Copper-Free Resin-Based Braking Materials:A New Approach for Substituting Copper with Fly-Ash Cenospheres in Composites

Copper particles emitted from braking have become a significant source of environmental pollution.However,copper plays a crucial role in resin-based braking materials.Developing high-performance braking materials without copper has become a significant challenge.In this paper,the resin-based braking materials were filled with flyash cenospheres to develop copper-free braking materials.The effects of fly-ash cenospheres on the physical properties,mechanical and friction and wear properties of braking materials were studied.Furthermore,the wear mechanism of copper-free resin-based braking materials filled with fly-ash cenospheres was discussed.The results indicate that the inclusion of fly-ash cenospheres in the braking materials improved their thermal stability,hardness and impact strength,reduced their density,effectively increased the friction coefficient at medium and high temperatures,and enhanced the heat-fade resistance of the braking materials.The inclusion of fly-ash cenospheres contributed to the formation of surface friction film during the friction process of the braking materials,and facilitated the transition of form from abrasive wear to adhesive wear.At 100-350℃,the friction coefficient of the optimal formulation is in the range of 0.57-0.61,and the wear rate is in the range(0.29-0.65)×10^(-7) cm^(3)·N^(-1)·m^(-1),demonstrating excellent resistance to heat-fade and stability in friction coefficient.This research proposes the use of fly-ash cenospheres as a substitute for environmentally harmful and expensive copper in brake materials,which not only improves the performance of braking materials but also reduces their costs.

Enhancing adhesive bond strength of CFRP/titanium joints through NaOH anodising and resin pre-coating treatments with optimised anodising conditions

Adhesively Bonded Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic(CFRP)and titanium alloy have been extensively used as a hybrid structure in modern aircrafts due to their excellent combination of mechanical properties and chemical stabilities.This study utilised NaOH anodising method to create micro-rough titanium surfaces for enhancing adhesive bonding between titanium alloy and CFRP laminates.A special and simple technique named Resin Pre-Coating(RPC)was also employed to improve the surface wetting of anodised titanium and grinded CFRP substrates.The influences of anodising temperature and duration on the surface morphology,wettability and adhesive bond strength were investigated.The single lap shear test results showed that the bond strength of specimens anodised at 20℃for 15 min improved by 135.9%and 95.4%,respectively,in comparison with that of acid pickled and grinded specimens(without RPC treatment).Although increasing the anodising temperature and duration produced rougher titanium surfaces,the adhesively bonded joints were not strong enough due to relatively friable titanium oxide layers.

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part Two: Durability

This work investigates durability of cement-free mortars with a binder comprised of ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) activated by high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3): the soundness, sulfate resistance, alkali-silica reactivity and efflorescence factors are considered. Results of tests show that such mortars are resistant to alkali-silica expansion. Mortars are also sulfate-resistant when the amount of HCFA in the complex binder is within a limit of 10 wt%. The fineness of fly ash determines its’ ability to activate GGBFS hydration, and influence soundness of the binder, early strength development, sulfate resistance and efflorescence behavior. The present article is a continuation of authors’ work, previously published in MSA, Vol. 14, 240-254.

Performance of a synthetic resin for lithium adsorption in waste liquid of extracting aluminum from fly-ash

In this study,we investigated the performance of a synthetic resin for the adsorption of Li from predesilicated solution which is the waste liquid produced by extracting aluminum from fly ash.The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of the resin were obtained and analyzed.The saturated adsorption sites of the resin were in agreement with the quasi-second-order kinetic model.Then,the pore diffusion model(PDM)was applied to represent the lithium adsorption kinetics which confirming that the external mass is the limiting step.Moreover,we evaluated the adsorption properties of this resin in fixed-bed mode.We established a feasible extraction process for Li from strong alkaline solutions with low Li concentrations.The process parameters,such as the flow rate,initial adsorption solution concentration,water washing process,desorption agent concentration,and flow rate were studied.The desorption rate of the Li;ions was directly proportional with the concentration of the desorption agent.The time required to accumulate Li decreased as the hydrochloric acid concentration and flow rate increased.Time of the peak appeared increased from 0.5 bed volume(BV)to 2.5 BV as the concentration was increased from 1 to3 mol·L^(-1),and the peak increased from 231 to 394 mg·L^(-1).The resin presented good selectivity for Li;ions and could effectively separate impurity ions from the pre-desilication solution.

