Influence of Erosion Induced by NaCl on the Mechanical Performances of Alkali-Activated Mineral Admixtures

In this paper,the influence of NaCl freeze-thaw(F-T)cycles and dry-wet(D-W)alternations on theflexural,com-pressive and bonding strengths of alkali-activatedfly ash(FA)and a blast furnace slag powder(BFS)is investi-gated.The considered NaCl concentration is 3%.The effect of polypropylenefibers on the mechanical strengths is also examined.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM),thermogravimetry(TG)and X-ray diffraction(XRD)are selected to discern the mechanisms underpinning the NaCl-induced erosion.The obtained results indicate that the best results in terms of material resistance are obtained with admixtures containing 60%BFS and 40%FA in terms of mass ratio and 3%polypropylenefibers in terms of volume ratio.The maximum rates of decrease of theflexural,compressive and bonding strengths after 300 NaCl F-T cycles are 21.5%,20.3%and 22.6%,respec-tively.The corresponding rates of decrease due to NaCl D-W alternations are 28.1%,26.1%and 31.5%,respec-tively.The TG curves show that the alkali-activating activity of BFS is higher than that of FA.Moreover,in thefirst case,the microstructure of the hydration products is more compact.The results also show that NaCl F-T cycles lead to increasing cracks in the alkali-activated BFS.

Influence of heat treatment on microstructure,mechanical and corrosion behavior of WE43 alloy fabricated by laser-beam powder bed fusion

Magnesium(Mg)alloys are considered to be a new generation of revolutionary medical metals.Laser-beam powder bed fusion(PBF-LB)is suitable for fabricating metal implants withpersonalized and complicated structures.However,the as-built part usually exhibits undesirable microstructure and unsatisfactory performance.In this work,WE43 parts were firstly fabricated by PBF-LB and then subjected to heat treatment.Although a high densification rate of 99.91%was achieved using suitable processes,the as-built parts exhibited anisotropic and layeredmicrostructure with heterogeneously precipitated Nd-rich intermetallic.After heat treatment,fine and nano-scaled Mg24Y5particles were precipitated.Meanwhile,theα-Mg grainsunderwent recrystallization and turned coarsened slightly,which effectively weakened thetexture intensity and reduced the anisotropy.As a consequence,the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength were significantly improved to(250.2±3.5)MPa and(312±3.7)MPa,respectively,while the elongation was still maintained at a high level of 15.2%.Furthermore,the homogenized microstructure reduced the tendency of localized corrosion and favoredthe development of uniform passivation film.Thus,the degradation rate of WE43 parts was decreased by an order of magnitude.Besides,in-vitro cell experiments proved their favorable biocompatibility.

Ultrasonic solidification mechanism and optimized application performances of ternary Mg_(71.5)Zn_(26.1)Y_(2.4) alloy

One dimensional(1D) and three dimensional(3D) ultrasound sources were applied to the solidification process of Mg_(71.5)Zn_(26.1)Y_(2.4) alloy.The acoustic spectra were in-situ measured, based on which the cavitation intensities and dynamic solidification mechanism were further investigated. With the increase of ultrasonic dimension and amplitude, the primary Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y phase was significantly refined from petals to nearly pentagonal shape. The sound field measurements showed that the transient cavitation played a decisive role in generating a high local undercooling, which facilitated the formation of icosahedral clusters and promoted the nucleation of primary Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y phase. The morphological transition of(α-Mg+Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y) eutectic from lamellar to anomalous structure occurred under 3D ultrasonic condition. The stable cavitation took the main responsibility because the high pressure excited by nonlinearly oscillating bubbles induced the preferential nucleation of α-Mg phase rather than Mg_(3)Zn_(6)Y phase. As compared with its static values, the tensile strength and compression plasticity of this alloy were increased by the factors of 1.9 and 2.1, and its corrosion resistance was also improved with the corrosion current density decreased by one order of magnitude.

