Interaction between Weibull parameters and mechanical strength reliability of industrial-scale water gas shift catalysts

A fundamental step in the production of an industrial catalyst is its crushing strength assessment. Limited literature exists in which the strength reliability of supported catalysts is investigated from production to their application in a reactor. In this work, cylindrical supports were prepared by pelletizing high porosity γ-alumina powder, and Cu–Zn/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by impregnation of the pelletized γ-alumina supports with an aqueous solution of copper and zinc nitrates. The support-forming variables, such as binder concentration, compaction pressure, calcination temperature, and drying procedure were investigated. The Weibull method was used to analyze the crushing strength data of the supports, and the fresh and used catalysts before and after the low-temperature water gas shift reaction. Support formation at a 50 wt% binder concentration, 1148 MPa compaction pressure, 500 °C calcination temperature, and rapid drying (100 °C, 8 h) led to the maximum support mechanical reliability. The most reliable catalyst with respect to simultaneous appropriate catalytic performance and mechanical strength was prepared from a support with the lowest mean crushing strength (26.25 MPa). This work illustrates the importance of the Weibull modulus as a useful mechanical reliability index in manufacturing a supported solid catalyst.     

Modeling and measuring visco-elastic properties: From collagen molecules to collagen fibrils

Collagen is the main structural protein in vertebrate biology, determining the mechanical behavior of connective tissues such as tendon, bone and skin. Although extensive efforts in the study of the origin of collagen exceptional mechanical properties, a deep knowledge of the relationship between molecular structure and mechanical properties remains elusive, hindered by the complex hierarchical structure of collagen-based tissues. Understanding the viscoelastic behavior of collagenous tissues requires knowledge of the properties at each structural level. Whole tissues have been studied extensively, but less is known about the mechanical behavior at the submicron, fibrillar and molecular level. Hence, we investigate the viscoelastic properties at the molecular level by using an atomistic modeling approach, performing in silico creep tests of a collagen-like peptide. The results are compared with creep and relaxation tests at the level of isolated collagen fibrils performed previously using a micro-electro-mechanical systems platform. Individual collagen molecules present a non-linear viscoelastic behavior, with a Young's modulus increasing from 6 to 16 GPa (for strains up to 20%), a viscosity of 3.84±0.38 Pa s, and a relaxation time in the range of 0.24–0.64 ns. At the fibrils level, stress–strain–time data indicate that isolated fibrils exhibit viscoelastic behavior that could be fitted using the Maxwell–Weichert model. The fibrils showed an elastic modulus of 123±46 MPa. The time-dependent behavior was well fit using the two-time-constant Maxwell–Weichert model with a fast time response of 7±2 s and a slow time response of 102±5 s.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ZrO2 (Y2O3)–Al2O3 nanocomposites prepared by spark plasma sintering

Zirconia (yttria)–alumina ceramic nanocomposites were fabricated from different powders by spark plasma sintering (SPS). One powder was a commercially available nanocomposite powder TZP-3Y20A, consisting of 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3-YSZ) reinforced with 20 wt% alumina, and the other, used as a comparison, was a conventional mechanically mixed powder 3YSZ-20A, a blend made of 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia powder ZrO₂ (3Y) and 20 wt% α-alumina powder. The effect of the sintering temperature on the densification, the sintering behavior, the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the composites was investigated. The results showed that the density increased with increasing sintering temperature, and thus, the mechanical properties were strengthened because of the increased densification. The nanocomposite powder TZP-3Y20A was easily sintered, and good mechanical properties were achieved as compared with the powder from the conventional mechanically mixed method, the maximum flexural strength and fracture toughness of which were 967 MPa and 5.27 MPa m^1/2, respectively.     

