Study on the application of optical interferometry in the measurement of the coating thickness of color-coated plates

The principle and application of optical interferometry to measure the coating thickness of color-coated plates were introduced in this paper.Additionally,several factors affecting the test results,including coating refractive index,wavelength range,and film thickness range setting,were analyzed.Among these,the refractive index of the color coating,which cannot be measured directly,was identified as the key factor.A solution to this problem was proposed.Finally,the optical interference method and the current detection methods,including the micrometer method and the magnetic eddy current method,were analyzed and compared.The results show that optical interferometry has better repeatability and reproducibility than the current methods and show no significant difference from the current methods through statistical tests.Therefore,the method can be applied to the detection of the coating thickness of color-coated plates.

Effect of pattern coating thickness on characteristics of lost foam Al-Si-Cu alloy casting

An experimental study on lost foam casting of an Al-Si-Cu alloy was conducted. The main objective was to study the effect of pattern coating thickness on casting imperfection and porosity percentage as well as eutectic silicon spacing of the alloy. The results showed that increasing slurry viscosity and flask dipping time influenced the casting integrity and microstructural characteristics. It was found that thinner pattern coating produced improved mould filling, refined microstructure and higher quality castings containing less porosity.

Effect of thermophysical property and coating thickness on microstructure and characteristics of a casting

A new improved investment casting technology （IC） has been presented and compared with the existing IC technology such as lost foam casting （LFC）. The effect of thermophysical property and coating thickness on casting solidification temperature field, microstructure and hardness has been investigated. The results show that the solidification rate decreases inversely with the coating thickness when the coating contains silica sol, zircon powder, mullite powder and defoaming agent. In contrast, the solid cooling rate increases as the coating thickness increases. However, the solidification rate and solid cooling rate of the casting produced by the existing IC and the improved IC are very similar when the coating thickness is 5 mm, so the microstructure and hardness of a container corner fitting produced by the improved IC and the existing IC are similar. The linear regression equation for the grain size （d） and cooling rate （v） of the castings is d= -0.41v＋206.1. The linear regression equation for the content of pearlite （w） and solid cooling rate （t） is w=1.79t ＋ 6.71. The new improved IC can greatly simplify the process and decrease the cost of production compared with the existing IC. Contrasting with LI=C, container corner fittings produced by the new improved IC have fewer defects and better properties. It was also found that the desired microstructure and properties can be obtained by changing the thermophysical property and thickness of the coating.

A Study of the Influence of Air-knife Tilting on Coating Thickness in Hot-dip Galvanizing

Gas wiping is a decisive operation in hot-dip galvanizing process. In special, it has a crucial influence on the thickness and uniformity in coating film, but may be subsequently responsible for the problem of splashing. The progress of industry demands continuously the reduction of production costs which may relate directly with the increase of coating speed, and the speed up of coating results in the increase of stagnation pressure in gas wiping system in final. It is known that the increase of stagnation pressure may accompany a harmful problem of splashing in general. Together with these, also, from the view point of energy consumption, it is necessary to design a nozzle optimally. And there is known that the downward tilting of nozzle using in air knife system is effective to prevent in somewhat the harmful problem of splashing. In these connections, first, we design a nozzle with constant expansion rate. Next, for the case of actual coating conditions in field, the effects of tilting of the constant expansion rate nozzle are investigated by numerical analysis. Under the present numerical conditions, it was turned out that the nozzle of constant expansion rate of p = having a downward jet angle of 5^0 is the most effective to diminish the onset of splashing, while the influence of small tilting of the nozzle on impinging wall pres- sure itself is not so large.

Influence of Air-Knife Wiping on Coating Thickness in Hot-Dip Galvanizing

In hot-dip galvanizing process, air jet wiping control is so crucial to decide the coating thickness and uni- formity of the zinc layer on the steel strip. The mathematical models developed predict the zinc coating thickness as a function of pressure and shear stress. The required pressure and shear stress profile on the strip surface were calcu- lated using regression analysis, and carried out using numerical simulation as FLUENT, a finite element analysis software. The influences of the outlet pressure, the nozzle to strip distance, the slot opening, the edge baffle plate, as well as the tilting angle of air knife were discussed. Combining with these results and regression analysis on the practical data, four first-order polynomial multi-parameter models were established for different targeted coating thicknesses with better regression coefficients. The validated model was used to carry out sensitivity analysis to de- termine the favorable controlling regime for the air jet wiping process.

