Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethanes Containing Polyisobutylene/Poly(tetramethylene oxide) Mixed Segments

We investigated the thermal properties, microphase separated structure and mechanical properties of a series of thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs) containing both polyisobutylene (PIB) and poly(tetramethylene oxide) (PTMO) diols in the soft segment (SS). A series of TPUs were prepared with the same weight fraction of the SS but different ratio between PIB and PTMO diols. Molecular weight of the PTMO diol and chemical structure of the hard segment (HS) also varied. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) measurements did not reveal strong microphase separation between PIB and PTMO in the SS. While it has been assumed that incorporating PTMO diol into the SS can enhance the phase mixing between the hard segment (HS) and SS, our results indicated that, in most cases, the degree of microphase separation of TPUs based on mixed diols is slightly higher than that of TPUs based on only PIB diol.     

Flow and breakup characteristics of elliptical liquid jets

This paper presents the results of an experimental study on liquid jets discharging from elliptical orifices into still ambient air. The experiments were conducted with a set of elliptical orifices of approximately same area of cross section but varying orifice aspect ratio using water and water–glycerol mixture as experimental fluids. The flow behavior of liquid jets was analyzed using their photographs captured by an imaging system. The measurements obtained for the elliptical liquid jets were compared with the circular liquid jets discharging from a circular orifice of the same area of cross section. Elliptical geometry of the orifice results in a flow process by which the emanating liquid jet periodically switches its major and minor axes as it flows downstream of the orifice. In this paper, we attempt to characterize the axis-switching process through its wavelength and amplitude. For a given elliptical orifice, the axis-switching process is dominantly seen in a particular range of flow conditions. The effects of the orifice aspect ratio and liquid viscosity on the axis-switching process are revealed through this study. The experimental results on jet breakup show that axis-switching process has a destabilizing effect on elliptical liquid jets within a particular range of flow conditions and it results in shorter breakup lengths compared to the circular jet. The extent to which axis-switching destabilizes the jet is dictated by the viscosity of liquid. An increase in orifice aspect ratio destabilizes elliptical liquid jets with low viscosity like water; however, this behavior seems to get obscured in water–glycerol mixture elliptical jets due to high viscosity.     

Crystallization kinetics of Ti20Zr20Cu60 metallic glass by isoconversional methods using modulated differential scanning calorimetry

The study of crystallization kinetics of amorphous alloys has been a matter of great interest for material researchers for past few decades, since it provides information about the kinetic parameters i.e., activation energy of crystallization and the frequency factor. These kinetic parameters can be calculated by model-free isoconversional methods. Isoconversional methods allow calculating the activation energy as a function of degree of conversion, α. Hence, these methods provide accurate results for multistep processes like crystallization. Model-free methods are categorized as linear and non-linear isoconversional methods. Linear methods are further classified as linear differential and linear integral isoconversional methods. In present work, we have used these isoconversional methods to study the effect of non-linear heating rate, employed by modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC), on the non-isothermal crystallization kinetics of Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Cu₆₀ metallic glass. For Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Cu₆₀, MDSC curves clearly indicate a two-step crystallization process. Both crystallization peaks were studied based on the modified expressions for isoconversional methods by non-linear heating rate. The term corresponding to non-linearity comes out to be (A _T ω/2β)². The effect of non-linear heating rate on measurement of kinetic parameters by isoconversional methods is studied. The activation energy of crystallization is calculated for Ti₂₀Zr₂₀Cu₆₀ metallic glass for various degrees of conversion by linear integral isoconversional methods i.e., Ozawa–Flynn–Wall, Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose, and also with Friedman method which is a linear differential isoconversional method.     

Chemotaxis driven instability of a confined bacterial suspension

A suspension of bacteria in a thin channel or film subject to a gradient in the concentration of a chemoattractant, will develop, in the absence of an imposed fluid flow, a steady bacteria concentration field that depends exponentially on cross-stream position. Above a critical bacteria concentration, this quiescent base state is unstable to a steady convective motion driven by the active stresses induced by the bacteria's swimming. Unlike previously identified long-wavelength instabilities of active fluids, this instability results from coupling of the bacteria concentration field with the disturbance flow.     

Buoyancy effects on flow transition in low-density inertial gas jets

Effects of buoyancy on transition from laminar to turbulent flow are presented for a momentum-dominated helium jet injected into ambient air. The buoyancy was varied in a 2.2 s drop tower facility without affecting the remaining operating parameters. The jet flow in Earth gravity and microgravity was visualized using the rainbow schlieren deflectometry apparatus. Results show significant changes in the flow structure and transition behavior with change of buoyancy.