Mechanical and tribological properties of short-fiber-reinforced SiC composites

The short-carbon-fiber-reinforced SiC (C_sf/SiC) composites were prepared by hot-pressing sintering with Si, Al and B as sintering additives. The effects of fiber volume fraction on the mechanical and tribological properties of the C_sf/SiC composites were investigated. The results show that the bending strength values of the composites containing a certain content of the short carbon fibers are higher than that of the monolithic SiC. The friction coefficients of the composites decrease with increasing short carbon fibers content. Except of the composite containing 53 vol% short carbon fibers, the wear rates of the composites decrease with increasing short carbon fibers content, and are lower than that of the monolithic SiC drastically.     

Positive effect of natural pre-ageing on precipitation hardening in Al–0.44 at% Mg–0.38 at% Si alloy

Age hardening in a purely ternary Al-Mg0.4–Si0.4 (0.44 at% Mg, 0.38at%Si) alloy that is similar to AA6060 was investigated by hardness measurement, TEM and three-dimensional atom probe (3D-AP). In particular, the effect of natural pre-ageing before artificial ageing, which is known to have a positive effect in this alloy, was studied by comparing three different conditions: natural ageing only, artificial ageing for 1.5 h at 180 °C only and combined natural pre-ageing and subsequent artificial ageing for 1.5 h at 180 °C. Natural ageing influences the mechanical properties significantly. Naturally aged alloys exhibit a hardening response that is governed by the presence of small clusters. Subsequent artificial ageing of naturally aged specimens increases the value of peak hardness, which is attributed to the increase of the number density of needle-shaped precipitates as compared to the samples without natural ageing. It is assumed that besides these precipitates, the small Si clusters formed at room-temperature storage remain stable during artificial ageing.     

The influence of Cu addition on precipitation in Fe–Cr–Ni–Al–(Cu) model alloys

Precipitation in Fe–Cr–Ni–Al–(Cu) model alloys was investigated after ageing for 0.25, 3, 10 and 100 h at 798 K. Characterization of nanoscale precipitates was performed using three-dimensional atom probe microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The precipitates are found to be enriched in Ni and Al (Cu) and depleted in Fe and Cr. After 0.25 h of ageing the number density of precipitates is ∼8×10²⁴ m⁻³, their volume fraction is about 15.5% and they are near-spherical with an average diameter of about 2–3 nm. During further ageing the precipitates in the both alloys grow, but the coarsening behaviour is different for both alloys. The precipitates of the Cu-free alloy grow much faster compared with the Cu-containing alloy and their density decreases. Precipitates in Cu-free alloy change to plate shaped even after 10 h of ageing, whereas those of Cu-containing alloy remain spherical up to 10 h of ageing. The influence of Cu addition on precipitation in these model alloys is discussed with respect to the different coarsening mechanisms.     

Sauter mean diameter determination for the fine fraction of suspended sediments using a LISST-25X diffractometer

The LISST-25X ability for measuring the Sauter mean diameter of the fine fraction of sediment samples, SMD_f, is evaluated. A simple algorithm to determine the SMD_f is proposed. The algorithm is based on the standard output variables from the LISST-25X diffractometer: Sauter mean diameter of the complete sample, SMD_t; Sauter mean diameter of the coarse fraction, SMD_g; total suspended sediment concentration, SSC_t, and coarse suspended sediment concentration, SSC_g. Validation is performed in the laboratory by contrasting algorithm results from complete sediment samples against LISST SMD_t measurements made on the fine fraction of the samples. A second validation is performed by comparison between algorithm results and Malvern measurements on the same samples. The samples are from the Salado River (Argentina) and the Paraná River (Argentina). Their SMD_t range from 10 μm to 70 μm.Results indicate that the algorithm determines the Sauter mean diameter of the fine fraction in a reliable way, with average differences of 1.4 μm (algorithm-LISST comparison) and 3.4 μm (algorithm-Malvern comparison). The observed differences are attributed to operational conditions rather than to algorithm limitations. A correlation between calculated SMD_f and d₅₀ of the fine fraction is also established, with a determination coefficient of R² = 0.46.     

Friction, wear and N2-lubrication of carbon nitride coatings: a review

Recent results of tribological properties of carbon nitride (CN_x) coatings are reviewed. CN_x coatings of 100 nm thickness were formed on Si-wafer and Si₃N₄ disks by the ion beam mixing method. Friction and wear tests were carried out against Si₃N₄ balls in the environments of vacuum, Ar, N₂, CO₂, O₂ or air by a ball-on-disk tribo-tester in the load range of 80-750 mN and in the velocity range of 4-400 mm/s.It was found that friction coefficient μ is high (μ=0.2-0.4) in air and O₂, and low (μ=0.01-0.1) in N₂, CO₂ and vacuum. The lowest friction coefficient (μ<0.01) was obtained in N₂. It was also found that N₂ gas blown to the sliding surfaces in air effectively reduced the friction coefficient down to μ≈0.017. Wear rate of CN_x coatings varied in the range 10⁻⁹-10⁻⁵ mm³/N m depending on the environment.The wear mechanisms of CN_x in the nanometer scale were studied by abrasive sliding of an AFM diamond pin in air. It was confirmed that the major wear mechanism of CN_x in abrasive friction was low-cycle fatigue which generated thin flaky wear particles of nanometre size.     

