Microstructure,wear and corrosion characteristics of multiple-reinforced (SiC–B4C–Al2O3) Al matrix composites produced by liquid metal infiltration

In this study, AA7075 aluminum matrix composites reinforced with the combination of SiC, Al₂O₃, and B₄C particles were fabricated by the liquid metal infiltration method. The effects of the relative ratio of B₄C and Al₂O₃ particles on the microstructural, wear, and corrosion features of the composite samples were analyzed using XRD, light metal microscopy, SEM, EDS, Brinell hardness, ball-on-disc type tribometer, and potentiodynamic polarization devices. It was determined that infiltration occurred more successfully, and homogenously distributed particles with reduced porosity were obtained as the amount of Al₂O₃ increased. Worn surface studies revealed that the specimens were predominantly worn by abrasion and adhesion. The increase in B₄C/Al₂O₃ ratio caused a decrease in the hardness and wear strength, whereas it increased the corrosion resistance.     

Colour and COD removal from textile effluent by coagulation and advanced oxidation processes

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of coagulation, Fenton's oxidation (Fe²⁺/H₂O₂) and ozonation for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour from biologically pretreated textile wastewater. FeSO₄ and FeCl₃ were used as coagulants at varying doses and varying colour removal efficiency was measured. For the Fenton process, COD and colour removal efficiencies were found to be 78% and 95% for the Fenton process, and to be 64% and 71% for the Fenton-like process (Fe³⁺/H₂O₂), respectively. Ozonation experiments were conducted at different initial pH values and fixed ozone doses. Ozonation resulted in 43% COD and 97% colour removal whereas these rates increased to 54% and 99% when 5 mg/l hydrogen peroxide was added to the wastewater before ozonation at the same dose. The operating costs of all proposed treatment systems were also evaluated in this study.     

Surface modification of polyester and polyamide fabrics by low frequency plasma polymerization of acrylic acid

In this study, the surface characteristics of polyester and polyamide fabrics were changed by plasma polymerization technique utilizing acrylic acid as precursor. This monomer was used to produce hydrophilic materials with extended absorbency. The hydrophilicity, total wrinkle recovery angle (WRA°) and breaking strength of the fabrics were determined prior and after plasma polymerization treatment. The modification of surfaces was carried out at low pressure (<100 Pa) and low temperature (<50°C) plasma conditions. The effects of exposure time and discharge power parameters were optimized by comparing properties of the fabrics before and after plasma polymerization treatments. It was shown that two sides of polyester fabric samples were treated equally and homogeneously in plasma reactor. For polyester fabrics, the minimum wetting time, 0.5 s, was observed at two plasma processing parameters of 10 W–45 min and 10 W–20 min, where untreated fabric has a wetting time of 6 s. For polyester fabrics, the maximum value was obtained at 60 W–5 min with the wrinkle recovery angle of 306° where the untreated fabric has 290°. The optimum plasma conditions for polyamide fabrics were determined as 30 W–45 min where 2 s wetting time was observed. Wrinkle recovery angle of untreated polyamide fabric was 264°. In this study, after plasma polymerization of acrylic acid, wrinkle recovery angle values were increased by 13%. No significant change was observed in breaking strength of both fabrics after plasma treatment. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 104: 2318–2322, 2007     

Antenna miniaturization for vehicular platforms using printed coupled lines emulating magnetic photonic crystals

A miniature printed antenna exploiting magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) modes is presented. The MPC mode is typically found in volumetric anisotropic materials and is realized here using a set of coupled printed transmission lines. The printed element is formed by a pair of unit cells, cascaded to realize a circularly periodic structure. To excite the nonreciprocal MPC mode, the coupled microstrip lines are printed on a uniform substrate with magnetic material inserts. A printed and slot (cavity-backed) version of the MPC-based element is designed and constructed. It is found that the cavity-backed version is better suited for reducing platform interactions, thus, avoiding detuning when installed on smaller platforms. Tunable magnetic biasing is also explored to improve functionality. The paper concludes by providing the in situ performance of the cavity-backed and recessed MPC antennas.     

