Enhancement of mechanical strength in Y–Ba–Cu–O bulk superconductor through liquid binder addition

We have studied the effects of the liquid binder (polyvinyl alcohol) addition (0–10 wt%) on the mechanical properties of the green compacts and also on the superconducting properties of bulk Y–Ba–Cu–O superconductors of 20 mm diameter produced with the top-seeded melt growth (TSMG) process. The mechanical properties of the green compacts with binder addition were characterized with the compression tests, which revealed that mechanical strength increased dramatically with increasing the amount of the binder addition. The binder-added green compacts were then subjected to the TSMG process and oxygen annealing. The trapped field measurements showed that we could produce single-grain bulk Y–Ba–Cu–O samples with binder additions up to 8 wt% without any deterioration in the superconducting properties.     

Effect of porous material compression on the sound transmission of a covered single leaf panel

In this paper, the authors examine the effect of compressing a poroelastic fibrous layer lined with an isotropic plate on the sound transmission loss (TL). For this purpose, a 2-in. thick fibrous material and two isotropic plates with critical frequencies around 2300 Hz and 9700 Hz were used. The transfer matrix method was applied and the porous layer was assumed to have either a rigid, limp or elastic frame. Current models of compression are outlined, and measurements of the airflow resistivity as a function of compression show that these models are suitable only for low compression rates. TL predictions are compared next to experimental data in a range between 100 Hz and 10000 Hz for three compression rates, corresponding to 0%, 20% and 50%. The fibrous is uniformly compressed over 100% of its surface. Our experiments showed that compression reduces the TL by a maximum of 5 dB for a 50% compression, mainly at the mid-frequency range, around 800 Hz. This is due to a resonance in the thickness of the porous material, increasing the radiation efficiency of the structure at mid-frequencies. Moreover, reduction of the porous thickness and increase of the airflow resistivity with compression are the variations influencing the most the TL of the structure. These trends were also detected with the limp and rigid frame models but with a lower degree of accuracy compared to the elastic frame model.     

Quantification of intervertebral displacement with a novel MRI-based modeling technique: Assessing measurement bias and reliability with a porcine spine model

The purpose of this study was to develop a novel magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based modeling technique for measuring intervertebral displacements. Here, we present the measurement bias and reliability of the developmental work using a porcine spine model. Porcine lumbar vertebral segments were fitted in a custom-built apparatus placed within an externally calibrated imaging volume of an open-MRI scanner. The apparatus allowed movement of the vertebrae through pre-assigned magnitudes of sagittal and coronal translation and rotation. The induced displacements were imaged with static (T₁) and fast dynamic (2D HYCE S) pulse sequences. These images were imported into animation software, in which these images formed a background ‘scene’. Three-dimensional models of vertebrae were created using static axial scans from the specimen and then transferred into the animation environment. In the animation environment, the user manually moved the models (rotoscoping) to perform model-to-‘scene’ matching to fit the models to their image silhouettes and assigned anatomical joint axes to the motion-segments. The animation protocol quantified the experimental translation and rotation displacements between the vertebral models. Accuracy of the technique was calculated as ‘bias’ using a linear mixed effects model, average percentage error and root mean square errors. Between-session reliability was examined by computing intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the coefficient of variations (CV). For translation trials, a constant bias (β₀) of 0.35 (± 0.11) mm was detected for the 2D HYCE S sequence (p = 0.01). The model did not demonstrate significant additional bias with each mm increase in experimental translation (β₁Displacement = 0.01 mm; p = 0.69). Using the T₁ sequence for the same assessments did not significantly change the bias (p > 0.05). ICC values for the T₁ and 2D HYCE S pulse sequences were 0.98 and 0.97, respectively. For rotation trials, a constant bias (β₀) of 0.62 (± 0.12)° was detected for the 2D HYCE S sequence (p < 0.01). The model also demonstrated an additional bias (β₁Displacement) of 0.05° with each degree increase in the experimental rotation (p < 0.01). Using T₁ sequence for the same assessments did not significantly change the bias (p > 0.05). ICC values for the T₁ and 2D HYCE S pulse sequences were recorded 0.97 and 0.91, respectively. This novel quasi-static approach to quantifying intervertebral relationship demonstrates a reasonable degree of accuracy and reliability using the model-to-image matching technique with both static and dynamic sequences in a porcine model. Future work is required to explore multi-planar assessment of real-time spine motion and to examine the reliability of our approach in humans.     