Pressure and friction dependent mechanical strength – cracks and plastic flow

The mechanical properties of a polymer composite plastic bonded explosive, EDC37, have been investigated as a function of hydrostatic confining pressure between 0.1 and 138 MPa. The results indicate different failure processes in two pressure ranges, a low pressure range between about 0.1 and 7 MPa and a higher pressure range between about 7 and 138 MPa. In the low pressure range slow crack processes are important in failure while in the higher pressure range plastic flow dominates. The pressure dependence of the compressive strength in the low pressure range is attributed to coulomb friction between surfaces of closed shear cracks and from the observed linear increase of the strength with pressure and the angle of the fracture plane a friction coefficient is obtained. Friction coefficients can also be obtained from the ratio of the compressive to tensile strength and directly from the above angle. The friction coefficients obtained from these separate observations are in agreement and this is taken as strong evidence for the importance of this friction in determining strength and mechanical failure. These results clearly establish experimentally the role of friction in determining strength with or without applied pressure. An empirical relationship between strength, pressure and strain rate is also obtained for this pressure range and the failure strength of EDC37 is more sensitive to pressure than strain rate.     

Analytical and numerical techniques to predict carbon nanotubes properties

In this paper, two different approaches for modeling the behaviour of carbon nanotubes are presented. The first method models carbon nanotubes as an inhomogeneous cylindrical network shell using the asymptotic homogenization method. Explicit formulae are derived representing Young’s and shear moduli of single-walled nanotubes in terms of pertinent material and geometric parameters. As an example, assuming certain values for these parameters, the Young’s modulus was found to be 1.71 TPa, while the shear modulus was 0.32 TPa. The second method is based on finite element models. The inter-atomic interactions due to covalent and non-covalent bonds are replaced by beam and spring elements, respectively, in the structural model. Correlations between classical molecular mechanics and structural mechanics are used to effectively model the physics governing the nanotubes. Finite element models are developed for single-, double- and multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The deformations from the finite element simulations are subsequently used to predict the elastic and shear moduli of the nanotubes. The variation of mechanical properties with tube diameter is investigated for both zig-zag and armchair configurations. Furthermore, the dependence of mechanical properties on the number of nanotubules in multi-walled structures is also examined. Based on the finite element model, the value for the elastic modulus varied from 0.9 to 1.05 TPa for single and 1.32 to 1.58 TPa for double/multi-walled nanotubes. The shear modulus was found to vary from 0.14 to 0.47 TPa for single-walled nanotubes and 0.37 to 0.62 for double/multi-walled nanotubes.     

Numerical research on micro diesel spray characteristics under ultra-high injection pressure by Large Eddy Simulation (LES)

The Large Eddy Simulation model was introduced to study the micro spray characteristics under ultra-high injection pressure (>220 MPa). EFS8400 spray test platform was set up to verify the accuracy of the numerical model. The mechanisms of micro spray characteristics were studied intensively under different injection pressures (180 MPa, 240 MPa) and nozzle diameters (0.1 mm, 0.16 mm). The results indicated that the micro turbulence vortex structures can be captured, especially in the liquid spray core area. Large Eddy Simulation model combined with the small grid size of 0.25 mm show a huge advantage in studying the micro spray characteristics under ultra-high injection pressure; The turbulence vorticity and spray velocity for injection pressure of 240 MPa are more intensive than that of 180 MPa, and also the ultra-high injection pressure can contribute to strong turbulence disturbance between spray and surrounding air, which is helpful to improve the quality of spray; The spray velocity field extended wider for the diameter of 0.16 mm, and also the values of velocity in the spray center is higher than that of the diameter of 0.1 mm; The entrainment vortex appeared at the edge of the large velocity gradient between spray and surrounding air, and the higher velocity gradient for ultra-high injection pressure (240 MPa) between the spray and air is easier to increase the generation of entrainment vortex in the downstream of the spray, which can significantly increase the quality of spray and atomization.     

