Specific Material Research Articles

Thermal creep properties of virgin and irradiated cladding tubes made of Ti-stabilised DIN 1.4970 (15-15Ti) austenitic stainless steel

ABSTRACT This paper presents assessments performed on a large database of virgin material and irradiated material thermal creep data from uniaxial and pressurised DIN 1.4970 Ti-stabilised austenitic stainless steel i.e. EN X10NiCrMoTiB15–15 or ‘15-15Ti’ cladding tubes. The data base incorporates multi-heat data from uniaxial and bi-axial (internal pressure) creep tests conducted during the fast reactor R&D program of the DeBeNe (Deutschland-Belgium-Netherlands) consortium between the 1960s to the late 1980s together with more recent data, for example, from the European projects MATTER and PATRICIA and the EERA JPNM pilot project TASTE. The data comprises of a virgin material data base and a data base with irradiated creep data. The virgin material data comprises of time-to-rupture and time-to-0.2% creep strain in a temperature range of 600–800°C and covers a large range of stresses. The irradiated data base has less data and does not cover all material heats tested for the virgin material properties. The irradiation conditions are also different depending on the test reactor specifics and the irradiation campaign targets. The attained ‘irradiation damage’ in displacements per atom (DPA) for the irradiated materials range from 0.1 up to 38.1. Un-irradiated ‘reference material’ models for tensile strength and creep strength are constructed from the current-state of the art literature data and more recent results from the Sandvik 24% cold worked 1515–Ti cladding tube currently used as the main material batch studied at SCK CEN. The tensile strength model is used throughout the paper for normalizing creep strengths by the tensile properties, needed when applying the Wilshire (WE) creep model. Time factors (TF), stress factors (SF) and temperature ratio factors (TRF) are calculated for different material states for describing the impact of heat treatments, (virgin and irradiated) and irradiation conditions. This initial study targets to give estimates for the thermal creep properties of cladding tubes with a cold work range of 16–24% in a non-annealed state, as it is the preferred option for future designs according to the state-of-the art knowledge base. However, the main bulk of the available data on irradiated material is on claddings with a cold work range of 0-16% with and without annealing and at various levels of irradiation damage, thus leading to the need for estimation by interpolation and extrapolation assuming that irradiation damage levels and trends, e.g. time reduction factors found on a lower cold worked material can also be applied on materials with higher cold work levels. The results of the assessments clearly show relative strength differences between chosen material heats and heat treatments and has enabled constructing simple multilinear models for estimating the life of irradiated material. The models show that low creep test temperatures (and irradiation temperatures), low stress levels, low levels of cold work and high irradiation doses are increasing the detrimental difference between the specific material condition and the reference material. Also, it was found that the general level of life reduction (time factor TF and stress factor SF) for irradiation damaged material failure, in relation to the reference material failure, roughly coincides the corresponding values of time to 0.2% creep strain for virgin material. The estimated ‘failure creep temperature limits’ for 30 000 hours of service are studied and compared for both virgin and irradiated materials at a reference stress level of 1/3 of the tensile strength (at temperature).

Cutting Edge High‐Throughput Synthesis and Characterization Techniques in Combinatorial Materials Science

AbstractThe Materials Genome Initiative is expected to accelerate the materials discovery and design by fundamentally changing the trial‐and‐error research paradigm. However, mass data from high‐throughput experiments is still essential for the revelation of rules and verification of theories. In fact, the development of combinatorial materials science is always on the strength of the upgrade and evolution of high‐throughput techniques in each stage, especially high‐throughput materials synthesis and characterization. Herein, this review summarizes the high‐throughput synthesis methods for combinatorial materials libraries, especially the co‐deposition and masking techniques of thin‐film fabrication; and details the high‐throughput characterization methods for specific material properties and typical material categories, which comes down to the spectroscopy and microscopy techniques. It is considered that high‐throughput concepts will be the predominant lab experimentation in the future, along with advanced experimental techniques and convenient data processing procedures. Before that, more cooperation between multiple researchers from different fields should be conducted to complete the combinatorial materials research, since the high‐throughput technology covers multiple disciplines with a huge span.