Effective atomic number and density determination of rocks by X-ray microtomography

Microtomography, as a non-destructive technique, has become an important tool in studies of internal properties of materials. Recently, interest using this methodology in characterizing the samples with respect to their compositions, especially rocks, has grown. Two physical properties, density and effective atomic number, are important in determining the composition of rocks. In this work, six samples of materials with densities that varied from 2.42 to 6.84 g/cm³ and effective atomic numbers from 15.0 to 77.3 were studied. The measurements were made using a SkyScan-Bruker 1172 microtomography apparatus operating in voltages at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 kV with a resolution of 13.1 μm. Through micro-CT images, an average gray scale was calculated for the samples and correlation studies of this value with the density and the effective atomic number of samples were made. Linear fits were obtained for each energy value. The obtained functions were tested with samples of Amazonite, Gabbro, Sandstone and Sodalite.     

A study on electromagnetic wave absorber for the collision-avoidance radar

In this paper, we designed and fabricated the EM wave absorber for eliminating false image and system-to-system interference in a collision-avoidance radar using Permalloy and CPE, the mixing ratio of which was Permalloy:CPE = 70:30 wt%. The EM wave absorption ability was simulated according to different thicknesses of the EM wave absorber using measured permittivity and permeability, and then the EM wave absorber was fabricated based on the simulated design. The simulated results agree well with the measured ones. As a result, we suggest Permalloy for use as a new EM wave absorber in W-band, and the fabricated EM wave absorber with the thickness of 1.4 mm has absorption ability more than 20 dB in frequency range of 76–77 GHz.     

Single image rectification of thermal images for geometric studies in façade inspections

This work presents a photogrammetric technique that provides geometric and thermal information about building façades. It uses low cost and portable scale bars, specially designed for thermal imaging, and processing software based on single image rectification. Image rectification corrects the original photo displacement due to the projection and perspective, and radial distortions introduced by the lens of the camera.The technique is tested by comparing laser scanning and thermal data. Seven segments of different orientation and length are selected for the measurement. Accuracy tests show errors between 44 mm and 151 mm. Precision values range between 22 mm and 61 mm for a maximum length of 7259 mm. The accuracy and precision results obtained for the technique open the possibility of extending its use to building inspection tasks.     

Location of delamination in laminated composite plates by pulsed laser holography

The location of delamination in composite laminates based on their vibration characteristics is presented in this paper. Composite materials are widely used as structural materials for aerospace engineering, because of its excellent mechanical properties such as light weight, high stiffness and anti-corrosion characteristics. This paper uses pulsed electronic speckle pattern interferometry (Pulsed-ESPI) to perform non-destructive evaluation of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) laminate plates containing various sizes of artificial defects located at the centre of the specimen, based on vibration characteristic using double-pulsed Ruby laser with a pulse duration of 30 ns. The pulsed separation can be adjusted in between 2 and 800 μs. The main advantage of this technique over conventional ESPI is the ability to carry out measurements even under harsh environmental conditions. From the results, it seems to be effective for the detection of defects in various kinds of composite materials. In this paper, the basic principles of the technique are described briefly.     

