Inverse Analysis of Impact Test Data: Experimental Study on Polymeric Materials Displaying Brittle Behaviour

This paper deals with the influence of the testing equipment on impact load measurements. A previously developed method of analysis and processing of the experimental data based on a refined analogical model of the impact event and inverse problem techniques is used. This method makes it possible to obtain the mechanical response of the material, notwithstanding the disturbance of the dynamic effects associated to the test. Results from tests carried out both on falling weight and swing pendulum instrumented testing machines are compared. It is shown that this method can give an accurate estimation of the actual bending force in impact testing independent of the testing equipment.     

The effects of specimen size and testing conditions on fracture toughness evaluation of polypropylene homopolymer

The results of an experimental test program performed to investigate the influence of specimen dimensions and testing rate conditions on room temperature fracture toughness of PP homopolymer are presented. The material displayed nonlinear load‐displacement behavior and exhibited small amounts of slow crack growth (ductile tearing) prior to cleavage instability, which invalidates the direct application of the current standards for the determination of K_IC in polymers. Data points were considerably scattered consistently with typical ductile‐brittle transition patterns. The resulting load‐displacement diagrams were analyzed in terms of K_Q, K_MAX, and the ratio P_MAX/P_Q. THe fracture toughness at instability, J_C, was also computed and plotted against the amount of stable crack growth in order to construct J‐R curves as a function of size and strain rate. From these curves an alternative critical fracture parameter, K_JIC, was calculated. Weibull statistics were used as a tentative approach for treating the scatter of fracture toughness of polypropylene homopolymer in large samples, which exhibited restricted ductile tearing. The significance of each of these methods and the validity and size independence of the corresponding parameters are discussed.     

Intensive weekly chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer using fluorouracil, cisplatin, epi-doxorubicin, 6S-leucovorin, glutathione, and filgrastim: a report from the Italian Group for the Study of Digestive Tract Cancer

PURPOSE: A multiinstitutional trial was performed to confirm the clinical activity, in terms of response rate and toxicity (primary objectives) and duration of responses and survival (secondary objectives), of an intensive weekly regimen in advanced gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with measurable unresectable and/or metastatic gastric carcinoma received 1-day per week administration of cisplatin (CDDP) 40 mg/m2, fluorouracil (5FU) 500 mg/m2, epi-doxorubicin (epi-ADR) 35 mg/m2, 6S-stereoisomer of leucovorin 250 mg/m2, and glutathione 1.5 g/m2. On the other days, filgrastim was administered by subcutaneous injection at a dose of 5 mg/kg. One cycle of therapy consisted of eight 1-week treatments. Patients who showed a response or stable disease received a further 6 weeks of therapy. RESULTS: Of 105 enrolled patients, 11 had locally advanced unresectable disease only; 33 had primary nonresected and metastatic disease; 48 had metastatic disease and primary tumor resected; 10 had locoregional recurrence and metastatic disease; and three had locoregional recurrence only. After one cycle, 18 complete responses (CRs) and 47 partial responses (PRs) were achieved, for an overall response rate of 62% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53% to 71%). Twenty patients had stable disease and 20 progressed on therapy. The median survival duration of all 105 patients was 11 months, with 1- and 2-year survival rates of 42% and 5%, respectively. World Health Organization (WHO) grade III to IV toxicity, in terms of anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and mucositis, was experienced by 40 patients (38%). There were no treatment-related deaths. CONCLUSION: These data support the results of the pilot study and confirmed the high activity of the regimen, with acceptable toxicity. This schedule deserves evaluation in the adjuvant setting.     

Unraveling the Link between Interferon-α and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: From the Molecular Mechanisms to Target Therapies

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease with a wide range of clinical expressions. The kidney is often affected, usually within 5 years of the onset of SLE, and lupus nephropathy (LN) carries a high risk for increased morbidity. The clinical heterogeneity of the disease is accompanied by complex disturbances affecting the immune system with inflammation and tissue damage due to loss of tolerance to nuclear antigens and the deposition of immune complexes in tissues. Several studies have reported that in human SLE, there is an important role of the Type-I-interferons (INF) system suggested by the upregulation of INF-inducible genes observed in serial gene expression microarray studies. This review aims to describe the transduction pathways of Type-I-interferons, in particular INFα, and its immune-regulatory function in the pathogenesis of SLE and, in particular, in LN. In addition, recent novelties concerning biologic therapy in LN will be discussed.     

Fracture evaluation of acrylic bone cements modified with hydroxyapatite: influence of the storage conditions

Fracture and mechanical characterization of bone composite composed of polymethylmethacrylate and hydroxyapatite (HA) at different contents was carried out. Hydroxyapatite is added in order to improve cement biocompatibility, but it is expected that it also affects mechanical properties. Specimens were either stored in air at 37°C for 120 h or in physiological solution (PhS-37), in order to establish the influence of storage conditions upon mechanical behavior. One set of specimens was also postcured at 120°C for 4 h to take into account the influence of free monomer. Fracture experiments revealed some non-linearity in load–displacement records and differences in trends between initiation and propagation values of the fracture surface energies. The trends in the data shows that HA acts as a rigid filler enhancing fracture resistance, flexural modules and yield stress, up to a certain content. Beyond the latter limit, properties suffer a deterioration because the addition of HA also affects the cement porosity. Absorbed water acts as plasticizer leading to a decrease in mechanical properties. The highest propagation strain energies were exhibited by materials aged in PhS-37. ©1999 Kluwer Academic Publishers     