Research on non-steam-cured and non-fired fly-ash thermal insulating materials

A thermal insulating material is synthesized via a non-steam-cured and non-fired route by using fly-ash, sorel cement and hydrogen peroxide solution as raw material. Properties such as apparent density, compressive strength, bending strength, thermal conductivity, water resistance, and thermal tolerance of this matrial are studied, some influencing factors on its performance discussed. This material has an apparent density of 360 kg/m^3, a compressive strength of 1.86 MPa, a thermal conduction coefficient of 0.072 W/（m·K）, a softening coefficient of 0.55, and a thermal tolerant temperature of 300 ℃. Test results show that this material is light in weight, of high strength, and good thermal insulation. In addition, neither steam-curing nor sintering is needed in producing it. Further more, large amount of fly ash is used in this material, making it a low cost and environment-friendly building material.

Self-cleaning performance of a self-cleaning pre-coated steel sheet in an industrial environment

A type of self-cleaning pre-coated steel sheet with excellent self-cleaning performance was developed using hydrophilic surface treatment technology. To understand the self-cleaning properties of this pre-coated steel sheet in an industrial environment, the Jiangjin natural environmental test station was chosen as the outdoor exposure test to be conducted, and the self-cleaning performance of the steel sheet was studied by measuring the water contact angle, stain resistance factor, color difference, and gloss of the steel sheet during the outdoor exposure test. The water contact angle of the self-cleaning steel sheet quickly decreased from 84° to 29° during the outdoor exposure test, and the steel sheet showed excellent hydrophilic properties, which were beneficial to the spread of rain drops and detrimental to the accumulation of the surface pollutants. After an outdoor exposure of 12 months,the self-cleaning steel sheet had a higher stain resistance and cleaner surface than the comparison sample sheet, demonstrating its excellent self-cleaning properties. Moreover, the color difference and gloss rate of the self-cleaning steel ＇sheet were similar to those of the pre-coated steel sheet without hydrophilic surface treatment. Therefore, the hydrophilic surface treatment technology used in this study did not affect the anti-aging property of the self-cleaning steel sheet.

LOW TEMPERATURE SINTERING OF FLY-ASH CERAMICS AND ITS MICROSTRUCTURE

In this paper, the fly-ash ceramics with prior physical propertieswas fabricated in a low sintering temperature range. XRD, SEM wereused to study the microstructure and sintering mechanism. The resultsshow that in this fly-ash ceramics, three kinds of matter form itsstructure frame such as the glass pearls from the fly-ash rawmaterials, quartz and mullite in which glass liquid phase wasproduced during sintering. And the sintering mechanism is that ofliquid sintering.

Dry Mix Slag—High-Calcium Fly Ash Binder. Part One: Hydration and Mechanical Properties

High-calcium fly ash (HCFA)—a residue of high-temperature coal combustion at thermal power plants, in combination with sodium carbonate presents an effective hardening activator of ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GGBFS). Substitution of 10% - 30% of GGBFS by HCFA and premixing of 1% - 3% Na2CO3 to this dry binary binder was discovered to give mortar compression strength of 10 - 30 to 30 - 45 MPa at 7 and 28 days when moist cured at ambient temperature. High-calcium fly ash produced from low-temperature combustion of fuel, like in circulating fluidized bed technology, reacts with water readily and is itself a good hardening activator for GGBFS, so introduction of Na2CO3 into such mix has no noticeable effect on the mortar strength. However, low-temperature HCFA has higher water demand, and the strength of mortar is compromised by this factor. As of today, our research is still ongoing, and we expect to publish more data on different aspects of durability of proposed GGBFS-HCFA binder later.

Durability and Micro-structure of Reactive Powder Concrete

Durability of traditional reactive powder concrete （RPC） with rich cement and high volume of fly-ash reactive powder concrete （FRPC） were studied. The X-diffraction and scanning electron microscope （SEM） measurement was imployed to analyze the microstructure. The results show that both types of RPC have higher compressive strength, less volume shrinkage ratio and better carbonation-, chloride-, freezing-resistances than the conventional concrete. The results of X-diffraction indicate that they basically have C-S-H as the main composition without Ca（OH）2 crystal and ettringite. SEM results show that hydration products of FRPC is mainly Ⅲ-C-S-H which is piled up closely like densely arranged stone body and it has very compacted structure, in addition, Ca/Si ratio of C-S-H gel is lower than 1.5.

