Chemical modification of barite for improving the performance of weighting materials for water-based drilling fluids

With increasing drilling depth and large dosage of weighting materials,drilling fluids with high solid content are characterized by poor stability,high viscosity,large water loss,and thick mud cake,easier leading to reservoir damage and wellbore instability.In this paper,micronized barite(MB)was modified(mMB)by grafting with hydrophilic polymer onto the surface through the free radical polymerization to displace conventional API barite partly.The suspension stability of water-based drilling fluids(WBDFs)weighted with API barite:mMB=2:1 in 600 g was significantly enhanced compared with that with API barite/WBDFs,exhibiting the static sag factor within 0.54 and the whole stability index of 2.The viscosity and yield point reached the minimum,with a reduction of more than 40%compared with API barite only at the same density.Through multi-stage filling and dense accumulation of weighting materials and clays,filtration loss was decreased,mud cake quality was improved,and simultaneously it had great reservoir protection performance,and the permeability recovery rate reached 87%.In addition,it also effectively improved the lubricity of WBDFs.The sticking coefficient of mud cake was reduced by 53.4%,and the friction coefficient was 0.2603.Therefore,mMB can serve as a versatile additive to control the density,rheology,filtration,and stability of WBDFs weighted with API barite,thus regulating comprehensive performance and achieving reservoir protection capacity.This work opened up a new path for the productive drilling of extremely deep and intricate wells by providing an efficient method for managing the performance of high-density WBDFs.

Effects of Functional Organic Materials on Fresh Weight,Quality,Single-melon Weight and SPAD Value of Watermelon

[Objectives]This study was conducted to explore a functional organic material formula suitable for watermelon cultivation with high quality,high yield and high efficiency.[Methods]Four treatments were set in the experiment,namely four functional organic materials,garlic straw treatment(T_(1)),onion straw treatment(T_(2)),garlic straw+sheep manure treatment(T_(3))and onion straw+chicken manure treatment(T_(4)),to investigate the effects of different functional organic materials on fresh weight,quality,single-melon weight and SPAD value of watermelon.[Results]The effects of different functional organic materials on fresh weight,quality,single-melon weight and SPAD value of watermelon were quite different.The fresh weight,quality,single-melon weight and SPAD value of watermelon were higher in treatment T_(3)applying garlic straw and sheep manure and treatment T_(4)applying onion straw and chicken manure than in treatment T_(1)applying garlic straw and treatment T_(2)applying onion straw.Specifically,the fresh weight of whole plant was the highest in treatment T_(3),followed by treatment T_(4),and the values of the two treatments increased by 12.83%and 5.94%respectively compared with treatment T_(1);the weight of single melon was the highest in treatment T_(3),followed by treatment T_(4),and the values of the two treatments increased by 42.45%and 31.77%respectively compared with treatment T_(2);and the SPAD values of treatments T_(3)and T_(4)were significantly higher than those of treatments T_(1)and T_(2),and the value of treatment T_(3)was the largest.[Conclusions]This study provides theoretical support for the popularization and application of fertilization techniques combining organic fertilizers and reduced chemical fertilizers for watermelon.

An improved sodium silicate binder modified by ultra-fine powder materials

This paper presents a new method of modifying sodium silicate binder with ultra-fine powders. The sodium silicate binder modified by ultra-fine powder A and the organic B can reduce the addition amount of the binder. The results indicate that the 24 h strength has increased by 39.9% at room temperature and the residual strength has decreased by 30.7% at 800℃, compared to the conventional sodium silicate. An available material to improve the moisture resistance was also found by adding about 2% more inorganic C, and it can increase the moist strength by 20%. In the end, the microanalyses are given to explain the modifying machanism, i. e., the ultra-fine powder A can refine the sodium silicate binder to avoid holes in the binder bond, which can increase the 24 h strength at room temperture, and can lead to more cracks in the bond after the molding sand is heated to 800℃. This is because of the stress caused by the new eutectic complex of modified sodium silicate binder.

Optimum Weight Design of Functionally Graded Material Gears

Traditional gear weight optimization methods consider gear tooth number, module, face width or other dimension parameters of gear as design variables. However, due to the complicated form and geometric features peculiar to the gear, there will be large amounts of design parameters in gear design, and the influences of gear parameters changing on gear trains, transmission system and the whole equipment have to be taken into account, which increases the complexity of optimization problem. This paper puts forward to apply functionally graded materials（FGMs） to gears and then conduct the optimization. According to the force situation of gears, the material distribution form of FGM gears is determined. Then based on the performance parameters analysis of FGMs and the practical working demands for gears, a multi-objective optimization model is formed. Finally by using the goal driven optimization（GDO） method, the optimal material distribution is achieved, which makes gear weight and the maximum deformation be minimum and the maximum bending stress do not exceed the allowable stress. As an example, the applying of FGM to automotive transmission gear is conducted to illustrate the optimization design process and the result shows that under the condition of keeping the normal working performance of gear, the method achieves in greatly reducing the gear weight. This research proposes a FGM gears design method that is able to largely reduce the weight of gears by optimizing the microscopic material parameters instead of changing the macroscopic dimension parameters of gears, which reduces the complexity of gear weight optimization problem.

