Numerical and experimental analyses of rock failure mechanisms due to microwave treatment

Despite the extensive studies conducted on the effectiveness of microwave treatment as a novel rock preconditioning method,there is yet to find reliable data on the rock failure mechanisms due to microwave heating.In addition,there is no significant discussion on the energy efficiency of the method as one of the important factors among the mining and geotechnical engineers in the industry.This study presents a novel experimental method to evaluate two main rock failure mechanisms due to microwave treatment without applying any mechanical forces,i.e.distributed and concentrated heating.The result shows that the existence of a small and concentrated fraction of a strong microwave absorbing mineral will change the failure mechanism from the distributed heating to the concentrated heating,which can increase the weakening over microwave efficiency(WOME)by more than 10 folds.This observation is further investigated using the developed coupled numerical model.It is shown that at the same input energy,the existence of microwave absorbing minerals can cause major heat concentration inside the rock and increase the maximum temperature by up to three times.

Evaluation of Mechanical and Physical Properties of Pressed Coir Fiber/Epoxy Composite with NaOH and Microwave Treatment of Fiber

In this study,the influence of sodium hydroxide(NaOH)treatment and microwave treatment of coir fibers on the mechanical and physical properties of pressed coir fiber/epoxy composite were evaluated.The composite was fabricated with a hand lay-up method with compression molding.Before composite fabrication,pressed coir fiber was treated with NaOH and microwave treatments.Mechanical testing(tensile,flexural,and impact testing)of the composite was conducted.Then,water absorption and thickness swelling testing are also performed.The fractured composite surface morphology after the tensile test was analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy(SEM).The results revealed that tensile,flexural,and impact strengths of composite tend to increase after NaOH treatment of coir fiber followed by microwave treatment for 10 and 20 minutes of exposure time compared to untreated fiber.However,for NaOH treatment,the tensile,flexural and,impact strengths of composite reduce.The reducing of the tensile strength of the composite is due to the agglomeration fiber occurred,which is displayed in the SEM micrograph.Furthermore,microwave treatment of fiber for 10 minutes and NaOH treatment followed by microwave treatment for 20 minutes of exposure time decreases the water absorption and thickness swelling of the composite.

Temperature characteristics of wood during microwave treatments

In order to investigate the temperature characteristics of wood during microwave(MW) treatments,optical fiber sensors were used to measure wood(Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongolica Litv.) temperatures. The results show that the development of internal temperatures in wood basically includes two patterns during the process of MW treatment. The first may be divided into three phases: warming, constant temperature, and a sharply rising phase. The second pattern may be divided into two phases: warming, and constant temperature. The maximum temperature(MT) and rate of temperature increase(RTI)rose as the microwave power increased. The initial wood moisture content decreased while the period of constant temperature fell. Temperatures varied in different positions in the wood. The order of MT and RTI levels were the upper surface, center, bottom surface and the end point.Along the direction of wood thickness, the closer the monitoring point was to the generator, the faster the temperature increased. The MT and RTI of the end point was a minimum value because of the rapid removal of steam.

EFFECTS OF MICROWAVE TREATMENT ON THE LYMPHOCYTE SUBSETS IN CASES OF CHRONIC LYMPHEDEMA OF EXTREMITIES

Objective To determine the immune status of T lymphocyte subsets of patients with chronic lymphedema of extremities and the effects of microwave treatment. Methods Patients with lymphedema of extremities (n = 20) and normal volunteers (n = 10 ) were studied by fiuorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) or phycoerythrin (PE)-conjugated monoclonal antibo dies (MoAbs) and dual color flow cytometry to examine the changes of lymphocyte phenotype in them before and after treatment. Results The percentage of CD+4 T lympcutes and CD+4 /CD+8 T cell ratios in lymphedema group were less than those in control group before treatment. They increased significantly and restored to nearly normal level after microwave treatment. The percentage of CD +8 and HLA-DR + T lymphocytes in lymphedema group also demonstrated significant decline after treat- ment. Conclusion Disorder of T lymphocyte subsets existed in patients with chronic lymphedema of extremities, and microwave treatment can improve the states and enhance the cellular immunity of the patients.

Constructing mild expanded graphite microspheres by pressurized oxidation combined microwave treatment for enhanced lithium storage

The modified graphite anode materials have some prominent advantages over other anode materials in the industrial applications.A novel simple and gentle method is proposed to synthesize the mild expanded graphite microspheres(MEGMs) from flake graphite spheres through a combined modified pressurized oxidation combined with the microwave treatment.The microstructural results demonstrate that moderately expanded MEGMs with an expansion volume between 4 and 10 ml·g^(-1)exhibit a highly microporous structure with an enlarged interlayer spacing,a decreased microcrystalline size,as well as an increased number of functional groups on the surface,resulting in the increased storage sites and spaces for lithium ions and the enhanced diffusion rate of lithium ions.When used as the anode material for lithium-ion batteries,the MEGM-T75t30 obtained by oxidation treatment at 75℃ for 30 min followed by microwave irradiation for expansion displays a high reversible capacity of 446.7 mAh·g^(-1) at 100 mA·g^(-1) after 100 cycles and excellent rate performance(330 and 116 mAh·g^(-1) at 800 and 3200 mA·g^(-1),respectively).Therefore,the MEGMs prepared by this convenient and mild method show excellent electrochemical properties and good application potential.