Investigation of some dielectric properties of phosphate glasses doped with iron oxides,by a microwave technique

The effects of iron ions on dielectric properties of lithium sodium phosphate glasses were studied by non-usual, fast and non-destructive microwave techniques. The dielectric constant (ε′), insertion loss (L) and microwave absorption spectra (microwave response) of the selected glass system xFe₂O₃·(1 − x)(50P₂O₅·25Li₂O·25Na₂O), being x = 0, 3, 6, … , 15 expressed in mol.%, were investigated. The dielectric constant of the samples was investigated at 9.00 GHz using the shorted-line method (SLM) giving the minimum value of ε′ = 2.10 ± 0.02 at room temperature, and increasing further with x, following a given law. It was observed a gradual increasing slope of ε′ in the temperature range of 25 ? t ? 330 °C, at the frequency of 9.00 GHz. Insertion loss (measured at 9.00 GHz) and measurements of microwave energy attenuation, at frequencies ranging from 8.00 to 12.00 GHz were also studied as a function of iron content in the glass samples.     

Accurate conductance measurements of a pinhole orifice using a constant-pressure flowmeter

A pinhole orifice with a known conductance can be used as a secondary flow standard. Commercially available laser-drilled pinhole orifices with diameters ranging from 1.0 μm to 50 μm can have molecular-flow conductances ranging from about 0.1 μL/s to 200 μL/s for N₂ at 23 °C. Gas flows of 10⁻¹¹–10⁻⁶ mol/s can easily be produced by applying an upstream pressure in the range of 1–10⁵ Pa. Accurate measurements of the orifice conductance as a function of pressure are required to use the pinhole orifice as a basis of a flowmeter. We use a constant-pressure flowmeter to make accurate measurements of the conductance of a 20 μm orifice as a function of pressure for gas flows of Ar and N₂ into vacuum. We present results of these conductance measurements for an orifice with a nominal diameter of 20 μm. The N₂ conductance of this orifice ranged from 30 μL/s to 60 μL/s over the range of pressures investigated, and was measured with an uncertainty of better than 0.2% (k = 2) for upstream pressures greater than 10 Pa.     

Friction and wear behavior of electroless Ni-based CNT composite coatings

Ni-based carbon nanotube (CNT) composite coatings with different volume fraction (from 5 to 12 vol.%) of CNTs were deposited on medium carbon steel substrates by electroless plating. The friction and wear behavior of the composite coatings were investigated using a pin-on-disk wear tester under unlubricated condition. Friction and wear tests were conducted at a sliding speed of 0.0623 m s⁻¹ and at an applied load of 20 N. The experimental results indicated that the friction coefficient of the composite coatings decreased with increasing the volume fraction of CNTs due to self-lubrication and unique topological structure of CNTs. Within the range of volume fraction of CNTs from 0 to 11.2%, the wear rate of the composite coatings showed a steadily decreasing trend with increasing volume fraction of CNTs. Because of the conglomeration of CNTs in the matrix, however, the wear rate of the composite coatings increased with further increasing the volume fraction of CNTs.     

Analysis of composition dependence of some thermal transport properties in glassy Se80−xTe20Snx (0 ⩽ x ⩽ 10) alloys using transient plane source measurements

In the present work, we have studied simultaneous measurements of thermal transport properties (effective thermal conductivity, diffusivity, specific heat per unit volume, thermal inertia I_T) of glassy Se_80−xTe₂₀Sn_x (0 ? x ? 10) system using their twin pellets. The glassy system is prepared under a load of 5 tons and measurements have been made at room temperature using Transient Plane Source (TPS) technique. The composition dependence of the thermal transport properties of given glassy system is also discussed.     

Effect of molybdenum tri-oxide molar ratio on the optical and some physical properties of tellurite-vanadate-molybdate glasses

Glasses with composition (60 − x)V₂O₅-40TeO₂ − x MoO₃ with 20 ? x ? 60 (in mol%) have been prepared using the usual melt quenching method. The optical absorption spectra of the glasses have been recorded in the wavelength range 300-800 nm. The position of the absorption edge and therefore the optical band gap values were found to be depend on the glass composition. For these glasses, the optical band gap was found to be in the range 2.03-2.86 eV with increasing of MoO₃ concentration. The absorption spectrum fitting method was employed to obtain the energy gap. In this method, only the measurement of the absorbance spectrum of the glass is needed. For each sample, the width of the band tail was determined. Also, the density and glass transition temperature values indicate that the rigidity and packing of the samples increase with increase in MoO₃ concentration as a network former.     