3D Raman mapping as an analytical tool for investigating the coatings of coated drug particles

The properties of dry-coated paracetamol particles(fast-dissolving model drug)with carnauba wax particles as the coating agent(dissolution retardant)were investigated.Raman mapping technique was used to non-destructively examine the thickness and homogeneity of coated particles.The results showed that the wax existed in two forms on the surface of the paracetamol particles,forming a porous coating layer:i)whole wax particles on the surface of paracetamol and glued together with other wax surface particles,and ii)deformed wax particles spread on the surface.Regardless of the final particle size fraction(between 100 and 800 mm),the coating thickness had high variability,with average thickness of 5.9±4.2 mm.The ability of carnauba wax to decrease the dissolution rate of paracetamol was confirmed by dissolution of powder and tablet formulations.The dissolution was slower for larger coated particles.Tableting further reduced the dissolution rate,clearly indicating the impact of subsequent formulation processes on the final quality of the product.

Effects of Al coating on corrosion resistance of sintered NdFeB magnet

Pure Al coating was deposited on sintered NdFeB magnet by direct current（DC） magnetron sputtering to improve the corrosion resistance of magnet. The influences of coating thickness and sputtering power on microstructure and corrosion resistance of Al coating were investigated. The surface morphology of Al coating was characterized by scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. The corrosion properties were investigated by potentiodynamic polarization curves and neutral salt spray（NSS） test. The formation of the uniform and compact Al coating is a necessary condition to achieve excellent corrosion resistance. And the optimal corrosion resistance can be obtained in the sample with 6.69 μm thick Al coating deposited at 51-82 W.

Coating of bioactive glass on magnesium alloys to improve its degradation behavior: Interfacial aspects

The preferable mechanical properties of Mg alloys along with excellent compatibility with human bone have established their applicability as implant biomaterials.However,a higher corrosion/degradation rate of Mg alloys in body fluids limits its biomedical applications.In this direction,surface modification and coating are explored as appropriate strategies to mode the degradation rate of Mg alloys.The constituents of bioactive glass(BG)provide strength,bio-inertness and bone bonding capability.Hence,researchers have explored the coating of BG on Mg alloys and investigated chemical,mechanical and biological properties of the coated alloys.In this review,we have made an attempt to compile the literature works done on the coating of BG on Mg alloys and its features.Underlying interfacial aspects of the coated substrates towards the degradation behavior are highlighted.The way forward to further improve the coating characteristics of BG coated Mg alloys are remarked.

Thick tongue coating: diagnostic markers for metastatic colorectal cancer?

Background:According to World Health Organization,colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world.The prognosis assessment and condition judgment of the colorectal cancer remains a challenge clinically.Therefore,identification of diagnostic markers to evaluate the prognosis of colorectal cancer clinically should be urgently developed.We have observed that a lot of cancer patients had thick tongue clinically,but what is the relationship between tongue coating and the tumor?Methods:Seventy-four patients with colorectal carcinoma were collected through the outpatients of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from May 2010 to September 2011,in which there were 49 patients confirmed with recurrence or metastasis.All photos of patients’tongue were taken with a SONY camera in the same room and under constant conditions such as brightness or distance.Regression equation predicting thickness of tongue coating was constructed using binary logistic regression analysis.The optimal cut off of probabilities to diagnosis thick tongue coating was determined by receiver operating curve analysis.χ2 test for paired data and kappa test were used to determine the diagnostic value for recurrence and/or metastasis in colorectal cancer patients.Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to determine the distribution of ALT,AST,ALP ALB,TP,GLO,TBIL,DBIL,GGT,LDH,GLU,UA,CA724,CA199,CA242 and CEA.Data with the skewed distribution were presented as median(quartile interval).The association between the thickness of tongue coating and clinical-pathological character was evaluated by chi square test and two-independent-sample test.The two-independent-samplesχ2 was used to determine whether there were significant differences in the thin coating and thick coating between patients with recurrence and/or metastasis and patients without recurrence and/or metastasis.Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze survival time.Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS(version 16.0).Results:Through retrospective clinical study we found that overall survival of colorectal cancer patients with thick greasy tongue coating is less than the patients with less tongue coating.What’s more,the risk for recurrence or/and metastasis overall survival in thick coating group was higher than thin coating group.In addition,the histological staining of the tongue slices of rats showed that EGFR receptors in the tongue root were the most among whole tongue surface.Tongue thick coating may be due to tumor patients with high levels of serum EGF which results in significantly increasing tongue coating.This finding suggested that the tongue coating of cancer patients may reflect the level of serum EGF levels in patients which may be related to shorter survival time.In addition,another study showed that serum lactic dehydrogenase level in patients with thick tongue coating is higher than patients with thin tongue coating.Conclusions:These studies suggest that tongue coating is likely to reflect some of the growth factor and enzyme levels.By observing the tongue coating we could predict the prognosis of patients and the characteristics of tongue coating may be used as new diagnostic markers to patients with colorectal carcinoma.

