The surface treatment influence on the fatigue crack propagation of Al 7050-T7451 alloy

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Fatigue in AISI 4340 steel thermal spray coating by HVOF for aeronautic application

Currently, high-strength materials, particularly AISI 4340 steel, are used in several landing gear components. Due to the high resistance to wear and corrosion required, the components are usually coating by hard chromium. This treatment produces waste, such as Cr+ 6 (hexavalent chromium), generally after applying the coating of hard chromium which is harmful to health and the environment. The process HVOF (High-velocity-oxygen-fuel) is considered a promising technique for deposition of hard chromium alternative coatings, for example, coatings based on tungsten carbide. This technique provides high hardness and good wear strength and more resistance to fatigue when compared to AISI 4340 hard chromium coated. To minimize loss fatigue due to the process of deposition, shot peening is used to obtain a compressive residual stress. The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of the tungsten carbide thermal spray coating applied by the HVOF, in comparison to the conventional hard chromium electroplating on the AISI 4340 high strength steel behavior in fatigue. Optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to observe crack origin sites, thickness and adhesion of the coating. (C) 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Electrodeposition of copper on titanium wires: Taguchi experimental design approach

Electrodeposition of thin copper layer was carried out on titanium wires in acidic sulphate bath. The influence of titanium surface preparation, cathodic current density, copper sulphate and sulphuric acid concentrations, electrical charge density and stirring of the solution on the adhesion of the electrodeposits was studied using the Taguchi statistical method. A L(16) orthogonal array with the six factors of control at two levels each and three interactions was employed. The analysis of variance of the mean adhesion response and signal-to-noise ratio showed the great influence of cathodic current density on adhesion. on the contrary, the other factors as well as the three investigated interactions revealed low or no significant effect. From this study optimized electrolysis conditions were defined. The copper electrocoating improved the electrical conductivity of the titanium wire. This shows that copper electrocoated titanium wires could be employed for both electrical purpose and mechanical reinforcement in superconducting magnets. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polyaniline mixed LB films exposed to X-rays

X-ray irradiation is shown to affect electronic properties of polyaniline (PANi) in composite Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of PANi and cadmium stearate, in a similar way to acid doping. The time it takes for the shift in the UV-vis spectra, characteristic of PANi doping, increases linearly with the film thickness, thus indicating a surface-controlled process. The humidity of the environment under which the films are irradiated is also of extreme importance. No shin is observed under vacuum or under dry atmospheres of N-2, O-2 and Ar. For humid environments the time for the shift decreases with increasing relative humidity.

EVALUATION of HEAVY METAL AVAILABILITY IN CONTAMINATED SEDIMENTS FROM THE ILHA SOLTEIRA HYDROELECTRIC DAM on THE PARANA RIVER AT ILHA SOLTEIRA, SP, BRAZIL

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

4-amine-2-mercaptopyrimidine modified silica gel applied in Cd(II) and Pb(II) extraction from an aqueous medium

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sediment grain size distribution and heavy metals determination in a dam on the Parana River at Ilha Solteira, Brazil

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Determination of the photoinduced birefringence and of the refractive index by Brewster method of epoxy resin doped with CdS

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Levels of toxic and essential metals in maternal and umbilical cord blood from selected areas of South Africa-results of a pilot study

This pilot study uses concentrations of metals in maternal and cord blood at delivery, in seven selected geographical areas of South Africa, to determine prenatal environmental exposure to toxic metals. Samples of maternal and cord whole blood were analysed for levels of cadmium, mercury, lead, manganese, cobalt, copper, zinc, arsenic and selenium. Levels of some measured metals differed by site, indicating different environmental pollution levels in the regions selected for the study. Mercury levels were elevated in two coastal populations studied (Atlantic and Indian Ocean sites) with mothers from the Atlantic site having the highest median concentration of 1.78 mu g/L ranging from 0.44 to 8.82 mu g/L, which was found to be highly significant (p < 0.001) when compared to other sites, except the Indian Ocean site. The highest concentration of cadmium was measured in maternal blood from the Atlantic site with a median value of 0.25 mu g/L (range 0.05-0.89 mu g/L), and statistical significance of p < 0.032, when compared to all other sites studied, and p < 0.001 and p < 0.004 when compared to rural and industrial sites respectively, confounding factor for elevated cadmium levels was found to be cigarette smoking. Levels of lead were highest in the urban site, with a median value of 32.9 mu g/L (range 16-81.5 mu g/L), and statistically significant when compared with other sites (p < 0.003). Levels of selenium were highest in the Atlantic site reaching statistical significance (p < 0.001). All analysed metals were detected in umbilical cord blood samples and differed between sites, with mercury being highest in the Atlantic site (p < 0.001), lead being highest in the urban site (p < 0.004) and selenium in the Atlantic site (p < 0.001). To the best of our knowledge this pilot investigation is the first study performed in South Africa that measured multiple metals in delivering mothers and umbilical cord blood samples. These results will inform the selection of the geographical sites requiring further investigation in the main study.