Thermal sensors based on p-Pb0.925Yb0.075Te:Te and n-Pb0.925Yb0.075Se0.2Te0.8 thin films grown using thermal evaporation method

We utilize p-Pb_0.925Yb_0.075Te:Te and n-Pb_0.925Yb_0.075Se_0.2Te_0.8 ingots in a standard solid-state microwave synthesis route to fabricate thermally evaporated thin films. The nanostructure and composition of the films were studied through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The Seebeck coefficient and electrical conductivity were measured at a temperature range of 298–523 K. The micro-thermoelectric devices were composed of 20 pairs and 10 pairs of p-Pb_0.925Yb_0.075Te:Te and n-Pb_0.925Yb_0.075Se_0.2Te_0.8 thin films on glass substrates, respectively. The dimensions of the thin films thermoelectric generators which comprised of 10-pair were 12 mm × 10 mm, whereas, 20-pair were 23 mm × 20 mm, respectively of legs connected through aluminum electrodes. The serial 20-pair p–n thermocouples generated a maximum output open-circuit voltage of 275.3 mV and a maximum output power of 54.37 nW at a temperature difference of ΔT = 162 K; the values are 109.4 mV and 16.68 nW at ΔT = 162 K for the 10-pair thermocouples, respectively.     

A positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopic study of nanocrystals formation in a chalcogenide glass-ceramic

The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopic technique was applied to study nanocrystals formation during controlled crystallization of a chalcogenide glass 51GeS₂-9Sb₂S₃-40PbS, which was thermally treated at 330 °C for up to 15 h. The technique provided valuable information for in depth understanding of the nature of the material as well as the crystallization processes by showing systematic change of lifetime components (τ₁, τ₂, τ₃) and intensities (I₁, I₂, I₃) with thermal treatment time. Such change defines the time frame for nucleation and crystal growth processes; the nucleation process is dominating in the first 3 h, whereas after 3 h, the crystal growth becomes the main process. The values of lifetime components and their intensities reveal change of the size and amount of nano- and micro-defects with time and can be used to guide materials engineers for efficient composition designs and improvements of chalcogenide glass-ceramics.     

FEA calculation of pressure distortion coefficients of gas-operated pressure balances – EURAMET project 1039

Finite element analysis methods were developed and applied to gas piston–cylinder units (PCUs) of piston- and cylinder-floating configuration (2, 5, 10 and 20) cm² nominal effective area, operated in gauge and absolute mode at pressures (0.06–7.5) MPa to determine their zero pressure and pressure-dependent effective areas, as well as pressure distortion coefficients (λ) with associated uncertainties. Real dimensional properties of the PCUs were used. λ were found to be independent of gas (ideal, N₂, He) within the viscous flow model, but strongly dependent on the gap shape, operation mode and elastic properties. Results demonstrate good agreement for λ, with its uncertainty for different PCUs varying between (0.03 and 0.21) × 10⁻⁶ MPa⁻¹ corresponding to maximum relative uncertainties in pressure of (0.07–0.34) × 10⁻⁶.     

PIV measurements of two phase velocity fields in aeolian sediment transport using fluorescent tracer particles

This paper presents a method to simultaneously determine the velocity fields of both phases in aeolian sediment transport by means of PIV with fluorescent tracer particles. The fluorescent particles were atomized micron-sized droplets of rhodamine B solution. Specific optical filters were employed to ensure that the fluorescent tracer particles and the sand particles were respectively imaged on two CCD (charge-coupled device) cameras during measurement. A cross-correlation algorithm and image processing were used to obtain vector plots. The experimental results show that the distributions of the averaged velocity u of the wind-sand flow in both phases were concave downward curves on a semilogarithmic figure. The upper parts of the profiles of both phases fitted well with a logarithmic distribution. When sand particle sizes were smaller than or equal to 160 μm, the averaged velocity u of both phases decreased with increasing particle size. The difference between the horizontal velocities (i.e. relative velocity u_r) in both phases of the sand phase increased with increasing particle size and height. In the region where h/δ < 0.25, the momentum transfer between both phases was the most intense, and the effect of the air viscosity on the sand motion played an important role in the transfer. In the region where h/δ > 0.85, the horizontal velocity hysteresis between both phases in each group of samples tended to be constant. For a sand particle diameter of 80-200 μm, Re_r changed linearly with the square root of d_m at the top of the saltation layer.     

