Experimental Curves Research Articles

Recycling of an industrial waste used for the disposal of organic compounds in a fixed bed column

Molecular sieves 4A zeolite are materials used to dehydrate natural gas in liquefaction plants (LNG) in Algeria. After several cycles of regeneration and reuse, their structures degrade and affect their performances. Once replaced by new ones, they will be stored within the plant as an industrial used 4Azeolite (U4AZ). The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of using U4AZ as an adsorbent for removing phenol and ethanol from aqueous solutions in a fixed bed column. Breakthrough curves were plotted for the adsorption of ethanol and phenol on the adsorbent U4AZ by varying initial concentrations (281, 444 mg/L) and contact time for constant flow rate (0.5 mL/min). The experimental data were fitted by empirical relationship based on Bohart-Adams model. The obtained correlations were in good agreement with the experimental breakthrough curve data. This investigation indicated that U4AZ could be used as a recyclable material to remove phenol and ethanol from aqueous solution by adsorption.

CFT Connections: State-of-the-art Report and Numerical Validation by 3D FEM

Connections between concrete filled members are common in tall buildings, bridges, and offshore structures because of their robust structural performance. While extensive research has been done on isolated concrete-filled structural members, relatively little research has been conducted on composite connection regions. This article first describes a database on experimental/analytical investigations on concrete-filled connections comprising 135 tests. It then develops a generic numerical model capable of capturing the entire range of behavior of these connections, including local buckling of the steel tubes and friction/contact resistance between steel and concrete. The model was calibrated against a single test and its performance was verified against three other very different tests. The results indicate that the four models can track well the strength and stiffness of the specimens up to ultimate and predict well different failure patterns. Comparisons of the experimental and numerical load-deformation curves show very good agreement in predicting the strength and deformations at which different behaviors arise, and that performance is controlled primarily by both the strength of the concrete and the confinement effect of the steel tube in the connection area.

Cyclic damage quantification in composite materials using discrete damage mechanics

A method for fatigue damage quantification in composite materials, based on experimental stiffness degradation data for composite laminates subjected to cyclic load is proposed. Discrete damage mechanics theory is used to calculate crack density vs. number of cycles from elastic moduli-reduction data obtained during fatigue experiments. The calculated crack density simplifies fatigue testing by diminishing the need for counting cracks during testing. Accurate results are achieved and reported. The defect-nucleation rate, which controls the fatigue damage rate, is also obtained from processing the modulus-reduction data. It is observed that the defect-nucleation rate has a small scatter and is independent of applied load magnitude. Furthermore, the onset of delamination observed in the experiments correlates very well with the onset of deviation between the predicted and experimental curves of elastic moduli-reduction versus accumulated crack density. An additional parameter, the defect-nucleation threshold, is here proposed to further characterize the fatigue performance of the composite material under stress-controlled fatigue loading, in contrast to thermal fatigue results from the literature. Furthermore, the difference in damage nucleation rate between strain-controlled and stress-controlled was observed and discussed.

Research on uniaxial compression performance and constitutive relationship of RBP-UHPC after high temperature

Abstract This study examines the impact of the recycled brick powder (RBP) replacement rate, especially at elevated temperatures on RBP-ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) properties such as the stress–strain curve, Poisson’s ratio, elastic modulus, and axial compressive strength through uniaxial compression experiments. The results show that with the increase of heating temperature, the axial compressive strength of the specimen increases first and then decreases under natural cooling (NC). In contrast, Poisson’s ratio shows opposite values. The peak strain continues to increase, and the initial elastic modulus and peak secant modulus continue to decrease. Compared with NC, the axial compressive strength of the specimens under water cooling has been reduced, the peak strain is generally larger, the initial elastic modulus and the peak secant modulus are smaller, and the incorporation of RBP also has a certain effect on the mechanical properties. Through regression analysis, an equation is established to calculate the axial compressive strength of RBP-UHPC with temperature, accounting for variables such as temperature, RBP replacement rate, and cooling method. Furthermore, based on the results of axial compression experiments, a constitutive equation for axial compression in RBP-UHPC after exposure to high temperatures is proposed. Overall, the theoretical curve closely aligns with the experimental curve, verifying its accuracy.

Improved determination of protein turnover rate with heavy water labeling by mass isotopomer ratio selection.