Thermalization rate of polaritons in strongly-coupled molecular systems

Abstract Polariton thermalization is a key process in achieving light–matter Bose–Einstein condensation, spanning from solid-state semiconductor microcavities at cryogenic temperatures to surface plasmon nanocavities with molecules at room temperature. Originated from the matter component of polariton states, the microscopic mechanisms of thermalization are closely tied to specific material properties. In this work, we investigate polariton thermalization in strongly-coupled molecular systems. We develop a microscopic theory addressing polariton thermalization through electron-phonon interactions (known as exciton-vibration coupling) with low-energy molecular vibrations. This theory presents a simple analytical method to calculate the temperature-dependent polariton thermalization rate, utilizing experimentally accessible spectral properties of bare molecules, such as the Stokes shift and temperature-dependent linewidth of photoluminescence, in conjunction with well-known parameters of optical cavities. Our findings demonstrate qualitative agreement with recent experimental reports of nonequilibrium polariton condensation in both ground and excited states, and explain the thermalization bottleneck effect observed at low temperatures. This study showcases the significance of vibrational degrees of freedom in polariton condensation and offers practical guidance for future experiments, including the selection of suitable material systems and cavity designs.

Determination of engineering properties of cementitiously stabilised aggregates using ultrasonic pulse velocity

Non-destructive testing methods, such as Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity (UPV), have been widely used to assess the quality and performance of cementitious stabilised aggregates. The present study reveals the robust relationship of UPV and constrained modulus (CM) with unconfined compressive strength (UCS), modulus of rupture/flexural strength (MoR), and flexural modulus (FM) in aggregates stabilised with five different stabiliser combinations, including cement, cement-ground granulated blast furnace steel slag (GGBS), cement-fly ash and cement with two commercial chemical admixtures. The high accuracy of UPV and CM in estimating destructive test parameters and approximating challenging tests like FM is convincingly demonstrated with strong correlations (R² > 0.80) and standard error ratios (Se /Sy < 0.35). Power law and logarithmic curves prove suitable for modelling the relationships between strength and stiffness with UPV and CM, respectively. Notably, however, the study reveals significant variations in correlating parameters across different cementitious stabilisers within the same mix design, emphasising the strong dependence on the specific cementitious material type. Overall, this work offers valuable insights into the use of non-destructive parameters, UPV and CM, for the characterisation of stabilised aggregates based on cementitious material type and different curing conditions.

Developing a Supplementary Material for English Specific Purposes for Architecture Major

Due to the lack of specific English materials for architecture students, this present study is aimed at developing a supplementary material for architecture students in Politeknik Negeri Pontianak, specifically a list of vocabulary related to the architecture major. This study employed ADDIE model in developing the material; analyze, design, develop, implement and evaluation. There are 47 of first Semester students participated in this research. Based on the need analysis, most of them need a supplementary material that conforms to their field, which in this case is the architecture major. The supplementary material is developed into five units: Architectural Style for Unit 1, Floor Plan for Unit 2, Building Materials for Unit 3, Roofs and Floors for Unit 4 and Interior Design for Unit 5. The implemantation phase shows that the students have a positive attitude toward the supplementary materials. They express satisfaction in using it since the design and content are interesting. The material from this study can help students learn English that is related to their major, which can help them in their future careers.Keywords: ESP; discipline-specific vocabulary; architecture major

Life cycle assessment of n-caproic acid production via chain elongation from food waste: Comparison of shunting and staged technology

n-Caproic acid is a widely used biochemical that can be produced from organic waste through chain elongation technology. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of n-caproic acid production through chain elongation by two processes (i.e., shunting and staged technology). The Open-life cycle assessment (LCA) model was used to calculate the environmental impacts of both technologies based on experimental data. Results showed that the shunting technology had higher environmental impacts than the staged technology. Water and electricity made bigger contribution to the environmental impacts of both technologies. Reusing chain elongation effluent substituting for water and using electricity produced by wind power could reduce the environmental impacts of water and electricity effectively. Using ethanol from food waste had higher global warming potential than fossil ethanol, which suggested that a cradle-to-grave LCA is needed to be carried out for specific raw materials and chain elongation products in the future.