Microhardness of a dental restorative composite resin containing nanoparticles polymerized with argon ion laser

The objective of this study was to compare the microhardness of two resin composites (microhybrid and nanoparticles). Light activation was performed with argon ion laser 1.56 J (L) and halogen light 2.6 J (H) was used as control. Measurements were taken on the irradiated surfaces and those opposite them, at thicknesses of 1, 2 and 3 mm. To evaluate the quality of polymerization, the percentages of maximum hardness were calculated (PMH). For statistical analysis the ANOVA and Tukey tests were used (p ≤ 0.05). To microhybrid was shown that the hardness with laser was inferior to the hardness achieved with halogen light, for both the 1 mm and 2 mm. The nanoparticles polymerized with laser, presented lower hardness even on the irradiated surface, than the same surface light activated with halogen light. The microhybrid attained a minimum PMH of 80% up to the thickness of 2 mm with halogen light, and with laser, only up to 1 mm. The nanoparticles attained a minimum PMH of 80% up to 3 mm thickness with halogen light and with laser this minimum was not obtained at any thickness. Based on these results, it could be concluded that light activation with argon ion laser is contra-indicated for the studied nanoparticles.     

Study of the microstructure and mechanical properties of white clam shell

The microstructure and mechanical properties of white clam shell were investigated, respectively. It can be divided into horny layer, prismatic layer and nacreous layer. Crossed-lamellar structure was the microstructural characteristic. The extension direction of lamellae in prismatic layer was different from that in nacreous layer, which formed an angle on the interface between prismatic layer and nacreous layer. The phase component of three layers was CaCO₃ with crystallization morphology of aragonite, which confirmed the crossed-lamellar structural characteristic. White calm shell exhibited perfect mechanical properties. The microhardness values of three layers were 273 HV, 240 HV and 300 HV, respectively. The average values of flexure and compression strength were 110.2 MPa and 80.1 MPa, respectively. The macroscopical cracks crossed the lamellae and finally terminated within the length range of about 80 μm. It was the microstructure characteristics, the angle on the interface between prismatic and nacreous layer and the hardness diversity among the different layers that enhanced mechanical properties of white calm shell.     

Effects of ultrasound pretreatment with different frequencies and working modes on the enzymolysis and the structure characterization of rice protein

The effects of ultrasound pretreatment with different frequencies and working modes, including mono-frequency ultrasound (MFU), dual-frequency ultrasound (DFU) and tri-frequency ultrasound (TFU), on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of rice protein (RP) and angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of RP hydrolysate were investigated. Ultraviolet–visible (UV) spectroscopy, fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, surface hydrophobicity and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of RP pretreated with ultrasound were measured. The results showed that ultrasound pretreatment did not increase DH of RP significantly (p > 0.05). However, all the ultrasound pretreatment increased the ACE inhibitory activity of RP hydrolysate significantly (p < 0.05). The MFU of 20 kHz showed higher ACE inhibitory activity compared to that of other MFU. The ACE inhibitory activity of sequential DFU was higher than that of simultaneous with the same frequency combination. Sequential TFU of 20/35/50 kHz produced the highest increase in ACE inhibitory activity in contrast with other ultrasound frequencies and working modes. All the results under ultrasound pretreatment showed that ultrasound frequencies and working modes were of great effect on the ACE inhibitory activity of RP. The changes in UV–Vis spectra and surface hydrophobicity indicated the unfolding of protein and exposure of hydrophobic groups by ultrasound. The FTIR analysis showed that all the ultrasound pretreatment with different frequencies and working modes decreased α-helix, β-turn content and increased β-sheet, random coil content of RP. The SEM results indicated that ultrasound pretreatment resulted in the deformation of RP. In conclusion, the frequency selection of ultrasound pretreatment of RP is essential for the preparation of ACE inhibitory peptide.     

Field induced modification of SmC1–SmCA1 transition temperature of a fluorinated antiferroelectric liquid crystal

The temperature and frequency dependent dielectric relaxation data and simultaneous observation of optical texture reveal co-existence of ferroelectric (SmC¹) and antiferroelectric (SmC_A¹) phases in the pre-transition regime of the antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) sample viz. (R)-4-[1-methyl-2-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyloxy)ethyloxy)carbonyl]phenyl 4′-decyloxybiphenyl-4-caboxylate. Interestingly, this sample shows irreversible change in the antiferroelectric to ferroelectric (AFE → FE) phase transition temperature (T₀) for consecutively increasing bias field treatment in successive cycles. The lowest upper bound of the threshold field for AFE → FE transition at the boundary of the said phases is found to be ∼1 kV cm⁻¹.     