We describe a reverse lookup method to calculate the molar fraction of new synthesis from numerically approximated peptide isotopomer profiles in heavy water labeling mass spectrometry experiments. Using an experimental calibration curve comprising mixtures of fully unlabeled and fully labeled proteomes at various proportions, we show that this method provides a straightforward way to calculate the proportion of new proteins in a protein pool from arbitrarily chosen isotopomer ratios. We next analyzed which of the isotopomer pairs within the peptide isotope envelope yielded isotopomer time courses that fit most closely to kinetic models, and found that the identity of the isotopomer pair depends partially on the number of deuterium accessible labeling sites of the peptide. We next derived a strategy to automatically select the isotopomer pairs to calculate turnover rates based on peptide sequence, and showed that this increases the coverage of existing proteome-wide turnover experiments in multiple data sets of the mouse heart, liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle by up to 25-82%.

Numerical simulation of microstructural failure of natural fibre–hydrogel composites

In this article, we conduct a numerical simulation to investigate the failure mechanism of natural fibre–hydrogel composites under tensile deformation and swelling. Firstly, a physical-based constitutive model is chosen to describe the deformation of the hydrogel matrix. Concurrently, a macroscopic phenomenological hyperelastic constitutive model, incorporated into the material database of Abaqus, is employed to describe the mechanical responses of natural fibres. Then, we implement the model for a numerical analysis. The material parameters of the model for the hydrogel matrix and fibres are determined by a trial-and-error method from the experimental curves of pure hydrogel and fibres; the numerically simulated stress–strain curve of the composites is compared with the experimental one to verify the effectiveness of the simulation. Subsequently, several numerical analyses are performed to discuss the failure mechanism of hydrogel composites caused by the microstructural features of fibres. The findings revealed that fibre protrusion, fibre orientation deviation, and interface strength significantly affect the local failure of the composites during tensile deformation and swelling; the composites’ strength and toughness mainly depend on the cooperation of various microstructural features. These results provide valuable insights into the design of fibre–hydrogel composites.

The influence of the S shaped characteristics of high head pump-turbine on the minimum pressure of draft tube

Abstract The S shaped characteristics of pump-turbines have an important impact on the minimum pressure of draft tube. The quality of the S shaped characteristics is one of the key indicators to determine the success of model runner development, and this indicator is particularly important for ultra-high head pump-turbines. In order to delve deeper into the inherent relationship between the S-shaped characteristics of the runner and the optimization design and minimum pressure of draft tube, this article first defines a method for fixed-point quantitative analysis of the S shaped characteristic curve. Then, different experimental characteristic curves obtained from multiple optimized designs of the runner are used to calculate the hydraulic transition process. At the same time, the S shaped curve is quantitatively analyzed, and the relationship between the three is explored through continuous analysis. The results show that the bending degree of the equal opening lines in the middle at the S shape characteristics curves has the greatest influence on the minimum pressure at the draft tube inlet. The greater the ratio of unit flow difference to unit speed difference in the S shape characteristics curves of the equal opening line, the greater the runaway unit flow on the same equal opening line, the more favorable it is to increase the minimum pressure at the inlet of the draft tube. The optimal design of blade type and guide vane airfoil can improve the minimum pressure value of draft tube to a certain extent. The conclusions obtained in this paper can be used for reference in the research and development design of high head pump-turbine runner and the optimization calculation of transition.

Nanomechanical inhomogeneities in CVA-deposited titanium nitride thin films: Nanoindentation and finite element method investigations

Refractory metals that can withstand at high temperatures and harsh conditions are of utmost importance for solar-thermal and energy storage applications. Thin films of TiN have been deposited using cathodic vacuum arc deposition at relatively low temperatures ∼300 °C using the substrate bias ∼ −60 V. The nanomechanical properties of these films were investigated using nanoindentation and the spatial fluctuations were observed. The nanoindentation results were simulated using finite element method through Johnson-Cook model. A parametric study was conducted, and 16 different models were simulated to predict the hardening modulus, hardening exponent, and yield stress of the deposited film. The predicted values of elastic modulus, yield stress, hardening modulus and hardening exponent as 246 GPa, 2500 MPa, 25000 MPa and 0.1 respectively are found to satisfactorily explain the experimental load-indentation curves. We have found the local nitridation plays an important role on nanomechanical properties of TiN thin films and confirms that the nitrogen deficient regions are ductile with low yield stress and hardening modulus. This study further opens the opportunities of modelling the nanoscale system using FEM analysis.

