A Method for Determining Surface Free Energy of Bamboo Fiber Materials by Applying Fowkes Theory and Using Computer Aided Machine Vision Based Measurement Technique

The purpose of this study is to develop a standard methodology for measuring the surface free energy (SFE),and its component parts of bamboo fiber materials.The current methods was reviewed to determine the surface tension of natural fibers and the disadvantages of techniques used were discussed.Although numerous techniques have been employed to characterize surface tension of natural fibers,it seems that the credibility of results obtained may often be dubious.In this paper,critical surface tension estimates were obtained from computer aided machine vision based measurement.Data were then analyzed by the least squares method to estimate the components of SFE.SFE was estimated by least squares analysis and also by Schultz' method.By using the Fowkes method the polar and disperse fractions of the surface free energy of bamboo fiber materials can be obtained.Strictly speaking,this method is based on a combination of the knowledge of Fowkes theory. SFE is desirable when adhesion is required,and it avoids some of the limitations of existing studies which has been proposed.The calculation steps described in this research are only intended to explain the methods.The results show that the method that only determines SFE as a single parameter may be unable to differentiate adequately between bamboo fiber materials,but it is feasible and very efficient.In order to obtain the maximum performance from the computer aided machine vision based measurement instruments,this measurement should be recommended and kept available for reference.

Compressive Behavior of Porous Titanium Fiber Materials

Porous titanium fiber materials with the fiber sizes of 70--120 μm in diameter were prepared by vacuum sintering technology. The morphology and compressive properties of porous titanium fiber materials were investigated by using a scanning electron microscope （SEM） and an MST 858 compression testing machine in quasi-static condition. The results show that porous titanium fibers form complex micro-networks. The stress-strain curves of por- ous titanium fiber materials exhibit elastic region, platform region and densification region and no collapse during platform region. The yield strength of porous titanium fiber materials decreases with increasing the porosity and increasing the fiber diameter.

Sintering Behavior of Porous Titanium Fiber Materials

The porous titanium fiber materials with open porosity were successfully prepared by the vacuum sintering technology. The morphology characteristics of sintering neck of porous titanium fiber materials were investigated by scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The results show that the formation and growth of sintering neck of porous ti- tanium fiber material approximately follow the rule that the primary mechanism is grain boundary diffusion and sub- sidiary mechanisms are other diffusion mechanisms during the sintering process. The formation and growth of the sintering neck depend mainly on the sintering temperature and slightly on the soaking time. The sintering system of porous titanium fiber material was determined and the equation of the sintering neck＇s length was established.

Lanthanide-Activated Fiber Materials for Broadband Optical Amplifiers

Some intra-4/-configurational transitions of lanthanide, of which radiative emissions cover in wavelengths the optical communication window of the currently available OH-free silica-based line fibers, are discussed in terms of relationship between their emission properties and host fiber materials.

Acoustic Response and Micro-Damage Mechanism of Fiber Composite Materials under Mode-Ⅱ Delamination

Realizing the accurate characterization for the dynamic damage process is a great challenge. Here we carry out testing simultaneously for dynamic monitoring and acoustic emission （AE） statistical analysis towards fiber composites under mode-Ⅱ delamination damage. The load curve, AE relative energy, amplitude distribution, and amplitude spectrum are obtained and the delamination damage mechanism of the composites is investigated by the microscopic observation of a fractured specimen. The results show that the micro-damage accumulation around the crack tip region has a great effect on the evolutionary process of delamination. AE characteristics and amplitude spectrum represent the damage and the physical mechanism originating from the hierarchical microstructure. Our finding provides a novel aud feasible strategy to simultaneously evaluate the dynamic response and micro-damage mechanism for fiber composites.

Field Sensing Characteristic Research of Carbon Fiber Smart Material

In order to research the field sensing characteristic of the carbon fiber smart material, the Tikhonov regularization principle and the modified Newton-Raphson(MNR) algorithm were adopted to solve the inverse problem of the electrical resistance tomography(ERT). An ERT system of carbon fiber smart material was developed. Field sensing characteristic was researched with the experiment. The experimental results show that the specific resistance distribution of carbon fiber smart material is highly consistent with the distribution of structural strain. High resistance zone responds to high strain area, and the specific resistance distribution of carbon fiber smart material reflects the distribution of sample strain in covering area. Monitoring by carbon fiber smart material on complicated strain status in sample field domain is realized through theoretical and experimental study.

AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON POST-BUCKLING BEHAVIOR OF SLENDER COLUMN WITH FIBER REINFORCED COMPOSITE MATERIAL

Equilibrium paths of post-buckling are measured for large slenderness column specimens made of the fiber reinforced composite material. The influence of the initial curvature is investigated experimentally and compared with the result of the initial post-buckling theory. Both the theoretical and experimental results reveal that the column with the initial curvature has stable post-buckling behaviors and is not sensitive to the imperfection in the form of initial curvature. The experimental results show that when the lateral buckling displacement is less than 20 percent of the column length, the experimental results agree with the results from the theory of initial post-buckling quite well, while they agree with the results from the large deflection theory in a quite large range.

High-Performance Fiber Compound Material to be Industrialized

Chinese top planner-State Development and Reform Commission,has decided to organize and coordinate an implementation of a special project for high tech industrialization of fiber-reinforced compound materials in 2008 up to 2009.The decision has recently been issued in its national circular(doc. 3177,Yr.2007)to call for local enterprises to apply for this special project support.

Preparation and Properties of Fiber Optic Oxygen Sensing Material by Thermo-polymerization Method

A new kind of fiber optic oxygen sensing material based on the fluorescence quenching of Ru（bpy）3Cl2 was prepared by the themo-polymerization method. The ruthenium dye was immobilized in N, N-methylene bisacrylamide（MBBA） polymer by physically trapping while MBBA was covalently crosslinked on the glass micro-beads by NaHSO3-O2-MnSO4 initiator system. The lock-in amplifyication technology was used for the detection of their sensing properties. The influences of indicator concentration, glass micro-beads diameter, post polymerization time, concentration and reaction time of glutaraldehyde on the properties of sensing materials were studied. To optimize the influencing factors to the sensing materials, the indicator concentration of 0.7 g/L, glass micro-beads diameter of 0.3 mm, post polymerization time of 5 h were achieved. The immobilization stability of ruthenium dye and the performance of the sensing materials were improved by the new polymerization system. An absolute detection limit of 3×10-6 （V/V） and the response time of 10 s were obtained. This kind of sensing materials has good stability and their life time is 2 years.

Modification of Interfacial Performance of Fiber Bragg Grating Embedded in the Composite Materials

The interfacial performance of the Fiber Bragg grating（FGB） embedded in the composite was studied and the influence of interface modification on the final profile of the spectra of the FBG sensor was examined. A type of polyamine（Pentaethylenehexamine, PEHA） was proposed to modify the coating of PI on FBG, and the interfacial performance was evaluated by a pull-out test. Sharp improvements of the interfacial shear strength（77%） were obtained by 40 min treatment of PEHA. Compared with untreated specimen, FGB spectra of treated specimen in the tensile tests show improved linearity within the test regime, which proves that the enhanced interface is beneficial for the sensing performance.

A Research on the Air Permeability of High Polymer Materials Used to Produce Sports Clothing Fabrics

Composite fabrics based on Polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)polymer displays several notable properties.They are waterproof,windproof,permeable to moisture and thermally insulating at the same time.In the present study,PTFE fibers are used as raw material to make fiber membranes.The film is formed by crisscrossing interconnected fiber filaments and the related air permeability:tensile creep characteristics and other properties are tested.The results show that the pore size,thickness,and porosity of the film itself can affect the moisture permeability of the film.The water pressure resistance of the selected fabric is 8.5 kPa,and the moisture permeability is 7038 g/(m^(2)·24 h).

Graphene fiber based supercapacitors:Strategies and perspective toward high performances

Modern wearable electronics are thirsty for flexible, lightweight energy storage and supply devices. Flexible fiber-shaped supercapacitors, possess good flexibility, high power density, fast charging capability and long cycle life, becoming a promising option for wearable devices. The past decade has witnessed the emergence of graphene fiber based supercapacitors（GFSCs） as one of the most active vicinity in fiber-supercapactiors, for their excellent properties including high surface area, chemical stability, excellent electrical conductivity, lightweight and mechanical properties. In this perspective, we introduced the basic energy storage mechanisms of GFSCs, followed by the analysis in improving their overall performances, recent advances, and a conclusive discussion on the challenges and opportunities.