25分钟促凝压蒸法推定大掺量粉煤灰碾压砼后期强度试验研究

本文介绍了一种新型高效复合促凝剂的研制过程及配套促凝压蒸试验方法,运用该方法可使对碾压砼后期强度预测时间缩短到25分钟,比水利部规范(SL48-94)要求缩短了72％;同时进行了该方法的室内验证试验研究,取得R_快～R_(90d)强度关系式相关系数达0.946,满足使用要求,从而为大掺量粉煤灰碾压砼强度的质量控制提供了一条更为快捷有效的途径。

CNT toughened aluminium and CFRP interface for strong adhesive bonding

This study presents a simple technique for strengthening the adhesive-bond strength between aluminium(Al)substrate and carbon fibre reinforced polymer(CFRP) utilising resin pre-coating(RPC) with carbon nanotubes(CNTs). The CNT-containing RPC solution with 90 wt% acetone and 10 wt% resin(without hardener) was applied onto Al substrates, where micro-/nano-vertical channels had been created by chemical or mechanical surface treatments to accommodate CNTs. RPC was able to fill all micro-/nano-cavities over the Al substrate surface, then CNTs were pulled into those vertical micro-channels by the capillary action generated from acetone evaporation.Normal epoxy adhesive(resin + hardener) was applied after the CNT-containing RPC treatment. CNTs bridging across the interface between the adhesive joint and Al substrate and sealing of micro-/nano-cavities by RPC effectively enhanced the interfacial shear bond strength between the Al substrate and CFRP by 30–100%depending on the Al substrate surface profiles. Al substrates with two different chemical treatments were compared in this study for the effectiveness of CNT interfacial reinforcement. Results from a steel substrate after sandblasting were also included for comparison.

Effects of Parameters on Formation and Microstructure of Surface Composite Layer Prepared by Lost Foam Casting Technique

Surface composite layer was fabricated on the AZ91D substrate using the lost foam casting （LFC） process. The pre-coating layer reacted with melt substrate and formed the composite layer, and the coating was mainly consist of alloying aluminum powder and low-temperature glass powder （PbO-ZnO-Na20）. The vacuum degree, pouring temperature, mold filling process of melt, and pre-coating thickness played an important role during the formation process of composite layer. The results show that surface morphology of composite layer can be divided into three categories： alloying effect of bad and good ceramic layer, alloying effect of good and bad ceramic layer, composite layer of good quality. The main reason for bad alloying layer is that alloying pre-coating thickness is so thin that it is scoured easily and involved in the melt, in addition, it is difficult for melt to infiltrate into the alloying coating owing to the surface tension of coating when the vacuum degree is excessively low. Bad ceramic layer is because of somewhat lower pouring temperature and the thicker alloying coating, due to the absorption of heat from the melt, making low temperature glass powder pre-coating layer fuse inadequate. Thus, to get good quality composite layer, the process conditions must be appropriate, the result shows that the optimum process parameters are as follows： at a pouring temperature of 800 ~C, vacuum degree of -0.06 MPa, alloying pre-coating thickness ofO.4 mm, and low glass powder pre-coating layer thickness ofl mm.

Spectroscopic, Kinetic Studies of Polyaniline-Flyash Composite

Polyaniline-fly ash (PANI-FA) composites were prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline with fly ash in presence of ammonium persulphate (APS). The PANI-FA composites were prepared with different concentrations of fly ash to aniline ratio. The composites, so prepared, were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The thermal stability was studied by TGA and total weight loss of PANI, FA and PANI-FA composites having FA composition of 0.02%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.0% were found to be 82%, 39.%, 67% 65%, 62% and 61%, respectively. The UV-vis spectroscopy of the PANI-FA polymeric composite shows absorption maxima at 315 and 350 nm (due to π-π* transition of the benzenoid rings), and 578-712 nm (due to charge transfer excitations of the quinoid structure), which are characteristic of emeraldine base. FTIR spectra of the PANI-FA composite is similar to that of pure polyaniline (PANI) but with the bands for C=N, C=C and C-N shifted to lower wave numbers, i.e., 1585, 1494, 1327 and 1113 cm?1 due to strong interaction of Fe2O3 and PANI matrix. SEM shows the complexation of metal oxide with emaraldine base of PANI, significantly changing the aggregate state of polymeric molecular chain.

