Microstructural and textural evolution during large strain hot rolling (LSR) of Mg–Al (AZ31) alloy

Abstract

Grain refinement has been achieved through large strain rolling (LSR) in Mg AZ31 alloy. The evolution of microstructure and texture has been found to be dependent on the amount of reduction. After the critical amount of reduction, grain refinement proceeds through continuous dynamic recrystallisation (CDRX).     

Transport of radioactive sources in Africa: the Nigerian experience

Abstract

In his plenary presentation at PATRAM 2010, Professor Shamsideen Elegba of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Abuja, Nigeria, reviewed the regulatory framework for transport of radioactive materials in Africa.     

16—THE PREPARATION,FINE STRUCTURE,AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF PARTLY METHYLATED COTTON FABRICS

Cotton fabric has been methylated under a variety of conditions. The extent of methylation has been shown to be dependent on the time of methylation and on the degree of swelling or disruption of structure. The latter is caused by the alkali pretreatment or by the swelling of the partly methylated cellulose. Fabric physical properties have been measured and the influence of the methylation treatment has been examined.     

33—THE SNARLING OF HIGHLY TWISTED MONOFILAMENTS. PART II: CYLINDRICAL SNARLING

An account is given of an experimental investigation of the cylindrical snarling of highly twisted monofilaments.

The theory underlying cylindrical snarling is set out, and an expression is derived for calculating the critical twist level at which normal snarling will be replaced by cylindrical snarling. Experiments on rubber filaments are described, and it is shown that there is good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results. Further experiments, in which the specimen was allowed to contract freely or forced into other forms, are also described.

It is shown from these experiments that it is difficult to establish the true equilibrium behaviour, since the situation appears to be dominated by frictional effects or by direct barriers to relative movement.     

Forming characteristics of coated products for packaging applications

Abstract

A comparison of forming characteristics has been conducted on two different thickness steel substrates used in the packaging industry. Three surface conditions were studied, namely, uncoated blackplate, a lacquered electrochromium coated steel (ECCS), and a typical film laminate specification. It was found that for identical forming conditions the failure rates of both blackplate and lacquered ECCS materials were higher than in the film laminated alternative. This is shown to be related to the frictional effects of the coatings. In the film laminate material, failures were only observed at high blankholder forces near the forming limit of the material. The blackplate material produced cups, which were 0·4 mm taller than both the lacquered and film laminated coatings.     

32—THE SNARLING OF HIGHLY TWISTED MONOFILAMENTS. PART I: THE LOAD–ELONGATION BEHAVIOUR WITH NORMAL SNARLING

An account is given of an experimental investigation of the normal snarling of highly twisted monofilaments, those used being vulcanized rubber and nylon.

An earlier theoretical analysis is corrected, and the experimental results show that, after this correction, the theory put forward for the mechanical properties of the snarling mechanism holds reasonably well for elastic filaments. Although, as would be expected, there are larger deviations from the theory for viscoelastic filaments, the theory still gives a good indication of the behaviour of these filaments under torsion.     

Influence of the interfacial resin layer on delamination initiation in broken ply composite laminates

The present study has investigated the influence of a resin layer on the delamination initiation at the interface of broken and continuous plies in the case of GR/E (graphite/epoxy) laminates with broken central plies. A full three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis was performed with each layer of the laminate modelled as homogeneous and orthotropic. The interface between the broken and the continuous plies was modelled with a thin resin-rich layer. Eight-noded isoparametric layered elements were used to model the laminate specimen. Also, 3D contact elements were used to prevent inter-penetration of the delaminated faces at the interface. Based on the results of the 3D FE analysis, strain energy release rates were calculated at the delamination front using Irwin's 'crack closure integral'. Using the concepts of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), the strain energy release rate was used as a parameter for assessing delamination initiation. The effects of various factors such as resin layer stiffness, resin layer thickness, and fibre orientation at the interface on the three components of the strain energy release rates, namely G_I, G_II and G_III, were studied for laminates with various crack sizes of the broken ply, and the influence of the resin layer in the delamination initiation was established. It was observed that delamination initiation is a mixed-mode phenomenon even in the case of uniaxial loading and the dominance of the mode of delamination is governed by the resin layer stiffness, thickness, and lamina orientation at the interface. The present work also concludes that an increase in the resin layer modulus leads to an increase in the probability of mode I delamination while the probability of mode II delamination decreases. A 0/90 interface exhibits a higher chance of delamination in modes I and II, while mode III delamination is maximum for 0/30 and 0/60 fibre orientation interfaces. It was also observed that the larger the crack width, the greater the probability of delamination initiation at the interface.     

Hot forging of fittings made from seamless pipe

Abstract

The hot forging of connecting fittings known as tees is analysed and described in the present paper. These parts are forged in a vertical press from preforms cut from seamless pipes in which a hole, which will be the third mouth, is cut with an acetylene torch. The process requires that the portion of the preform to be forged is hot enough to allow the flow of material, while the rest of the piece is able to resist the pressure without bending. The experimental work was conducted using instrumented preforms by the insertion of eight type K thermocouples at different portions of the body to record the thermal cycle; a grid was inscribed on the surface of the preforms to compute the various strain components. The pieces were heated and, before forging, were subjected to the standard procedure of immersing the portion opposite to the third mouth in water at room temperature. An attempt to forge one piece directly from heating, without immersion in water, was made, but this was a failure as the material on the lateral wall was not strong enough to withstand the pressure without bending. The microstructure of the forged parts was studied.     

Characterisation of mechanical properties of thin polymer films using a bi-axial tension based on blow-up test

Abstract

Blow-up tests were carried out to evaluate mechanical properties of the thin Nylon film used as bagging films. A new method for calculating bi-axial stress and strain of the thin film in blow-up tests was developed based on the theory of membrane with large strain solutions. The bi-axial tensile elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, yield strength, fracture stress and bi-axial stress–strain relationship of the thin Nylon film were obtained. Meanwhile, uni-axial tensile tests were conducted and the results were compared with those from blow-up tests. For the Richmond HS-8171 thin Nylon film studied, the bi-axial tensile elastic modulus was slightly more than 2 times greater than the uni-axial tensile elastic modulus. The yield strength was the same for both bi-axial and uni-axial tension. The bi-axial fracture stress was about one-third greater than the uni-axial one, while the bi-axial failure strain was about two-thirds greater than the uni-axial counterpart.     

24—A CRITICAL COMPARISON OF EMPIRICAL TESTS OF THE EXTENSIONAL RESILIENCE OF TEXTILE FIBRES: PART III: COMPARISON BETWEEN RECOVERY TESTS AND THE PERFORMANCE OF CARPET-LIKE CONSTRUCTIONS

A series of polypropylene-fibre continuous-filament yarns was used to manufacture a set of simplified carpet-like structures. Recovery and wear tests on these samples are described and the results compared with those of single-filament recovery tests discussed in Parts I and II of this series. It is concluded that single-filament testing can indicate very poor or very good yarns, although unconsidered effects dominate the performance of intermediate samples.