Importance of the biogenic organic matter in photo-formation of dissolved gaseous mercury in a culture of the marine diatom Chaetoceros sp

Laboratory experiments on DGM production under light/dark cycles in a culture of the marine diatom Chaetoceros sp. spiked with 200 ng l(-1) of mercury have been performed. DGM formation has been investigated also in the cell exudates, obtained by filtration of the cell culture. Results show that the cell culture and the filtrate give the same value of DGM production (2.24+/-0.88 pg min(-1) l(-1) and 2.23+/-0.02 pg min(-1) l(-1), respectively) in the light (40 W m(-2)), values much higher than to those obtained in the medium culture alone. A significant DGM production has been measured in dark conditions both in the cell culture (0.48+/-0.11 pg min(-1) l(-1)) and in the filtrate (0.85+/-0.10 pg min(-1) l(-1)). The results highlight that the organic compounds released by the cell in the culture medium play a fundamental role in the DGM photo-formation processes.     

Determination of fracture toughness in rubber modified glassy polymers under impact conditions

This paper analyzes the applicability of simple indirect methods for determining the impact fracture toughness of ductile polymers. Commercial rubber-modified thermoplastics were assayed. Tests were carried out in a Charpy impact pendulum on sharp notched samples at room temperature and at 80°C. Specimens of different geometric relationship, were considered. Thickness, side grooving and span effects were investigated. Reslts appear to be geometrically and strain rate independent. ABS and high impact polystyrene samples exhibited a whitening effect due to craze formation through the whole fracture surface, indicating that stable crack propagation was occurring. Medium impact polystyrene, however, exhibited combined stable and unstable crack propagation mode, displaying shiny and dull zones on the surfaces of the broken samples. Data were analyzed following the corrected elastic and the J^c methods. The fit quality was evaluated by statistical analysis. In addition, two new methods were tried: the methods proposed by Vu-Khanh and De Charentenay for semiductile behavior and by Vu-Khanh for ductile behavior. The equivalencies between the different critical parameters that arose from the methods are compared and analyzed.     

Rubber-modified thermosets cured in heated molds: Experimental study of phase separation profiles

An epoxy-amine thermosetting polymer, modified by 15 wt% castor oil (CO) or by a commercial rubber (epoxy-terminated butadiene-acrylonitrile copolymer, ETBN), was cured in a mold at different heating rates. CO-modified materials cured at high heating rates exhibited a nonuniform phase separation profile, i.e. a single-phase transparent core surrounded by opaque layers containing dispersed domains. The resulting structure was explained by simulating conversion vs. temperature trajectories taking place during the cure. Thermal and mechanical properties of uniform and nonuniform materials were compared. These include glass transition temperature, microhardness, yield stress and yield strain in uniaxial compression, and fracture toughness. Some possibilities for further research in this area are discussed.     

Evaluation of impact fracture toughness of polymeric materials by means of the J‐integral approach

The most commonly accepted method of determining impact fracture toughness of polymeric materials that exhibit small scale yielding and negligible influence of dynamic effects is given by the ISO/DIS 17281 Standard, which states that for brittle behavior, basically a linear relationship exists between the fracture energy, U, and the energy calibration factor, ?. This relationship allows calculation of the critical strain energy release rate, G_IC from the slope of the U vs. BW? plot. This paper describes a simpler alternative methodology capable of evaluating impact fracture toughness using the J_c parameter. The J‐integral is evaluated at the instability load point, by calculating the fracture energy required to produce cleavage behavior of a pre‐cracked specimen. The methodology is limited to single edge notched three‐point‐bending specimens with a crack to depth ratio equal to 0.5. Tests were carried out on an instrumented falling weight impact testing machine on the following materials: PP (polypropylene), HDPE (high‐density polyethylene), MDPE (mid‐density polyethlene) and RT‐PMMA (rubber toughened polymethylmetacrylate). Results are in excellent agreement with the critical values determined by the ISO/DIS 17281 Standard.     

Effect of nitrogen ion irradiation on the nano-tribological and surface mechanical properties of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

Generation of wear debris is the principal obstacle limiting the durability of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) in biomedical applications. Aiming to enhance UHMWPE wear resistance, surface modification with swift heavy ion irradiation (SHI) appears as a potential and attractive methodology. Contrary to ion implantation techniques, the swift heavy ions range can reach tens to hundreds microns and its extremely high linear energy is able to induce effective chemical modifications using low fluence values. Nano-wear performance and surface mechanical properties of samples of pristine and SHI irradiated (using N₂⁺ ions at 33 MeV and a fluence of 1 × 10¹² ions/cm²) were characterized by depth sensing indentation (DSI) and scanning probe microscopy (SPM). It turned out that modifications induced by irradiation at the surface layers were successful to reduce nano-wear volume and creep deformation. These improvements were related to beneficial changes in hardness, elastic modulus, hardness to elastic modulus ratio and friction coefficient.