Thermosets : structure, properties and applications

Structure-property relationships of thermosets are important in the manufacture and application of materials. Understanding the desired properties of a material in a certain application is related to the material's structure and vice versa. The way in which the material is processed is also a determinant of the structure and resulting properties. Many books have been written about the chemistry of thermosets but with only brief consideration of structure-property relationships. This book focuses on how the structure and properties of a range of thermosets affect the final material and applications. It is composed of two parts: I Structure and properties of thermosets and II Applications of thermosets. Part I starts with a comprehensive overview of thermosets covering structure, properties and processing for advanced applications, followed by four chapters addressing mechanical properties, thermal properties, rheology, and nanostructures and toughening. The applications presented in Part II range from the use of thermosets in the building and construction industry to aerospace applications, electrical applications, thermoset adhesives and insulation materials in appliances and other applications. We hope that this book will not only be a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also a concise reference for researchers in academia and engineers in related industries. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the staff of Woodhead Publishing Limited, especially Kathryn Picking who invited me to edit this book and helped develop the initial content, also Adam Hooper, Helen Bradley, Emily Cole, Francis Dodds and Rachel Cox for their assistance in many ways during the preparation of the manuscript. Finally, I wish to express my appreciation and respects to all the contributors for their commitment, patience and pleasant cooperation.

International human resource management strategies of Chinese multinationals operating abroad

Strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) is crucial for the effective leveraging of human resources in organizations to achieve the desired business strategies. There is a rich collection of studies on western multinational corporations (MNCs) in China, but few studies that explore the SIHRM of Chinese MNCs operating overseas. This study utilizes cross-level, in-depth interviews to analyse SIHRM of three large Chinese multinationals. The paper contributes to literature by addressing two contextual SIHRM issues, namely the characteristics of the SIHRM for Chinese multinationals and how their SIHRM orientation facilitates their international investment and operation. The findings indicate that organizational transformation is the starting point for latecomers matching their international HRM strategies. Their SIHRM approaches, such as forming learning organizations, reliance on host-country nationals, reconciling both home and host-country effects and promoting ‘best practices’, facilitate their international operations.

Occupational safety in China: safety climate and its influence on safety-related behavior

The improvement of health and safety standards within the organizational context is an important issue of global concern. China’s occupational health and safety (OHS) has increasingly drawn national and international attention as it has not kept pace with its globalization of production and trade. The traditional approach to managing workplace safety in China has focused on the technical aspects of engineering systems and processes, and it has attributed the majority of workplace accidents and injuries to unsafe working conditions instead of the unsafe work practices of employees. However, there has been a fundamental shift in the safety management research carried out in many countries and across diverse industries, which aims to measure the impact of attitudinal, organizational, cultural, and social dimensions on occupational safety. This article examines the relationship between safety climate and safety-related behavior in the Chinese context and draws implications for the management of occupational safety in China.

An integrated approach to shape and topology optimisation of mechanical structures

In mechanical engineering, simulation and optimisation methods have become indispensable. The thesis looks into a novel way to combine shape and topology optimisation approaches. The proposed method - named IST for Integrated Shape And Topology Optimisation - proves to be beneficial for many application in the automotive and aerospace industry.

Complex coacervation with whey protein isolate and gum arabic for the microencapsulation of omega-3 rich tuna oil.

Tuna oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids was microencapsulated in whey protein isolate (WPI)-gum arabic (GA) complex coacervates, and subsequently dried using spray and freeze drying to produce solid microcapsules. The oxidative stability, oil microencapsulation efficiency, surface oil and morphology of these solid microcapsules were determined. The complex coacervation process between WPI and GA was optimised in terms of pH, and WPI-to-GA ratio, using zeta potential, turbidity, and morphology of the microcapsules. The optimum pH and WPI-to-GA ratio for complex coacervation was found to be 3.75 and 3 : 1, respectively. The spray dried solid microcapsules had better stability against oxidation, higher oil microencapsulation efficiency and lower surface oil content compared to the freeze dried microcapsules. The surface of the spray dried microcapsules did not show microscopic pores while the surface of the freeze dried microcapsules was more porous. This study suggests that solid microcapsules of omega-3 rich oils can be produced using WPI-GA complex coacervates followed by spray drying and these microcapsules can be quite stable against oxidation. These microcapsules can have many potential applications in the functional food and nutraceuticals industry.