Aqueous size exclusion chromatography applied to polymer analysis: experimental conditions and molecular weight calibration curves

Aqueous mode size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was employed for the analysis and construction of molecular weight (MW) calibration curves of three water-soluble polymers, namely, polyethylene glycol, polyethylene oxide, and polyacrylic acid sodium salt. Several calibration curves were obtained, varying chromatographic conditions such as columns arrangement, ionic strength, temperature and pH, in addition trends in polymeric chromatographic behavior were examined. The variation in SEC distribution coefficients at different temperatures was found to be below 10 %, indicating that the studied polymers follow an ideal SEC mechanism under the tested conditions. Thus, differences in chromatographic behavior were ascribed to changes in polymer configuration induced by media and/or temperature. These variations in morphology were consistent with the observed SEC behavior.Regarding MW calibration, polynomial regression models ranging from first to fifth order were applied, and the most adequate ones were selected based on their fit and prediction capabilities. Third order polynomials were the preferred models for polyethylene glycol and polyacrylic acid sodium salt, independently of chromatographic conditions. Meanwhile for polyethylene oxide, either third or fifth-order polynomial models were optimal depending on the chromatographic conditions. All the selected regression models presented coefficients of multiple determination (R2) above 0.990, while achieving relative errors of prediction (REP%) in MW ranging from 0.3 to 4 % for cross-validation.

Tempering of Dual Phase steels: Microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties

Modelling the microstructural evolutions and mechanical properties during the tempering of Dual Phase steels is a key objective for industrials as this phenomenon has a strong impact on the final properties. After having determined the tempering kinetics of fully martensitic steels between 100°C and 550°C using thermoelectric Power and hardness measurements, time–temperature equivalences were applied to determine the activation energies of the mechanisms controlling martensite tempering. Two tempering stages were clearly identified and thanks to the use of TEM, SEM and tomography techniques, they could be attributed to cementite precipitation, its spheroidization and recovery phenomena. The second stage was found to be retarded with increasing the manganese content of the steel contrary to the first stage. From these studies, a JMAK model was developed to predict the microstructurals evolutions during tempering. Then, an extension of the Hybrid-mean Field Composite model developed in a previous paper to predict the tensile curves of fresh martensite was proposed to take into account the microstructural evolutions of martensite during tempering. The model was tested for a wide range of physical parameters of the microstructure (phase fraction and chemical composition) and for different tempering heat treatments and gave good agreement with experimental tensile curves.

Study on triaxial compression performance and damage characteristics of fiber-reinforced ecological matrix cementing gangue gypsum fill material.

Polypropylene fiber was equally mixed into alkali-activated slag fly ash geopolymer in order to ensure the filling effect of mine goaf and improve the stability of cemented gangue paste filling material with ecological matrix. Triaxial compression tests were then conducted under various conditions. The mechanical properties and damage characteristics of composite paste filling materials are studied, and the damage evolution model of paste filling materials under triaxial compression is established, based on the deviatoric stress-strain curve generated by the progressive failure behavior of samples. Internal physical and chemical mechanisms of the evolution of structure and characteristics are elucidated and comprehended via the use of SEM-EDS and XRD micro-techniques. The results show that the fiber can effectively improve the ultimate strength and the corresponding effective stress strength index of the sample within the scope of the experimental study. The best strengthening effect is achieved when the amount of NaOH is 3% of the mass of the solid material, the amount of fiber is 5‰ of the mass of the solid material, and the length of the fiber is about 12 mm. The action mode of the fiber in the sample is mainly divided into single-grip anchoring and three-dimensional mesh traction. As the crack initiates and develops, connection occurs in the matrix, where the fiber has an obvious interference and retardation effect on the crack propagation, thereby transforming the brittle failure into a ductile failure and consequently improving the fracture properties of the ecological cementitious coal gangue matrix. The theoretical damage evolution model of a segmented filling body is constructed by taking the initial compaction stage end point as the critical point, and the curve of the damage evolution model of the specimen under different conditions is obtained. The theoretical model is verified by the results from the triaxial compression test. We concluded that the experimental curve is in good agreement with the theoretical curve. Therefore, the established theoretical model has a certain reference value for the analysis and evaluation of the mechanical properties of paste filling materials. The research results can improve the utilization rate of solid waste resources.

Modeling of the effect of the thickness of the antiferromagnetic layer on the energy of interfacial exchange interaction in Ferromagnetic/Antiferromagnet films

By means of thermodynamic and configuration averaging of the energy of the exchange interaction between the magnetic spin moments adjacent through the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic interphase boundary, the expression for the energy of the interphase exchange interaction Eex is obtained. The dependence of the energy Eex on the temperature and the characteristic dimensions of the ferromagnetic/antiferromagnetic two-phase film is modeled. The experimentally observed regularity of the growth of the energy of the interfacial exchange interaction due to the increase of the thickness of the antiferromagnetic layer is confirmed. A method for the estimation of the constants of the interfacial exchange interaction Jint and the exchange interaction in antiferromagnetics JAFM is proposed based on the agreement of the experimental and theoretical curves of the temperature dependence of the exchange bias field HebT.