Influence of resin flow on shrinkage of additive manufacturing coated sand molds

Coated sands are used extensively for additive manufacturing sand molds in the metal casting process, and the packing structure changes caused by the resin flow promote the shrinkage and deformation of the part. During the coated sand heating, the resin on the surface flowing to the contact points of the particles forms the resin neck and causes particles to pack close to each other. In this work, the diameters of the coated ceramsite sand before and after heating were measured based on in-situ experimental observations with image measuring apparatus and blue laser, to obtain the relationship between resin coating thickness and the particle diameter. The particle packing model was established to describe the particles＇ achievement of a stable state one by one. A re-packing simulation was then performed after reducing the particle diameter according to the resin coating thickness, to obtain the shrinkage ratios at different particle size distributions. It was found that the resin coating thickness increased from 0.8 to 2.3 IJm as the particle diameter increased from 107 to 500 IJm, for the coated ceramsite sand with the resin content of 2wt.%; the shrinkage ratio decreased first and then increased as the particle diameter increased. The experimental minimum shrinkage ratio was 3.28%, and the corresponding particle diameter was 300-375 IJm, while the minimum shrinkage ratio obtained by simulation was 3.43%, and the corresponding particle diameter was 214-300 IJm. After mixing the five groups proportionally, the shrinkage ratios of the simulation and experiment dropped to 2.81% and 3.04%, respectively, indicating the best results.

Effects of Different Treatment Methods on Germination Rate of Hard Seeds of Wild Lotus corniculatus L

Birdsfoot trefoil （Lotus corniculatus L.） is high in nutritional value and adapted to slightly acidic, droughty, infertile, or wet soils. However, the impermeable seed coat restricts water imbibition and results in poor seed germination and subse- quent stand establishment. The aim of this study was to identify the dormancy mechanism of Birdsfoot trefoil seeds, and investigate the suitable pretreatment to overcome the poor seed germination. Germination behavior was characterized by using the final germination percentage and the mean germination time. The results indicated that coat thickness of dormant seeds was significant larger. The average hard seed rate was up to 92.3%. It was found that mechanical scarification, chemi- cal scarification with concentrated sulfuric acid （98% H_2SO_4）, and gibberellic acid soaking following freezing below zero temperature were effective in reducing hard- seededness and lead to increases of seed germination.

Design and preparation of frequency doubling antireflection coating with different thicknesses of interlayer for LiB3O5 crystal

Design and preparation of frequency doubling antireflection coating with different thicknesses of interlayer were investigated for LIB3O5 （LBO） substrate. The design was based on the vector method. The thickness of the inserted SiO2 interlayer could be changed in a wide range for the four-layer design with two zeros at 1064 and 532 nm. The coatings without any interlayer and with 0.1 quarter-wave （λ/4）, 0.3 λ/4, 0.5 λ/4 SiO2 interlayer were deposited respectively on LBO by using electron beam evaporation technique. All the prepared coatings with SiO2 interlayer indicated satisfying optical behavior. This expanded our option for the thickness of an interlayer when coating on LBO substrate. The prepared films with SiO2 interlayer showed better adhesion than that without any interlayer. The thickness of the interlayer affected the adhesion, the adhesion for the coating with 0.5 λ/4 SiO2 interlayer was not as good as the other two.

