Characterization of Synthetic-Coal Char Particles using fractal dimension analysis

The development and change of surface ruggedness in chars was studied at conditions typical in a pulverized coal furnace. The fractal dimension, a measure of surface ruggedness, of chars was measured using physisorption techniques. By adjusting the temperature encountered (1173 to 1773 K) and residence time (0.1 to 1.5 s) of the synthetic coal (sized to 46–106 μm diameter), chars at different stages of combustion were prepared in a laminar flow (drop-tube) furnace. The particles were quickly cooled and quenched in an inert atmosphere. The samples were examined using a scanning electron microprobe, and their fractal dimensions were determined using gas physisorption. The adsorption data were used to test if the char surface was fractal on a molecular scale, to determine the fractal dimension, and to quantify changes in the fractal dimension during combustion. The fractal dimension of the unburned synthetic coal was approximately 2. The fractal dimension increased as high as 2.85 as the carbon matrix burned away and exposed mineral moieties. However, as combustion continued the carbon burned completely away leaving a mineral fly ash particle with a fractal dimension as low as 2.47.     

Convective burning of pressed aluminum-ammonium perchlorate charges

The convective burning of pressed aluminum-ammonium perchlorate (AP) charges with a porosity of 7 to 18% was studied. The experiments were performed at pressures of up to 300 MPa in a constant volume bomb provided with means for recording pressure-time diagrams, and in a nozzle setup equipped with a streak photocamera and piezoelectric pressure gauges. In contrast to loose-packed-density charges, which are highly explosive, the burning of pressed aluminum-AP charges propagates without marked acceleration, with a moderate velocity and a relatively slow rise in pressure in the bomb. The basic regularities were studied, and the key factors that determine the characteristics of convective burning, such as the aluminum particle shape (when a finely dispersed spherical-particle powder was replaced by a flaky aluminum powder with the same speciic surface area, the convective burning velocity decreased by more than an order of magnitude), ratio of mixture components, and charge porosity, were identified. The effects of the ammonium perchlorate particle size, an organic additive, and the ignitor mass were also studied. The experimental data were analyzed by invoking numerical modeling. The calculations were performed using a program developed earlier based on a model of the convective burning of aluminum-AP mixtures. The calculation results, which were in qualitative agreement with the available experimental data, made it possible to explain the main experimentally observed regularities. The compositions tested and the results obtained are of considerable interest for designing convective-burning charges for multipurpose pulse engines and thermo-and gas generators with operation durations from a few milliseconds to several tens of milliseconds.     

Phonon spectrum in a plasma crystal

The Fourier spectra of longitudinal and transverse waves corresponding to random particle motion were measured in a two-dimensional plasma crystal. The crystal was composed of negatively charged microspheres immersed in a plasma at a low gas pressure. The phonons were found to obey a dispersion relation that assumes a Yukawa interparticle potential. The crystal was in a nonthermal equilibrium, nevertheless phonon energies were almost equally distributed with respect to wave number over the entire first Brillouin zone.     

Material Studies in a High Energy Spark Gap

The chemical interactions and physical processes occurring in a high energy spark gap with different combinations of gases, electrodes, and insulators were studied. The electrodes studied were graphite and a tungsten-copper composite; the insulators were Lexan and Blue Nylon; and the gases were N2 and SF6. The gas composition was monitored with a mass spectrometer. Spectroscopic techniques were used to observe the arc channel. The electrode surfaces were studied with several surface analysis techniques, including scanning electron microscopy, electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis, Auger electron spectroscopy, and X-ray fluorescence. The breakdown voltage distribution was examined for different material combinations. The plasma chemistry processes involving the gas, electrode, and insulator materials were found to affect the voltage self-breakdown distribution. The detailed surface analysis gave information about the nature of the chemical processes. The presence of Blue Nylon seemed to have a more adverse effect than Lexan and graphite seemed to have a narrower voltage distribution than the tungsten-copper composite.     