Design and experiment of spectrometer based on scanning micro-grating integrating with angle sensor

A compact, low cost, high speed, non-destructive testing NIR (near infrared) spectrometer optical system based on MOEMS grating device is developed. The MOEMS grating works as the prismatic element and wavelength scanning element in our optical system. The MOEMS grating enables the design of compact grating spectrometers capable of acquiring full spectra using a single detector element. This MOEMS grating is driven by electromagnetic force and integrated with angle sensor which used to monitored deflection angle while the grating working. Comparing with the traditional spectral system, there is a new structure with a single detector and worked at high frequency. With the characteristics of MOEMS grating, the structure of the spectrometer system is proposed. After calculating the parameters of the optical path, ZEMAX optical software is used to simulate the system. According the ZEMAX output file of the 3D model, the prototype is designed by SolidWorks rapidly, fabricated. Designed for a wavelength range between 800 nm and 1500 nm, the spectrometer optical system features a spectral resolution of 16 nm with the volume of 97 mm × 81.7 mm × 81 mm. For the purpose of reduce modulated effect of sinusoidal rotation, spectral intensity of the different wavelength should be compensated by software method in the further. The system satisfies the demand of NIR micro-spectrometer with a single detector.     

Mechanical behavior and acoustic emission technique for detecting damage in sandwich structures

The present study investigates the mechanical behavior under static and dynamic loadings and assesses damage by the acoustic emission method of two types of sandwich composite materials. The sandwich structures under study are both made of cross-ply laminates as skins and PVC closed-cell as foam with different densities: 60 kg m⁻³ and 100 kg m⁻³. The mechanical behavior tests were conducted in static and cyclic fatigue loadings under 4-point bending. The sandwich structures considered in fatigue tests were damaged by a various number of shear damages in the foam. Static tests were performed to determine the failure parameters and characteristics used in fatigue tests. The damage density effect on the stiffness, hysteresis loops, dissipated energy and damping of sandwich structures, were studied for various numbers of cycles during cyclic fatigue tests. The acoustic emission method was used to identify and characterize the local damage in both types of sandwich materials under static 4-point bending tests.     

X-ray imaging characterization of femoral bones in aging mice with osteopetrotic disorder

Aging mice with a rare osteopetrotic disorder in which the entire space of femoral bones are filled with trabecular bones are used as our research platform. A complete study is conducted with a micro computed tomography (CT) system to characterize the bone abnormality. Technical assessment of femoral bones includes geometric structure, biomechanical strength, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone mineral content (BMC). Normal aging mice of similar ages are included for comparisons. In our imaging work, we model the trabecular bone as a cylindrical rod and new quantitative which are not previously discussed are developed for advanced analysis, including trabecular segment length, trabecular segment radius, connecting node number, and distribution of trabecular segment radius. We then identified a geometric characteristic in which there are local maximums (0.0049, 0.0119, and 0.0147 mm) in the structure of trabecular segment radius. Our calculations show 343% higher in percent trabecular bone volume at distal-metaphysis; 38% higher in cortical thickness at mid-diaphysis; 11% higher in cortical cross-sectional moment of inertia at mid-diaphysis; 42% higher in cortical thickness at femur neck; 26% higher in cortical cross-sectional moment of inertia at femur neck; 31% and 395% higher in trabecular BMD and BMC at distal-metaphysis; 17% and 27% higher in cortical BMD and BMC at distal-metaphysis; 9% and 53% higher in cortical BMD and BMC at mid-diaphysis; 25% and 64% higher in cortical BMD and BMC at femur neck. Our new quantitative parameters and findings may be extended to evaluate the treatment response for other similar bone disorders.     

