Synthesis of chemically and structurally modified dicalcium silicate

This paper describes the synthesis of cements, chemically and structurally related to Ca₂SiO₄. Silica was obtained from rice hull after heating at 600 °C. Calcium oxide and small amounts of barium chloride were mixed in order to obtain a final (Ca/Si) or (Ca+Ba)/Si ratio equal to 1.95, 1.90, and 1.80, which is lower than in the conventional cement. The solids were mixed and ultrasonically treated for 1 h with a water/solid ratio of about 20. After drying and grinding, the mixtures were heated up to 1100 °C. It was possible, in some cases, to obtain a cementitious material. These cements are structurally related to β-Ca₂SiO₄ and the lower (Ca+Ba)/Si ratio obtained was 1.95. The initial chemical compositions of these cements are: (Ca_1.83+Ba_0.12)SiO₄ and (Ca_1.79+Ba_0.16)SiO₄. A further lowering in the (Ca+Ba)/Si ratio changes the nature of the silicates.     

Efficient procedure for computing fields created by current modes

An efficient method for computing the fields of large scatterers is presented. The current is expanded in terms of modes defined as complex exponential functions. The modes are represented efficiently by means of spline functions. Analytical expressions have been obtained to compute efficiently the fields due to the current modes.     

First Harmonic (2f) Characterisation of Resonant Frequency and Q-Factor of Micromechanical Transducers

In this paper, the response to the first harmonic component (2f) of the electrostatic force in single terminal driven electrostatic comb-drive and parallel-plate drive was used as a signal to extract device parameters, namely, the Q-factor and resonant frequency instead of the fundamental (1f) resonance response. It is shown that the difficulty in motional measurement due to electrical cross-talk (parasitics) using 1f measurement can be overcome with a higher signal-to-noise ratio of the 2f signal. Both atmospheric (low-Q) and reduced pressure environment were investigated using off-chip electronics and lock-in amplifier. The measurements were done on the electrostatic comb-drive and capacitive parallel plate sensing plates that form the two core modules of a yaw rate sensor (dual-axis resonator). The effects of AC and DC bias voltages on the measured response have been investigated. Experimental amplitude and phase response data have been analysed using the Lorentzian curve-fit, Resonance Curve Area (RCA) method, the half-power bandwidth method (3 dB) and the Nyquist plot for data fitting and determination of the Q-factor and resonance frequency.     

Failure mechanisms in viscoelastic films

This paper presents the results of tensile tests on viscoelastic films of two materials: a 100 pen bitumen and a commercial corn syrup. Experiments were performed using double-cantilever beam specimens, and butt-joint specimens, for a wide range of testing conditions. Failure by brittle fracture, voiding, and various viscous flow mechanisms was observed. The results are presented in the form of maps and are discussed in conjunction with appropriate mathematical models.     

Synthesis and properties of star-like wholly aromatic polyester fibers

Novel star-like wholly aromatic copolyesters having four arms based on a tetraamine star core, p- and m- hydroxybenzoic acids and 6-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid have been successfully synthesized and spun into fibers for the investigation of the effect of the star-like structure on improving compressive properties of the fiber. The reactivity of the star core was demonstrated using a model compound with FTIR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The ¹³C NMR spectrum of the star-like terpolymer having a molar ratio of 10:1 of the monomers to star core showed a characteristic peak at around δ62 ppm which corresponds to a tetra-substituted carbon and thereby demonstrates that the star core was really incorporated into the polymer. The star-like copolyester exhibited a clear stir opalescence and liquid crystalline morphology in the temperature range of 150-280 °C. However, no transition was observed in the DSC thermogram except a clear T_g at 110 °C. The star-like terpolymer fiber, prepared from a polymer with a molar ratio of 500:1 for the monomers to imide core, was spun in the liquid crystalline state at 180 °C. Fiber structure and properties have been studied.     

Earing in cup drawing face-centered cubic single crystals and polycrystals

A simple model of flange behavior during cup drawing was used to predict the earing profile of deep-drawn cups. The relationship between yield surface shape and earing tendency was established, with plane stress yielding corresponding to no hold-down pressure on the flange and plane strain corresponding to no thickening. Using the Schmid law, the earing model was applied to the case of a single crystal in cube position and compared to Tucker’s well-known results.^[6] For the plane strain case, good agreement was obtained with the experiment; but for plane stress, the predicted profile did not agree with the experimental one. Using the Taylor/ Bishop and Hill (TBH) theory^[8,9] and measured crystallite orientation distribution functions (CODF), the model was applied to the case of high-purity aluminum sheet with various cold-rolling reductions (35, 60, 80, and 90 pct). The major experimental trends were again correctly predicted by the plane strain case.     

A diagonalized multilevel fast multipole method with spherical harmonics expansion of the k-space Integrals

Diagonalization of the fast multipole method (FMM) for the Helmholtz equation is usually achieved by expanding the multipole representation in propagating plane waves. The resulting k-space integral over the Ewald sphere is numerically evaluated. Storing the k-space quadrature samples of the method of moments (MoM) basis functions constitutes a large portion of the overall memory requirements of the resulting algorithm for solving the integral equations of scattering and radiation problems. In this paper, it is proposed to expand the k-space representation of the basis functions by spherical harmonics in order to reduce the sampling redundancy introduced by numerical quadrature rules. Aggregations, plane wave translations, and disaggregations in the realized multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM) are carried out using the k-space samples of a numerical quadrature rule. However, the incoming plane waves on the finest MLFMM level are expanded in spherical harmonics again. Thus, due to the orthonormality of spherical harmonics, the testing integrals for the individual testing functions are simplified into series over products of spherical harmonics expansion coefficients. Overall, the resulting MLFMM can save a considerable amount of memory without compromising accuracy and numerical speed.     

Managing information technology in the nineties

Business, not technology leaders should manage the change of Information Technology (IT) from a self-contained business support unit of the sixties to a distributed strategic business function of the nineties. Top management should recognize that a good business plan can only be developed and executed through the partnership between the business unit managers and the managers of the financial, the personnel, and the IT resource units. The technical problems associated with the management of IT may again be the easier part of the total management challenge.     

Multilayer isotherms of neon adsorbed on exfoliated graphite

Isotherms of neon adsorbed on compressed exfoliated graphite were measured, using a standard volumetric method, in the temperature interval of 12–24 K for the four first layers. The critical temperatures for the first three layers were determined to be 16.0±1.0, 19.0±1.0 K, and 18.0±1.0 K, respectively. From the isotherms, the isosteric heats of adsorption were calculated as a function of coverage, indicating some interesting features, which may be attributed to possible phase transitions. The isosteric heat of adsorption for the fourth layer on,Q _st/R=.275 K, is comparable to the three-dimensional latent heat of sublimation 256 K at the triple point. The binding energies for the first, second, and third layers were obtained from the isosteric heats as V → 0, yielding 302.5, 237.5, and 227.5 K, respectively. The differential molar entropies and internal molar energies were also calculated as a function of coverage. The possibility of a coexistence region with two solids having different structures in the phase diagram for the first layer is discussed. Whenever possible, the results are compared with theoretical evaluations and previous experimental data.