Homogeneous isolation of nanocelluloses by controlling the shearing force and pressure in microenvironment

Nanocelluloses were prepared from sugarcane bagasse celluloses by dynamic high pressure microfluidization (DHPM), aiming at achieving a homogeneous isolation through the controlling of shearing force and pressure within a microenvironment. In the DHPM process, the homogeneous cellulose solution passed through chambers at a higher pressure in fewer cycles, compared with the high pressure homogenization (HPH) process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated that entangled network structures of celluloses were well dispersed in the microenvironment, which provided proper shearing forces and pressure to fracture the hydrogen bonds. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC), CP/MAS 13C NMR and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements suggested that intra-molecular hydrogen bonds were maintained. These nanocelluloses of smaller particle size, good dispersion and lower thermal stability will have great potential to be applied in electronics devices, electrochemistry, medicine, and package and printing industry. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd.

Review on fabrication and applications of ultrafine particles from animal protein fibres

Protein fibre wastes from animal hairs, feathers and insect secreted filaments can be aptly utilized by converting them into ultra-fine particles. Particles from animal protein fibres present large surface-to-weight ratio and significantly enhanced surface reactivity, that have opened up novel applications in both textile and non-textile fields. This review article summarizes the state-of-the-art routes to fabricate ultrafine particles from animal protein fibres, including direct route of mechanical milling of fibres and indirect route from fibre proteins. Ongoing research trends in novel applications of protein fibre particles in various fields, such as biomedical science, environmental protection and composite structures are presented. © 2014 The Korean Fiber Society and Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Fish assemblages associated with oil industry structures on the continental shelf of north-western Australia

This study provides the first assessment of fish associations with oil and gas structures located in deep water (85-175 m) on Australia's north-west continental shelf, using rare oil industry video footage obtained from remotely operated vehicles. A diverse range of taxa were observed associating with the structures, including reef-dependent species and transient pelagic species. Ten commercially fished species were observed, the most abundant of which was Lutjanus argentimaculatus, with an estimated biomass for the two deepest structures (Goodwyn and Echo) of 109 kg.

Developing a collaborative model of industry feedback for work placement of business students

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a signature feature of study in many higher education institutions. In business degrees, industry feedback is recognized as an integral part of the assessment of WIL, yet the role played by industry in appraising student performance in the workplace has not been clearly defined. Based on interviews with industry supervisors and academic mentors, this paper addresses the integration of academic and industry supervisor assessment practices designed to maximize student learning outcomes and capture the depth of the learning experiences during a work placement. A model of industry feedback was developed to incorporate planned assessment practices that achieve the learning outcomes agreed to at the start of the placement by all stakeholders: the student, the academic mentor and the industry supervisor.

Hydraulic economy and logographic writing in ancient China: factor of topography

Chinese civilisation is characterised by two distinctive features – a strong centralised administration and the system of logographic writing. This paper investigates nature’s powerful impacts on human development, in terms of organisation and communication in ancient China. It argues that ancient China’s topography played a crucial role in the formation of ancient Chinese civilisation and its hydraulic economy pushed the state stronger than society, hence a strong centralised government emerged.

Applicability of financial theories of capital structure to the Chinese cultural context: a study of privately owned SMEs

Using a new dataset of 1539 Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises this article investigates the firm-level determinants of capital structure and tests them against the predictions of financial theory. Firm size and profitability are both found to be related to leverage as posited by pecking-order theory. In contrast little support is found for the predicted relationship between asset structure and leverage. These findings are discussed in relationship to their Chinese cultural context. The managerial and policy implications of the research are then explored.

Determinants of best HR practices in Chinese SMEs

Abstract
Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors which determine the adoption of best HR practices in Chinese small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach – Regression analysis was utilized to analyse survey data obtained from 345 enterprises operating across China in a wide range of industrial sectors.
Findings – Enterprises with greater resources in terms of their size, their relationships with external organizations, their cooperation with foreign partners and the human capital of their CEO were found to be more likely to adopt best HR practices. Contrary to the findings of the existing literature no relationship was found of a relationship between family ownership and the use of best HR practices.
Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design is an obvious limitation of the study. Other limitations relate to the generalizability of the study findings outside the context in which the research was undertaken, and the use of convenience sampling.
Practical implications – Enterprises should consider building strategic relationships with external organizations and developing cooperation with foreign partners as a way of leveraging human resource expertise at a limited cost.
Originality/value – This is the first study to examine how differences in the resource endowments of Chinese SMEs influence their adoption of best HR practices.