Structure and Properties of Self-reinforced Material Made from Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene-montmorillonite Nanocomposite

High-strength and high-modulus ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMWPE), named self-reinforced material, was obtained by the elongation of UHMWPE-montmorillonite nanocomposite at melting temperature. According to the scanning electron microscope(SEM) analysis, a great deal of fibrillar texture formed in the direction of elongation, and the tensile fractured surface was similar to that of highly oriented fiber. The transmission electron microscope(TEM) and selective area electron diffraction(SAED) analyses reveal that the reinforced phase of the self-reinforced material is an extended chain crystal and its size is about 50_200 nm wide and several microns long, and the montmorillonite layers are broken up to pieces in the size from 100 to 10 nm. The broken layers which have a huge surface area interacting strongly with macromolecules reduces the entanglement density of UHMWPE and induces the chain orientation in flow field. It is supposed that the astriction of montmorillonite layers to polyethylene chains is not only end-tethered but also side-tethered. The differential scan calorimetry(DSC) analysis shows that there are two endothermal peaks for the self-reinforced material, of which the peak at a higher temperature(136.4 ℃) is ascribed to the melting of the reinforced phase.

Size effect of lattice material and minimum weight design

The size effects of microstructure of lattice materials on structural analysis and minimum weight design are studied with extented multiscale finite element method（EMsFEM） in the paper. With the same volume of base material and configuration, the structural displacement and maximum axial stress of micro-rod of lattice structures with different sizes of microstructure are analyzed and compared.It is pointed out that different from the traditional mathematical homogenization method, EMsFEM is suitable for analyzing the structures which is constituted with lattice materials and composed of quantities of finite-sized micro-rods.The minimum weight design of structures composed of lattice material is studied with downscaling calculation of EMsFEM under stress constraints of micro-rods. The optimal design results show that the weight of the structure increases with the decrease of the size of basic sub-unit cells. The paper presents a new approach for analysis and optimization of lattice materials in complex engineering constructions.

WEIGHT FUNCTIONS FOR INTERFACE CRACKS IN DISSIMILAR ANISOTROPIC MATERIALS

Bueckner's work conjugate integral customarily adopted for linear elastic materials is established for an interface crack in dissimilar anisotropic materials.The difficulties in separating Stroh's six complex arguments involved in the integral for the dissimilar materials are overcome and thert the explicit function representations of the integral are given and studied in detail.It is found that the pseudo-orthogonal properties of the eigenfunction expansion form(EEF)for a crack presented previously in isotropic elastic cases,in isotopic bimaterial cases,and in orthotropic cases are also valid in the present dissimilar arbitrary anisotropic cases.The relation between Bueckner's work conjugate integral and the J-integral in these cases is obtained by introducing a complementary stress- displacement state.Finally,some useful path-independent integrals and weight functions are proposed for calculating the crack tip parameters such as the stress intensity factors.

SEMI-WEIGHT FUNCTION METHOD ON COMPUTATION OF STRESS INTENSITY FACTORS IN DISSIMILAR MATERIALS

Semi_weight function method is developed to solve the plane problem of two bonded dissimilar materials containing a crack along the bond. From equilibrium equation, stress and strain relationship, conditions of continuity across interface and free crack surface, the stress and displacement fields were obtained. The eigenvalue of these fields is lambda. Semi_weight functions were obtained as virtual displacement and stress fields with eigenvalue?_lambda. Integral expression of fracture parameters, K Ⅰ and K Ⅱ, were obtained from reciprocal work theorem with semi_weight functions and approximate displacement and stress values on any integral path around crack tip. The calculation results of applications show that the semi_weight function method is a simple, convenient and high precision calculation method.

Time Dependent Surface Heat Transfer in Light Weight Aggregate Cement Based Materials

Surface temperature changes of building materials affect the calculation of heat flow and thus the energy use in heating and cooling. The surface heat transfer coefficient , limiting the heat flow between material surface and ambient air is normally taken as a constant. In this study we propose a time-dependent function . We estimate from unidirectional heat flow experiments with transient and steady-state conditions. Using temperature measurements and the conservation of energy at the surface including convective and irradiative boundary conditions, the value of was obtained both using Finite Difference and Taylor Polynomials methods. Numerical solutions of temperature distribution as function of time were improved with the obtained -functions compared to with constant . There were no clear difference between on different materials, and the final values observed were in the order of magnitude expected from the literature.