Enhancement of the Mechanical Performance of SiCf/Phenolic Composites after High-temperature Pyrolysis Using ZrC/B_(4)C Particles

The composites were prepared by modifying silicon carbide fiber with particles of zirconium carbide(ZrC)and boron carbide(B_(4)C)and incorporating them into a phenolic resin matrix.The influence of ZrC and B_(4)C on the mechanical performance of SiCf/phenolic composites after high-temperature pyrolysis was studied through flexural performance test.The results show that the composite material has good thermal stability and high-temperature mechanical properties.After static ablation at 1400℃ for 15 minutes,the flexural strength of the composite material reaches 286 MPa,which is still 7.3%higher than at room temperature,indicating that the composite material still has good mechanical properties even after heat treatment at 1400℃.

High Water Resistance and Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Bio-Based Waterborne Polyurethane Enabled by in-situ Construction of Interpenetrating Polymer Network

In this study,acrylic acid was used as a neutralizer to prepare bio-based WPU with an interpenetrating polymer network structure by thermally induced free radical emulsion polymerization.The effects of the content of acrylic acid on the properties of the resulting waterborne polyurethane-poly(acrylic acid)(WPU-PAA)dispersion and the films were systematically investigated.The results showed that the cross-linking density of the interpenetrating network polymers was increased and the interlocking structure of the soft and hard phase dislocations in the molecular segments of the double networks was tailored with increasing the content of acrylic acid,leading to enhancement of the mechanical properties and water resistance of WPU-PAA films.Notably,with the increase in content of acrylic acid,the tensile strength,Young’s modulus,and toughness of the WPU-PAA-110 film increased by 3 times,and 8 times,and 2.4 times compared with WPU-PAA-80,respectively.The WPU-PAA-100 film showed the best water resistance,and the water absorption rate at 96 h was only 3.27%.This work provided a new design scheme for constructing bio-based WPU materials with excellent properties.

Influence of iron powder content on the electromagnetic and mechanical performance of soft magnetic geopolymer composite

In the induction heating of airport pavement to remove snow and ice,soft magnetic geopolymer composite(SMGC)can be used to gather the dissipated electromagnetic energy,thus enhancing the energy utilization efficiency.The aim of this work is to analyze the influence mechanism of iron powder content on the electromagnetic and mechanical performance of SMGC,so as to provide theoretical guidance for the design of soft magnetic layer within airport pavement structure.The results show that the increase of iron powder content reduces the resistance and magnetoresistance of SMGC by decreasing the content of non-magnetic phases between iron powder.However,the reduction of iron powder spacing also provides a shorter transmission path for the inter-particle eddy currents in the SMGC specimen,which enhances the exchange coupling between iron powder,thus increasing the electromagnetic loss.Therefore,the compatibility between magnetic permeability and electromagnetic loss should be considered comprehensively in the mix design of SMGC.In addition,although iron powder can enhance the mechanical properties of SMGC by improving the density of geopolymer matrix,the excessive amount of iron powder can lead to a weak interfacial transition zone between geopolymer matrix and iron powder.According to the induction heating results,optimized SMGC can improve the energy transfer efficiency of induction heating by 24.03%.

Biomedical rare-earth magnesium alloy:Current status and future prospects

Biomedical magnesium(Mg)alloys have garnered significant attention because of their unique biodegradability,favorable biocompatibility,and suitable mechanical properties.The incorporation of rare earth(RE)elements,with their distinct physical and chemical properties,has greatly contributed to enhancing the mechanical performance,degradation behavior,and biological performance of biomedical Mg alloys.Currently,a series of RE-Mg alloys are being designed and investigated for orthopedic implants and cardiovascular stents,achieving substantial and encouraging research progress.In this work,a comprehensive summary of the state-of-the-art in biomedical RE-Mg alloys is provided.The physiological effects and design standards of RE elements in biomedical Mg alloys are discussed.Particularly,the degradation behavior and mechanical properties,including their underlying action are studied in-depth.Furthermore,the preparation techniques and current application status of RE-Mg alloys are reviewed.Finally,we address the ongoing challenges and propose future prospects to guide the development of high-performance biomedical Mg-RE alloys.