Influence of thermal load on a rotating thermoelastic medium with diffusion and double porosity

In the present work, we have studied the thermodynamical interactions in a two-dimensional thermoelastic medium with diffusion, rotation and double porosity in the context of Green–Lindsay theory. A thermal load is applied at the outer free surface of the medium. The normal mode technique is employed to derive the analytic expressions of the field quantities such as stresses, displacement components, temperature field and mass concentration. Numerical computations are performed with the help of MATLAB software for a specific material for illustrating the results. To the author’s best knowledge, no attempt has been made to investigate the therodynamical interactions in a rotating double porous thermoelastic medium with diffusion under the influence of a thermal load. Comparisons of the physical quantities are shown in figures to study the effects of time, double porosity, rotation, thermal load and diffusion. Some particular cases of interest have also been inferred from the present problem. The theoretical and numerical computations are found to be in close agreement.

Use of modern three-dimensional imaging models to guide surgical planning for local control of pediatric extracranial solid tumors.

In complex pediatric surgical oncology, surgical planning is contingent upon data gathered from preoperative imaging. Three-dimensional (3D) modeling and printing has been shown to be beneficial for adult presurgical planning, though pediatric literature is less robust. The study reviews our institutional experience with the use of 3D image segmentation and printed models in approaching resection of extracranial solid tumors in children. This is a single institutional series from 2021 to 2023. Models were based on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging studies, optimized for 3D imaging. The feasibility and creation of the models is reviewed, including specific techniques, software, and printing materials from our institution. Clinical implications for surgical planning are also described, along with detailed preoperative and intraoperative images. 3D modeling and printing was performed for four pediatric patients diagnosed with extracranial solid tumors. Diagnoses included Ewing sarcoma, hepatoblastoma, synovial sarcoma, and osteosarcoma. No intraoperative complications or discrepancies with the preoperative 3D-printed model were noted. No evidence of local recurrence was identified in any patient thus far. Our institutional series demonstrates a wide spectrum of clinical application for 3D modeling and printing technology within pediatric surgical oncology. This technology may aid in surgical planning for both resection and reconstruction, can be applied to a diverse breadth of diagnoses, and may potentially augment patient and/or family education about their condition.

The Neognostic Myth in Cyberspace

The subject of the study is the functioning of the neognostic myth in cyberspace. Such aspects of the topic as the relationship between religion and the Internet from a non-instrumental point of view on technology are considered in detail. Digital and network technologies are seen as a modern repository of religious beliefs, and not as tools for proselytizing or proclaiming the good news. With the help of an archaeological approach to technical media, the author proposes to determine the deep times of the digital disclosure of technological mysticism, depending on a specific technical materiality characterized by wireless networks and mobile devices. Currently, there are trends in world culture towards the construction of a syncretic myth, which contains elements of the dying Christian paradigm and trends introduced into it from the outside or emerging again. The categorical apparatus developed in the discourse of postmodern aesthetics makes it possible to apply such methods as phenomenological, discursive, hermeneutic and archetypal analysis to the analysis of visual culture. In the study of visual neognostic myth, the concepts of archetypal models, plots, cliches, the theory of the evolution of symbols, general cultural positions of psychoanalysis and the concept of myth are used. The main conclusions of the study are as follows. Gnostic epistemology underlies the imagination of cyberspace. There is a constant in the history of the West that Eric Davis calls "techno-gnosis." In this regard, cybergnosis would be only the latest incarnation of a profound phenomenon. In the world of cyberculture, technognosis manifests itself in hacker ethics, cyberpunk literature, science fiction films and video games. With the help of an archaeological approach to technical media, the deep moments of the digital are determined, showing that there is a technological mysticism in video games that depends on a specific materiality. The new metamodern perception of the world recognizes not only the possibility of perceiving various logical and irrational paradigms of the world order and gaining knowledge about it, but also gives a positive connotation to pluralism itself, when diversity becomes more desirable than truth, which is characteristic of cyberspace. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that the research is the basis for the formation of a clear conceptual understanding of the phenomenon of the neognostic myth in its visual form (as opposed to verbal) as a dynamic cultural model generated by digital art strategies and implemented today in media culture.

