Effect of column base strength on steel portal frames in fire

This paper presents the findings of a project part sponsored by an ICE Research and Development grant on portal frames in fire. The research reported here has also lead to a sucessful research grant from the IStructE. The paper describes a non-linear elasto plastic dynamic finite element model that captures the collapse of a portal frame in fire. It demonstrates that current guidance on the column base stiffness and strength, to prevent collapse, may in some cases be unconservative.

The preparation of highly ordered single layer ZSM-5 coating on prefabricated stainless steel microchannels

An elegant way to prepare catalytically active microreactors is by applying a coating of zeolite crystals onto a metal microchannel structure. In this study the hydrothermal formation of ZSM-5 zeolitic coatings on AISI 316 stainless steel plates with a microchannel structure has been investigated at different synthesis mixture compositions. The procedures of coating and thermal treatment have also been optimized. Obtaining a uniform thickness of the coating within 0.5 mm wide microchannels requires a careful control of various synthesis variables. The role of these factors and the problems in the synthesis of these zeolitic coatings are discussed. In general, the synthesis is most sensitive to the H2O/Si ratio as well as to the orientation of the plates with respect to the gravity vector. Ratios of H2O/Si=130 and Si/template=13 were found to be optimal for the formation of a zeolitic film with a thickness of one crystal at a temperature of 130 degreesC and a synthesis time of about 35 h. At such conditions, ZSM-5 crystals were formed with a typical size of 1.5 mu mx1.5 mu mx1.0 mum and a very narrow (within 0.2 mum) crystal size distribution. The prepared samples proved to be active in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO with ammonia. The activity tests have been carried out in a plate-type microreactor. The microreactor shows no mass transfer limitations and a larger SCR reaction rate is observed in comparison with pelletized Ce-ZSM-5 catalysts; (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of low nickel maraging steel

Austenitization with lower temperature and intercritical annealing were introduced in the treatment of a maraging steel with a composition of Fe–12.94Ni–1.61Al–1.01Mo–0.23Nb (wt.%). Scanning electron microscopy was employed to study the microstructure after austenitization at 950 °C and intercritical annealing, followed by aging at 485 and 600 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was applied to evaluate the formation of retained or reverted austenite. Thermodynamic calculation was employed to calculate equilibrium phase mole fractions. Hardness and Charpy impact toughness of the steel were measured. Intercritical annealing treatments did not result in significant increase of hardness either before or after aging. The Charpy impact toughness of the alloy in aged condition was enhanced after austenitization at 950 °C. No austenite was observed in XRD. However, suspected reverted austenite was found after austenitization at 950 °C followed by aging at 600 °C for 4 h. Relationships among heat treatment, microstructure and mechanical properties are discussed.