Synergistic effect of chitin nanofibers and polyacrylamide on electrochemical performance of their ternary composite with polypyrrole

Development of simple methods for preparation of polymeric electrode materials with nanofibrous network structure is a perspective way toward cheap supercapacitors with high specific capacitance and energy density. In this work one-pot synthesis of electroactive ternary composite based on polypyrrole, polyacrylamide and chitin nanofibers with beneficial morphology was elaborated. Ternary system demonstrates better electrochemical performance in comparison with both polypyrrole–polyacrylamide and polypyrrole–chitin binary composites. Possible mechanism of synergistic effect of simultaneous influence of polyacrylamide and chitin nanofibers on the formation of composite＇s structure is discussed.The highest attained specific capacitance of electroactive polypyrrole in ternary composite reached 249 F/g at 0.5 A/g and 150 F/g at 32 A/g. Symmetrical supercapacitor was assembled using the elaborated electrode material. High specific capacitance 89 F/g and good cycling stability with capacitance retention of 90% after 3000 cycles at 2 A/g were measured.

Effect of Loading Frequency on the High Cycle Fatigue Strength of Flax Fiber Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites

Among natural fibers,flax fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites show excellent dynamic/fatigue properties due to its excellent damping properties.Knowledge about fatigue limit and effect of loading frequency on fatigue limit is very crucial to know before being used a member as a structural component.Fatigue limit of fiber reinforced composite is measured through high cycle fatigue strength(HCFS).The effect of loading frequency on the HCFS of flax fiber reinforced polymer matrix composites was investigated using stabilized specimen surface temperature based thermographic and dissipated energy per cycle-based approaches.Specimens of unidirectional flax fiber reinforced thermoset composites were tested under cyclic loading at different percentages of applied stresses for the loading frequencies of 5,7,10,and 15 Hz in order to determine the stabilized surface temperature of the specimen and dissipated energy per fatigue cycle.Both approaches predicted similar fatigue limits(HCFS)which showed a good agreement with experimental results from Literature.HCFS of flax fiber reinforced composites decrease little with increasing loading frequency.Furthermore,effect of loading frequency on stabilized specimen temperature and dissipated energy per fatigue cycle was also investigated.Although specimen surface temperature increases with loading frequency,dissipated energy per-cycle does not change with loading frequency.Thermal degradation at higher loading frequencies may play a significant role in decreasing HCFS with increasing loading frequency.

Analysis on the Bonding Failure Mechanism of High Modulus Carbon Fiber Composites

In order to explore the bonding failure mechanism of high modulus carbon fiber composite materials,the tensile experiment and finite element numerical simulation for single-lap and bevel-lap joints of unidirectional laminates are carried out,and the stress distributions,the failure modes,and the damage contours are analyzed. The analysis shows that the main reason for the failure of the single-lap joint is that the stress concentration of the ply adjacent to the adhesive layer is serious owing to the modulus difference,and the stress cannot be effectively transmitted along the thickness direction of the laminate. When the tensile stress of the ply exceeds its ultimate strength in the loading process,the surface fiber will fail. Compared with the single-lap joint,the bevel-lap joint optimizes the stress transfer path along the thickness direction,allows each layer of the laminate to share the load,avoids the stress concentration of the surface layer,and improves the bearing capacity of the bevel-lap joint. The improved bearing capacity of the bevellap joint is twice as much as that of the single-lap joint. The research in this paper provides a new idea for the subsequent study of mechanical properties of adhesively bonded composite materials.