Business peoples’ perceptions of English language use and its importance in the Chinese business world: a mixed-methods study

ABSTRACT This article presents the findings of a study measuring business people’s perceptions of English language use and its importance in the Chinese business community. Utilizing a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, an analysis of cross-validated data from 1505 questionnaire participants and 30 interviewees revealed that business people in China do not use English as frequently as their national language, Mandarin Chinese, in their dealings. Nevertheless, the findings also indicated that business people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of English as a medium of communication in the business world. The findings have meaningful implications for practitioners of English for specific purposes, policymakers, and materials developers.

A facile synthesis of flower-like NiCo-LDH for high specific capacitance pseudosupercapacitor positive materials

A facile synthesis of flower-like NiCo-LDH for high specific capacitance pseudosupercapacitor positive materials

Design, construction and test of a prototype coil with demountable CuBe joints for pulsed table-top tokamaks

In a classic small tokamak, the magnetic confinement is achieved by toroidal coils that fit into a donut-shape mechanical structure. To facilitate their handling and maintenance as well as the access to various auxiliaries components, their design has evolved toward a modular configuration. For such demountable design, it is important to guarantee the electrical continuity of the winding of the coil across the modular parts through electrical contacts. The resulting joints rely on pressure and specific materials to transfer high current densities at a good mechanical stability and manageable losses. In the present work, a prototype of a circular demountable toroidal field coil (CDTFC) was designed and built to test some technical choices to be used in the final coils of a table-top tokamak referred to as TPM-1U. For this small tokamak, the magnet wires to wind the toroidal coils should be able to handle large pulsed currents in the tens of thousands of Amperes whereas the coil joints should handle a peak current density of at least 75 kA/cm2. The case study here is the TPM-U1 table-top tokamak. Its conceptual design is recalled and mechanical and magnetic details of the demountable coil prototype are provided. For the experimental test, the contacts were slightly pressed using a custom-made contact assembly and current pulses between 4 kA and 8 kA were fedto the coil prototype. The degradation of the joint was visually estimated by assessing the amount of micro-melting, plastic deformation and oxidation appearing at the interface between the materials in contact. It is shown that the selected AWG-04 magnet wire is appropriate for carrying kiloAmpere range pulsed currents and that the CuBe contacts are able to withstand current densities larger than the specification, up to 263 kA/cm2, under low contact pressures of a few mega-Pascal simplifying their handling. Some technical choices have been probed on a prototype coil yielding a generic sequence of tasks to build and test mechanically and electromagnetically demountable coils and their joints.

Simulation-Assisted Tool Design for Pulsed Electrochemical Machining of Magnetic Shape-Memory Alloys

Shape-memory alloys set high demands on the production technologies being used. During cutting, continuous heat input and mechanical stress have an undesirable influence on the shape-memory effect. Pulsed electrochemical machining (PECM), which is based on anodic dissolution, enables force-free machining without thermomechanical influence on the edge-zone properties of the workpiece. Depending on the desired geometry, the development of a customized PECM fixture is necessary. The design of the fixtures is often based on the experiences of the designers and manufacturers, which often results in an estimation of the functionally critical dimensions. For this reason, the study focuses on a methodical approach for evaluating crucial fixture dimensions using knowledge of the specific material dissolution behavior linked with a numerical simulation model. It has been shown that the shape-memory alloy NiMnGa has a non-linear dissolution behavior in sodium nitrate. A reduction of stray currents up to 20% resulting from a lateral gap between the cathode and electrical insulation was demonstrated using numerical simulation. The study shows that a low cathode shaping height has the strongest influence on precise processing. Varying the process parameters allowed for the lateral gap to be adjusted between 0.15 and 0.25 mm.

Brochosome-inspired binary metastructures for pixel-by-pixel thermal signature control.