Defence technology: Special issue on “composite materials in defence technology”

In recent years,composite materials have been used in many industries such as in automotive,aerospace,telecommunication,marine,furniture,construction and defence.Body amour and tank spall liners are examples of the use of composites in defence industry.Composites have many different attributes that are unique over conventional materials like metals,polymers and ceramics.Those attributes include light weight,high specific stiffness and strength properties,corrosion resistance,aesthetically pleasing and ease of fabrication.Advanced composites such as aramid and carbon fibre polymer composites,metal matrix composites,ceramic matrix composites,and nanocomposites are among material contenders in defence technology applications requiring excellent structural integrity.Composites are also used in some non-structural applications in selected components utilising the low cost advantage of glass fibre and natural fibre composites.

Surface Cracking Behaviors of Ultra-Fine Grained Tungsten Under Edge Plasma Loading in the HT-7 Tokamak

Tests of the candidate plasma facing materials（PFMs） used in experimental fusion devices are essential due to the direct influence of in-situ plasma loading.A type of ultrafine grained（UFG） tungsten sintered by resistance sintering under ultra-high pressure（RSUHP） method has been exposed in the edge plasma of the HT-7 tokamak to investigate its performance under plasma loading.Under cychc edge plasma loading,the UFG tungsten develops both macro and micro cracks.The macro cracks are attributed to the low temperature brittleness of the tungsten material itself,while the micro cracks are generated from local intense power flux deposition.

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON ULTRAFINE COMMINUTION IN THEORY OF VERTIGINOUS CURRENT OF BULK MATERIAL

Experiment about ultrafine comminution in theory of vertiginous current of bulk material has successfully performed by a lately developed vertical shaft centrifugal autogenous grinder. The results of tested several materials are analyzed, moreover. the comminution mechanism and the affecting factors of ultrafine comminution are analyzed.

MODIFICATION THE CEMENTIOUS MATERIAL OF ULTRA-HIGH-STRENGTH SLEEPER CONCRETE

This paper presents investigation results on the natural ultra-fine mineral flour of crystalline silica fume (CSF) and porous quartz sand stone (PQSS) which can modify cement mortar strength under hydrothermal synthesis reaction (HSR) in the autoclave-cured condition. The replacement of cement by CSF and PQSS can signifi cantly increase the Jflerural and compressive strength which reach 22MPa and 150MPa respectively and de-crease the porosity oj the cement mortar. The ratio oj fine aggregation, standard sand to cementions material has sig nificant influence on the mortar strength. The mechanisms involved in cement and natural mineral flour and the HSR are presented. CaO/SiO2 ratio ranges from 3. 20 to 1. 11. the main hydrate phase is C2SH and there is not Tober-morite through X-Ray diffraction qualitative analysis. The new and ultra-high strength cementious material as basic material of sleeper concrete can he used in prestressed reinforcement sleeper concrete.

Outdoor Corrosion Performance Study of Selected Construction Materials in Bonny Island

Corrosion studies are important due to the enormous cost involved in the replacement of materials in all kinds of applications. The outdoor study on corrosion behavior of aluminum sheet, chequered aluminum plate and zinc alloys roofing sheet commonly used as construction material within a highly industrial settlement were examined using the gravimetric technique. The outdoor corrosion of these alloys at different sites was observed via its exposure to atmospheric conditions, monitored and recorded for 12 months at an interval of 2 months. Results depicted a process spanning the initial and intermediate stages of corrosion. The samples of construction materials at Bonny island showed substantial weight losses and rate of corrosion which varied largely on percentage of atmospheric humidity, salt precipitations, industrial aerosols and corrosive gases present at the exposure site as well as the nature of the material and the presence of protective coating formed during corrosion process. The rapid rate of deterioration of these materials causes severe economic importance on the indigenes’ activities including the oil and gas industries and other construction companies on the island. Thus, there is urgent need for research concerned with methods to control or prevent excessive deterioration of metals in Bonny Island.

Application of Composite Materials in the Fire Explosion Suppression System

In order to lighten the weight of the special vehicles and improve their mobility and flexibility, the weight of all subsystems of the whole vehicle must be reduced in the general planning. A fire explosion suppression system is an important subsystem for the self-protection of vehicle, protection of crews and safety of a vehicle. The performances of the special vehicles determine their survival ability and combat capability. The composite bottle is made of aluminum alloy with externally wrapped carbon fiber ; it has been proven by a large number of tests that the new type explosion suppression fire distinguisher made of such composite materials applied in the special vehicle has reliable performance, each of its technical indexes is higher or equal to that of a steel distinguisher, and the composites can also optimize the assembly structure of the bottle, and improve the reliability and corrosion resistance. Most important is that the composite materials can effectively lighten the weight of the fire explosion suppression system to reach the target of weight reduction of the subsystem in general planning.