Characterization of Size and Density Separated Fractions of a Bituminous Coal as a Feedstock for Entrained Slagging Gasification

Coal is one of the main sources of energy in many parts of the world and has one of the largest reserves/production ratios amongst all the non-renewable energy sources. Gasification of coal is one among the advanced technologies that has potential to be used in a carbon constrained economy. However, gasification availability at several commercial demonstrations had run into problems associated with fouling of syngas coolers due to unpredictable flyash formation and unburnt carbon losses. Computer models of gasifiers are emerging as a powerful tool to predict gasifier performance and reliability, without expensive testing. Most computer models used to simulate gasifiers tend to model coal as a homogenous entity based on bulk properties. However, coal is a heterogeneous material and comminution during feedstock preparation produces particle classes with different physical and chemical properties. It is crucial to characterize the heterogeneity of the feedstocks used by entrained flow gasifiers. To this end, a low ash US bituminous coal that could be used as a gasifier feedstock was segregated into density and size fractions to represent the major mineral matter distributions in the coal. Float and sink method and sieving were employed to partition the ground coal. The organic and inorganic content of all density fractions was characterized for particle size distribution, heating value, ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, mineral matter composition, ash composition, and petrographic components, while size fractions were characterized for heating value, ash composition, ultimate and proximate analysis. The proximate, ultimate and high heating value analysis showed that variation in these values is limited across the range of size fractions, while the heterogeneity is significant over the range of density fractions. With respect to inorganics, the mineral matter in the heavy density fractions contribute significantly to the ash yield in the coal while contributing very little to its heating value. The ash yield across the size fractions exhibits a bimodal distribution. The heterogeneity is also significant with respect to the base-to-acid ratio across the size and density fractions. The results indicate that the variations in organic and inorganic content over a range of density and size classes are significant, even in the low ash, vitrinite rich coal sample characterized here. Incorporating this information appropriately into particle population models used in gasifier simulations will significantly enhance their accuracy of performance predictions.

Thermal Load Reduction with Green Building Envelope

Various studies have confirmed that high thermal resistance in roof & wall can reduce the heat transfer load of the buildings. In this study, experimental investigation of the effects of some sustainable features (such as green roof, reflective coated roof & Fly ash brick (FAB) etc.) on the building has been conducted in the Indian context. For the purpose, two scaled building models i.e. Model I (conventional design) & Model II (green design) have been examined with different design configurations. The sensible heat transfer (SHT) load of the building is reduced by 21% - 29% through the use of FAB with cavity wall in place of Fired clay brick (FCB) wall. The load reduction increases to 26% - 44% by using FAB cavity wall with reflective coating on the roof. This reduction further increases to 64% - 68% with FAB cavity wall along with green roof. In this final scenario, the monthly electrical energy saving for air-conditioning is approximately 5.1 kWhe/m2 per unit envelope area, with associated reduction in GHG emissions up to 6.36 kg CO2eq/m2 per unit envelope area, assuming continuous operation of HVAC systems.

Experimental Investigation on the Properties of Recycled Concrete Using Hybrid Fibers

Due to the inherent property of concrete being very weak in tension, efforts have been made to overcome this deficiency by adding various type of fibers like carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP), glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP), polypropylene fiber (PPF) and stainlesssteel fiber (SSF) smeared into the concrete mix. The present study involves experimental investigation on the use of GFRP, CFRP and SSF fibers alone or as combination to improve the mechanical properties of concrete. Furthermore, concrete cylinders were cast and tested for compression and tension using 10% fly ash as cement replacement in all specimens. Besides fiber material types, fiber reinforcement ratios of 1% and 1.5% were tested to investigate the mechanical properties of concrete. In all concrete cylinder tests, the fiber reinforcement ratio of 1% had a significant contribution in increasing the tensile strength as oppose to compressive strength. As a result, the tensile and compressive strengths were increased by 26% and 11%, respectively as compared to the control specimen. Increasing the fiber reinforcement ratio from 1% to 1.5%, resulted in diminishing the mechanical properties of concrete. However, reduction in concrete compressive strength was more prominent than the tensile strength. Furthermore, it was observed that, the crack propagation was decreased with the increase of fiber content when compared to the control specimen.

