Porous polycrystals built up by uniformly and axisymmetrically oriented needles: homogenization of elastic propertiesPolycristaux poreux constitués d'aiguilles orientées de façon uniforme ou axisymétrique : homogénéisation des propriétés élastiques

Porous polycrystal-type microstructures built up of needle-like platelets or sheets are characteristic for a number of biological and man-made materials. Herein, we consider (i) uniform, (ii) axisymmetrical orientation distribution of linear elastic, isotropic as well as anisotropic needles. Axisymmetrical needle orientation requires derivation of the Hill tensor for arbitrarily oriented ellipsoidal inclusions with one axis tending towards infinity, embedded in a transversely isotropic matrix; therefore, Laws' integral expression of the Hill tensor is evaluated employing the theory of rational functions. For a porosity lower 0.4, the elastic properties of the polycrystal with uniformly oriented needles are quasi-identical to those of a polycrystal with solid spheres. However, as opposed to the sphere-based model, the needle-based model does not predict a percolation threshold. As regards axisymmetrical orientation distribution of needles, two effects are remarkable: Firstly, the sharper the cone of orientations the higher the anisotropy of the polycrystal. Secondly, for a given cone, the anisotropy increases with the porosity. Estimates for the polycrystal stiffness are hardly influenced by the anisotropy of the bone mineral needles. Our results also confirm the very high degree of orientation randomness of crystals building up mineral foams in bone tissues. To cite this article: A. Fritsch et al., C. R. Mecanique 334 (2006).     

中国红层的分布及地质环境特征

根据我国红层的分布特征及形成背景 ,将我国红层划分为西南地区红层、西北地区红层、中南、东南地区红层和其他地区 (西藏及华北的部分地区 )红层。重点研究了以川滇红层为代表的西南地区红层和以甘肃红层为代表的西北地区红层 ,研究了各个区域红层的地质构造特征、地形地貌特征、气候环境特征等工程地质环境特征 ,根据工程地质环境特征 ,将研究区域的红层划分为四川盆地红层、西昌—滇中红层、滇西红层和甘肃红层.     

Solvent effect of ionic liquids on the distribution constant of 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone and its nickel(II) and copper(II) chelates and the evaluation of the solvent properties based on the regular solution theory

Distribution constants of 2-thenoyltrifluoroacetone (Htta) and its Ni(II)and Cu(II) chelates between 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (C_nmimTf₂N; n = 4, 6, and 8) as ionic liquid (IL) and an aqueous phase were determined. The enol fraction of Htta in ILs was spectrophotometrically measured to calculate the distribution constant of the enol form (K_D,HE) of Htta. The K_D,HE values in ILs were evaluated by comparing those in various molecular solvents such as alkanes, aromatic hydrocarbons, chlorohydrocarbons, ethers, ketones, and esters previously reported on the basis of the regular solution theory (RST). It was elucidated that the IL solutions of Htta (enol) can be taken as apparently regular solutions as expected in the organic solvents. On the other hand, the effect of ILs on the distribution constant of metal(II) chelates (K_D,M) was fairly complicated. The Cu(tta)₂-IL solutions behaved like the alkane and aromatic hydrocarbon solutions but the Ni(tta)₂-IL (C₄mimTf₂N) like ether and ketone solutions. In the Ni(II) case, some specific interactions between the Ni(II) chelate and IL was suggested. Finally, the solubility parameters of ILs were calculated using K_D,HE by RST and were in good agreement with the literature values obtained by the enthalpy of vaporization.     

Ionic liquid salt bridge based on tributyl(2-methoxyethyl)phosphonium bis(pentafluoroethanesulfonyl)amide for stable liquid junction potentials in highly diluted aqueous electrolyte solutions

A moderately hydrophobic ionic liquid, tributyl(2-methoxyethyl)phosphonium bis(pentafluoroethanesulfonyl)amide ([TBMOEP⁺][C₂C₂N⁻]), shows a very stable liquid junction potential upon contact with an aqueous solution whose ionic strength is as low as 1 μmol dm⁻³. The stability with the maximum excursion of the potential within ±0.5 mV for 30 min is very promising for accurate determination of pH and other single ion activities potentiometrically.     