Microscale thermal signature control using incoherent heat sources remains challenging, despite recent advancements in plasmonic materials and phase-change materials. Inspired by leafhopper-generated brochosomes, we design binary metastructures functioning as pixel twins to achieve pixelated thermal signature control at the microscale. In the infrared range, the pixel twins exhibit distinct emissivities, creating thermal counterparts of "0-1" binary states for storing and displaying information. In the visible range, the engineered surface morphology of the pixel twins ensures similar scattering behaviors. This renders them visually indistinguishable, thereby concealing the stored information. The brochosome-like pixel twins are self-emitting when thermally excited. Their structure-enabled functions do not rely on the permittivities of specific materials, which distinguishes them from the conventional laser-illuminated plasmonic holographic metasurfaces. The unique combination of visible camouflage and infrared display offers a systemic solution to microscale spatial control of thermal signatures and has substantial implications for optical security, anticounterfeiting, and data encryption.

Reflection of plane waves in a nonlocal double poroelastic semiconducting medium with variable thermal conductivity and mass diffusivity

AbstractThe present investigation is concerned with the reflection phenomena of plane waves in a homogeneous, isotropic, nonlocal, photothermoelastic semiconducting medium under the effects of double porosity, variable thermal conductivity and mass diffusivity. The formulation is applied to generalized thermoelasticity based on the Lord–Shulman theory. The problem is solved analytically and it is shown that there exist six coupled longitudinal waves in addition to an independent transverse wave in the considered medium. The amplitude ratios and energy ratios of these reflected waves have been calculated analytically and computed numerically for a specific material with the help of MATLAB programming. The numerical results of reflection coefficients are presented graphically to show the effects of double porosity, photothermal transport process, nonlocality, variable thermal conductivity and mass diffusivity. It is verified that during reflection phenomena, the sum of energy ratios is equal to unity at each angle of incidence and there is no energy dissipation at the boundary surface. Some special cases of interest have also been inferred from the current investigation.

Texture Inspection using the Voice Based Biometric Authentication in the Quantum Computation

Texture inspection has remained an important substance throughout the whole history because with the advances of the mobile graphics and many hardware, high-quality image processing for the basic wood texture in the Wolfram mathematical. We also used wood in the building material and household furniture to find out the type of wood that can be used as a specific material and to help in the development of the different wood texture in the android studio. Cedar is a fibrous and a porous structural tissue found in the roots of trees and other woody plants. The colour of the wood has been depend on the reflection of the most important component of the wood grain may be the process of refining or protection of the wooden surface in the production of the manufacturing cost 5 and 30%. Various Woods textures having the appearance of the wood that require the wood joints for the great variation between sapwood and heartwood.

Анализ возможностей оптимизации выбора ультразвукового оборудования для нанесения функциональных покрытий

To meet the requirements affecting the quality of functional coatings, various technologies are currently being used, one of which is the use of ultrasonics. To form functional coatings, ultrasonics are used both at the stage of surface preparation and at the stage of coating deposition. Thus, at the stage of surface preparation, ultrasonics allow making surface preclean, ensuring the necessary surface roughness due to ultrasonic rolling, as well as preactivation of the surface before nitriding due to surface plastic deformation. In case of coating deposition, ultrasonics contribute to better nitriding and painting. However, ultrasonic equipment used in various preparation and coating deposition processes differs significantly in its characteristics. Thus, the ultrasonic generators vary in alternator capacity, specific material consumption, actual frequency, as well as design features that ensure stable operation, for example, automatic frequency control. The converters differ from each other in accomplishable amplitudes, power and actual frequency. In this regard, the aim of the work is to develop recommendations on the use of ultrasonic equipment in various technical processes for the creation of functional coatings. The paper studies ultrasonic equipment used in surface preparation and functional coating application process. The main process-dependent parameters aimed at choosing the required equipment have been characterized. Recommendations are given on the use of ultrasonic equipment for various functional coatings generation, when a converter-generator couple is found and it meets the requirements for most surface preparation and coating deposition processes.