Effect on flow properties of tin-stabilized rigid PVC by PE paraffins having different degrees of branching

The processing properties of a rigid PVC compound with various amounts of different lubricants were studied with a torque rheometer. The plasticizing behavior was measured in a mixer and recorded as torque versus time. The fusion time and the torque at fusion and of the molten material were evaluated. The compounds were extruded with a laboratory extruder and a capillary die. The torque of the screw, the melt pressure, and temperature in the barrel and the die and the output were measured. The shear stress and shear rate were calculated from these results. The lubricants, one paraffin and five polyethylenes, had molecular weights of 700 to 3500. The dependence of the processing behavior on the molecular weight of the lubricants is discussed. There is no single value which can be given but numerous interdependent parameters can be used to obtain a prediction of the processing properties of the material.     

Ultrasonic characterization of ceramic fibres at ambient and elevated temperatures

A non-destructive laser-generated ultrasonic inspection system has been developed to evaluate the elastic properties of ceramic fibres. The approach uses a pulsed Nd:YAG laser to excite ultrasonic signals in fibres. The signal is detected by a piezoelectric acoustic emission transducer to obtain the appropriate frequency response suitable for an elastically one-dimensional sample. By using a differential time-of-flight system, a very accurate measure of the velocity can be obtained in the fibre, with a total scatter of less than 0.5%. This approach has been used to investigate the Young's modulus of polycrystalline carbon and boron fibres as a function of stress. Both types of fibres were found to have a Young's modulus increase as greater applied loads were imposed. The carbon and boron fibres, along with silicon carbide fibres, were evaluated at elevated temperatures up to 700 °C. The carbon fibres were found to have an immediate decrease in the Young's modulus as the temperature was increased, due to oxidation of the carbon. The Young's modulus of the boron fibres decreased only at temperatures higher than 200 °C, probably the result of a microstructural transformation or relaxation. The silicon carbide fibres were found to have no significant change in the elastic properties up to 700 °C. The ultrasonic technique was also applied to polycrystalline alumina fibres and fibre tows between ambient temperature and 1200 °C in a specially designed furnace. Using this technique, it was possible to distinguish the changes in the elasticity of the alumina fibres as they were processed into -alumina. The change in the Young's modulus was readily apparent during phase transformations to -alumina. In addition, the ultrasonic velocity can be used to infer information concerning any coatings that were applied to the alumina fibres. This can be used to aid in the quantification of the coating thickness and uniformity. The application of the ultrasonic inspection system has demonstrated the ability to determine rapidly and non-destructively the elastic properties in ceramic fibres. The information gained from the measurements can be used as a quality assurance technique, or can be modified to be a real-time process control/process monitoring system.     

Sound quality characteristics of refrigerator noise in real living environments with relation to psychoacoustical and autocorrelation function parameters

Psychoacoustical and autocorrelation function (ACF) parameters were employed to describe the temporal fluctuations of refrigerator noise during starting, transition into/from the stationary phase and termination of operation. The temporal fluctuations of refrigerator noise include a click at start-up, followed by a rapid increase in volume, a change of pitch, and termination of the operation. Subjective evaluations of the noise of 24 different refrigerators were conducted in a real living environment. The relationship between objective measures and perceived noisiness was examined by multiple regression analysis. Sound quality indices were developed based on psychoacoustical and ACF parameters. The psychoacoustical parameters found to be important for evaluating noisiness in the stationary phase were loudness and roughness. The relationship between noisiness and ACF parameters shows that sound energy and its fluctuations are important for evaluating noisiness. Also, refrigerator sounds that had a fluctuation of pitch were rated as more annoying. The tolerance level for the starting phase of refrigerator noise was found to be 33 dBA, which is the level where 65% of the participants in the subjective tests were satisfied.     

Comodulation detection differences using noise-band signals

In a variant of the standard paradigm employed to study comodulation masking release (CMR), a narrow noise band was used as a signal in the presence of "cue" bands which had either the same or different temporal envelopes. The number of cue bands present ranged from zero to four; when there were two or four cue bands, they were either all presented at the same overall level or the spectral profile was "scrambled" in a haphazard manner. Different noise samples were presented within and across trials. The result was in the opposite direction from the standard CMR outcome; that is, better performance was obtained when the envelopes of the cue band(s) were uncorrelated with those of the signal band than when they were correlated. These comodulation detection differences (CDDs) ranged from a decibel or two up to 10-12 dB in different conditions, and were generally larger the more cue bands present. Standard CMR conditions, which were run as controls, revealed that the detectability of a tonal signal does not increase as the number of cue bands is increased from one to four-an outcome which differs from those obtained in profile analysis experiments. The data taken with the equal-level and the scrambled-level cues differed little in both the CDD and the CMR conditions. All noise bands were 100 Hz wide, and approximately 250 ms in duration. The signal band in CDD and the masker band in CMR were centered at 2500 Hz. The psychophysical procedure was two-interval forced choice.     

