Thermomechanical Characterization of Three Soils of Abeche in Chad

The study carried out concerns the valorization of agricultural waste for the development of biosourced materials that can be used as insulation in homes. This article is devoted to the influence of gum arabic on the mechanical and thermal properties of clay soils in the town of Abéché. The mechanical tests were carried out using the CBR press equipped with two devices (bending device and compression device). Thermal property such as thermal conductivity was determined by the hot wire method and thermal resistance was derived by calculation. Thus, the tests were carried out on test pieces made from a mixture of clay and gum arabic in solution. The experimental program includes seven formulations (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, 10% and 12%). The results obtained showed that the best flexural and compressive strengths are obtained by using gum arabic with a rate of 8% and a maximum stress of 4.3 MPa. In addition, the thermal results also showed that the thermal conductivity decreases when the percentage of gum arabic increases, which makes it possible to increase the thermal resistance, thus confirming the capacity of gum arabic to provide thermal insulation.

Mechanical characterization of the role of defects in sintered FeCrAIY foams

Open celled metal foams fabricated through metal sintering are a new class of material that offers novel mechanical and acoustic properties. Previously, polymer foams have been widely used as a means of absorbing acoustic energy. However, the structural applications of these foams are limited. The metal sintering approach offers a costeffective means for the mass-production of open-cell foams from a range of materials, including high-temperature steel alloys. In this first part of two-paper series, the mechanical properties of open-celled steel alloy （FeCrA1Y） foams were characterized under uniaxial compression and shear loading. Compared to predictions from established models, a significant knockdown in material properties was observed. This knockdown was attributed to the presence of defects throu- ghout the microstructure that result from the unique fabrication process. Further in situ tests were carried out in a SEM （scanning electronic microscope） in order to investigate the effects of defects on the properties of the foams. Typically, the onset of plastic yielding was observed to occur at defect locations within the microstructure. At lower relative densities, ligament bending dominates, with the deformation initializing at defects. At higher relative densities, an additional deformation mechanism associated with membrane elements was observed. In the follow-up of this paper, a finite element model will be constructed to quantify the effects of defects on the mechanical performance of the opencell foam.

Dynamic Mechanical Characterizations and Road Performances of Flame Retardant Asphalt Mortars and Concretes

To research the dynamic mechanical properties and road performances of flame retardant asphalt mortars and mixtures, four different asphalt mortars/mixtures were prepared: a reference group and three asphalt mortars/mixtures containing composite flame retardant materials(M-FRs) of different proportions. Temperature sweep, frequency sweep, repeated creep test, force ductility test and bending beam rheological test were carried out to research the dynamic mechanical properties of asphalt mortars containing M-FRs; wheeltracking test, low-temperature bending test and freeze-thaw split test were used to study the road performances of asphalt mixtures containing M-FRs. The results show that high-temperature performances of the three flame retardant asphalt mortars improve greatly, while low-temperature cracking resistances decline. Both hightemperature performances and water stabilities of asphalt mixtures containing M-FRs are quite good and exceed the specification requirements. However, their low-temperature performances decline in different degrees. In summary, besides their good flame retardancy, the flame retardant asphalt mortars and mixtures also exhibit acceptable road performance.

Elaboration and Characterization of Composite Materials Reinforced by Papaya Trunk Fibers (<i>Carica papaya</i>) and Particles of the Hulls of the Kernels of the Winged Fruits (<i>Canarium schweinfurthii</i>) with Polyester Matrix

In this work we determine the physical and mechanical properties of local composites reinforced with papaya trunk fibers (FTP) on one hand and particles of the hulls of the kernels of the garlic (PCNFA) in the other hand. The samples are produced according to BSI 2782 standards;by combining fibers and untreated to polyester matrix following the contact molding method. We notice that the long fibers of papaya trunks improve the tensile/compression characteristics of composites by 45.44% compared to pure polyester;while the short fibers improve the flexural strength of composites by 62.30% compared to pure polyester. Furthermore, adding fibers decreases the density of the final composite material and the rate of water absorption increases with the size of the fibers. As regards composite materials with particle reinforcement from the cores of the winged fruits, the particle size (fine ≤ 800 μm and large ≤ 1.6 mm) has no influence on the Young’s modulus and on the rate of water absorption. On the other hand, fine particles improve the flexural strength of composite materials by 53.08% compared to pure polyester;fine particles increase the density by 19% compared to the density of pure polyester.