Investigation of optimum condition in oxygen gas-assisted laser cutting

Laser cutting characteristics including power level and cutting gas pressure are investigated in order to obtain an optimum kerf width. The kerf width is investigated for a laser power range of 50–170 W and a gas pressure of 1–6 bar for steel and mild steel materials. Variation of sample thickness, material type, gas pressure and laser power on the average cut width and slot quality are investigated. Optimum conditions for the steel and mild steel materials with a thickness range of 1–2 mm are obtained. The optimum condition for the steel cutting results in a minimum average kerf width of 0.2 mm at a laser power of 67 W, cutting rate of 7.1 mm/s and an oxygen pressure of 4 bar. A similar investigation for the mild steel cutting results in a minimum average kerf width of 0.3 mm at the same laser power of 67 W, cutting rate of 9.5 mm/s, and an oxygen pressure of 1 bar. The experimental average kerf is about 0.3 mm, which is approximately equal to the estimated focused beam diameter of 0.27 mm for our focusing lens (f=4 cm and 100 W power). This beam size leads to a laser intensity of about 1.74×10⁹ W/m² at the workpiece surface. The estimated cutting rate from theoretical calculation is about 8.07 mm/s (1.0 mm thickness and 100 W power), which agrees with the experimental results that is 7.1 mm/s for 1.0 mm thickness of mild steel at the laser power of 88 W.     

Collagen fibers evaluation after rhBMP-2 insertion in critical-sized defects

The objective of this investigation was to assess the quantity of collagen fibers with different dosages of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein, type 2 (rhBMP-2) associated with two different carriers, monoolein and poloxamer gels, in critical bone defects created in the calvaria of Wistar rats. Forty male adult Wistar rats were divided into eight groups of 5 animals each—group I: critical bone defect with application of 1 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with monoolein gel; group II: 3 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with monoolein gel; group III: 7 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with monoolein gel; group IV: 1 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with poloxamer gel; group V: 3 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with poloxamer gel; group VI: 7 μg of rhBMP-2 combined with poloxamer gel; group VII: monoolein gel only and group VIII: poloxamer gel only. A critical-sized defect of 6 mm diameter was produced in the left parietal bone using a surgical round bur and a high-speed micromotor. The bone defects were filled according to the group that animals belonged and after two weeks the rats were perfused and their calvarial bones were removed for histological processing, and collagen fibers quantification. Differences among the eight groups were statistically analyzed by Anova and Bonferroni test (p < 0.05). The results did not show statistical difference between the groups, in exception, between the comparisons II and III. According to the experimental methodology used in this research, it was observed, in a general way, a qualitative inverse relationship between collagen fibers presence and rhBMP-2 quantity inserted in the critical bone defect, associated or not to a material carrier.     

A fast method for the quantification of fat fraction and relaxation times: Comparison of five sites of bone marrow

PurposeBone marrow is found either as red bone marrow, which mainly contains haematopoietic cells, or yellow bone marrow, which mainly contains adipocytes. In adults, red bone marrow is principally located in the axial skeleton. A recent study has introduced a method to simultaneously estimate the fat fraction (FF), the T1 and T2* relaxation times of water (T1w, T2*w) and fat (T1f and T2*f) in the vertebral bone marrow. The aim of the current study was to measure FF, T1w, T1f, T2*w and T2*f in five sites of bone marrow, and to assess the presence of regional variations.MethodsMRI experiments were performed at 1.5 T on five healthy volunteers (31.6 ± 15.6 years) using a prototype chemical-shift-encoded 3D multi-gradient-echo sequence (VIBE) acquired with two flip angles. Acquisitions were performed in the shoulders, lumbar spine and pelvis, with acquisition times of < 25 seconds per sequence. Signal intensities of magnitude images of the individual echoes were used to fit the signal and compute FF, T1w, T1f, T2*w and T2*f in the humerus, sternum, vertebra, ilium and femur.ResultsRegional variations of fat fraction and relaxation times were observed in these sites, with higher fat fraction and longer T1w in the epiphyses of long bones. A high correlation between FF and T1w was measured in these bones (R = 0.84 in the humerus and R = 0.84 in the femur). In most sites, there was a significant difference between water and fat relaxation times, attesting the relevance of measuring these parameters separately.ConclusionThe method proposed in the current study allowed for measurements of FF, T1w, T1f, T2*w and T2*f in five sites of bone marrow. Regional variations of these parameters were observed and a strong negative correlation between the T1 of water and the fat fraction in bones with high fat fractions was found.     