Effect of gravity on the mechanical properties of lunar regolith tested using a low gravity simulation device

Simulations of the bearing capacity and shear strength of regolith under Earth’s gravity produce different results from those under low gravity. A low-gravity simulation device was developed in this study, and an internal stress model of regolith simulant was established to correct the errors. The model revealed additional force on both shear plane in the shear test and the press plate area in the pressure–sinkage test. The sinkage and shear test results showed that low gravity decreased the deformable index n, frictional modulus k_φ and cohesion c, whereas there were no obvious changes to the cohesive modulus k_c and internal friction angle φ. The sinkage generally increased as the gravity decreased under a consistent normal load larger than 50 N, but when the wheel load was lower than 50 N, the sinkage of the TYII-1 simulant was larger under 1 G than 1/6 G. Gravity had little effect on the shear strength of the regolith. However, the tractive thrust of the TYII-1 simulant was lower under 1/6 G than 1 G. The smaller difference was due to differences in the way the soils responded to changes in the gravity level for the TYII-2 simulant.     

Integral-based constitutive equation for rubber at high strain rates

High-speed experiments were conducted to characterize the deformation and failure of Styrene Butadiene Rubber at impact rates. Dynamic tensile stress–strain curves of uniaxial strip specimens and force–extension curves of thin sheets were obtained from a Charpy tensile impact apparatus. Results from the uniaxial tension tests indicated that although the rubber became stiffer with increasing strain rates, the stress–strain curves remained virtually the same above 280 s⁻¹. Above this critical strain rate, strength, fracture strain and toughness decreased with increasing strain rates. When strain rates were below 180 s⁻¹, the initial modulus, tensile strength and breaking extension increased as the strain rate increased. Between strain rates of 180 and 280 s⁻¹, the initial modulus and tensile strength increased with increasing strain rates but the extension at break decreased with increasing strain rates. A hyper-viscoelastic constitutive relation of integral form was used to describe the rate-dependent material behavior of the rubber. Two characteristic relaxation times, 5 ms and 0.25 ms, were needed to fit the proposed constitutive equation to the data. The proposed constitutive equation was implemented in ABAQUS Explicit via a user-defined subroutine and used to predict the dynamic response of the rubber sheets in the experiments. Numerical predictions for the transient deformation and failure of the rubber sheet were within 10% of experimental results.     

An experimental investigation into the kinematics of a concentrated hard-sphere colloidal suspension during Hopkinson bar evaluation at high stresses

The behavior of a concentrated, hard-sphere colloidal suspension is evaluated using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experimental technique. The composition of the suspension is measured using thermograviometric analysis before and after loading. This, combined with recorded pressure distributions, result in the conclusion that the suspension undergoes high rate squeezing flow. Experimental results demonstrate that the suspension exhibits shear thickening consistent with that observed in standard rotational rheometry. At sufficiently high stresses the suspension exhibits a second regime of shear thinning behavior that is consistent with elastohydrodynamic theory that incorporates the shear modulus of the particles themselves. Further increases in stress result in irreversible behavior, i.e., rather than fracturing or crushing, the particles form non-reversible agglomerates during testing. This fact is demonstrated through the use of dynamic light scattering and electron microscopy. This behavior occurs within a regime of viscous material response which is seen to occur at normal strain rates and stresses over 10⁴ s^?1 and 40 MPa, respectively.     

Experimental investigation on strength and failure behavior of pre-cracked marble under conventional triaxial compression

