Strength properties of polymer mortar panels using methyl methacrylate solution of waste expanded polystyrene as binder

The present study examines the applicability of polymer mortar panels using a methyl methacrylate (MMA) solution of waste expanded polystyrene (EPS) to develop effective recycling processes for the EPS, referring to the strength properties of a polymer-impregnated mortar panel with almost the same performance as commercial products. An MMA solution of EPS is prepared by dissolving EPS in MMA, and unreinforced and steel fiber-reinforced polymer mortars are mixed using the EPS-MMA-based solution as a liquid resin or binder. Polymer mortar panels (PMPs) using the EPS-MMA-based polymer mortars without and with steel fiber and crimped wire cloth reinforcements and steel fiber-reinforced polymer-impregnated mortar panel (PIMP) are prepared on trial, and tested for flexural behavior under four-point loading. The EPS-MMA-based PMPs are more ductile than the PIMP, and have a high load-bearing capacity. Consequently, they can replace PIMP in practical applications.     

Effect of inoculation and nodularisation treatment temperature on recalescence and eutectic undercooling temperature in Spheroidal graphite (SG) cast iron

In this study, the effect of inoculant composition and nodularisation treatment temperature on recalescence temperature (TER) and undercooling temperature (TEU) in SG iron has been studied by using thermal analysis. 0·1, 0·2 and 0·3 wt-% of three types of inoculants Ca,Ce,Al–FeSi, Ca,Sr,Al–FeSi and Ca,Ba,Al–FeSi were used as so called stream inoculation. Ca,Ce,Al–FeSi was found to be the most potent one in reducing both recalescence (?T _r ) and eutectic undercooling (?T). The nodule count has also been found higher in Ca,Ce,Al–FeSi inoculated SG iron samples compared to other two inoculants. It has been observed that higher the nodule count lower is the ?T _r and ?T and vice versa. The recalescence and shrinkage relationship of 24 heats of differential case castings has been established; it was observed that the number of castings containing shrinkage in respective heats increase as the recalescence and nodularisation treatment temperature increases.     

Application of radially varying magnetic field on a peristaltic flow of non‐Newtonian fluid in the presence of heat and mass transfer

This article deals with the variable MHD effects on the peristaltic flow of a non‐Newtonian fluid in the presence of heat and mass transfer. The walls of annulus are maintained at different temperatures. Continuity, momentum concentration, and energy equations are utilized in the mathematical analysis. Two types of solutions, namely, the exact and numerical, are derived. These solutions are compared and discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20314     

Some electrical properties of co-evaporated GeO-BaO thin films

The direct-current electrical conduction both before and after the electroforming process is investigated in thin layers of GeO₂ co-evaporated with BaO and sandwiched between various metallic electrodes. The mobility associated with the conduction at low temperature (hopping) is evaluated. Electroformed devices show voltage-controlled negative resistance and electron emission. The effect of the nature of the metallic electrodes and that of the dielectric thickness on these electrical properties is reported.     

Κ‐CN gene polymorphism in Nili‐ravi buffalo,Achai and Sahiwal cattle of Pakistan

Kappa‐casein (κ‐CN) is the subtype of casein protein, an important constituent of bovine milk protein. The current study was undertaken to investigate the genetic polymorphism in κ‐CN gene of Nili‐ravi buffalo, Achai and Sahiwal cattle of Pakistan using polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) technique. The Nili‐ravi buffalo was found to be monomorphic (genotype BB only) for κ‐CN gene. Achai cattle were polymorphic for κ‐CN (having three genotypes AA, AB and BB) with a frequency of 0.70, 0.18 and 0.12, respectively, while in Sahiwal cattle, both the genotypes AA and AB were found with genotypic frequencies of 0.92 and 0.08, respectively. The presence of genotype BB in Achai cattle is surprising as it is absent in most of the cattle breeds worldwide.     