Research on the Internal Talent Training Path and Performance Evaluation Mechanism of New R&D Institutions in Zhejiang Province

New research and development(R&D)institutions are an important part of the national innovation system,playing an important role in promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements.In recent years,new R&D institutions have gradually become the driving force of innovation-driven development in China.Taking new R&D institutions in Zhejiang Province as the research object,this paper studies the internal talent training path and performance evaluation mechanism of new R&D institutions in Zhejiang Province by using the literature research method,comparison method,case verification method,and other methods.The investigation results show that there are problems such as lack of material and spiritual support and neglect of the absorption of local talents in the internal talent training,and there are problems such as unclear standards,insufficient data,and opaque processes in the performance evaluation mechanism,which greatly affect the establishment and improvement of the performance evaluation mechanism.Given the above problems,this paper puts forward a forward-looking,oriented,flexible,and compatible talent training path and performance evaluation mechanism,hoping to optimize the effective internal talent training path of new R&D institutions,improve the evaluation performance,and promote healthy development of new R&D institutions in Zhejiang Province.

Preparation and Mechanical Performance of Rare Earth- Containing Composite Elastomer

Rare earth -containing PSBR sheet was prepared by reaction of rare earth alkoxide with quaternary ammonium salt of pyridine modified SBR (PSBR) latex, and then it was blended with natural rubber (NR) to produce rare earth - containing composite elastomer. It is found that mechanical performance can be improved remarkably. Analyzed by infrared spectrometry (IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and cross-linking densitometry, the relationship between structure and performance was discussed.

A Mini Review on Nanocarbon-Based 1D Macroscopic Fibers:Assembly Strategies and Mechanical Properties

Nanocarbon-based materials, such as carbon nanotubes(CNTs) and graphene have been attached much attention by scientific and industrial community. As two representative nanocarbon materials, one-dimensional CNTs and twodimensional graphene both possess remarkable mechanical properties. In the past years, a large amount of work have been done by using CNTs or graphene as building blocks for constructing novel, macroscopic, mechanically strong fibrous materials. In this review, we summarize the assembly approaches of CNT-based fibers and graphene-based fibers in chronological order, respectively. The mechanical performances of these fibrous materials are compared, and the critical influences on the mechanical properties are discussed. Personal perspectives on the fabrication methods of CNT-and graphene-based fibers are further presented.

Influence of Rare Earth Modification and Homogenization on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Recycled Can 3004 Aluminum

The microscopic structure of waste can aluminum material was researched by adding A15TiB refining agent, La-Ce rare earth and mixed rare earth modifiers, and the microstructure and mechanical performance of the modified aluminum material were studied. The experimental results show that the optimal refiner addition amount is 1.1wt%; the material performance can be significantly improved when the content of La-Ce rare earth ranges to a certain degree, but the mixed rare earth barely affects the refinement effect of the aluminum. When being homogenized, the mixed rare earth plays more obvious role in refining the aluminum material than La-Ce rare earth. The optimal plan is modifying the aluminum material with 3wt% mixed rare earth and homogenizing with annealing temperature of 580℃, annealing time of 12 hours and heating rate of 5℃/min while refining the material with 1.1wt% A1-5Ti-IB.

Improved Mechanical Properties of Textile Reinforced Concrete Thin Plate

Textile reinforced concrete （TRC） is especially suitable for the thin-walled and light-weight structural elements with a high load-bearing capacity. For this thin element, the concrete cover thickness is an important factor in affecting the mechanical and anti-crack performance. Therefore, the influences of the surface treatment of the textile and mixing polypropylene fiber into the concrete on the properties of the components with different cover thickness were experimentally studied with four-point bending tests. The experimental results show that for the components with the same cover thickness, sticking sand on epoxy resin-impregnated textile and adding short fiber into the concrete are helpful to improve their mechanical performance. The 2-3 mm cover thickness is enough to meet the anchorage requirements of the reinforcement fiber and the component has good crack pattern and mechanical behavior at this condition. Comparison between the calculated and the experimental Values of flexural capacity reveals satisfactory agreement. Finally, based on the calculation model of the crack spacing of reinforced concrete structures, the crack extension of this thin-wall component was qualitatively analyzed and the same results with the experimental were obtained.