Fractures in natural rocks have an important effect on the strength and failure behavior of rock mass, which are often evaluated in rock engineering practice. The theoretical evaluation of mechanical behavior of fractured rock mass has no satisfactory answer due to the role of confining pressure and crack geometry. Therefore, in this paper, conventional triaxial compression experiments were carried out to study the strength and failure behavior of marble samples with two pre-existing closed cracks in non-overlapping geometry. Based on the experimental results of a number of triaxial compression tests, the effect of crack coalescence on the axial supporting capacity and deformation property were investigated with different confining pressures. The results show that intact samples and flawed samples (marble with pre-existing cracks) have different deformation properties after peak stress, which change from brittleness to plasticity and ductility with the increase of confining pressure. The peak strength and failure mode are found depending not only on the geometry of flaw, but also on the confining pressure. The strength of flawed samples shows distinct non-linear behavior, which is in a better agreement with non-linear Hoek–Brown criterion than linear Mohr–Coulomb criterion. For a kind of rock that has been evaluated as a Hoek–Brown material, a new evaluation criterion is put forward by adopting optimal approximation polynomial theory, which can be used to confirm more precisely the strength parameters (cohesion and internal friction angle) of flawed samples. For intact samples, the marble leads to typical shear failure mode with a single fracture surface under different confining pressures, while for flawed samples, under uniaxial compression and a lower confining pressure (σ₃ = 10 MPa), tests for coarse and medium marble (the coarse and medium refer to the grain size) exhibit three basic failure modes, i.e., tensile mode, shear mode, and mixed mode (tensile and shear). Shear mode is associated with lower strength behavior. However, under higher confining pressures (σ₃ = 30 MPa), for coarse marble, the axial supporting capacity is not related to the geometry of flaw. The friction among crystal grains determines the strength behavior of coarse marble. For medium marble, the failure mode and deformation behavior are dependent on the crack coalescence in the sample. The present research provides increased understanding of the fundamental nature of rock failure under conventional triaxial compression.     

Elastic modulus measurements of vertically aligned multi walled carbon nanotubes carpets by using the nanoindentation technique

Electrical, thermal and mechanical properties of Vertically Aligned Multi Walled Carbon NanoTubes (VA-MWCNT) make them an ideal candidate to replace some of conventional materials in micro and nano-electronic components. Integrating this material in micro components requires a good knowledge of their properties. As the electrical and thermal properties, the MWCNT mechanical properties are difficult to assess. Several techniques have been developed to estimate the CNT Young's modulus and the obtained results cover a large range of scale. In this study, we propose an indirect technique for MWCNT carpet Young's modulus measurements by using the nanoindentation technique. Nanoindentation tests are performed on a metallic film deposited on MWCNT. The measured equivalent reduced modulus takes into account the elastic properties of the metallic thin film and those of the MWCNT substrate. Bec et al. model, introduced in 2006, is used to separate elastic properties, and thus determine the MWCNT reduced Young’s modulus which is estimated between 329 and 352 GPa. Knowing the indenter mechanical properties, we estimate the Young’s modulus in the 461 to507 GPa range.     

Buckling and progressive crushing of laterally loaded honeycomb

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the lateral compressive response of hexagonal honeycomb panels from the initial elastic regime to a fully crushed state. Expanded aluminum alloy honeycomb panels with a cell size of 9.53 mm, a relative density of 0.026, and a height of 15.9 mm are laterally compressed quasi statically between rigid platens under displacement control. The cells buckle elastically and collapse at a higher stress due to inelastic action. Deformation then first localizes at mid-height and the cells crush by progressive formation of folds; associated with each fold family is a stress undulation. The response densifies when the whole panel height is consumed by folds. The buckling and crushing events are simulated numerically using finite element models involving periodic domains of a single or several characteristic cells. The models idealize the microstructure as hexagonal, with double walls in one direction. The nonlinear behavior is initiated by elastic buckling while inelastic collapse that leads to the localization observed in the experiments occurs at a significantly higher load. The collapse stress is found to be mildly sensitive to various problem imperfections. The subsequent folding can be reproduced numerically using periodic domains but requires a fine mesh capable of capturing the complexity of the folds. The calculated crushing response is shown to better resemble measured ones when a 4 × 4 cell domain is used. However, the average crushing stress can be captured with engineering accuracy even from a single cell domain.     

