Serpentine Design on Forest Roads by the Internal Circular Curve Method： A Case Study in Serbia

The paper provides an overview of geometric solutions of marking all types of serpentine by the method of internal circular curve in designing forest roads directly in the field. The main objective of presenting this original method for marking all serpentine types in one place is to show similarities and differences in marking different types of serpentine, and identify opportunities for further research of this type. The method is based on the establishment of the minimum number of elements necessary to mark the serpentine on the forest roads and other budget elements and their design in the field. By using this method, construction errors or the number of attempts of serpentine marking are reduced, which increases the effects of design compared to the ones reached by the previous method of marking the serpentine on forest roads.

Effect of sodium hexametaphosphate on separation of serpentine from pyrite

The effect of sodium hexametaphosphate（SHMP） on the separation of serpentine from pyrite and its mechanism were studied systematically through flotation tests,sedimentation tests,surface dissolution,ζ potential tests,adsorption measurements,and infrared spectroscopic analyses.The results show that the SHMP could significantly reduce the adverse effect of serpentine on the flotation of pyrite and make the mixed sample of pyrite and serpentine more disperse in the alkaline condition,thus improve the adsorption of xanthate on pyrite.The action mechanism of the SHMP is that it lowers the pH value at the isoelectric point of serpentine and enhances the negative charge through the dissolution of magnesium from the surface of serpentine and adsorbing on the surface of serpentine.It changes the total interaction energy between serpentine and pyrite from gravitational potential energy to repulse potential energy,according to the calculation of the EDLVO theory.

Mechanisms of surface charge development of serpentine mineral

The electrokinetic behavior and surface dissolution of serpentine mineral were studied through Zeta potential measurements, dissolution experiments and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results show that serpentine has an iso-electric point （IEP） of 11.9, which is higher than that of other phyllosilicate minerals. Dissolution experiments show that the hydroxyl is easy to dissolve with respect to the magnesium cations in the magnesium oxide octahedral sheet. As a result of hydroxyl dissolution, the magnesium ions are left on serpentine surface, which is responsible for serpentine surface charge. The removal of magnesium ions from serpentine surface by acid leaching results in a decrease of serpentine IEP. Therefore, it has been clearly established that the surface charge developed at the serpentine/aqueous electrical interface is a function of the serpentine surface incongruent dissolution.

Preparation of semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine pouring channel

The semi-solid slurry of 7075 aluminum alloy was prepared by a serpentine pouring channel （SCP）. Influences of pouring temperature and the number of turns on the microstructure of semi-solid 7075 alloy slurry were investigated. The results demonstrated that the semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy slurry with satisfied quality could be generated by a serpentine pouring channel when the pouring temperature was in the range of 680-700 ℃. At a given pouring temperature, the equivalent size of the primaryα（Al） grains decreased and the shape factor increased with the increase of the number of turns. During the slurry preparation of semi-solid 7075 aluminum alloy, the flow direction of alloy melt changed many times when it flowed in a curved and closed serpentine channel. With the effect of“stirring”in it , the primary nuclei gradually evolved into spherical and near-spherical grains.

Mechanical properties and microstructures of Al alloy tensile samples produced by serpentine channel pouring rheo-diecasting process

An innovative one-step semi-solid processing technique of A356 Al alloy,the serpentine channel pouring rheo-diecasting process （SCRC）,was explored.The mechanical properties and microstructures of the tensile samples made by the SCRC technique were tested in the as-cast and T6 heat treatment conditions.The experimental results show that the as-cast ultimate tensile strength can reach about 250MPa and the elongation is 8.6%？13.2%.The ultimate tensile strength can increase approximately 30% higher than that of the as-cast one but there is some slight sacrifice of the plasticity after T6 heat treatment.Under these experimental conditions,the semi-solid A356 Al alloy slurry with primary α1（Al） grains,which have the shape factor of 0.78？0.89 and the grain diameter of 35？45μm,can be prepared by the serpentine channel pouring process.The primary α2（Al） grains are very fine during the secondary solidification stage.Compared with the conventional HPDC process,the SCRC process can improve the microstructures and mechanical properties of the tensile test samples.The advantages of the SCRC process include easily incorporating with an existing HPDC machine,cancelling the preservation and transportation process of the semi-solid alloy slurry,and a higher cost performance.