Effects of Frost-damage on Mechanical Performance of Concrete

The aim of this study is to provide the quantificational change laws of strength,stiffness,and deformation capacity of frost-damaged concrete relating to a united index,the data were obtained by different researchers.Then the index of relative compressive strength（RCS） was introduced as the indicator of frost damage and a large number of mechanical performance testing data of frost-damaged concrete were collected and analyzed.By curve fitting,the correlations between RCS and the initial elastic modulus,the strain at peak compressive stress,and biaxial compressive strength,and tensile strength,and the strain at peak tensile stress were established.Thereafter,the analytical stress-strain response of frost-damaged concrete under monotonic loading was presented using RCS and compared with that of the experimental data.Moreover,an isotropic elastoplastic damage model of frost-damaged concrete subjected to repeated loading was established.Finally,we can systematically estimate the effects of frost-damage on the mechanical performance of concrete,which can be provided for the numerical simulation of frost-damaged concrete structures.

Structure and Mechanical Performance of Nitrogen Doped Diamond-like Carbon Films

Nitrogen doped diamond-like carbon （DLC：N） films were prepared by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition （ECR-CVD） on polycrystalline Si chips. Film thickness is about 50 nm. Auger electron spectroscopy （AES） was used to evaluate nitrogen content, and increasing N2 flow improved N content from 0 to 7.6%. Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） analysis results reveal CN-sp^3C and N-sp^2C structure. With increasing the N2 flow, sp^3C decreases from 73.74% down to 42.66%, and so does N-sp^3C from 68.04% down to 20.23%. The hardness decreases from 29.18 GPa down to 19.74 GPa, and the Young＇s modulus from 193.03 GPa down to 144.52 GPa.

Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis of Mechanical Performance of Reinforced Concrete Short-Limb Shear Wall

On the basis of test, nonlinear finite element analysis of reinforcedconcrete (R. C) short-limb shear walls under monotonic horizontal load are carried out by ANSYSprogram in order to understand the evolution of cracking, deformation and failure course of thespecimens. At the same time, the results of numerical calculation are compared with the results oftest. The results indicate that, under monotonic horizontal load the failures of the specimens withflange wall and without flange wall all occur at the intersections of lintel bottom and limb ofwall, the failures also occur at the bottom of limb; the load-displacement curve of wall withoutflange is steeper than that of wall with flange, and the ductility is worse than that of wall withflange; the results, such as cracking, deformation, yield load and so on of finite element analysisagree well with the results of test. These results provide theoretical basis of study andapplication of R. C short-limb shear wall.

Assisted Compatibility, and Balanced Regulation of the Mechanical, Thermal, and Antioxidant Activity of Polyvinyl Alcohol-Chinese Bayberry Tannin Extract Films Using Different Di-Aldehydes as Cross-Linkers

Polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-based films containing Chinese bayberry tannin(BT)were prepared by cross-linking using glyoxal,glutaraldehyde and dialdehyde starch,individually.The presence of cross-linkers was evident to promote the transparency and decrease the moisture content of PVA/BT films,while the water solubility stayed almost unchanged in the cross-linked PVA/BTfilms.All cross-linkers provided promotion of the water vapor per-meability,mechanical property and thermal stability of PVA/BT films.The best water vapor barrier capacity was found in case of glutaraldehyde cross-linked PVA/BT film,while the highest tensile strength was encountered in case of glyoxal cross-linked PVA/BT films,compared with the uncross-linked films.The scavenging action of the films towards DPPH radical activity was influenced by the nature of each cross-linker.Namely,the PVA/AT film cross-linked by glutaraldehyde acquired the lowest radical scavenging activity in a certain time,suggesting that glutaraldehyde decreased the release rate of BT from PVA.Based on the experimental data,glutaraldehyde and dialdehyde starch could be more suitable for PVA/BT film preparation since they can promote the intermo-lecular interaction of PVA and BT to a reasonable extent.