Characterization of Failure Mechanisms of Duplex and Graded Thermal Barrier Coatings Exposed to Thermal Shock Test

The beginning of failure of a (ZrO2-7%Y2O3)/(Ni-22%Co-17%Cr-12.5%Al-0.6%Y) duplex andgraded coating systems on lnconel 617 and IN738LC in burner rig tests has been characterized.The test conditions are 40 s heating up to 75O℃ substrate temperature followed by 80 s aircooling. Failure is considered at the appearance of the first bright spot during heating period.Stresses due to thermal expansion mismatch strains on cooling are the probable cause of life-limiting in this conditions of testing.

Influence of roughness on the detection of mechanical characteristics of low-k film by the surface acoustic waves

The surface acoustic wave （SAW） technique is a precise and nondestructive method to detect the mechanical charac- teristics of the thin low dielectric constant （low-k） film by matching the theoretical dispersion curve with the experimental dispersion curve. In this paper, the influence of sample roughness on the precision of SAW mechanical detection is inves- tigated in detail. Random roughness values at the surface of low-k film and at the interface between this low-k film and the substrate are obtained by the Monte Carlo method. The dispersive characteristic of SAW on the layered structure with rough surface and rough interface is modeled by numerical simulation of finite element method. The Young＇s moduli of the Black DiamondTM samples with different roughness values are determined by SAWs in the experiment. The results show that the influence of sample roughness is very small when the root-mean-square （RMS） of roughness is smaller than 50 nm and correlation length is smaller than 20 μm. This study indicates that the SAW technique is reliable and precise in the nondestructive mechanical detection for low-k films.

New insight into fracturing characterization of shale under cyclic soft stimulation:A lab-scale investigation

The cyclic soft stimulation(CSS)is a new method of reservoir reforming for which the mechanism of fracturing crack propagation is ambiguous with regard to the alternating fluid pressure.This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the fracturing mechanical characterizations of CSS under different magnitudes and amplitudes of the alternating fluid pressure.Acoustic emission(AE)is recorded to investigate the damage evolution under CSS based on the b value analysis of AE.Experimental results reveal the difference of pressure in a crack under different cyclic fluid pressure conditions.The AE results show that the maximum radiated energy under CSS tends to be reduced with the increase in the amplitude and magnitude of the alternating fluid pressure.The finishing crucial touch is that the crack extending criterion under CSS is proposed,which combines the injection parameters,the rock properties and in-situ stress.According to the crack extending criterion,the fluctuation fluid pressure causes the reduction of a critical crack extending pressure,and the CSS causes the crack to initiate and propagate under low fluid pressure.Under a higher-value magnitude of alternating fluid pressure,the cyclic times of CSS is less for the crack initiation.In supplement to the crack extending criterion,a distinct relationship between the radiated energy and the cyclic fluid pressure also is established based on the energy dissipation criterion.These new findings provide an insight into the determination of crack extending criterion under CSS for efficiently implementing shale fracturing.

Mechanical Characterization of the Soft Tissues of a Native Human Knee： A Pilot Study

The importance of ligaments in providing joint stability and the incidence of injuries, dictates a need to increase their structural and mechanical properties understanding. Additionally, one of the challenges in the orthopedic industry is to design TKA （total knee arthroplasty） aiming to be soft-tissues friendly. This requires a priori knowledge of physiological knee function, in which the passive stability is achieved and guaranteed by the complex envelope of soft tissues around the joint. Therefore, the knowledge of the mechanical behavior of knee ligaments is fundamental. For this reason, our study aims to define and apply in a pilot study, an ad-hoc methodology to mechanically characterize ligaments of native human knees. The cruciate and collateral ligaments from a fresh frozen cadaver leg were accurately harvested. Each ligament was independently tested during a tensile test at different strain rates, simulating different deformation speeds during gait. Moreover, additional tensile tests until failure were also performed. Axial force and deformation were continuously recorded during each test. Results show that each ligament exhibited own typical non-linear, speed-related behavior. High repeatability in the results is observed among the different repeated tests confirming the robustness of the used methodology. This information will be helpful for clinicians, engineers and researchers to improve the biomechanical knowledge about knee, to develop better implants and to be able to improve the currently available numerical models of the human knee.