Morpho-anatomical characterization of some members of euglenophycota (algae) of north-east Punjab,Pakistan based on light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

The study was carried out in four districts, that is, Gujranwala, Gujarat, Narowal and Sialkot of Punjab, Pakistan. The sampling was carried out randomly in different seasons from the water bodies especially from wastewater. Twenty-one species belonging to Euglenophycota were identified using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy from which 04 species belong to genus Phacus, 02 species belonging to Trachelomonas and Euglena based on light microscopy. It was observed that Euglena was the most diverse genus and it is supposed to be the indicator species of the polluted water. It was observed that E. oblonga was found in maximum pH range, that is, 7.0–11.0. Similarly, E. brevicaudatus was found in maximum EC, that is, 169 ± 1.5 ms/cm these outcomes indicated that for internal examination along with LM, SEM was necessary for correct identification of algal sample up to specie level.     

Mechanical and Microstructural Evaluation of Squeeze Cast Al-4%Cu Alloy Using a Full-Factorial Experimental Design

A full factorial design was employed to investigate the effect of squeeze pressure in conjunction with thermal parameters, i.e., melt and die temperatures, on the mechanical properties of a squeeze cast Al-4%Cu alloy. Considerable variations in mechanical properties existed between different test runs, and these were discussed based on cooling rates previously quantified for a squeeze-cast Al-4%Cu alloy. The completeness of a full factorial design not only identified a combination of process parameters for optimum results but also facilitated an evaluation of the minimum pressure required to eliminate porosity and influence the die temperature on the microstructure of the squeeze-cast alloy. In addition to the optimum run, particular importance was given to those runs that had more desirable levels of control factors with respect to energy consumption or tooling life. A microstructural analysis of these runs indicated the possibility of precipitation hardening that can open up further investigations toward the opportunities associated with in situ heat treatment of age-hardening, squeeze cast aluminum alloys.     

Chip formation in microscale milling and correlation with acoustic emission signal

This work investigated the effects of different workpiece materials on chip formation and associated mechanisms in microcutting. The wavelet transformation technique was used to decompose acoustic emission (AE) signals generated from orthogonal micromilling of different workpiece materials. This allowed studying energy levels corresponding to deformation mechanisms. Resulting chip forms were characterised. The results indicated that the computed energies of decomposed frequency bands can be positivity correlated with chip morphology. The work provides significant and new knowledge on the utility and importance of AE signals in characterising chip formation in micromachining. Understanding chip formation mechanisms is important in managing the size effect in micromachining.     

Effects of slip and heat transfer on the peristaltic flow of a third order fluid in an inclined asymmetric channel

The present investigation is concerned with the peristaltic flow of an incompressible and magnetohydrodynamic MHD third order fluid in an inclined asymmetric channel. Both thermal and velocity slip conditions have been taken into account. The channel walls are maintained at different temperatures. The governing differential systems subjected to their boundary conditions have been solved for small Deborah number. In the derived solution expressions, the long wavelength and low Reynolds number assumptions are utilized. Graphical results are presented for the pressure rise, longitudinal velocity and temperature. Comparison with the previous published work regarding viscous fluid and no-slip case is performed. Pumping and trapping phenomena are displayed graphically just to examine the various interesting aspects of the present work.     

The effect of high temperature curing on the strength and carbonation of pozzolanic structural lightweight concretes

An experimental study on the compressive strength and carbonation depth of lightweight concrete mixes that contain pulverized fuel ash (PFA) and silica fume (SF) as cement replacements is presented in this paper. Mixes that had a relatively high replacement level of PFA at 25, 40, and 55% and of SF at 5, 10, and 15% by weight were compared. The results indicated that accelerated curing at 60 °C for 3 days improved the 28-day compressive strength of the PFA- and SF-incorporated mixes but resulted in higher carbonation of the mixes compared with that under normal temperature curing. Mixes that had 25% PFA or 5–10% SF as partial cement replacements had slightly higher strength under accelerated curing and slightly lower strength under normal curing than the control mix. At higher replacement levels of PFA and SF, further lower strength and higher carbonation was observed.