Mechanical,electrical and thermal performance of hybrid polyethylene-graphene nanoplatelets-polypyrrole composites: a comparative analysis of 3D printed and compression molded samples

ABSTRACT

The paper focuses on the investigation of the 3D printing of multi-functional composites using graphene nanoplatelets (GNP), polypyrrole (PPY) and linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE). A holistic approach was performed and characterization methods to assess the properties of 3D printed composites and compared with those of compression molded composites and neat LLDPE to understand the factors affecting their performance. It has been noted that the 3D printed composites have superior mechanical and electrical properties than neat LLDPE, but slightly lower compared to those of compression molded composites having high packing density of fillers. The nominal increases were 13.2% (tensile strength), 31.9% (flexural strength), 29.4% (flexural modulus) and 24.7% (storage modulus).     

Degradation of Thermal Barrier Coatings by Fuel Impurities and CMAS: Thermochemical Interactions and Mitigation Approaches

Degradation of free-standing yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) and CoNiCrAlY coatings (300 μm) due to V₂O₅ and a laboratory-synthesized CMAS was investigated at temperatures up to 1400 °C. Reactions, phase transformations, and microstructural development in coatings were examined by using x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The molten deposits destabilized the YSZ and reacted with the thermally grown oxide with various phase transformations and reaction product formation. A dense, continuous environmental barrier overlay, based on oxides, applied by electrophoretic deposition was effective in mitigating the molten deposit attack. Enriching CMAS composition with Al promoted the crystallization of anorthite platelets and MgAl₂O₄ spinel, and mitigated CMAS ingression. EPD MgO overlay was also effective in protection against V₂O₅ melt by formation of magnesium vanadates. EPD alumina overlay deposited on thermal barrier coatings with APS 8YSZ and bond-coated IN939 superalloy retained its adhesion and structural integrity after prolonged furnace thermal cycle test at 1100 °C.     

Performance evaluation of CBN,coated carbide,cryogenically treated uncoated/coated carbide inserts in finish-turning of hardened steel

In the present work, the performance of cubic boron nitride (CBN) inserts was compared with coated carbide and cryogenically treated coated/uncoated carbide inserts in terms of flank wear, surface roughness, white layer formation, and microhardness variation under dry cutting conditions for finish turning of hardened AISI H11 steel (48–49 HRC). The flank wear of CBN tools was observed to be lower than that of other inserts, but the accumulated machining time for all the four edges of carbide inserts were nearer to or better than the PCBN inserts. Results showed that tool life of carbide inserts decreased at higher cutting speeds. The surface roughness achieved under all cutting conditions for coated-carbide-treated/untreated inserts was comparable with that achieved with CBN inserts and was below 1.6 μm. The white layer formation and microhardness variation is less while turning with cryogenically treated carbide inserts than the CBN and untreated carbide. At low to medium cutting speed and feed, the performance of carbide inserts was comparable with CBN both in terms of tool life and surface integrity.     

Rheological Studies on Virgin and Metallized Unsymmetrical Dimethyl Hydrazine Gelled Systems

Rheological studies on unsymmetrical dimethyl hydrazine-methyl cellulose gelled system have been conducted under varying shear rates in order to establish its flow characteristics. The gel is found to behave as a pseudoplastic thixotrop. The viscosity build-up with respect to time has been traced till apparently a firm gel is set. The viscosity is found to increase with time rapidly in the beginning and minor changes are observed thereafter. The effect of temperature and extent of metal (Al and Mg) loading on apparent viscosity of the gelled system has also been investigated. Both the apparent viscosity and thixotropic character of the virgin gel are found to decrease with increase in temperature. An increase in rate of shear decreases the apparent viscosity significantly. The thixotropic character of the metallized gelled systems is observed to increase with metal content and that they exhibit a shearthinning behaviour too. Power law has been applied to assess the variation of pseudoplastic index n and consistency index K with temperature and metallization. The results reveal that n increases with temperature and decreases with metal loading whereas K shows an opposite trend. The yield value of gelled systems is noted to show decrease with temperature and increase with metal incorporation.     

Aminotetryls: Synthesis,spectral characterization,thermal decomposition and explosive properties

This paper describes the synthesis and spectral investigations of two amino derivatives of N-methyl-N-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)nitramine (tetryl). Also discussed are the results from thermal decomposition studies on the three explosives, viz. tetryl, 3-aminotetryl (3 AT) and 3,5-diaminotetryl (3,5 DAT) and preliminary work on the explosive properties of the last two compounds. The aminotetryls have been prepared by the amination of the corresponding chlorotetryls. The yield was 87% for 3 AT, but was only 33% for 3,5 DAT, probably due to steric crowding around the benzene nucleus. The mass spectra show interesting differences in the electron impact fragmentation patterns of the three tetryls with the M⁺ ion relative intensities following the order 3,5 DAT > 3 AT > tetryl, which could be due to (a) resonance stabilization and (b) hydrogen bonding effects. Evidence for the latter is also found in the infrared spectra of these compounds. Arrhenius kinetic parameters derived from thermal decomposition studies of the three compounds are presented and show that 3,5 DAT is thermally less stable than 3 AT. Explosive sensitiveness tests indicate that the diamino compound is the most sensitive, the trend being 3,5 DAT > 3 AT > tetryl. This is contrary to the generally found desensitizing influence of NH₂ groups on the thermal stability and explosive sensitiveness of trinitroaromatic energetic molecules. Mechanisms to account for the observed thermal decomposition behaviour and explosive sensitiveness patterns are discussed.     