ANN valuation model of material LCIA profile

Weighting model is the only valuation model of life cycle impact assessment(LCIA) profile now. It simplifies evaluation function into linear function, and makes the determination of weighting factor complicated. Therefore the valuation of LCIA profile is the most critical and controversial step in life cycle assessment(LCA). Development on valuation models, which are understood easily and accepted widely, is urgently needed in the field of LCA. The modeling approaches for the linear evaluation function were summed up. The modeling approaches for the nonlinear evaluation function were set up by function approximation theory, which include choosing preference products, forming preference data, establishing artificial neural network(ANN) and training ANN by preference data. By selecting 7 material products as preference product, experience was done with modeling approaches of the nonlinear evaluation function. The results show that the modeling approaches and valuation model of the nonlinear evaluation function are more practical than the weighting model.

Investigation of Loss Weight and Densification of SiC-Al_2O_3-Y_2O_3 Ceramic Composite on Sintering

α-SiC, Al_2O_3 and Y_2O_3 powders were all used as raw materials. The SiC-Al_2O_3-Y_2O_3 ceramic composites were made by pressureless liquid phase sintering technology. The effects of sintering temperature, loss weight and coordination number on sintering densification were studied. The reason for producing loss weight on sintering was analysed. The results show that the primary reason for producing loss weight on sintering in SiC-Al_2O_3-Y_2O_3 ceramic composite was that chemical reactions between SiC and Al_2O_3 are happened during sintering, and given out volatile gases. If sintering temperature is excessively lower, grain size would be finer, and coordination number would be higher, well then material would be on no sintering densification. If sintering temperature is excessively higher, grains would grow up, though small coordination number would benefit to make pore eliminate and shrink, but coarse microstructure would also block gliding and resetting of grains, together affected by expansion stress from volatile gas, the material densification would instead go down. Only under the sintering process of 1850 ℃ for 30 min, material densification is better, and the mechanical property of ceramic composites is also improved.

RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF POLYMER MELTS (Ⅱ) MULTIPLE ENTANGLEMENT MODEL FOR PREDICTING THE DEPENDENCE OF VISCOELASTIC BEHAVIOR ON DEFORMATION STATE AND PRIMARY MOLECULAR WEIGHTS AND THEIR DISTRIBUTION

In accordance with the memory function of Gaussian chain constraints in entangled polymermelts a set of material functions related to a certain"test flow"are formulated from the O-W-Ftype constitutive equation by the appropriate selection of the Cauchy-Green and Finger tensors.Thedependences of these material functions on the strain rate and the dependences of the linearviscoelastic functions on the primary molecular weight distribution and the entanglement sites sequencedistribution on polymer chain are derived from a multiple-entanglement model and a couple of mech-anisms of relaxation for the loop and terminal entanglement sites.When the primary polymer chainsare modelled with the Lansing-Kraemer molecular distribution function,a set of new relationshipsamong linear viscoelastic functions(η0,ψ100,ηext0 and τ1)and the molecular weights and their distributionare formulated.These functions and relationships are verified with experimental data.

Manufacturing of Ultra-high Molecular Weight Polyethylene Fiber Reinforced Tape and the Loss of Strength

Due to the low density and excellent mechanical proper-ties,high performance fiber reinforced materials have aconsiderable application in the area of high technologyand dally usage.In this paper,the Ultra-high Molecu-lar Weight Polyethylene(UHMWPE)fiber reinforcedPE tape prepared with the method of powder impregnat-ion was studied.The effect of impregnate length and thetensile force of the yarn on the fiber content as well as on the strength and modulus of the tape were discussed.Calculation shows that the strength and the modulus ofthe ULMWPE fiber can keep about 85％ after it undergothe process.

Preparation of Light-weight Spinel Refractories by Foaming-gel Process

Light-weight magnesium -aluminate spinel materi- als were prepared by foaming-gel process with polyalumi- nium chloride （PAC） as gel. Effect of solid loading in initial slurry on microstructure, porosity, pore size distri- bution, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties was investigated. The results show that the bulk density of the light-weight magnesium -aluminate spinel mate- rials is in the range of O. 7 1.2 g cm-3 ; pore size distribution curves show single-peak characteristics and the mean pore size is in the range of 30. 83 - 61.37 μm ; with the increase of solid loading, the linear shrinkage of the green body during firing and the permanent change in dimensions on heating at l 600 ℃ for 3 h de- crease, but the bulk density increases, the mechanical properties increase obviously; the maximum compressive strength and bending strength reach 35. 25 MPa and 9. 92 MPa, respectively, while the bulk density is 1. 16 g · cm ; and the thermal conductivity at 1 000 ℃ tea- ches 0. 371 W · m-1 . K-1 while the bulk density is O. 7 -3 g · cm