The TeO2-Na2O System: Thermal Behavior,Structural Properties,and Phase Equilibria

Thermal behavior, structural properties, and phase equilibria of the (100−x)TeO₂-xNa₂O system were studied in the 5 ≤ x ≤ 50 mol% composition range. Investigation of glass formation behavior in the binary system was realized, and the glass formation range was determined as 7.5 ≤ x ≤ 40 mol%. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques were used for thermal and structural characterization of the glasses. Influence of Na₂O content on glass transition temperature (T_g), glass stability (∆T), density (ρ), molar volume (V_M), oxygen molar volume (V_O), and oxygen packing density (OPD) values of sodium tellurite glasses was evaluated considering the structural transformations in the glass network. For the phase equilibria studies, DTA, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray (SEM/EDS) techniques were utilized to characterize the heat-treated samples. According to the phase equilibria studies, three eutectic regions were detected in the 0 < x < 50 mol% composition range of the (100−x)TeO₂-xNa₂O system. A new invariant endothermic reaction was detected for the compositions between 40 ≤ x ≤ 45 mol%. Na₂O.8TeO₂ (11.11 mol% Na₂O) compound that was claimed to exist in the binary system in the literature was found to be the metastable δ-TeO₂ phase.     

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on Wear Resistance of AISI 52100 Bearing Steel

In this study, the effects of deep cryogenic treatment (DCT) on the wear resistance of AISI 52100 bearing steel were investigated. For this purpose, a number of bearing steel samples were held for different times (12, 24, 36, 48, 60 h) at deep cryogenic temperatures (?145 °C). The wear experiments were carried out in a ball–disk arrangement, by applying loads of 10 and 20 N and a sliding velocity of 0.15 m/s. After conducting the experimental studies, 36 h was found to be the optimal holding time. At this holding time, the wear rate and friction coefficient were decreased, while the hardness reached to maximum values. It was observed that DCT led to significant microstructural changes, which resulted in improved tribological properties.     

Plasmid stability in a recombinant S cerevisiae strain secreting a bifunctional fusion protein

The recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain, YPB‐G, producing and secreting Bacillus subtilis α‐amylase and Aspergillus awamori glucoamylase as a fusion protein yielded efficient utilisation of starch. A segregated population balance model has been used to determine the probability of plasmid loss and plasmid copy number. The kinetics of cell growth and product (fusion protein) formation were based on a genetically structured model. The predictions were compared with the experimental observations obtained for the unstable recombinant S cerevisiae cells in a 1.5 dm^?3 batch bioreactor with 30 g dm³ initial starch under non‐aerated conditions. The main advantage of the present model is that three different genetic classes were defined on the basis of the existence of plasmid and of the expression of the enzymes, ie cells containing plasmids and expressing the gene product, x₁; cells containing plasmids and but not expressing the gene product, x₂; and cells without plasmids, x₃. It is confirmed by this model that the cells without plasmids outgrow and dominate in the fermentation medium (2.27 g dm^?3 vs 0.51 g dm^?3) as more and more glucose becomes available by the degradation of starch. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Compact Thermal Model for the Transient Temperature Prediction of a Water-Cooled Microchip Module in Low Carbon Emission Computing

This article presents a compact computational model for the rapid determination of the junction temperature of a chip cooled with a heat sink, exploring the concept of hot water cooled electronics as a strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of data centers. The model aims at rapid simulations of variations of the chip, as well as the heat sink outlet water temperatures during transient heat loads. The model is validated by experimental tests with a water-cooled manifold microchannel (MMC) heat sink, which is designed to cool the processors of state-of-the-art servers. The chip temperature is determined subject to periodic heat loads as large as 100 W with frequencies in the range from 1 to 10 Hz. The results show that to calculate 1 s of real temperature variation requires less than 20 s of computational time on a Quad-Core AMD Opteron 2350, 2 GHz desktop PC with 4 GB RAM. The thermal response of the heat sink to real-time power traces with durations up to 200 s is modeled for different flow rates. The simulations indicate that application of a flow-control feedback loop could achieve more than 50% reduction in water flow rate, without compromising the maximal chip temperatures.     

Roasting-Related Changes in Oxidative Stability and Antioxidant Capacity of Apricot Kernel Oil

Apricot kernels were roasted for various lengths of time (0–30 min) at 180 °C and changes in the oxidative stability, antioxidant capacity, color, as well as the level of tocopherols and fatty acids of the apricot kernel oil (AKO) were monitored. While the level of tocopherols decreased, the oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity of AKO increased with roasting, probably due to the formation of antioxidative Maillard reaction products (MRPs) during the roasting. Medium roasted samples (15–20 min) were found to be more resistant to oxidative deterioration. The oil from the 30-min roasted sample was more susceptible to oxidation compared to the oil from the 20-min roasted sample in most of the stability tests. Relatively shorter roasting periods (5–10 min) also led to a decrease in oxidative stability in comparison to the unroasted sample. Brownish color and antiradical activity increased with roasting and the highest values were measured in the 30 min roasted sample.