Electrochemical performance of Al_2O_3 pre-coated spinel LiMn_2O_4

Al_2O_3-coated spinel LiMn_2O_4 cathode materials, presintered LiMn_2O_4(P-LMO), and calcined LiMn_2O_4(C-LMO) were synthesized by chemical deposition and thermal treating method using presintered and calcined LiMn_2O_4 as precursors. The crystal structure, morphology,the thickness of the coating layer, and particle size of prepared samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), and Malvern instruments. The average particle size of P-LMO with like-spheres(0.3 μm) is much smaller than that of C-LMO(0.5 μm). The Al_2O_3 layer of P-LMO can effectively reduce the charge transfer resistance and inhibit the Mn dissolution. The electrochemical performance of P-LMO is better than that of C-LMO. It is found that the LiMn_2O_4 cathode materials have excellent electrochemical cyclability by coated 2 mol% Al_2O_3 at the surface of presintered material. The initial discharge capacity of the material with 2 mol% Al_2O_3-coated is 114.0 m Ah·g^(-1) at 0.1 C rate and 55 ℃, and the capacity retention is 87.3 % at 0.5 C rate.

Desulfurization in Reducing Atmosphere and AmmoniaInjection Denitrification in a Coal-Fired Fluidized Bed Combustor with Fly-Ash Recycle

With the rising of IGCC and the second generation PFBC-CC, and with the development of tech-nology of staged combustion to lower emission of NOx, the desulfurization efficiency under reducingatmosphere is raised. In this paper, with the application of the fly-ash recycle and tworstage combus-tion technologies in a fluidized bed combustor, the desulfurization test under reducing atmosphere isdescribed. Meanwllile, ammonia injection test was also conducted. Results show that desulfurizationunder reducing atmosphere has higher efficiency, and ammonia injection denitrification effect is veryperfect.

Chemically modified silica gel with 1-{4-[(2-hydroxy-benzylidene)amino]phenyl}ethanone:Synthesis, characterization and application as an efficient and reusable solid phase extractant for selective removal of Zn(Ⅱ) from mycorrhizal treated fly-ash samples

1-{4-[（2-hydroxy-benzylidene）amino]phenyl}ethanone functionalized silica gel was synthesized and used as a highly efficient, selective and reusable solid phase extractant for separation and preconcentration of trace amount of Zn（II） from environmental matrices. The adsorbent was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, elemental analysis,~3C CPMAS NMR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, thermogravimetric analysis （TGA） and BET surface area analysis. The dependence of zinc extraction on various analytical parameters such as pH, type and amount of eluent, sample flow rate and interfering ions were investigated in detail. The material exhibited superior adsorption efficiency for Zn（II） with high metal loading capacity of 1.0 mmol/g under optimum conditions. After adsorption, the recovery （〉 98%） of metal ions was accomplished using 1.0 mol/L HNO3 as an eluent. The sorbent was also regenerated by microwave treatment in milder acidic environment （0.1 mol/L HNO3）. The lower detection limit and preconcentration factor of the present method were found out to be 0.04 ~tg/L and 312.5 respectively. The modified silica surface possessed excellent selectivity for the target analytes and the adsorption/desorption process remained effective for at least ten consecutive cycles. The optimized procedure was successfully implemented for the extraction of Zn（II） from mycorrhizal treated fly ash and pharmaceutical samples with reproducible results.

A 3D numerical simulation of laser-induced incandescence of soot particles in coal combustion products

Laser-induced incandescence (LII) has received increasing attention as a potentially powerful technique for in-situ measuring of the volume fraction and primary size of soot particles in combustion systems. In this study, a 3D Monte Carlo simulation combined with a Mie equation was developed to analyze the influence of spectral absorption and scattering on the measured LII flux emitted by soot particles. This paper represents a first attempt to analyze soot measurement using the LII technique in coal combustion products. The combustion products of gases (CO2, N2), soot, and fly-ash particles, present between the location of laser-excited soot and the LII flux receiver. The simulation results indicated that an almost Beer-Lambert exponential decrease in LII flux occurred with an increase in the volume fraction of soot particles, while a nearly linear decrease occurred with an increase in the volume fraction of fly-ash particles. The results also showed that scattering effects of both soot and fly-ash particles on the LII flux could be neglected. Compared with the absorption of gases, a decrease of 20% of LII flux was observed with soot particles, and a decrease of 10% with fly-ash particles.