Thermal Study of the Effect of Additives on the Hydration of Tricalcium Silicate

The rate of paste hydration of 3C_aO·SiO₂ (C₃S) and the effects of additions of CaCl₂, CdI₂, and CrCl₃, were studied by differential thermal analysis and thermogravimetry. X-ray analyses were used to identify the synthesized C₃S. The salts CaCl₂, CdI₂, and CrCl₃, accelerated the hydration of C₃S. The degree of hydration was estimated by the amount of Ca(OH)₂, formed, as determined by TG.     

Modeling the Thermal Conductivity of Cooked Meat

The thermal conductivity of cooked meat under different thermal treatments is measured and a mathematical model for its prediction is developed. Apparent and real densities, thermal conductivity and water content were evaluated on the cooked samples. The thermal conductivity showed good correlation with the water content. Values were found to be independent of the thermal history during cooking. Experimental results showed a good agreement with the proposed mathematical model that considers meat as composed by air and water spheres distributed over a matrix of dry fiber. Values for the parameters involved are provided, as well as expressions for the shrinkage of samples taking into account the incorporation of air during cooking.     

HARDNESS OF COOKED MILLED RICE BY INSTRUMENTAL AND SENSORY METHODS

Fifteen milled rice varieties covering the usual range of amylose content and cooked rice hardness were used in a collaborative study to verify the sensitivity of the present objective method for measuring cooked rice hardness. The grains were cooked either in a rice cooker using a fixed water:rice ratio of 2:1, or by boiling in excess water for the predetermined optimum cooking time for each sample followed by draining. Hardness of cooked rice was measured in an Instron Universal Testing Machine (UTM) using two methods: (1) puncture of 100 individual grains and (2) extrusion through a 30 cm² Ottawa Texture Measuring System (OTMS) cell with either a 3.2- or 4.8-mm-diam. holes plate. Hardness values were compared with sensory scores by a trained panel composed of 11 members. Sensory hardness of the rices cooked in a fixed amount of water showed very good correlation with puncture force (r = 0.94, P < 0.01) and with extrusion force through a 3.2-mm-diam. holes plate (r = 0.94). The correlation coefficient between puncture force and extrusion force was 0.97. Paired comparison test by the sensory panel on three pairs of rices verified consumers' claims with respect to preference between members of each pair and agreed with results of ranking test.     

Experimental techniques for fracture instability toughness determination of unidirectional fibre metal laminates

ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to propose procedures for the measurement of the fracture toughness of fibre metal laminates (FMLs) reinforced with unidirectional fibres of aramid or glass. Experimental techniques for fracture toughness evaluation by using Compact (C(T)) and Single‐Edge Bend (SE(B)) specimens obeying ASTM standards are introduced. Procedures from the standard for thick metallic materials were modified in order to overcome problems, which can arise when testing FMLs – that is, specimen buckling, indentations and crack growth in planes other than the plane of the fatigue pre‐crack or notch. The methodology proposed was experimentally tested leading to satisfactory results.     

Yield criteria for amorphous glassy polymers

Three amorphous polymers, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene and polycarbonate were tested in uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression, plane strain compression and simple shear, over a range of temperatures. In each test, the yield point was precisely determined via residual strain measurements after unloading. With the yield stresses determined for these four different stress states, two pressure dependent shear yield criteria, i.e, the modified Von Mises and the modified Tresca criteria, were checked and compared. It is shown that (i) in each case (material, temperature, initial ageing state), the yield locus is satisfactorily described by either one or the other of the two criteria, and (ii) each criterion can be associated with a specific deformation mode (either homogeneous or localized in shear bands). As for the temperature dependence of the yield stress sensitivity to the hydrostatic pressure, it appears to be related to the glass transition temperature (Tg) and more precisely to the α and β relaxations. Finally, the pressure dependence of the yield stress can be possibly explained as being due to two effects: (i) the influence of pressure on molecular motions leading to yielding and (ii) the influence of pressure on the microstructural state. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Release of Fission Gas During Fissioning of UO2

Equilibrium fission-gas release rates from single crystal U02 specimens were studied at temperatures from 400° to 13OO°C and with neutron fluxes from 1 × 10¹³ to 4 × 10¹³ neutrons per cm².second. The behavior of the fission-gas release for different neutron flux levels and temperatures indicates that two processes are occurring. One release method appears to be caused by a disturbance of the specimen surface by fission recoils. A temperature-dependent process dominates the gas release above about 7OOOC. This high-temperature release, once thought to be by diffusion, is now postulated to be controlled by a trapping process. A first-approach mathematical model is given in which a concentration of traps is assumed to be controlled by fission density, temperature, burnup, and initial structure of the specimen. It is also assumed that the trapped gas has an escape probability which increases with temperature.