A new method of determination of series and shunt resistances of silicon solar cells

A new method of measurement of series resistance R_s and shunt resistance R_sh of a silicon solar cell is presented. The method is based on the single exponential model and utilizes the steady state illuminated I–V characteristics in third and fourth quadrants and the V_oc–I_sc characteristics of the cell. It enables determination of values of R_sh and R_s with the intensity of illumination. For determination of R_s it does not require R_sh to be assumed infinite and realistic values of R_sh can be used. The method is very convenient to use and in the present study it has been applied to silicon solar cells having finite values of R_sh. We have found that R_sh is independent of intensity but the R_s decreases with both the intensity of illumination and the junction voltage.     

Laser diagnostics of soot precursors in a heavy-duty diesel engine at low-temperature combustion conditions

To better understand in-cylinder soot formation processes for modern, low-emissions, low-temperature combustion (LTC) operating conditions in diesel engines, soot and its precursors are imaged by laser diagnostics in a heavy duty optical engine. Virtually simultaneous images of planar laser-induced incandescence of soot (soot-PLII) using 1064 nm excitation and combined soot-PLII and planar laser-induced fluorescence of poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH-PLIF) using 532 nm excitation reveal the temporal and spatial evolution of soot and its precursors during combustion. With increasing dilution of the intake air stream by various levels of nitrogen to simulate the use of exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) to achieve LTC, the residence time of PAH increases as soot formation is delayed. At zero dilution (21% intake oxygen), soot appears nearly simultaneously with PAH, while at higher dilution (12.7% or 9.5% intake oxygen), soot formation is delayed by hundreds of microseconds to a millisecond or more. At all dilution levels, at its onset, PAH rapidly fills most of the downstream cross-section of the jet, with a relatively uniform fluorescence intensity distribution. The spatial evolution of soot, however, shifts from a relatively rapid filling of the downstream head of the jet at low dilution, to inception at the midstream periphery of the jet followed by a gradual progression downstream at high dilution. Effects of fuel-bound aromatics are also explored by comparing soot and PAH formation for a representative diesel fuel containing 27% aromatics by weight to that for neat n-heptane. The residence time of PAH before the onset of soot is slightly longer with the non-aromatic fuel, but otherwise the spatial and temporal evolution of PAH-PLIF and soot-PLII are indistinguishable from that of the diesel fuel at LTC conditions. Spectral analysis shows a characteristic soot emission spectra from 1064 nm excitation, while 532 nm excitation yields significant short-wavelength emission that cannot be attributed solely to soot incandescence, and is likely due to fluorescence of large PAH soot precursors. No narrow spectral features, such as from C2 or C3 emission, are apparent in the spectra, even at high laser fluence.     

An improved damage diagnostic technique based on Singular Spectrum Analysis and time series models

An approach to enhance the sensitivity of the damage index using the prediction errors of autoregressive – autoregressive exogenous models by augmenting Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) to detect and locate minor damage is presented. Numerical simulation studies are carried out by considering a simply supported beam with single and multiple cracks. An experimental study on a reinforced cement concrete beam has been carried out to validate the technique using different levels of damage. The studies emphasise that the SSA improves the sensitivity of the damage index for detection and also localisation, handling environmental/operational variability and measurement noise.     

Catalytic properties of dispersed iron oxides Fe2O3/MO2 (M = Zr,Ce, Ti and Si) for sulfuric acid decomposition reaction: Role of support

Supported iron oxides have been established as an important class of catalyst for high temperature sulfuric acid decomposition. With an objective to elucidate the role of support in modifying the overall catalytic properties of dispersed iron oxide catalysts, a series of supported iron oxide based catalysts, Fe₂O₃ (15 wt%)/MO₂ (M = Zr, Ce, Ti and Si), synthesized by adsorption-equilibrium method, is investigated for sulfuric acid decomposition reaction. The structure of dispersed iron oxide phases largely depended on the nature of the support oxide as revealed by the XRD and Mössbauer studies. α-Fe₂O₃ is found to be present as a major phase on ZrO₂ and CeO₂ support while ε-Fe₂O₃ was the major phase on silica supported iron oxide. On the other hand, presence of mixed oxide Fe₂TiO₅ was revealed over TiO₂ support. Strong dispersed metal oxide-support interactions inhibited the total reduction of the dispersed phase on SiO₂ and TiO₂ as compared to complete reduction of dispersed iron oxide on CeO₂ and ZrO₂ supports during temperature programmed reduction upto 1000 °C. The order of catalytic activity at a temperature of ～750 °C is observed as Fe₂O₃/SiO₂ > Fe₂TiO₅/TiO₂ > Fe₂O₃/ZrO₂ > Fe₂O₃/CeO₂, while at higher temperatures of ～900 °C the SO₂ yield is found to be comparable for all catalysts. A relationship between the rate of sulfate decomposition and catalytic activity is established through detailed TG-DTA investigations of sulfated catalyst and support. Considerable influence of the support oxide on the composition, structure, redox properties, morphology and catalytic activities of the active iron oxide dispersed phase has been observed. Thus, the support oxides operate as a critical component in the complex supported metal oxide catalysts and these findings might influence the design and development of future high temperature sulfuric acid decomposition catalysts.