High speed ultra short pulse fiber ring laser using photonic crystal fiber nonlinear optical loop mirror

A scheme to generate high speed optical pulse train with ultra short pulse width is proposed and experimentally studied. Two-step compression is used in the scheme: 20 GHz and 40 GHz pulse trains generated from a rational harmonic actively mode-locked fiber ring laser is compressed to a full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of ~ 1.5 ps using adiabatic soliton compression with dispersion shifted fibers (DSF). The pulse trains then undergo a pedestal removal process by transmission through a cascaded two photonic crystal fiber (PCF)-nonlinear optical loop mirrors (NOLM) realized using a double-ring structure. The shortest output pulse width obtained was ~ 610 fs for 20 GHz pulse train and ~ 570 fs for 40 GHz pulse train. The signal to noise ratio of the RF spectrum of the output pulse train is larger than 30 dB. Theoretical simulation of the NOLM transmission is conducted using split-step Fourier method. The results show that two cascaded NOLMs can improve the compression result compared to that for a single NOLM transmission.     

A study on the ignition characteristics for dust explosion of industrial wastes

Paying attention to accidents related to recycling, the authors investigated factors related to the dust explosions. The minimum explosive concentrations were 30–40 g/m³ (polyurethane and plastic dusts) and 70 g/m³ (toner); the explosibility was reduced by about 40% when combustible gas (cyclopentane) existed together with the dust; ignition temperature of a dust cloud was around 500 °C; and the minimum ignition energy was about 11 mJ (polyurethane). Ignition energy was the minimum when the spark duration was about 0.2 ms or more; the explosion probability was the maximum when the spark gap was 5–10 mm; and the ignition energy was the minimum when the electrode tip angle was around 30 °C (polyurethane). From these findings, the dusts produced in the recycling process can be easily evaluated so as to know whether dust explosion is likely to occur.     

Ultrasound-assisted dyeing of cellulose acetate

The possibility of reducing the use of auxiliaries in conventional cellulose acetate dyeing with Disperse Red 50 using ultrasound technique was studied as an alternative to the standard procedure. Dyeing of cellulose acetate yarn was carried out by using either mechanical agitation alone, with and without auxiliaries, or coupling mechanical and ultrasound agitation in the bath where the temperature range was maintained between 60 and 80 °C.The best results of dyeing kinetics were obtained with ultrasound coupled with mechanical agitation without auxiliaries (90% of bath exhaustion value at 80 °C). Hence the corresponding half dyeing times, absorption rate constants according to Cegarra–Puente modified equation and ultrasound efficiency were calculated confirming the synergic effect of sonication on the dyeing kinetics. Moreover the apparent activation energies were also evaluated and the positive effect of ultrasound added to mechanical agitation was evidenced by the lower value (48 kJ/mol) in comparison with 112 and 169 kJ/mol for mechanical stirring alone with auxiliaries and without, respectively.Finally, the fastness tests gave good values for samples dyed with ultrasound technique even without auxiliaries. Moreover color measurements on dyed yarns showed that the color yield obtained by ultrasound-assisted dyeing at 80 °C of cellulose acetate without using additional chemicals into the dye bath reached the same value yielded by mechanical agitation, but with remarkably shorter time.