Passive control of circular cylinder wake in shallow flow

The control of vortex shedding of a circular cylinder in shallow water using a splitter plate located in the downstream of the circular cylinder was studied by employing particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique. Experiments were carried out in a water channel having a test section of 8000 mm × 1000 mm × 750 mm dimensions at a Reynolds number of 6250. The length of the splitter plate (L) was varied within the range of 0.5 ? L/D ? 2 with an increment of 0.5. The plate was submerged into water at different height ratios (h_p/h_w) such as 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1.0. Mean velocity vector field, corresponding vorticity contours, streamline topologies and turbulent quantities were calculated using 300 instantaneous velocity vector field measured by PIV. As the ratio of h_p/h_w increases, the effect of the splitter plate on the suppression of the vortex shedding increases. Flow characteristics and examination of spectra indicate that Karman vortex shedding is attenuated pronouncedly for the cases of L/D ? 1 and h_p/h_w ? 0.75. The transverse Reynolds normal stress is more effective on the attenuation of turbulent kinetic energy than the streamwise Reynolds normal stress. The value of peak transverse Reynolds normal stress is reduced to 90% of that of the bare cylinder at most.     

Effect of pre-readout annealing treatments on TL mechanism in tellurite glasses at therapeutic radiation doses level

The higher sensitization for thermal annealing on TL mechanism in the region 550–600 °C for 80(TeO₂)–5(TiO₂)–(15 − x) (WO₃)–(x) A_nO_m where A_nO_m = Nb₂O₅, Nd₂O₃, Er₂O₃ and x = 5 mol% has been measured. The behavior of trap centers and luminescence centers has been investigated for tellurite glasses doped with rare earth oxides irradiated at 0.5 up to 2 Gy and annealed at different temperatures in the range 350–700 °C. The behavior of the three types of tellurite glasses is analyzed regarding to their kinetic parameters and luminescence emission which enhance the claim of tellurite glasses for use as TLD material at therapeutic radiation doses.     

Influence of Cr content on tribological properties of Ni3Al matrix high temperature self-lubricating composites

High temperature self-lubricating composites Ni₃Al-BaF₂-CaF₂-Ag-Cr were fabricated by powder metallurgy technique. In this paper the effect of Cr content on tribological properties at a wide temperature range starting from room temperature to 1000 °C was investigated. It was found that Ni₃Al matrix composite with 20 wt% Cr exhibited low friction coefficient of 0.24-0.37 and a wear rate of 0.52-2.32×10⁻⁴ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹. Especially at 800 °C it showed the lowest friction coefficient of 0.24 and a favorable wear rate of 0.71×10⁻⁴ mm³ N⁻¹ m⁻¹. This implied that 20 wt% Cr was the optimal Cr content and its excellent tribological performance could be attributed to the balance between strength and lubricity.     

Structural imaging of β-Si3N4 by spherical aberration-corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy

Modern transmission electron microscopes (TEM) allow utilizing the spherical aberration coefficient as an additional free parameter for optimizing resolution and contrast. By tuning the spherical aberration coefficient of the objective lens, isolated nitrogen atom columns as well as the Si–N dumbbells within the six-membered ring were imaged in β-Si₃N₄ along [0 0 0 1] and [0 0 0 1¯] projections with a dumbbell spacing of 0.94 Å in white atom contrast. This has been obtained with negative or positive spherical aberration coefficient. We clarify contrast details in β-Si₃N₄ by means of extended image calculations. A simple procedure has been shown for pure phase imaging, which is restricted to linear imaging conditions.     

Qualitative evaluation of the germination frequency in Zr–Fe binary alloy

Major thermo-physical properties data are of fundamental importance to accurate and reliable design of melting and casting processes. In this paper, we show that we can control the germination process using thermodynamics data. These data must be known for the entire period of time and temperature range of interest in any given condition. In addition, a kinetic approach is employed to predict the microstructure of alloys. Viscosity data for Zr₇₆Fe₂₄, are fitted with an empirical relation. The best fit allows to estimate, through the resistance to germination factor, thermodynamic proprieties of interest (i.e., namely the enthalpy of fusion, the surface tension, the molar volume and the glass temperature). From the values of these quantities, the parameters (T, t) can be estimated. The temperature T is found between 930 K and 1194 K and the time t can be derived from the plateau of the germination frequency–temperature profile.     

Using a monocular optical microscope to assemble a wetting contact angle analyser

The ability of a solid surface to be wetted by a liquid can be classified by its wetting contact angle, θ_C: hydrophilic (θ_C < 90°), hydrophobic (90° ? θ_C ? 150°), or super-hydrophobic (θ_C > 150°). To study the wetting behaviour of material surfaces, commercial contact angle analysers are generally employed. In this paper, we report on the construction and testing of a wetting contact angle analyser. To test the performance of the measurement system, we have measured the contact angles of films from commercial paraffin wax and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The contact angles are found to be in good agreement with the values described in the literature; thus, our analyser can be useful not only for research but also for educational purposes.