Thermal Characteristics of Earth Blocks Stabilized by Rice Husks

The objective of this study is to determine the thermal characteristics of bricks produced from clay soils in Chad using the asymmetric plane method. Indeed, in Sahelian countries like Chad, temperature variations are excessive. The study of the thermal behavior of a recyclable local material with low environmental impact could not only improve thermal comfort in homes, but also help mitigate the effects of climate change. It is in this context that this study is envisaged. Before carrying out these measurements, we first produced different formulations of soil blocks 0%, 1% 1.5%, 2% and 2.5% by mass of rice husks (1.25 mm sieve refusal). Brick specimens of dimensions 10 cm × 10 cm × 1 cm were developed at 0 day, 7 days and 14 days of maturation of the formulated pastes. After, those bricks were submitted after drying to the measurements of various thermal parameters: in particular the conductivity, the effusivity, the volumetric capacity and the diffusivity. The obtained results show that the addition of rice husks to clay soils improves conductivity by 13% to 49%, effusivity by 19% to 24%, volumetric capacity by 23% to 27%, and diffusivity by 47% to 58% for the Moundou soils, depending on the maturation period. For the N’Djamena soil, these thermal characteristics are improved from 11% to 38%, from 11% to 13%, from 40% to 47% and from 39% to 40% respectively.

Amorphous phase formation rules in high-entropy alloys

There have been many interesting studies on high-entropy alloys（HEAs）, also known as multi-component（MC） alloys（MCAs）, in recent years. MC metallic-glasses（MGs） have shown the potential to express the advantages of MCAs and MGs in tandem. Amorphous phase formation rules are a crucial issue in the HEA and MCA field. For equal or near-equal atomic ratio alloys, mixed-entropy among the elements has a significant effect on the phase formation. This paper focuses on HEA amorphous phase formation rules. In the first two sections, the recent progress in amorphous phase formation in HEAs and MCAs is reviewed, including the effective factors and correlative parameters related to amorphous phase formation. In the third section, novel MCMGs including high-entropy（HE） bulk-metallic-glass（HE-BMG） and MCMG films developed in recent decades are summarized, and the giant-magnetic-impedance（GMI） effect of MC amorphous fibers is discussed.

Carbon Fibers for Bioelectrochemical:Precursors,Bioelectrochemical System,and Biosensors

Carbon fibers(CFs)demonstrate a range of excellent properties including(but not limited to)microscale diameter,high hardness,high strength,light weight,high chemical resistance,and high temperature resistance.Therefore,it is necessary to summarize the application market of CFs.CFs with good physical and chemical properties stand out among many materials.It is believed that highly fibrotic CFs will play a crucial role.This review first introduces the precursors of CFs,such as polyacrylonitrile,bitumen,and lignin.Then this review introduces CFs used in BESs,such as electrode materials and modification strategies of MFC,MEC,MDC,and other cells in a large space.Then,CFs in biosensors including enzyme sensor,DNA sensor,immune sensor and implantable sensor are summarized.Finally,we discuss briefly the challenges and research directions of CFs application in BESs,biosensors and more fields.

Research and application of kapok fiber as an absorbing material: A mini review

Kapok fiber corresponds to the seed hairs of the kapok tree（Ceiba pentandra）, and is a typical cellulosic fiber with the features of thin cell wall, large lumen, low density and hydrophobic–oleophilic properties. As a type of renewable natural plant fiber, kapok fiber is abundant,biocompatible and biodegradable, and its full exploration and potential application have received increasing attention in both academic and industrial fields. Based on the structure and properties of kapok fiber, this review provides a summary of recent research on kapok fiber including chemical and physical treatments, kapok fiber-based composite materials, and the application of kapok fiber as an absorbent material for oils, metal ions, dyes, and sound,with special attention to its use as an oil-absorbing material, one predominant application of kapok fiber in the coming future.

Research on the Crack Detection of Conductive Components Using Pulsed Eddy Current Thermography

Crack of conductive component is one of the biggest threats to daily production. In order to detect the crack on conductive component,the pulsed eddy current thermography models were built according to different materials with the cracks based on finite element method(FEM) simulation. The influence of the induction heating temperature distribution with the different defect depths were simulated for the carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP) materials and general metal materials. The grey value of image sequence was extracted to analyze its relationship with the depth of crack. Simulative and experimental results show that in the carbon fiber reinforced composite materials,the bigger depth of the crack is,the larger temperature rise of the crack during the heating phase is; and the bigger depth of the crack is,the faster the cooling rate of the crack during the cooling phase is. In general metal materials,the smaller depth of the crack is,the lager temperature rise of the crack during the heating phase is; and the smaller depth of the crack is,the faster the cooling rate of crack during the cooling phase is.