Frequency and level dependent masking of the multiple auditory steady-state response in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)

The potential for interactions between steady-state evoked responses to simultaneous auditory stimuli was investigated in two bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Three experiments were conducted using either a probe stimulus (probe condition) or a probe in the presence of a masker (probe-plus-masker condition). In the first experiment, the probe and masker were sinusoidal amplitude-modulated (SAM) tones. Probe and masker frequencies and masker level were manipulated to provide variable masking conditions. Probe frequencies were 31.7, 63.5, 100.8, and 127.0 kHz. The second experiment was identical to the first except only the 63.5 kHz probe was used and maskers were pure tones. For the third experiment, thresholds were measured for the probe and probe-plus-masker conditions using two techniques, one based on the lowest detectable response and the other based on a regression analysis. Results demonstrated localized masking effects where lower frequency maskers suppressed higher frequency probes and higher amplitude maskers produced a greater masking effect. The pattern of pure tone masking was nearly identical to SAM tone masking. The two threshold estimates were similar in low masking conditions, but in high masking conditions the lowest detectable response tended to overestimate thresholds while the regression-based analysis tended to underestimate thresholds.     

Experiments evaluating holograms in professional communication

The potential of holograms to achieve improved communication in education and training tasks has been investigated. Experiments in education have been carried out at the secondary level and additionally observations of pupil reactions have been observed for younger children. The holograms were found to command attention which is an important aspect of teaching. Some typical examples of the use of holograms included communication of visual information recorded from rare museum exhibits and science examples in physics and biology. The holograms were capable of displaying images in true perspective, thus conveying the same information as a model or real object, but being conviniently reproduced and requiring a minimum of maintenance and storage space.

The experiments were extended to training in two study areas where interest was expressed by tutors and there was a willingness to cooperate in the creation and use of training material in holographic form. The areas concerned were in foundry technology and textiles. The requirements in foundry technology were to assist students in the comprehension of the solid form from engineering drawings and the reverse requirement to produce adequate engineering drawings to define a cast form. In the textile case holograms were used to assist the comprehension of the relationship between stitch form and fabric properties and to identify machine faults from stitch irregularities.

The number of students formally tested was small leaving statistical analysis inconclusive, but tutors using holograms found that students learned faster when holograms were made available. As a parallel investigation, three undergraduate engineering students used holographic communication as the subject of their project. Subjects included a tutorial display of a carburettor showing the outside form with air and fuel passages in correct perspective. Other examples showed the transmission arrangement in a Mercedes car and the arrangement of cams for a new ‘Locstitch’ textile machine. Holograms also found use in communication between a UK laboratory and overseas manufacturer to explain the effect of bearing lubricant cavitation.

The work was carried out during a period of rapid development of the holographic process and the initial holograms were difficult to use since they required special monochromatic light sources. Later developments used white light reflection holograms which were much more convinient to use. The cost of producing holograms can also be expected to fall. All holograms used in the trials were individually made in the laboratory, but developments in ‘printed’ holograms promise reduced costs in the future. It is to be expected that holograms will in future be used in distance learning packages and possibly in textbooks.     

A multilayered element resonator for CW-ESR and longitudinally detected ESR at radio frequency

The design and evaluation of a multilayered element resonator (MLR), which consists of multiple layers of half-loop conductor plates and insulator sheets, are presented. An MLR and a bridge shielded loop-gap resonator (BLGR), which have similar sizes and resonant frequencies, were fabricated to compare their performances. Using the MLR and the BLGR, the modulation field width and signal intensity of a phantom containing a nitroxide radical were measured by employing a continuous-wave electron spin resonance (CW-ESR) technique at a radio frequency of 300 MHz. Using the same resonators, the longitudinally detected ESR (LODESR) signal intensities of the phantom were also compared. The loadedQ values of the resonators were almost the same. The modulation widths in the MLR were significantly wider than those in the BLGR when the modulation coils were driven at the same voltage. The signal intensities of CW-ESR and LODESR from the phantom in the MLR were significantly greater than those from the BLGR. Since eddy currents disturb the penetration of the modulation field in CW-ESR or detection of changes in magnetization in LODESR observations, these results show that, in the MLR, the eddy currents were suppressed to a greater degree than in the BLGR.     