Preparation of semisolid A356 alloy slurry with larger capacity cast by serpentine channel

The integral microstructure of semisolid A356 alloy slurry with larger capacity cast by serpentine channel was studied and the influence of cooling ability of serpentine channel on the microstructure was investigated. The results indicate that ideal slurry with larger capacity can be prepared through serpentine channel with good cooling ability. When the serpentine channel was continuously cooled, both the longitudinal and the radial microstructure of the slurry was composed of granular primary phase and the integral microstructure uniformity of the slurry was good. However, uncooled serpentine channel can only produce larger slurry with fine grains in positions adjacent to its centre and with a large number of dendrites in positions close to its edge, thus, the radial microstructure of larger slurry is nonuniform. The pouring temperature is set up to 680 °C and the solid shell inside the channel can be avoided at this pouring temperature.

Enhancement of pentlandite surface magnetism and implications for its separation from serpentine via magnetic separation

The magnetism of pentlandite surface was enhanced through the selective precipitation of micro-fine magnetite fractions on pentlandite surfaces. This was achieved through adjustment of slurry pH and addition of surfactants. The results showed that at pH 8.8 with the addition of 100 g/t sodium hexametaphosphate, 4.5 L/t oleic acid, and 4.5 L/t kerosene, significant amount of fine magnetite particles adhered to the pentlandite surface, while trace amount of coating was found on serpentine surfaces. Thus, the magnetism of pentlandite was enhanced and pentlandite was well separated from serpentine by magnetic separation under the magnetic field intensity of 200 kA/m. Scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and zeta potential measurement were performed to characterize changes of mineral surface properties. Calculations of the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Ocerbeek （EDLVO） theory indicated that, in the presence of surfactants the total interaction energy between magnetite and pentlandite became stronger than that between magnetite and serpentine. This enabled the selective adhesion of magnetite particles to pentlandite surfaces, thereby enhancing its magnetism.

Preparation of semi-solid A380 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine channel

The semi-solid slurry of A380 aluminum alloy was prepared by the serpentine channel. The effects of pouring temperature, curve number and curve diameter of the serpentine channel on the microstructure of the semi-solid A380 aluminum alloy slurry were investigated. The results show that the satisfactory semi-solid A380 aluminum alloy slurry could be obtained when the pouring temperature ranged from 630 to 650 °C. Under the same conditions, increasing the curve number or reducing the curve diameter of the serpentine channel would decrease the average diameter and increase the shape factor of the primary α（Al） grains. The ＂self-stirring＂ of the alloy melt in the serpentine channel was beneficial to the ripening of the dendrites and the spheroidizing of the primary α（Al） grains.

Influence of serpentine channel pouring process parameters on semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry

Semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry was prepared by using serpentine channel pouring process, and the influences of the channel diameters and pouring temperatures on the semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry were investigated. The experimental results show that when the channel diameter is 20 and 25 mm, respectively, and the pouring temperature is 640-680 ℃, the average diameter of primary α（Al） grains in the prepared A356 aluminum alloy slurry is 50-75 and 55-78 μm, respectively, and the average shape factor of primary α（Al） grains is 0.89-0.76 and 0.86-0.72, respectively. With the decline in the pouring temperature, the microstructure of semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry is more desirable and a serpentine channel with smaller diameter is also advantageous to the microstructure imProvement. During the preparation of semi-solid A356 aluminum alloy slurry, a large number of nuclei can be produced by the chilling effect of the serpentine channel, and owing to the combined effect of the chilled nuclei separation and melt self-stirring, primary α（Al） nuclei can be multiplied and spheroidized finally.