Coating behavior and surface hardening of Pd_(77)Cu_6Si_(17) thin film metallic glass on AZ31 magnesium alloy

Pd77Cu6Si17(PCS) thin film metallic glasses(TFMGs) with high glass forming ability and hardness were selected as a hard coating for improving the surface hardness of AZ31 magnesium alloy. Both microindentation and nanoindentation tests were conducted on specimens with various PCS film thicknesses from 30 to 2000 nm. The apparent hardness and the relative indentation depth(β) were integrated using a quantitative model. The interaction parameters involved and relative hardness values were extracted from iterative calculations. According to the results, surface hardness can be enhanced greatly by PCS TFMGs in the shallow region, followed by gradual decrease with increasing β ratio. In addition, specimens with thinner coatings(e.g., 200nm) showed greater substrate-film interaction and those with thick coatings(e.g., 2000nm) became prone to film cracking. The optimum TFMG coating thickness in this study was estimated to be around 200 nm.

Study on the Wiping Gas Jet in Continuous Galvanizing Line

In the continuous hot-dip galvanizing process, the gas-jet wiping is used to control the coating thickness of moving steel strip. The high speed gas-jet discharged from the nozzle slot impinges on the strip, and at this moment, wipes the liquid coating layer dragged by a moving strip. The coating thickness is generally influenced on the flow characteristics of wiping gas-jet such as the impinging pressure distribution, pressure gradient and shear stress distribution on the surface of strip. The flow characteristics of wiping gas-jet mentioned above depends upon considerably both the process operating conditions such as the nozzle pressure, nozzle-to-strip distance and line speed, and the geometry of gas-jet wiping apparatus such as the height of nozzle slot. In the present study, the effect of the geometry of nozzle on the coating thickness is investigated with the help of a computational fluid dynamics method. The height of nozzle slot is varied in the range of 0.6mm to 1.7mm. A finite volume method (FVM) is employed to solve two-dimensional, steady, compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Based upon the results obtained, the effect of the height of nozzle slot in the gas-jet wiping process is discussed in detail. The computational results show that for a given standoff distance between the nozzle to the strip, the effective height of nozzle slot exists in achieving thinner coating thickness.

A Model of Spray Tool and a Parameter Optimization Method for Spraying Path Planning

The digital camouflage spraying of special vehicles carried out by robots can greatly improve the spraying efficiency, spraying quality, and rapid adaptability to personalized patterns. The selection of spray tool and the accuracy of the adopted mathematical spray tool model has a great impact on the effectiveness of spray path planning and spraying quality. Since traditional conical spray tool models are not suitable for spraying rectangular digital camouflage, according to the characteristics of digital camouflage, the coating thickness cumulative distribution model of strip nozzle spray tool for 2 D plane spraying and 3 D surface spraying is derived, and its validity is verified by simulation. Based on the accumulation velocity model of the coating thickness(AVCT) on the curved surface and aiming at spraying path planning within the same surface and different surfaces, a path parameter optimization method based on coating uniformity evaluation of adjacent path overlapping area is proposed. Combined with the vehicle surface model, parameters such as path interval, spray tool angle and spray tool motion velocity can be calculated in real-time to ensure uniform coating. Based on the known local three-dimensional model of vehicle surface and the comprehensive spraying simulation, the validity of the purposed models: the coating thickness on the adjacent path area(CTAPA), the coating thickness on the intersection of two surfaces(CTITS), the coating thickness on the intersection of a plane and a surface(CTIPS), and the optimization method of path parameters are verified. The results show that compared with the traditional spray tool, the strip nozzle can better ensure the uniformity of the coating thickness of digital camouflage spray. Finally, according to a practical spraying experiment, the results prove that the proposed models not only are effective but also meet the practical industrial requirements and are of great practical value.