Reduction behaviour of Fe3+/Al2O3 obtained from the mixed oxalate precursor and the formation of the Fe0-Al2O3 metal-ceramic composite

Reduction behaviour of Fe3+/Al2O3 obtained by the decomposition of the oxalate precursor has been investigated by employing X-ray diffraction (XRD), Mössbauer spectroscopy and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Calcination of Fe3+/Al2O3 at or below 1070 K yields mainly a poorly ordered, fine particulate form of ?-Al2�xFexO3. Calcination at or above 1220 K yields ?-Al2�xFexO3. Reduction of Fe3+/Al2O3 samples calcined at or below 1070 K gives the FeAl2O4 spinel on reduction at 870 K; samples calcined at or above 1220 K give Al2-xFexO3 with a very small proportion of metallic iron. Fe3+/Al2O3 samples calcined at 1220 K or above yield metallic iron and a very small proportion of the spinel on reduction below 1270 K. In the samples reduced at or above 1270 K, the main product is metallic iron in both ferromagnetic and superparamagnetic forms. The oxalate precursor route yields more metallic iron than the sol�gel route.

Minimum weight design of fiber-reinforced laminated composite structures with maximum stress and Tsai-Wu failure criteria

In this article, a minimum weight design of carbon/epoxy laminates is carried out using genetic algorithms. New failure envelopes have been developed by the combination of two commonly used phenomenological failure criteria, namely Maximum Stress (MS) and Tsai-Wu (TW) are used to obtain the minimum weight of the laminate. These failure envelopes are the most conservative failure envelope (MCFE) and the least conservative failure envelope (LCFE). Uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions are considered for the study and the differences in the optimal weight of the laminate are compared for the MCFE and LCFE. The MCFE can be used for design of critical load-carrying composites, while the LCFE could be used for the design of composite structures where weight reduction is much more important than safety such as unmanned air vehicles.

Self-assembled composite nano-materials exploiting a thermo reversible n-acene fibrillar scaffold and organic-capped ZnO nanoparticles

An organic-inorganic composite material is obtained by self-assembly of 2,3-didecyloxy-anthracene (DDOA), an organogelator of butanol, and organic-capped ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The ligand 3, 2,3-di(6-oxy-n-hexanoic acid)-anthracene, designed to cap ZnO and interact with the DDOA nanofibers by structural similarity, improves the dispersion of the NPs into the organogel. The composite material displays mechanical properties similar to those of the pristine DDOA organogel, but gelates at a lower critical concentration and emits significantly less, even in the presence of very small amounts of ZnO NPs. The ligand 3 could also act as a relay to promote the photo-induced quenching process.

Enhanced ionic conductivity in nano-composite solid polymer electrolyte: (PEG) (x) LiBr: y(SiO2)

In this paper, we report an enhancement in ionic conductivity in a new nano-composite solid polymer electrolyte namely, (PEG) (x) LiBr: y(SiO2). The samples were prepared, characterized, and investigated by XRD, IR, NMR, and impedance spectroscopy. Conductivity as a function of salt concentration shows a double peak. Five weight percent addition of silica nanoparticles increases the ionic conductivity by two orders of magnitude. Conductivity exhibits an Arrhenius type dependence on temperature. IR study has shown that the existence of nanoparticles in the vicinity of terminal OaEuro center dot H group results in a shift in IR absorption frequency and increase in amplitude of vibration of the terminal OaEuro center dot H group. This might lead to an enhancement in conductivity due to increased segmental motion of the polymer. Li-7 NMR spectroscopic studies also seem to support this. Thus addition of nanoparticle inert fillers still seems to be a promising technique to enhance the ionic conductivity in solid polymer electrolytes.

Large negative magnetoresistance and metal-insulator transition observed in MnO/C composite coatings grown on ceramic alumina by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

MnO/C composite coatings were grown by the metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process on ceramic alumina in argon ambient. Characterization by various techniques confirms that these coatings are homogeneous composites comprising nanometer-sized MnO particles embedded in a matrix of nanometer-sized graphite. Components of the MnO/C composite coating crystalline disordered, but are electrically quite conductive. Resistance vs. temperature measurements show that coating resistance increases exponentially from a few hundred ohms at room temperature to a few megaohms at 30 K. Logarithmic plots of reduced activation energy vs. temperature show that the coating material undergoes a metal-insulator transition. The reduced activation energy exponent for the film under zero magnetic field was 2.1, which is unusually high, implying that conduction is suppressed at much faster rate than the Mott or the Efros-Shklovskii hopping mechanism. Magnetoconductance us. magnetic field plots obtained at various temperatures show a high magnetoconductance (similar to 28.8%) at 100 K, which is unusually large for a disordered system, wherein magnetoresistance is attributed typically to weak localization. A plausible explanation for the unusual behavior observed in the carbonaceous disordered composite material is proposed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Friction and wear behaviour of continuous fibre as cast Kevlar-phenolic resin composite