Corrosion,mechanical and microstructural properties of aluminum 7075-carbon nanotube nanocomposites for robots in corrosive environments

The introduction of in-pipe robots for sewage cleaning provides researchers with new options for pipe inspection,such as leakage,crack,gas,and corrosion detection,which are standard applications common in the current industrial scenario.The question that is frequently overlooked in all these cases is the inherent resistance of the robots to corrosion.The mechanical,microstructural,and corrosion properties of aluminum 7075 incorporated with various weight percentages(0,0.5wt%,1wt%,and 1.5wt%)of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)are discussed.It is fabricated using a rotational ultrasonication with mechanical stirring(RUMS)-based casting method for improved corrosion resistance without compromising the mechanical properties of the robot.1wt%CNTs-aluminum nanocomposite shows good corrosion and mechanical properties,meeting the requirements imposed by the sewage environment of the robot.

Analysis of the mechanical transfer characterization between lodged sugarcane and the cutter by simulation modeling with UMAT subroutine

Cutting the roots of sugarcane using cutters is a critical part of sugarcane harvesting,and the degree of breakage of the roots after cutting affects the germination and growth of sugarcane to a certain extent in the following year.However,the intricate interactions between the cutter and the stalk remain unclear.In order to fill this gap,this study first analyzed the conditions for no missed cuts during the operation of a double-disk cutter.Secondly,the research established a model of sugarcane stalk with anisotropy using the User-defined Material Mechanical Behavior(UMAT)subroutine based on the secondary development module of ABAQUS/Explicit.The cutting force curves obtained from simulation and test show a high correlation coefficient(R^(2)=0.9621),indicating the reliability of the model of sugarcane stalk in mechanical transfer.Subsequently,the simulation test of the blade rotating cutting characteristics in this study indicates that at a blade tilt angle of 11.3°,a blade rotating speed of 659.3 r/min,and a forward speed of 1.5 km/h,the maximum shear force on the blade is the largest,while the maximum cutting force is the smallest.Finally,based on the simulation results,this paper discussed the internal factors affecting the breakage rate of sugarcane stalks and predicted the damage location and damage force of the stalks by studying the stress wave transmission effect.Additionally,it analyzed the effects of single-knife cutting and multi-cutting on stalk incisions.The results indicated that multi-cutting causes more damage to the stalks and increases the breakage rate of sugarcane.The results of this study can provide a theoretical basis and technical reference for exploring the reduction of sugarcane residual cutting rate.

Thermal stability evaluation of nanostructured Al6061 alloy produced by cryorolling

Grain growth of nanostructured Al6061produced by cryorolling and aging process was investigated during isothermalheat treatment in100?500°C temperature range.Transmission electron microscopy(TEM)observations demonstrate that aftercryorolling and aging at130°C for30h,the microstructure contains61nm grains with dispersed50?150nm precipitates and0.248%lattice strain.In addition,an increase in tensile strength up to362MPa because of formation of fine strengtheningprecipitation and nano-sized grains was observed.Thermal stability investigation within100?500°C temperature range showedrelease of lattice strain,dissolution of precipitates and grain growth.According to the X-ray diffraction(XRD)analysis,Mg2Siprecipitates disappeared after annealing at temperatures higher than300°C.According to the results,due to the limited grain growthup to200°C,there would be little decrease in mechanical properties,but within300?500°C range,the grain growth,dissolution ofstrengthening precipitates and decrease in mechanical properties are remarkable.The activation energies for grain growth werecalculated to be203.3kJ/mol for annealing at100?200°C and166.34kJ/mol for annealing at300?500°C.The effect ofprecipitation dissolution on Al lattice parameter,displacement of Al6061(111)XRD peak and Portevin?LeChatelier(PLC)effect onstress?strain curves is also discussed.

Microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of hot-rolled Mg-4Al-2Sn-0.5Y-0.4Nd alloy

A new Mg–Al–Sn–RE alloy with high ductility at room temperature has been developed.Homogenized Mg–4Al–2Sn–0.5Y–0.4Nd plates 25 mm in thickness were hot-rolled to 1 mm at 673K.The microstructures were characterized as fully recrystallized grains with a lot of fragmented fine particles along the rolling direction.The sheet specimen possesses basal texture of(0002)with the basal pole tilting by about 15°from the normal direction toward the rolling direction.Meanwhile,the texture strength was weakened,which is resulted from the non-basal<c+a>slip and recrystallization texture.For the as-rolled alloy,the yield strength and tensile strength in transverse direction are both higher than those of rolling direction.The average Lankford value is 1.83,which is lower than conventional AZ31 rolled magnesium alloy sheets.The relatively high elongation and low planar anisotropy implies good formability at room temperature.

Material microstructures analyzed by using gray level Co-occurrence matrices

The mechanical properties of materials greatly depend on the microstructure morphology. The quantitative characterization of material microstructures is essential for the performance prediction and hence the material design. At present,the quantitative characterization methods mainly rely on the microstructure characterization of shape, size, distribution,and volume fraction, which related to the mechanical properties. These traditional methods have been applied for several decades and the subjectivity of human factors induces unavoidable errors. In this paper, we try to bypass the traditional operations and identify the relationship between the microstructures and the material properties by the texture of image itself directly. The statistical approach is based on gray level Co-occurrence matrix（GLCM）, allowing an objective and repeatable study on material microstructures. We first present how to identify GLCM with the optimal parameters, and then apply the method on three systems with different microstructures. The results show that GLCM can reveal the interface information and microstructures complexity with less human impact. Naturally, there is a good correlation between GLCM and the mechanical properties.

Handwritten billet number recognition algorithm based on edge extraction

Character recognition has always been a hot topic in the field of computer vision.However,it is often difficult to obtain high-precision results in the actual scene owing to factors such as lighting conditions and imaging angle.Aiming at the problem of handwritten billet identification in the steel industry,this paper proposes the use of the canny edge extraction method to enhance the contour characteristics of characters.This technique is combined with the object detection network to achieve the automatic identification of blank square numbers and solve the problem of automatic tracking of billet logistics in the production process.The proposed algorithm is applied to the site with more than 2019 images containing characters in the test set.Results show that the proposed algorithm has good practical application potential.

Biochar filler in MEX and VPP additive manufacturing:characterization and reinforcement effects in polylactic acid and standard grade resin matrices

The development of sustainable and functional biocomposites remains a robust research and industrial claim.Herein,the efficiency of using eco-friendly biochar as reinforcement in Additive Manufacturing(AM)was investigated.Two AM technologies were applied,i.e.,vat photopolymerization(VPP)and material extrusion(MEX).A standard-grade resin in VPP and the also eco-friendly biodegradable Polylactic Acid(PLA)in the MEX process were selected as polymeric matrices.Biochar was prepared in the study from olive trees.Composites were developed for both 3D printing processes at different biochar loadings.Samples were 3D-printed and mechanically tested after international test standards.Thermogravimetric Analysis and Raman revealed the thermal and structural characteristics of the composites.Morphological and fractographic features were derived,among others,with Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM)and Atomic Force Microscopy(AFM).Biochar was proven to be sufficient reinforcement agent,especially in the filament MEX process,reaching more than 20%improvement at 4 wt.%loading in tensile strength compared to the pure PLA control samples.In the VPP process,results were not as satisfactory,still,a 5%improvement was achieved in the flexural strength with 0.5 wt.%biochar loading.The findings prove the strong potential of biochar-based composites in AM applications,too.