铝单丝Z箍缩形成无核冕结构的物理分析

针对铝单丝Z箍缩负载,计算其可形成金属蒸气而不形成核冕等离子体的电路和负载参数范围。提出了铝丝电爆炸形成金属蒸气的能量沉积判据和击穿电压判据;建立了热动力学模型,选取电路参数使得金属丝气化时放电回路电流恰好迅速下降,从而避免发生电压击穿。计算了典型电路下的负载电流、电压、电阻及沉积能量的变化曲线,并分析了回路总电感、充电电压以及负载丝长度、直径对其的影响规律。计算结果表明:当储能电容为150pF、充电电压为65kV、回路电感为300nH时,可驱动直径20μm、长2cm的铝丝电爆炸形成铝丝蒸气。快电流前沿、小丝直径和较短的丝长度有助于提高负载中的单位质量沉积能量,容易电爆炸形成金属蒸气负载。     

NLOphoric Red Emitting Bis Coumarins with O-BF<Subscript>2</Subscript>-O core - Synthesis,Photophysical Properties and DFT Studies

The red emitting dyes were synthesized by employing coumarin core as a donor and boron-bonded coumarin as an acceptor. 7-(N,N-Diethylamino)-coumarin 3-aldehyde was reacted with 3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-coumarin, 7-(N,N-diethylamino)-3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-coumarin and 3-acetyl-4-hydroxy-1-methyl-quinolone to form the corresponding chalcones. The synthesized chalcones were though red shifted as compared to the parent coumarin, and were not emitting in red region. The BF₂-complexation was used as a tool to introduce a red shift in the molecules. The BF₂-complexes synthesized were found to be red emitting and show higher one photon absorption cross section. The solvatochromism shown by these dyes was studied in the light of solvent polarity parameters. DFT calculations were used to understand the photophysical properties of the synthesized dyes. NLO properties of the dyes were estimated by solvatochromic and computational methods. All the molecules synthesized were characterised with the HRMS and NMR spectral Analysis.     

The use of combined trace element XRF and EDXRD data as a histopathology tool using a multivariate analysis approach in characterizing breast tissue

The concentrations of K, Fe, Cu and Zn were measured in 77 breast tissue samples (38 classified as normal and 39 classified as diseased) using x‐ray fluorescence (XRF) techniques. The coherent scattering profiles were also measured using energy‐dispersive x‐ray diffraction (EDXRD), from which the proportions of adipose and fibrous tissue in the samples were estimated. The data from 30 normal samples and 30 diseased samples were used as a training set to construct two calibration models, one using a partial least‐squares (PLS) regression and one using a principal component analysis (PCA) for a soft independent modelling of class analogy (SIMCA) technique. The data from the remaining samples, eight normal and nine diseased, were presented to each model and predictions were made of the tissue characteristics. Three data groups were tested, XRF, EDXRD and a combination of both. The XRF data alone proved to be most unreliable indicator of disease state with both types of analysis. The EDXRD data were an improvement, but with both methods of modelling the ability to predict the tissue type most accurately was by using a combination of the data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Temperature coefficient of resistance of thin metal films on ceramic surfaces

The temperature coefficients (TCR) of vacuum-deposited thin-metal-film resistors were measured in vacuum, air, argon, and silicone oil, and different characteristics were obtained. The resistors were made by evaporating a nickel-chrome alloy (Nichrome 80 to 20) in vacuum onto ceramic substrates to produce a 500-ohms-persquare film. Measurements were made of films which were uncoated and of films which were coated with a protection layer of silicone monoxide in thicknesses from 5000 to 10000 å. When measured under vacuum, the resistors displayed a TCR which was lower than that obtained in air, argon, or silicone oil. In an argon environment, the resistors had lower TCR characteristics than they had in air or silicone oil. Even when the resistor films were protected by a 10000-å-thick layer of silicone monoxide, their TCR behavior differed in different gas environments. Most of the TCR's measured in the temperature range from ?55Ω to +150Ω C were between 5 and 50 parts per million per degree centigrade.     