Spall strength of glass fiber reinforced polymer composites

In the present paper results of a series of plate impact experiments designed to study spall strength in glass–fiber reinforced polymer composites (GRP) are presented. Two GRP architectures are investigated—S2 glass woven roving in Cycom 4102 polyester resin matrix and a balanced 5-harness satin weave E-glass in a Ciba epoxy (LY564) matrix. The GRP specimens were shock loaded using an 82.5 mm bore single-stage gas-gun. A velocity interferometer was used to measure the particle velocity profile at the rear (free) surface of the target plate. The spall strength of the GRP was obtained as a function of the normal component of the impact stress and the applied shear-strain by subjecting the GRP specimens to normal shock compression and combined shock compression and shear loading, respectively. The spall strengths of the two GRP composites were observed to decrease with increasing levels of normal shock compression. Moreover, superposition of shear-strain on the normal shock compression was found to be highly detrimental to the spall strength. The E-glass reinforced GRP composite was found to have a much higher level of spall strength under both normal shock compression and combined compression and shear loading when compared to the S2-glass GRP composite. The maximum spall strength of the E-glass GRP composite was found to be 119.5 MPa, while the maximum spall strength for the S2 glass GRP composite was only 53.7 MPa. These relatively low spall strength levels of the S2-glass and the E-glass fiber reinforced composites have important implications to the design and development of GRP-based light-weight integral armor.     

Discrete element method simulations of Mars Exploration Rover wheel performance

Mars Exploration Rovers (MERs) experienced mobility problems during traverses. Three-dimensional discrete element method (DEM) simulations of MER wheel mobility tests for wheel slips of i = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9, and 0.99 were done to examine high wheel slip mobility to improve the ARTEMIS MER traverse planning tool. Simulations of wheel drawbar pull and sinkage MIT data for i ⩽ 0.5 were used to determine DEM particle packing density (0.62) and contact friction (0.8) to represent the simulant used in mobility tests. The DEM simulations are in good agreement with MIT data for i = 0.5 and 0.7, with reasonable but less agreement at lower wheel slip. Three mobility stages include low slip (i < 0.3) controlled by soil strength, intermediate slip (i ∼ 0.3–0.6) controlled by residual soil strength, and high slip (i > 0.6) controlled by residual soil strength and wheel sinkage depth. Equilibrium sinkage occurred for i < 0.9, but continuously increased for i = 0.99. Improved DEM simulation accuracy of low-slip mobility can be achieved using polyhedral particles, rather than tri-sphere particles, to represent soil. The DEM simulations of MER wheel mobility can improve ARTEMIS accuracy.     

Further investigations on the influence of scale-up of a high shear granulator on the granule properties

This study focuses on the characterisation of strength, density, and size of granules produced in various scales of a high shear granulator. Calcium carbonate （Durca165） was used as the feed powder and aqueous polyethylene glycol （PEG 4000） as the binder. The dried granules were analysed for their strength, density, size distribution, and wall make-up. Granules were produced in granulators with four scales, 1, 5, 50, and 250 L under three scale-up rules of constant tip speed, constant shear stress, and constant Froude number. The results show that regardless of equipment scale, increasing the impeller speed has a great effect on crushing strength and stress. The underlying cause is an increase in granule density due to more consolidation at higher impeller speeds. Wall make-up is significantly reduced to less than 5% as the scale is increased from 1 to 250 L. The results of this study corroborate our previous findings that the constant tip speed rule is the best criterion for scale-up of high shear granulators.     

Measuring soil compaction and soil behavior under the tractor tire using strain transducer

Soil compaction can occur due to machine traffic and is an indicator of soil physical structure degradation. For this study 3 strain transducers with a maximum displacement of 5 cm were used to measure soil compaction under the rear tire of MF285 tractor. In first series of experiments, the effect of tractor traffic was investigated using displacement transducers and cylindrical cores. For the second series, only strain transducers were used to evaluate the effect of moisture levels of 11%, 16% and 22%, tractor velocities of 1, 3 and 5 km/h, and three depths of 20, 30 and 40 cm on soil compaction, and soil behavior during the compaction process was investigated. Results showed that no significant difference was found between the two methods of measuring the bulk density. The three main factors were significant on soil compaction at a probability level of 1%. The mutual binary effect of moisture and depth was significant at 1%, and the interaction of moisture, velocity, and depth were significant at 5%. The soil was compressed in the vertical direction and elongated in the lateral direction. In the longitudinal direction, the soil was initially compressed by the approaching tractor, then elongated, and ultimately compressed again.     