Numerical Study on Effect of Flow Field Configuration on Air-Breathing Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Stacks

Air-breathing proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) show enormous potential in small and portable applications because of their brief construction time without the need for gas supply, humidification and cooling devices. In the current work, a 3D multiphase model of single air-breathing PEMFCs is developed by considering the contact resistance between the gas diffusion layer and bipolar plate and the anisotropic thermal conduction and electric conductive in the through-plane and in-plane directions. The 3D model presents good grid independence and agreement with the experimental polarization curve. The single PEMFC with the best open area ratio of 55% achieves the maximum peak power density of 179.3 mW cm−2. For the fuel cell stack with 10 single fuel cells, the application of the anode window flow field is beneficial to improve the stack peak power density compared to the anode serpentine flow field. The developed model is capable of providing assistance in designing high-performance air-breathing PEMFC stacks.

Study on energy damage evolution of multi-flaw sandstone with different flaw lengths

Flaws are common in rock mass engineering. The length and number of flaws have a great influence on the stability of rock mass. In this paper, uniaxial compression tests were carried out on six kinds of multi-flawed sandstone with different flaw lengths. Based on damage mechanics and energy theory, the mechanical variation characteristics, total strain energy, elastic strain energy and dissipation energy evolution law of multi-flawed sandstone with different flaw lengths under uniaxial action were analyzed. Based on the energy dissipation, the damage variable is redefined, and the sandstone damage process is divided into three stages: the initial damage weakening stage I, the damage stability stage II, and the damage accelerated development stage III. Using this conclusion, considering the initial compaction weakening stage of rock samples, Duncan model is introduced to modify the constitutive model of equivalent strain hypothesis. The results show that the theoretical curve is in good agreement with the experimental curve, indicating that the damage constitutive model can accurately reflect the damage and failure process of multi-flaw rock samples with different flaw lengths.

Quantitative Analysis of Stress-Stretch Curves in Canine Lumbar Vertebrae Using Modified Logistic Functions.

The mechanical characteristics of bone are crucial for comprehending its functionality and response to different load conditions, which are essential for advancing medical treatments, implants, and prosthetics. By employing mathematical modeling to analyze the mechanical properties of bone, we can assess stress and deformation under both normal and abnormal conditions. This analysis offers valuable perspectives on potential fracture risks, the effects of diseases, and the effectiveness of various treatments. Therefore, researchers are attempting to find an adequate mathematical description of the mechanical properties of bone. Experimental stress-stretch external loading curves were obtained through investigations of canine vertebrae. The obtained experimental curves were fitted using the SciPy Python library with a slightly modified logistic function (logistic function plus additional const). The resulting coefficient of determination R2 (R squared) for most curves was near 0.999, indicating that an appropriate fitting function was selected for the description of the experimental stress-stretch curves. The stress-stretch behavior of canine vertebrae can be described using a logistic function modified by adding additional parameters for the most accurate fitting results.

Chemiresistors Based on Hybrid Nanostructures Obtained from Graphene and Conducting Polymers with Potential Use in Breath Methane Detection Associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

This paper describes the process of producing chemiresistors based on hybrid nanostructures obtained from graphene and conducting polymers. The technology of graphene presumed the following: dispersion and support stabilization based on the chemical vapor deposition technique; transfer of the graphene to the substrate by spin-coating of polymethyl methacrylate; and thermal treatment and electrochemical delamination. For the process at T = 950 °C, a better settlement of the grains was noticed, with the formation of layers predominantly characterized by peaks and not by depressions. The technology for obtaining hybrid nanostructures from graphene and conducting polymers was drop-casting, with solutions of Poly(3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) and Poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-bithiophene] (F8T2). In the case of F8T2, compared to P3HT, a 10 times larger dimension of grain size and about 7 times larger distances between the peak clusters were noticed. To generate chemiresistors from graphene-polymer structures, an ink-jet printer was used, and the metallization was made with commercial copper ink for printed electronics, leading to a structure of a resistor with an active surface of about 1 cm2. Experimental calibration curves were plotted for both sensing structures, for a domain of CH4 of up to 1000 ppm concentration in air. A linearity of the curve for the low concentration of CH4 was noticed for the graphene structure with F8T2, presenting a sensitivity of about 6 times higher compared with the graphene structure with P3HT, which makes the sensing structure of graphene with F8T2 more feasible and reliable for the medical application of irritable bowel syndrome evaluation.