Effect of carbon nanotubes and their dispersion on thermal curing of polyimide precursors

The process of thermal imidization reaction is significant for temperature and time control in the polyimide industry. Here, we report the effect of carbon nanotubes and their states of dispersion on the thermal imidization of the precursor films of polyimide (poly(amic acid)) for the first time. The curing process was followed by measuring Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectra, fluorescence spectra, thermogravimetric-differential scanning calorimeter (TG-DSC) properties and the refractive indices of films. It was found that by evenly dispersing 1 wt% of carbon nanotubes assisted by a dispersant in the poly(amic acid),the full imidization temperature of the polyimide can be reduced from 300 °C to 250 °C. Different states of distribution of CNTs were observed by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and proved that a better dispersion of carbon nanotubes dramatically enhanced the speed of imidization. Moreover, the DSC results showed that lower decomposition temperature of poly(amic acid) could be obtained with more uniform distribution of carbon nanotubes, which means the process of cyclodehydration of the poly(amic acid) was accelerated.     

Theoretical and analytical Radial Distribution Function for non-polar mixtures

The theoretical and analytical Radial Distribution Function (RDF) for non-polar mixtures is presented, and the estimation methods of model parameters (such as the minimum molecular diameter d_ii, mean calibration factor of volume β_V and mean free path of relative motion λ_r,ij) are discussed. The calculated thermodynamic properties for H_e-H₂ fluid mixtures by this RDF fit well with that of MC simulations and classical results from the Yukawa-type EOS, in which the Double Yukawa (DY) potential was used and the quantum effect was considered. Compared with the semi-empirical RDF expressions in references, the advantage of this theoretical and analytical RDF is that it can be used for all kinds of potential functions of non-polar molecules, and it covers a very wide range of temperatures and densities. The extensive practical application of this RDF for chemistry, physics and technology needs further investigation.     

A survey of recent research on location-routing problems

The design of distribution systems raises hard combinatorial optimization problems. For instance, facility location problems must be solved at the strategic decision level to place factories and warehouses, while vehicle routes must be built at the tactical or operational levels to supply customers. In fact, location and routing decisions are interdependent and studies have shown that the overall system cost may be excessive if they are tackled separately. The location-routing problem (LRP) integrates the two kinds of decisions. Given a set of potential depots with opening costs, a fleet of identical vehicles and a set of customers with known demands, the classical LRP consists in opening a subset of depots, assigning customers to them and determining vehicle routes, to minimize a total cost including the cost of open depots, the fixed costs of vehicles used, and the total cost of the routes. Since the last comprehensive survey on the LRP, published by Nagy and Salhi (2007), the number of articles devoted to this problem has grown quickly, calling a review of new research works. This paper analyzes the recent literature (72 articles) on the standard LRP and new extensions such as several distribution echelons, multiple objectives or uncertain data. Results of state-of-the-art metaheuristics are also compared on standard sets of instances for the classical LRP, the two-echelon LRP and the truck and trailer problem.     

Computing stable loads for pallets

This paper describes an Integer Programming model for generating stable loading patterns for the Pallet Loading Problem under several stability criteria. The results obtained during evaluation show great improvement in the number of stable patterns in comparison with results reported earlier. Moreover, most of the solved cases also ensure optimality in terms of utilization of a pallet.     

Improved sensitivity of headspace gas chromatography for organic aromatic compounds

Summary The effect of adding an electrolyte and increasing the temperature on the preconcentration of volatile compounds in headspace analysis has been investigated. Quantification of the interactive effects of temperature and addition of salt on the vapor concentration is of interest for the determination of trace organic impurities in pharmaceutical base materials. This study was undertaken to investigate the quantitative effects of the addition of salts alcohols, and acetone, and of increasing the temperature on the vapor concentrations and distribution coefficients of volatile aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene, ando-xylene). It was found that the concentration of aromatic compound residues in the headspace could be increased by adding an inert salt to the water, but this effect was not very significant because of the low orginal solubility of the aromatic compounds in water. The reverse effect can be achieved by use of polar organic additives; this can be explained by the high polarizability of aromatic compounds and their greater solubility in the presence of these solvents. Presented at Balaton Symposium on High-Performance Separation Methods, Siófok, Hungary, September 1–3, 1999.