Full-scale multi-functional test platform for investigating mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems of high-speed railways

Motivated by the huge practical engineering demand for the fundamental understanding of mechanical characteristics of high-speed railway infrastructure,a fullscale multi-functional test platform for high-speed railway track–subgrade system is developed in this paper,and its main functions for investigating the mechanical performance of track–subgrade systems are elaborated with three typical experimental examples.Comprising the full-scale subgrade structure and all the five types of track structures adopted in Chinese high-speed railways,namely the CRTS I,the CRTS II and the CRTS III ballastless tracks,the double-block ballastless track and the ballasted track,the test platform is established strictly according to the construction standard of Chinese high-speed railways.Three kinds of effective loading methods are employed,including the real bogie loading,multi-point loading and the impact loading.Various types of sensors are adopted in different components of the five types of track–subgrade systems to measure the displacement,acceleration,pressure,structural strain and deformation,etc.Utilizing this test platform,both dynamic characteristics and long-term performance evolution of high-speed railway track–subgrade systems can be investigated,being able to satisfy the actual demand for large-scale operation of Chinese high-speed railways.As examples,three typical experimental studies are presented to elucidate the comprehensive functionalities of the full-scale multi-functional test platform for exploring the dynamic performance and its long-term evolution of ballastless track systems and for studying the long-term accumulative settlement of the ballasted track–subgrade system in high-speed railways.Some interesting phenomena and meaningful results are captured by the developed test platform,which provide a useful guidance for the scientific operation and maintenance of high-speed railway infrastructure.

Cracking and Mechanical Properties of Airport Concrete Pavement with Fiber and Expansive Agent

Polypropylene fiber and expansive agent are used in airport concrete to improve its shrinkage cracking resistance and mechanical properties.The concrete specimens with amount content of polypropylene fiber or expansive agent or both of them are prepared.The morphology of specimens is observed by scanning electron microscope,the time when the first crack occurred is recorded through slap test,and the mechanical properties such as compressive strength and impact energies of concrete are measured.The results show that polypropylene fiber in concrete can reduce the shrinkage and delay the first crack,improve the impact resistance obviously,and improve the compressive strength slightly.Expansive agent can compensate the shrinkage and reduce cracks of concrete pavement markedly,and improve the mechanical properties of concrete pavement slightly.The study provides recommendations for cracking control of airport concrete pavement in the future.

Effect of High-temperature Annealing on Mechanical Performance and Microstructures of Different Oxygen SiC Fibers

In order to explore the effect of high-temperature annealing on the mechanical performances and microstructures of different oxygen SiC fibers, two types of silicon carbide（SiC）-based fibers, specified as XD-SiC fibers（low oxygen） and Nicalon-201 fibers（high oxygen）, were annealed in Ar for 1 h at 800 ℃, 1 000 and 1 200 ℃, respectively. Mechanical properties of these fibers were characterized via a monofilament tensile method, with observation of the damaged monofilament by SEM. Also, the effects of annealing on the microstructure and chemical compositions of the fibers were studied. The experimental results indicated that the tensile strength decreased with the increase of annealing temperatures,after annealing-treatment at 1200℃, XD-SiC fibers remained 84% of its original strength, while Nicalon-201 fibers remained only 58% of its original strength. Crystallization and chemical composition of the fibers are the dominating factors for their mechanical performance at high temperatures. The microstructure changes of XD-SiC fibers are mainly composed of the growth of β-SiC, for Nicalon-201 fibers, evaporation of gases is the main change for microstructure.

Preparation and Properties of Ultra-fine Chromium Carbonization of High Performance Mechanical Activation

The preparation of hydroxyl chromium oxide by hydrogen reduction of disodium chromate and particulate hydroxyl mechanical activation features were studied. Then with self-made hydroxyl chromium as the raw material, a direct reduction and carburization process was used to prepare ultra-fine chromium carbonization. Through SEM and XRD, the high performance mechanical activation, key coefficients, microstructure, hardness and wear-resisting property were investigated. The results reveal that suitable mechanical activation and carbon reducing carbonization temperature, carbonization time, carbon content are beneficial to obtaining ultra-fine chromium carbonization. Typically, when the time of high performance grinding is 5 min, the carbon reducing temperature is 1100 ℃, the carbon reducing time is 1h, the carbon content is 28%, and finally the particle size of chromium carbide powder is 1 μm. Under this condition of preparation of ultra-fine chromium carbide, both the hardness and wear resistance are better than those in the industrialization of chromium carbide coating.