Improved Visible-light Photocatalytic Properties of ZnFe2O4 Synthesized via Sol-gel Method Combined with a Microwave Treatment

ZnFe2O4（ZFO） was synthesized via a sol-gel method firstly, then the ZFO was irradiated with microwave treatment to obtain M-ZFO using NH4C1 as dispersant for 10 min to improve the photocatalytic activity. Large par- tides of ZFO were broken into small and uniform particles by the gases of hydrogen chlorine and ammonia during the decomposition of NH4Cl. Compared to ZnFe2O4 without microwave treatment（ZFO）, M-ZFO exhibits smaller particle size, higher surface area and larger saturation magnetization. More importantly, the photocatalytic activity of M-ZFO for methylene blue was increased by 25% compared with that of ZFO.

Effects of microwave oxygen plasma treatments on microstructure and Ge-V photoluminescent properties of diamond particles

The microstructure and Ge-V photoluminescent properties of diamond particles treated by microwave oxygen plasma are investigated.The results show that in the first 5 min of microwave plasma treatment,graphite and disordered carbon on the surface of the particles are etched away,so that diamond with regular crystal plane,smaller lattice stress,and better crystal quality is exposed,producing a Ge-V photoluminescence(PL)intensity 4 times stronger and PL peak FWHM(full width at half maximum)value of 6.6 nm smaller than the as-deposited sample.It is observed that the cycles of‘diamond is converted into graphite and disordered carbon,then the graphite and disordered carbon are etched’can occur with the treatment time further increasing.During these cycles,the particle surface alternately appears smooth and rough,corresponding to the strengthening and weakening of Ge-V PL intensity,respectively,while the PL intensity is always stronger than that of the as-deposited sample.The results suggest that not only graphite but also disordered carbon weakens the Ge-V PL intensity.Our study provides a feasible way of enhancing the Ge-V PL properties and effectively controlling the surface morphology of diamond particle.

Effect of joints on microwave fracturing of the Bukit Timah granite using an open-ended antenna

Microwave fracturing of rocks before mechanical breakage could improve the performance of mechanical excavators and reduce environmental impacts.Previous research focused on the microwave fracturing of intact rock blocks.By using an open-ended antenna,this paper investigates the effect of pre-existing joints on the microwave fracturing of the Singapore Bukit Timah granite blocks.The results show that the specimens are weakened in the manners of cracking,spalling,melting,or a combination of them.The crack number and the total crack length produced by microwave treatment of jointed rock blocks are slightly smaller than those in the intact rock blocks.The interaction between joints and microwave-induced cracks can be summarized into the following four patterns:(1)microwave-induced cracks become arrested so that the crack propagation is terminated;(2)microwave-induced cracks penetrate the joints and continue to propagate;(3)microwave-induced cracks become deflected along the joints;and(4)microwave-induced cracks propagate forward following the joints.The smaller the approach angle between the microwave-induced crack and the preexisting joint is,the more microwave-induced cracks tend to be arrested at the joint.Increasing the approach angle between the microwave-induced crack and the joint can increase the chance of microwave-induced crack penetrating the joint.The results also show that the smaller the distance is between the microwave radiation point and the joint,the easier it is for microwave-induced cracks to penetrate the joints;otherwise,the microwave-induced crack is more likely to be arrested at the pre-existing joint.

Treatment of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia with Microwave Coagulation.

From Nov. 1990 to Dec. 1993, 128 patients with histologically diagnosed cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 1 or 2, were randomized treated with the follow-

Rapid adsorption of toxic Pb(Ⅱ) ions from aqueous solution using multiwall carbon nanotubes synthesized by microwave chemical vapor deposition technique

Multiwall carbon nanotubes（MWCNTs） were synthesized using a tubular microwave chemical vapor deposition technique, using acetylene and hydrogen as the precursor gases and ferrocene as catalyst. The novel MWCNT samples were tested for their performance in terms of Pb（Ⅱ）binding. The synthesized MWCNT samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared（FT-IR）, Brunauer, Emmett and Teller（BET）, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy（FESEM） analysis, and the adsorption of Pb（Ⅱ） was studied as a function of p H,initial Pb（Ⅱ） concentration, MWCNT dosage, agitation speed, and adsorption time, and process parameters were optimized. The adsorption data followed both Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms. On the basis of the Langmuir model, Qmaxwas calculated to be 104.2 mg/g for the microwave-synthesized MWCNTs. In order to investigate the dynamic behavior of MWCNTs as an adsorbent, the kinetic data were modeled using pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order equations. Different thermodynamic parameters, viz., ΔH0, ΔS0and ΔG0were evaluated and it was found that the adsorption was feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. The statistical analysis revealed that the optimum conditions for the highest removal（99.9%） of Pb（Ⅱ） are at p H 5, MWCNT dosage 0.1 g, agitation speed 160 r/min and time of 22.5 min with the initial concentration of 10 mg/L. Our results proved that microwave-synthesized MWCNTs can be used as an effective Pb（Ⅱ） adsorbent due to their high adsorption capacity as well as the short adsorption time needed to achieve equilibrium.