrating the survival probabilities of the surface and the volume, the survival probability of the entire specimen or part can be calculated, which allows to compute the fatigue limit. The necessary parameters have to be determined from reference specimens. The model is successfully examined by comparing experimental and calculated results of smooth and notched case-hardened specimens under alternating torsion, rotating bending, repeated tension and tension-compression. Received 20 August 2001 / Accepted 11 November 2001     

The Quality,Stability, and Bioactive Compound Composition of Virgin and Refined Organic Grape Seed Oil

Samples of virgin and refined organic grape seed oil were studied for their physicochemical quality, oxidative stability, and the bioactive compounds they contained. All of the samples were within the limits established by the Codex Alimentarius with regard to their quality parameters. Lutein, zeaxanthin, β‐carotene, α‐tocopherol, and catechin were the bioactive compounds analyzed, and the virgin oil afforded more significant results. No measurable amounts of zeaxanthin and β‐carotene were observed in the refined oil, most likely due to the refining process that was carried out at high temperatures. The oxidative stability index decreased with increasing temperature, whereas the air flow had no effect on the stability index. The optimal parameters for the oxidative stability are 80 °C and a flow rate of 15 L h^?1, and the virgin oil sample showed the best oxidative stability, possibly because it was not subjected to any treatment after extraction. The results from this study suggest that it would be preferable to consume virgin instead of refined grape oil because it is a better source of bioactive compounds and has a higher stability when heated.     

Effect of the support in Pt and PtSn catalysts used for selective hydrogenation of carvone

In this paper, a study on the hydrogenation of carvone by using Pt/Al₂O₃, PtSn/Al₂O₃, PtGe/Al₂O₃, Pt/C and PtSn/C is reported. TPR, H₂ chemisorption, XPS and test reaction results show that the addition of a second metal to Pt leads to important modifications of the structure of the metallic phase, though these modifications are different according to the nature of the support (Al₂O₃ or C). The activity and selectivity of these catalysts in carvone hydrogenation depend not only on the composition of the metallic phase, but also on the nature of the support. Thus, adding Sn or Ge to Pt/Al₂O₃ enhances the selectivity to unsaturated ketones (at a fixed carvone conversion, X_carv=1). When Pt is supported on activated carbon, small amounts of unsaturated alcohols are observed. The Sn addition to Pt/C sharply enhances the selectivity to carveol formation (the doubly unsaturated alcohol) reaching values close to 100% at the initial stages of the reaction.     

Cross sections for ionization of K, L and M shells of atoms by impact of electrons and positrons with energies up to 1 GeV: Analytical formulas

Analytical formulas are presented for the easy calculation of cross sections for ionization of K, L and M shells of neutral atoms by impact of electrons and positrons with kinetic energies up to 1 GeV. Each formula contains a number of parameters that are characteristic of the element, the active electron shell and the projectile particle. The values of these parameters were determined by fitting the cross section values in an extensive database that was calculated recently by means of a composite algorithm that combines the distorted-wave and plane-wave Born approximations. Tables of parameter values are given for all elements, from hydrogen (Z=1) to einsteinium (Z=99). The proposed analytical expressions yield ionization cross sections that agree with those in the numerical database to within about 1%, except for projectiles with near-threshold energies.     

Influence of lattice defects on the Kondo resistance anomaly in diluteZnMn thin film alloys

ThinZnMn films (200–3000 ppmMn) are quench condensed in uhv onto quartz plates held at 5 K. Their resistance is measured down to 0.35 K and then again after stepwise annealing to higher temperatures (maxT _a =350 K). In the lower concentrated films we find an increase by 25% of the slope of the curves in the range where is proportional to logT while increasingT _a to 300 K. This is explained by the decrease in nonmagnetic defect concentration during the annealing process. Further analysis of the data shows that there is also a strengthening of the Rudermann-Kittel interaction between the magnetic impurities because of the increasing mean free path of the conduction electrons during annealing. The effect is more pronounced in the higher concentrated alloy films, where a maximum in the resistance curve is observed similar to bulk material alloy samples.Part of this work was presented at the LT-13 Conference at Boulder, Colorado, in 1972.     

Exploration of alloy 441 chemistry for solid oxide fuel cell interconnect application

Alloy 441 stainless steel (UNS S 44100) is being considered for application as an SOFC interconnect material. There are several advantages to the selection of this alloy over other iron-based or nickel-based alloys: first and foremost alloy 441ss is a production alloy which is both low in cost and readily available. Second, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) more closely matches the CTE of the adjoining ceramic components of the fuel cell. Third, this alloy forms the Laves phase at typical SOFC operating temperatures of 600-800 °C. It is thought that the Laves phase preferentially consumes the Si present in the alloy microstructure. As a result it has been postulated that the long-term area specific resistance (ASR) performance degradation often seen with other ferritic stainless steels, which is associated with the formation of electrically resistive Si-rich oxide subscales, may be avoidable with alloy 441ss. In this paper we explore the physical metallurgy of alloy 441, combining computational thermodynamics with experimental verification, and discuss the results with regards to Laves phase formation under SOFC operating conditions. We show that the incorporation of the Laves phase into the microstructure cannot in itself remove sufficient Si from the ferritic matrix in order to completely avoid the formation of Si-rich oxide subscales. However, the thickness, morphology, and continuity of the Si-rich subscale that forms in this alloy is modified in comparison to non-Laves forming ferritic stainless steel alloys and therefore may not be as detrimental to long-term SOFC performance.     

Fossils, molecules and embryos: new perspectives on the Cambrian explosion

The Cambrian explosion is named for the geologically sudden appearance of numerous metazoan body plans (many of living phyla) between about 530 and 520 million years ago, only 1.7% of the duration of the fossil record of animals. Earlier indications of metazoans are found in the Neoproterozic; minute trails suggesting bilaterian activity date from about 600 million years ago. Larger and more elaborate fossil burrows appear near 543 million years ago, the beginning of the Cambrian Period. Evidence of metazoan activity in both trace and body fossils then increased during the 13 million years leading to the explosion. All living phyla may have originated by the end of the explosion. Molecular divergences among lineages leading to phyla record speciation events that have been earlier than the origins of the new body plans, which can arise many tens of millions of years after an initial branching. Various attempts to date those branchings by using molecular clocks have disagreed widely. While the timing of the evolution of the developmental systems of living metazoan body plans is still uncertain, the distribution of Hox and other developmental control genes among metazoans indicates that an extensive patterning system was in place prior to the Cambrian. However, it is likely that much genomic repatterning occurred during the Early Cambrian, involving both key control genes and regulators within their downstream cascades, as novel body plans evolved.     

Adjustable coupled two-cavity allpass filter for dispersion slopecompensation of optical fibres

The filter gives variable compensation between -2.0 and -15.5 ps ³ over a bandwidth between 3.6 and 1.2 nm, respectively. The filter performance agrees quite well with that predicted by existing theory     

A compact thin-film-based all-pass device for the compensation of the in-band dispersion in FBG filters

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based bandpass filters, while possessing close to ideal sharp rolloff characteristics, can suffer from a significant amount of in-band dispersion. Results concerning the compensation of the in-band dispersion of a typical 100-GHz FBG using two thin-film all-pass filters, each composed of two coupled-cavities packaged in a compact configuration, are presented. The total peak insertion loss of the compensation package is less than 2.5 dB.