The Vibrational Behavior of Coupled Bladed Disks with Variable Rotational Speed

Low pressure steam turbine blades are subjected to high static and dynamic loads during operation. These loads strongly depend on the turbine's rotational speed, leading to entirely new load conditions. To avoid high dynamic stresses due to the forced vibrations, a coupling of the blades, such as shrouds or snubber coupling, is applied to reinforce the structure. In this work the influence of the rotational speed on the vibration behavior of shrouded blades is investigated. Two fundamental phenomena are considered: the stress stiffening and the spin softening effect. Both effects are caused by centrifugal forces and affect the structural mechanical properties, i.e. the stiffness matrix K , of the rotating system. Since the rotational speed Ω appears quadratically, it is possible to derive the stiffness matrix as a second order matrix polynomial in Ω² [3]. In the case of shrouded blades, contact forces between neighboring blades must be taken into account. The contact status and the pressure distribution in particular is strongly influenced by the rotational speed, respectively, centrifugal forces, caused by the untwisting and radial deformation of the blades. For the calculation, a three dimensional structural mechanical model including a spatial contact model is considered. The solution of the nonlinear equations of motion is based on the well known Multiharmonic Balance Method [2]. Here, the nonlinear forces are computed in the time domain and transferred in the frequency domain by the use of the Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT), also known as the Alternating Frequency Time method (AFT) [1]. (© 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comprehensive Characterization of Shredded Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Material

Herein we report on an analytical study of dry-shredded lithium-ion battery (LIB) materials with unknown composition. Samples from an industrial recycling process were analyzed concerning the elemental composition and (organic) compound speciation. Deep understanding of the base material for LIB recycling was obtained by identification and analysis of transition metal stoichiometry, current collector metals, base electrolyte and electrolyte additive residues, aging marker molecules and polymer binder fingerprints. For reversed engineering purposes, the main electrode and electrolyte chemistries were traced back to pristine materials. Furthermore, possible lifetime application and accompanied aging was evaluated based on target analysis on characteristic molecules described in literature. With this, the reported analytics provided precious information for value estimation of the undefined spent batteries and enabled tailored recycling process deliberations. The comprehensive feedstock characterization shown in this work paves the way for targeted process control in LIB recycling processes.     

Asymmetric Organocatalytic Homologation: Access to Diverse Chiral Trifluoromethyl Organoboron Species

A broad range of aliphatic, aromatic, and heterocyclic boronic acids were successfully homologated using trifluorodiazoethane in the presence of BINOL derivatives to provide the corresponding chiral trifluoromethyl containing boronic acid derivatives in high yields and excellent enantioselectivity. The in situ conversion of the chiral transient boronic acids to the corresponding alcohols or β-CF3 carboxylates are also demonstrated.     

Germaborenes: Borylene Transfer Agents for the Synthesis of Iminoboranes

Halide and phenyl substituted germaborenes were shown to react with azides at room temperature and transfer a borylene moiety to give iminoboranes. This iminoborane synthesis based on a borylene transfer route was investigated computationally in the case of the phenyl substituted germaborene.     

Phosphine-Stabilized Pnictinidenes

The reaction of the intramolecular germylene-phosphine Lewis pair (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄GeAr* ( 1 ) with Group 15 element trichlorides ECl₃ (E=P, As, Sb) was investigated. After oxidative addition, the resulting compounds (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)Ge(Cl)ECl₂ ( 2 : E=P, 3 : E=As, 4 : E=Sb) were reduced by using sodium metal or LiHBEt₃. The molecular structures of the phosphine-stabilized phosphinidene (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)Ge(Cl)P ( 5 ), arsinidene (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)Ge(Cl)As ( 6 ) and stibinidene (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)Ge(Cl)Sb ( 7 ) are presented; they feature a two-coordinate low-valent Group 15 element. After chloride abstraction, a cyclic germaphosphene [(o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)GeP] [B(C₆H₃(CF₃)₂)₄] ( 8 ) was isolated. The ³¹P NMR data of the germaphosphene were compared with literature examples and analyzed by quantum chemical calculations. The phosphinidene was treated with [iBu₂AlH]₂, and the product of an Al−H addition to the low-valent phosphorus atom (o-PPh₂)C₆H₄(Ar*)Ge(H)P(H)Al(C₄H₉)₂ ( 9 ) was characterized.     

Thermogravimetry study of the effectiveness of different reducing agents during sintering of Cr-prealloyed PM steels

The La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O₃ (LSCF48) cathode material was used as a protective-conducting coating on an interconnect made of Crofer 22 APU ferritic steel intended for application in intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell (IT-SOFC) stacks. The LSCF48 coating was deposited on the surface of the steel via screen-printing followed by appropriate thermal treatment. The oxidation kinetics of the Crofer 22 APU steel—uncoated and coated with LSCF48—approximately obeys the parabolic rate law in air at 1,073 K under isothermal and cyclic oxidation conditions. The oxidation rate for uncoated steel is higher than that for coated steel. SEM–EDS and XRD investigations showed that the LSCF48 coating interacts with the steel during long-term oxidation in the afore-mentioned thermal conditions, and an intermediate multilayer interfacial zone is formed. This intermediate layer leads to lower area specific resistance in air at 1,073 K in comparison to the Crofer 22 APU steel without surface modification.     

Influence of the steel powder type and processing parameters on the debinding of PM compacts with gelatin binder

Binders present an important part of the powder metallurgy technology as they are vital to provide efficient powder agglomeration and/or lubrication during shaping. At the same time, they have to be easily removed from the compacts during initial stages of sintering without any harmful effect for the base material, as well as for the environment. Therefore, behavior of gelatin as a binder for stainless- and tool-steel gas-atomised powder compacts was studied by thermal analysis and electron microscopy. Thermal analysis showed that peak mass-loss occurred in the range between 340 and 370 °C, depending on the base powder and heating rate. Risk for base powder oxidation at temperatures below 425 °C was detected. Based on the obtained results, it is recommended to perform debinding at ~425 °C after applying a heating rate of around 7.5 °C min^?1. Only in this way efficient enough binder removal can be obtained concurrently to avoiding base powder oxidation.