The Design and Study of a Four-Coil Oil Multi-Pollutant Detection Sensor

The operating environment of large mechanical equipment on ships is extremely harsh. Under such harsh conditions, it is necessary to effectively monitor and assess the health status of machinery and equipment and to take appropriate maintenance measures to ensure the normal operation of the ship and the safety of the lives and property of the crew. However, currently used methods are less effective in detecting non-ferromagnetic abrasive particles and non-metallic contaminants and may not be able to respond to certain emergencies promptly. Therefore, in this paper, a quad-solenoid coil multi-contaminant oil detection sensor is proposed to detect metallic abrasive particles and non-metallic contaminants using the voltage–capacitance dual mode. We provide an analytical expression for the magnetic field strength of the present sensor and develop a corresponding mathematical model. In order to verify its accuracy, we compared the model results with finite element analysis and verified them experimentally. Analysis of the experimental results shows that by switching the detection mode of the sensor, ferromagnetic metal particles, non-ferromagnetic metal particles, and non-metallic contaminants in the oil can be identified according to the different experimental signal curves. The sensor recognizes ferromagnetic particles over 70 μm in diameter, non-ferromagnetic particles over 220 μm in diameter, water droplets over 100–110 μm in diameter, and air bubbles over 180–190 μm in diameter. By comparing the sensor with existing sensors, the sensor can provide accurate information about various pollutants, help maintenance personnel to develop a reasonable maintenance program, and reduce the maintenance cost of ship machinery.

Investigating advection–dispersion behavior for simulation of HTO and 238Pu transport in argillaceous shale with different varying degrees of weathering

Abstract Exploring the migration behavior of radioactive nuclides in the surrounding rock media of the disposal site is the basis for the safety evaluation of radioactive waste disposal sites. In this study, the column experiment was employed to evaluate the nuclide migration behavior in the surrounding rock medium of a near-surface disposal site in China and to investigate the advection–dispersion behavior of tritium (HTO) and plutonium-238 (238Pu) in highly weathered argillaceous shale with different degree of weathering. A reasonable numerical model was selected to fit the experimental breakthrough curves (BTCs) and obtain relevant migration parameters. The results showed that: (1) the breakthrough curves of HTO and 238Pu in fractured media with varying degrees of weathering exhibited clear “peak forward” and “tail dragging” phenomena; (2) the stream tube model can better fit the BTCs of the nuclides in the highly weathered fractures and obtain the average dispersion coefficient <D>, average distribution coefficient <K d>, and other parameters; (3) the two-region non-equilibrium model can better fit the BTCs of the nuclides in the penetrating fractures and weak weathering fractures and obtain the volumetric water content of the mobile liquid region (θ m), distribution coefficient (K d), and other parameters.

Novel approach for sheet metal constitutive parameters identification based on shape index and multiple regression

To accurately predict the behavior and mechanical damage of sheet metal during hot forming process, the use of advanced thermomechanical modeling and precise identification of the constitutive parameter are required. This paper proposes a novel identification approach for constitutive parameters that relies on multiple regression and the shape index of experimental data curves. This approach is used to determine the material constants associated with the Johnson-Cook material and failure models for steel and aluminum sheets. Therefore, the obtained results approve the applicability and high accuracy of the identification procedure for the damage and the constitutive parameters of sheet metal, which allows for substantial time savings. Furthermore, to evaluate the formability of sheet metal, experimental forming tests at various temperatures were conducted. The identification process enhances the prediction of forming results, as shown by the fact that the numerical simulation of Erichsen and square die hydroforming tests using identified Johnson-Cook parameters agreed with the results of these tests carried out at different forming conditions. Moreover, the thickness measurement shows the ability of the developed model to properly predict the thickness of deformed shapes.

A master plot approach on rice husk decomposition through pyrolysis and kinetic elucidation using iso-conversional models

The present study aimed at predicting the intricate mechanism followed by the pyrolysis of locally available rice husk, uses noval modified master plots through continuous slope-based differential techniques. An average apparent activation energy was found in the range of 187.29 (KAS model) and 199.85 kJ mol−1 (OFW model), respectively. The rice husk revealed higher volatile matter; 54.51 wt-%, HHV; 18.42 MJ kg−1and a critical pyrolysis zone around 250 to 550 °C with two sharp peaks through differential thermogravimetric analysis. Using Karl–Pearson correlation, experimental curve showed highest correlation coefficient of 0.94 and 0.75 with respect to A2 and A3 models (Avrami–Erofeev) for g( α). However, for Z( α), the process is limited by first-order multi-diffusion processes (D1) coupled with solid phase surface reaction (F3) showing correlation coefficient of 0.8. The experimental data worked out the generalized model of f( α) as f( α) = 12.74 α3 – 24 α2 + 12.6 α - 0.92 with R2 value of 0.99, narrating the usage of master plots for better understanding of the process.