A compression moulded Kevlar-phenolic resin composite consisting of 30 wt% continuous fibres was slid against a steel disc such that the fibre axis was normal to the sliding plane. The sliding experiments were conducted in a normal pressure range of 0.47–4.27 MPa and at a sliding speed of 0.5 ms–1. The initial sliding interaction is abrasive. With further sliding, as patches of polymer transfer film develop on the polymer pin and counterface, the interaction becomes adhesive and steady-state friction is established. The wear resistance of the polymer was found to be related to the stability of this film.

Characteristics of superplasticity domain in the processing map for hot working of an Al alloy 2014---20vol.%Al2O3 metal matrix composite

The processing map for hot working of Al alloy 2014-20vol.%Al2O3 particulate-reinforced cast-plus-extruded composite material has been generated covering the temperature range 300-500 degrees C and the strain rate range 0.001-10 s(-1) based on the dynamic materials model. The efficiency eta of power dissipation given by 2m/(m + 1), where m is the strain rate sensitivity, is plotted as a function of temperature and strain rate to obtain a processing map. A domain of superplasticity has been identified, with a peak efficiency of 62% occurring at 500 degrees C and 0.001 s(-1). The characteristics of this domain have been studied with the help of microstructural evaluation and hot-ductility measurements. Microstructural instability is predicted at higher strain rates above (ls(-1)) and lower temperatures (less than 350 degrees C).

Mechanistic studies on the effect of ferrocene bonding agents in composite solid propellents

Five compounds, viz. 1,1'-ferrocenediyldiethylidene bis(thiocarbonohydrazide) (DAFT), 1,1-diacetylferrocene disemicarbazone (DAFS), 1,1-diacetylferrocenebenzoyl hydrazone (FDBAH), 1,1-diacetylferrocene-p-nitrobenzoyl hydrazone (FDNBAH), and p-toluenesulfonic acid 1,1'-ferrocenediyldiethylidene dihydrazide (TFDD) were found to be bonding agents as well as burning-rate modifiers for the ammonium perchlorate + hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene system. The tensile strength and percentage elongation significantly increased in the presence of these bonding agents (except FDBAH). The bonding agents generally did not adversely affect the slurry viscosity during processing. The bonding sites were located by infrared spectroscopy, supported by determination of the dissolution kinetics of the bonding agents and scanning electron microscopy. The bonding agents did not undergo any side-reactions with the curing agents.

Mechanistic studies on the effect of ferrocene bonding agents in composite solid propellents

Five compounds, viz. 1,1'-ferrocenediyldiethylidene bis(thiocarbonohydrazide) (DAFT), 1,1-diacetylferrocene disemicarbazone (DAFS), 1,1-diacetylferrocenebenzoyl hydrazone (FDBAH), 1,1-diacetylferrocene-p-nitrobenzoyl hydrazone (FDNBAH), and p-tolenesulfonic acid, 1,1'-ferrocenediyldiethylidene dihydrazide (TFDD) were found to be bonding agents as well as burning-rate modifiers for the ammonium perchlorate + hydroxy-terminated polybutadiene system. The tensile strength and percentage elongation significantly increased in the presence of these bonding agents (except FDBAH). The bonding agents generally did not adversely affect the slurry viscosity during processing. The bonding sites were located by infrared spectroscopy, supported by determination of the dissolution kinetics of the bonding agents and scanning electron microscopy. The bonding agents did not undergo any side-reactions with the curing agents.

Composite material and piezoelectric coefficient uncertainty effects on structural health monitoring using feedback control gains as damage indicators

This article addresses uncertainty effect on the health monitoring of a smart structure using control gain shifts as damage indicators. A finite element model of the smart composite plate with surface-bonded piezoelectric sensors and actuators is formulated using first-order shear deformation theory and a matrix crack model is integrated into the finite element model. A constant gain velocity/position feedback control algorithm is used to provide active damping to the structure. Numerical results show that the response of the structure is changed due to matrix cracks and this change can be compensated by actively tuning the feedback controller. This change in control gain can be used as a damage indicator for structural health monitoring. Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to study the effect of material uncertainty on the damage indicator by considering composite material properties and piezoelectric coefficients as independent random variables. It is found that the change in position feedback control gain is a robust damage indicator.

Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Flapping Actuator Mimicking Dragonflies

In this study, variational principle is used for dynamic modeling of an Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (IPMC) flapping wing. The IPMC is an Electro-active Polymer (EAP) which is emerging as a useful smart material for `artificial muscle' applications. Dynamic characteristics of IPMC flapping wings having the same size as the actual wings of three different dragonfly species Aeshna Multicolor, Anax Parthenope Julius and Sympetrum Frequens are analyzed using numerical simulations. An unsteady aerodynamic model is used to obtain the aerodynamic forces. A comparative study of the performances of three IPMC flapping wings is conducted. Among the three species, it is found that thrust force produced by the IPMC flapping wing of the same size as Anax Parthenope Julius wing is maximum. Lift force produced by the IPMC wing of the same size as Sympetrum Frequens wing is maximum and the wing is suitable for low speed flight. The numerical results in this paper show that dragonfly inspired IPMC flapping wings are a viable contender for insect scale flapping wing micro air vehicles.

Nonlinear static and dynamic damped response of a composite rectangular plate resting on a two-parameter elastic foundation

Nonlinear static and dynamic response analyses of a clamped. rectangular composite plate resting on a two-parameter elastic foundation have been studied using von Karman's relations. Incorporating the material damping, the governing coupled, nonlinear partial differential equations are obtained for the plate under step pressure pulse load excitation. These equations have been solved by a one-term solution and by applying Galerkin's technique to the deflection equation. This yields an ordinary nonlinear differential equation in time. The nonlinear static solution is obtained by neglecting the time-dependent variables. Thc nonlinear dynamic damped response is obtained by applying the ultraspherical polynomial approximation (UPA) technique. The influences of foundation modulus, shear modulus, orthotropy, etc. upon the nonlinear static and dynamic responses have been presented.

Modeling of a reacting nanofilm on a composite substrate

This article provides a detailed computational analysis of the reaction of dense nanofilms and the heat transfer characteristics on a composite substrate. Although traditional energetic compounds based on organic materials have similar energy per unit weight, non-organic material in nanofilm configuration offers much higher energy density and higher flame speed. The reaction of a multilayer thin film of aluminum and copper oxide has been studied by varying the substrate material and thicknesses. The numerical analysis of the thermal transport of the reacting film deposited on the substrate combined a hybrid approach in which a traditional two-dimensional black box theory was used in conjunction with the sandwich model to estimate the appropriate heat flux on the substrate accounting for the heat loss to the surroundings. A procedure to estimate this heat flux using stoichiometric calculations is provided. This work highlights two important findings. One is that there is very little difference in the temperature profiles between a single substrate of silica and a composite substrate of silicon silica. Secondly, with increase in substrate thickness, the quenching effect is progressively diminished at a given speed. These findings show that the composite substrate is effective and that the average speed and quenching of flames depend on the thickness of the silica substrate, and can be controlled by a careful choice of the substrate configuration. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Repeated drop weight impacts and post-impact ILSS tests on glass-epoxy composite

E glass epoxy laminates of thicknesses in the range 2-5 mm were subjected to repeated impacts. For each thickness the number of hits to cause tup penetration was determined and the value of this number was higher the larger the thickness of the laminate tested. The C-scan, before and after impact, was done to obtain information regarding flaw distribution. Short beam shear test samples were made from locations at fixed distances from impact point and tested. The samples closer to the zone of impact showed lower strength values. Scanning fractography revealed shear deformation features for these samples and brittle fracture features for the region near the zone of impact.

Stability of laminated composite plates with cut-outs

Critical buckling loads of laminated fibre-reinforced plastic square panels have been obtained using the finite element method. Various boundary conditions, lay-up details, fibre orientations, cut-out sizes are considered. A 36 degrees of freedom triangular element, based on the classical lamination theory (CLT) has been used for the analysis. The performance of this element is validated by comparing results with some of those available in literature. New results have been given for several cases of boundary conditions for [0°/ ± 45°/90°]s laminates. The effect of fibre-orientation in the ply on the buckling loads has been investigated by considering [±?]6s laminates.