Experimental and computational studies of shock wave-to-bubbly water momentum transfer

Momentum transfer from shock waves (SWs) of various intensity (from 0.05 MPa to 0.5 MPa in amplitude) to water containing air bubbles 2.5 to 4 mm of mean diameter is studied both experimentally and by means of numerical simulation. Experiments are performed in a vertical shock tube of a 50 × 100 mm² rectangular cross section consisting of a 495-mm long high-pressure section (HPS), 495-mm long low-pressure section (LPS), and 990 mm long test section (TS) equipped with an air bubbler and filled with water. Experiments have shown that as the initial gas volume fraction in water increases from 0 to 0.3 the momentum imparted in bubbly water by SWs increases monotonically, gradually levelling off at an air volume fraction of about 0.30. The experimental data are confirmed by two-dimensional (2D) simulation of SW propagation in bubbly water in terms of the SW velocity versus the air content, pressure profiles, as well as liquid and gas velocity behind the shock front.     

Estimation of a three-dimensional tyre footprint using dynamic soil–tyre contact pressures

A method for estimating the three-dimensional (3D) footprint of a 16.9R38 pneumatic tyre was developed. The method was based on measured values of contact pressure at the soil–tyre interface and wheel contact length determined from the contact pressures and the depths and widths of ruts formed in the soil. The 3D footprint was investigated in an area of the field where the pressure sensors of the tyre passed in a soft clay soil. The tyre was instrumented with six miniature pressure sensors, three on the lug face and the remaining three on the under-tread region between two lugs. The instrumented tyre was run at a constant forward speed of 0.27 m/s and 23% slip on a soft soil, 0.48 MPa cone index, 25.6% d.b. moisture content for four wheel load and tyre pressure combination treatments. The 3D footprint assessment derived from soil–tyre interface stress used in this research is a unique methodology, which could precisely relate the trend profile of the 3D footprint to the measured rut depth. The tyre–soil interface contact pressure distributions results showed that as inflation pressure increased the soil strength increased significantly near the centre of the tyre as a compaction increase sensed with the cone penetrometer.     

The high strain mechanical response of the wet Kelvin model for open-cell foams

Surface Evolver software was used to create the three-dimensional geometry of a Kelvin open-cell foam, to simulate that of polyurethane flexible foams. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) with 3D elements was used to model large compressive deformation in the [0 0 1] and [1 1 1] directions, using cyclic boundary conditions when necessary, treating the polyurethane as an elastic or elastic–plastic material. The predicted foam Young’s moduli in the [0 0 1] direction are double those of foams with uniform Plateau border cross-section edges, for the same foam density and material properties. For compression in the [1 1 1] direction, the normalized Young’s modulus increases from 0.9 to 1.1 with foam relative density, and the predicted stress–strain relationship can have a plateau, even for a linearly-elastic polymer. As the foam density increases, the predicted effects of material plasticity become larger. For foam of relative density 0.028, edge-to-edge contact is predicted to occur at a 66% strain for [1 1 1] direction compression. The foam is predicted to contract laterally when the [1 1 1] direction compressive strain exceeds 25%.     

Synthesis and methane storage of binder-free porous graphene monoliths

Nanomesh graphene (NMG) obtained by template chemical vapor deposition was used to synthesize the binder-free graphene monoliths by simple tablet pressing. The stacking manner of the NMG sheets was crucial to the cohesion interaction between the graphene sheets, only the NMG materials with a loosely stacking manner could be pressed into binder-free monoliths. At the tableting pressure of 2–8 MPa, both the bulk densities and the specific surface areas of the monoliths keep nearly constant as the tableting pressure increases, indicating that the NMG monoliths have obvious elasticity and a porous structure due to the large corrugations and the mesh structures of the graphene sheets. As a result, an extraordinary methane storage capacity of 236 (v/v) at 9 MPa was obtained in the graphene monolith prepared by tableting at 4 MPa.