Driving forces for elemental demixing of GeSbTe in phase-change memory: Computational study to design a durable device

Elemental separation in phase-change volume is critical for the endurance of phase-change memory (PCM). The joule heating-induced phase transformation, which is a switching mechanism of PCM, generates driving forces, such as a high-density current and a temperature gradient, for atomic migration. Although identifying and quantifying driving forces are important to design a reliable device, it is difficult to analyze these forces because the devices have tiny and complex configurations. In this study, we analytically investigated the driving forces for mass transport in PCM using a finite differential method, and we suggested the design rules for suppressing mass transport-driven failures in the device. The driving forces were divided into electrical-, thermal-, mechanical-, and chemical-driven forces and were quantified. The effects on driving forces of both the scale of device and the current density for switching were studied, and the changes in mass transport behavior were investigated. The results were used to suggest a margin of scaling and a range of reset current for high-endurance PCM devices.     

基于RL特征的光学公式识别方法

提出了一种光学公式识别与分析的新方法,在公式符号提取与识别中采用RL(Run_length)特征以提高识别率。采用二层连通区域搜索算法提取公式符号的图像,其中第一层为基于RL特征的符号提取,得到复合符号的整体连通区域;第二层为传统搜索方法,进一步确定这些复合符号中包含的单一符号。设计了专门的公式符号识别器,对公式符号进行识别;根据符号间的语义信息和几何关系得到公式的逻辑结构;最终表达为公式结构树。在对印刷文献中所含公式的识别实验中取得了较好的效果,表明该方法具有良好的应用前景。     

Synthesis of tin nanorods via a sonochemical method combined with a polyol process

Metallic tin nanorods were synthesized by a sonochemical method employing the polyol process. In the reaction a solution of SnCl2 in ethylene glycol was exposed to high-intense ultrasound irradiation. The phase and elemental compositions, and thermal properties of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by XRD, EDX, SAED, XPS, DSC, TGA, and BET measurements. The morphologies of the products were further characterized with SEM, TEM, and HRTEM. The results show that crystallized metallic tin nanorods in diameters of 50-100 nm and in lengths of up to 3 microm were synthesized. The nanorods are encapsulated in a thin layer containing Ti and carbon compounds. On the basis of the obtained data, a possible mechanism of the formation of tin nanorods was proposed.     

Different auditory filter bandwidth estimates based on profile analysis, notched noise, and hybrid tasks

Auditory filter bandwidths were estimated in three experiments. The first experiment was a profile-analysis experiment. The stimuli were composed of sinusoidal components ranging in frequency from 200 to 5000 Hz. The standard stimulus was the sum of equal-amplitude tones, and the signal stimulus had a power spectrum that varied up-down ... up-down. The number of components ranged from four to 60. Interval-by-interval level randomization prevented the change in level of a single component from reliably indicating the change from standard to signal. The second experiment was a notched-noise experiment in which the 1000-Hz tone to be detected was added to a noise with a notch arithmetically centered at 1000 Hz. Detection thresholds were estimated both in the presence of and in the absence of level randomization. In the third, hybrid, experiment a 1000-Hz tone was to be detected, and the masker was composed of equal-amplitude sinusoidal components ranging in frequency from 200 to 5000 Hz. For this experiment, thresholds were estimated both in the presence and absence of level variation. For both the notched-noise and hybrid experiments, only modest effects of level randomization were obtained. A variant of Durlach et al.'s channel model ["Towards a model for discrimination of broadband signals," J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 80, 63-72 (1986)] was used to estimate auditory filter bandwidths for all three experiments. When a two-parameter roex(p,r) filter weighting function was used to fit the data, bandwidth estimates were approximately two to three times as large for the two detection tasks than for the profile-analysis task.     

The effects of rehydration on phonation in excised canine larynges

Experiments using excised canine larynges were conducted to study the restoration of vocal efficiency in dehydrated larynges. Excised larynges were dehydrated with warm, dry air to the point that airflow through the approximated vocal folds would not entrain the folds to produce phonation. The dehydrated vocal folds were then bathed in a saline solution. The rehydrated larynges were then remounted on the bench apparatus that enabled phonation with a constant humidified airflow, and measurements were made of phonation threshold pressure, glottal airflow, and amplitude. Hydration resulted in significantly increased efficiency and decrease in phonation threshold pressure. The findings confirm clinical impressions that hydration is critical in the physiology of normal phonation.