Characterization of Microstructure, Strength, and Toughness of Dissimilar Weldments of Inconel 625 and Duplex Stainless Steel SAF 2205

The dissimilar combinations of Inconel 625 and duplex stainless steel SAF 2205 obtained from manual GTA welding process employing ER2209 and ERNi CrMo-3 filler metals have been investigated. Formation of secondary phases at the HAZ of Inconel 625 and grain coarsening at the HAZ of SAF 2205 were witnessed while using these filler wires. The average hardness of ER2209 weldments was found to be greater than ERNi CrMo-3 weld. Tensile fracture was observed at the weld zones for both the fillers. Impact test trials showed brittle mode of fracture on employing ER2209 filler and mixed（ductile–brittle） mode of fracture while using ERNi CrMo-3 filler. Further optical microscopy and SEM/EDS analysis were carried out across the weldments to investigate the structure–property relationships.

Electrochemical methods for the characterization and interfacial study of dye-sensitized solar cell

Dye-sensitized solar cell （DSSC） is one of the most rapidly developed solar cells in the past 20 years. Many characterization methods have been employed for further understanding the operational details of the photo- electric conversion in DSSC as well as the evaluation of cell performance. Electrochemical methods have become pow- erful tools for studying the charge transfer and interfacial process. In this review, we introduce and explain the various electrochemical methods used to characterize and analyze DSSC, including current-voltage （I-V） scan measurement, cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spec- troscopy, intensity-modulated photocurrent spectroscopy, and intensity-modulated photovoltage spectroscopy. In ad- dition, some applications were provided as samples to elucidate electron transfer kinetics, energy levels and electrocatalytic activity of the materials used in DSSC.

Microstructural Characterization and Mechanical Properties of VB_2/A390 Composite Alloy

In this work, we make the best use of the vanadium element; a series of A1-V-B alloys and VB2/A390 composite alloys were fabricated. For Ak-10V-6B alloy, the grain size of VB2 can be controlled within about 1 μm and is distributed uniformly in the AI matrix. Further, it can be found that VB2 promises to be a useful reinforcement particle for piston alloy. The addition of VB2 can improve the mechanical properties of the A390 composite alloys significantly. The results show that with 1 % VB2 addition, A390 composite alloy exhibits the best performance. Compared with the A390 alloy, the coefficient of thermal expansion is 13.2 × 10^-6 K-1, which decreased by 12.6%; the average Brinell hardness can reach 156.5 HB, wear weight loss decreased by 28.9% and ultimate tensile strength at 25℃ （UTS25 ℃） can reach 355 MPa, which increased by 36.5%.

Surface Dislocation Nucleation Mediated Deformation and Ultrahigh Strength in Sub-10-nm Gold Nanowires

The plastic deformation and the ultrahigh strength of metals at the nanoscale have been predicted to be controlled by surface dislocation nucleation. In situ quantitative tensile tests on individual 〈111〉 single crystalline ultrathin gold nanowires have been performed and significant load drops observed in stress-strain curves suggest the occurrence of such dislocation nucleation. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） imaging and molecular dynamics simulations demonstrated that plastic deformation was indeed initiated and dominated by surface dislocation nucleation, mediating ultrahigh yield and fracture strength in sub-lO-nm gold nanowires.

In?uence of Carbon Equivalent Value on the Weld Bead Bending Properties of High-Strength Low-Alloy Steel Plates

The contribution of chemical compositions in terms of carbon equivalent value（CEV） on impending crack propagation during weld bead bend tests（WBBTs） was studied with five different high-strength lowalloy steel plates that underwent different rolling processes. The test showed that cracks developed at the weld joint, easily passed through the coarse-grain heat-affected zone（CGHAZ）, and finally were arrested within the heat-affected zone（HAZ）. An apparent decrease in the average crack length, which consequently indicated improvement in crack arrestability, was found with decreasing CEV. In addition,the relatively fine microstructure in the HAZ of low-CEV steel plates helped in preventing the crack from further propagation. Special emphasis was placed on the empirical expectation of critical CEV above which WBBT might fail.