Eco-Innovative Construction: Integrating Green Roofs Design within the BIM Framework

This research delves into the integration of green roofs elements and parameters with Building Information Modeling (BIM), a pivotal advancement in sustainable urban construction. Aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 11, this study explores how this integration can address global challenges like climate change and resource depletion. Using the Dynamo Visual Programming Language within Autodesk Revit, this research develops a computational modeling approach for green roofs, focusing on their thermal and structural characteristics under varied environmental conditions. Key findings demonstrate the significant influence of substrate and drainage material combinations on green roofs’ thermal performance, highlighting the need for tailored designs based on climatic conditions. This study also emphasizes the importance of considering structural performance in both dry and saturated conditions for overall building integrity. This research identifies gaps in current practices, such as limited focus on specific green roof materials and reliance on certain software tools, suggesting the need for broader material selection and software adaptability. Future research directions include expanding material selections, exploring diverse environmental conditions, and integrating green roofs elements and parameters with various BIM software platforms. This study’s implications extend to stakeholders in the construction industry, offering a framework for architects, urban planners, and policymakers to design and implement green roofs aligned with environmental goals. This work contributes to the field by proposing a novel approach to sustainable construction, integrating ecological design with digital technology, and setting a new benchmark in the integration of green roofs design with BIM. By addressing these aspects, this research paves the way for future developments in sustainable urban construction, enhancing the efficiency, sustainability, and resilience of urban communities in line with global sustainability objectives.

Does the absence of HEMA in universal adhesive systems containing MDP affect the bonding properties to enamel and dentine? A one-year evaluation

ObjectivesTo evaluate the effect of the absence of HEMA in commercial universal adhesives containing MDP on the adhesive properties of dentine and enamel immediately and after one year of water storage. Methods144 third molars were used to evaluate bonding to dentine (n = 64) and enamel (n = 80). For each substrate, teeth were divided into eight experimental groups, following the main variables: 1) Adhesives: Scotchbond Universal/SBU; Gluma Bond Universal/GBU; Solare/SUB and Zipbond Universal/ZIP; 2) Adhesive strategies: etch-and-rinse/ER and self-etch/SE; and 3) Time: immediately and after one year of water storage. For both substrates, after restoration, the specimens were sectioned, and the adhesive interfaces tested by bond strength (μTBS in dentin and μSBS in enamel) or nanoleakage (NLD = dentin and NLE = enamel). The evaluation of μTBS, μSBS, NLD and NLE was performed immediately and after one year of water storage. The data for each substrate and property were subjected to three-way repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). ResultsThe SBU and ZIP showed the highest μTBS, μSBS, and lower NLD values when compared to GBU and SUB for both strategies and storage time (p = 0.001). ER showed higher values of μTBS and μSBS when compared to the SE strategy (p = 0.001) for both storage time, except for SBU. For all adhesives and adhesive strategies evaluated, lower NLD was observed in the immediate time when compared to 1 year (p = 0.0002). ConclusionConsidering that two HEMA-free universal adhesives, namely Gluma Universal Bond and Solare Universal Bond, exhibited lower bonding performance compared to one HEMA-free adhesive universal adhesive (ZipBond). Clinicians should also consider additional factors such as the solvent used and pH when choosing between HEMA-free and MDP-containing universal adhesives. Clinical significanceThe adhesive efficacy of commercial MDP-containing universal adhesives and HEMA-free alternatives on dentin and enamel appears to be contingent upon the specific material employed, in comparison to a HEMA-containing adhesive.

Periodicals and the History of their Present: &lt;i&gt;Die Zeiten&lt;/i&gt; (1805–20) as Chronopoetic Historiography

This article discusses periodicals as media forms that are dependent on and correlated with time. It treats periodical publication as a form of chronopoetics, exploring modes of writing the present at work in journals as well as their varied relationships to writing history. Focusing on Die Zeiten (1805–20), a German-language historio-political monthly journal of the Napoleonic Era, the article describes chronopoetic writing as the layering of history; the experience of time in and through medial formats, and the more specific rhetorical, material, and medial temporalities of periodicals.