The placenta as a barrier for toxic and essential elements in paired maternal and cord blood samples of South African delivering women

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Effect of tartrate content on aging and deposition condition of copper-tin electrodeposits from a non-cyanide acid bath

The effect of the presence of tartrate additive on the chemical stability of a Cu-Sn acid bath was evaluated. It was observed that this additive hinders decomposition of the Cu/Sn deposition bath with storage time, since the decrease in electrochemical efficiency was attenuated. In addition, it was observed that optimal galvanostatic deposition with or without tartrate occurs at approximately 11 mA cm(-2). However, in the presence of tartrate the deposition charge was lower, leading to lower energy consumption. SEM analysis showed that the tartrate added to the plating bath caused a marked change in the morphology of the Cu/Sn films obtained gal vanostatic ally. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Bioconcentration of Cd and Pb by the River Crab Trichodactylus fluviatilis (Crustacea: Decapoda)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Geochemical characterization of heavy metal contaminated area using multivariate factorial kriging

This paper describes a geostatistical method, known as factorial kriging analysis, which is well suited for analyzing multivariate spatial information. The method involves multivariate variogram modeling, principal component analysis, and cokriging. It uses several separate correlation structures, each corresponding to a specific spatial scale, and yields a set of regionalized factors summarizing the main features of the data for each spatial scale. This method is applied to an area of high manganese-ore mining activity in Amapa State, North Brazil. Two scales of spatial variation (0.33 and 2.0 km) are identified and interpreted. The results indicate that, for the short-range structure, manganese, arsenic, iron, and cadmium are associated with human activities due to the mining work, while for the long-range structure, the high aluminum, selenium, copper, and lead concentrations, seem to be related to the natural environment. At each scale, the correlation structure is analyzed, and regionalized factors are estimated by cokriging and then mapped.

Influence of HVOF parameters on the corrosion and wear resistance of WC-Co coatings sprayed on AA7050 T7

Thermal spray WC-based coatings are widely used in the aircraft industry mainly for their resistance to wear, reworking and rebuilding operations and repair of worn components on landing gear, hydraulic cylinders, actuators, propeller hub assemblies, gas turbine engines, and so on. The aircraft industry is also trying to use thermal spray technology to replace electroplating coatings such as hard chromium. In the present work, WC-Co coatings were built up on an AA 7050 aluminum alloy using high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) technology and a liquid nitrogen cooling prototype system. The influence of the spray parameters (standard conditions, W19S, increasing the oxygen flux, W19H, and also increasing the carrier gas flux, W19F) on corrosion, friction, and abrasive wear resistance were also studied. The coatings were characterized using optical (OM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The friction and abrasive wear resistance of the coatings were studied using Rubber Wheel and Ball on Disk tests. The electrochemical studies were conducted using open-circuit potential (E(oc)) measurements and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Differences among coated samples were mainly related to the variation of the thermal spray parameters used during the spray process. No significant differences were observed in the wear resistance for the coatings studied, and all of them showed a wear rate around 10 times lower than that of the aluminum alloy. The results of mass loss and wear rate were interpreted considering different mechanisms. Comparing the different spray parameters, the oxygen flux (higher flame temperature) produced the sample which showed the highest corrosion resistance in aerated and unstirred 3.5% NaCl solution. Aluminum ions were detected on the surface almost immediately after the immersion of samples W19S and W19F in chloride solution, showing that the electrolyte reached the substrate and galvanic corrosion probably occurred. For sample W19H, aluminum ions were not detected even after 120 min of immersion in NaCl solution. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrochemical Determination of Inorganic Contaminants in Automotive Fuels

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)