Preparation of semi-solid ZL101 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine channel

Semi-solid slurry of ZL101 aluminum alloy was prepared using serpentine channel. The influences of the pouring temperature, the number of curves and the serpentine channel temperature on the microstructure of semi-solid ZL101 aluminum alloy were investigated. The results show that, satisfied semi-solid slurry of ZL101 aluminum alloy was prepared with pouring at 630-680℃. The morphology of primaryα（Al） grains transforms from rosette to spheroid with the decrease of pouring temperature. At the same pouring temperature, increasing the number of curves can improve the morphology of primaryα（Al） grains and decrease the grain size. Qualified slurry can be attained with lowering the pouring temperature when the serpentine channel temperature is higher. The alloy melt has the effect of“self-stirring”in the serpentine channel, which can make the primary nuclei gradually evolve into spherical and near-spherical grains.

Serpentine Inlet Performance Enhancement Using Vortex Generator Based Flow Control

In order to provide the line-of-sight blockage of the engine face for an advanced Uninhabited Combat Air Vehicle（UCAV）, a highly curved serpentine inlet is proposed and experimentally studied. Based on the static pressure distribution measurement along the wall, the flow separation is found at the top wall of the second S duct for the baseline inlet design, which yields a high flow distortion at the exit plane. To improve the flow uniformity, a single array of vortex generators （VGs） is employed within the inlet. In this experimental study, the effects of mass flow ratio, free stream Mach number, angle of attack and yaw on the performance of a serpentine inlet instrumented with VGs are obtained. Results indicate： （1） Compared with the baseline serpentine design without flow control, the application of the VGs promotes the mixing of core flow and the low momentum flow in the boundary layer and thus prevents the flow separation. Under the design condition, the exit flow distortion （-↑△σ0） decreases from 11.7% to 2.3% by using the VGs. （2） With the descent of the free stream Mach number the total pressure loss decreases. However, the circular total pressure distortion increases. When the angle of attack rises from - 4° to 8°, the total pressure recovery and the circular total pressure distortion both go down. In addition, with the increase of yaw the total pressure recovery is fairly constant, while the circular total pressure distortion ascends gradually. （3） When Mao = 0.6-0.8, a = -4°-8° and β = 0°-6°, the total pressure recovery varies between 0.936 and 0. 961, the circular total pressure distortion coefficient varies between 1.4 % and 5.4 % and the synthesis distortion coefficient has a ranges from 3.8 % to 7.0 %. The experimental results confirm the excellent performance of the newly designed serpentine inlet incorporating VGs.

Gas–liquid two-phase flow in serpentine microchannel with different wall wettability

Gas–liquid flow in serpentine microchannel with different surface properties exhibits drastically different flow behavior. With water and air as working fluids, the method of numerical simulation was adopted in this paper based on CLSVOF(coupled level set and volume of fluid method) multiphase model. After verifying the reasonability of the model through experiment, by changing wall properties and Re number(Re<1500), the influences of contact angle and surface roughness on flow regime and Po number were discussed. Moreover, the difference of pressure drop between curve and straight microchannel was also calculated. Beyond that, the combined effect of curve channel and wall properties on flow resistance was analyzed. This paper finds that wall properties have great influence on gas–liquid flow in microchannels not only on flow regime but also flow characteristics. Meanwhile, the pressure drop in curve microchannels is larger than straight. It is more beneficial for fluid flowing when the straight part of microchannel is hydrophilic smooth wall and curve part is hydrophobic with large roughness.

Mechanism of Mg2+ dissolution from olivine and serpentine: Implication for bioleaching of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore at elevated pH

To inhibit the dissolution of Mg^2+ during the bioleaching process of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore, the effect of major bioleaching factors on the dissolution of Mg^2+ from olivine and serpentine was investigated and kinetics studies were carried out. The results indicated that the dissolution rate-controlling steps are chemical reaction for olivine and internal diffusion for serpentine. The most influential factor on the dissolution of Mg^2+ from olivine and serpentine was temperature, followed by p H and particle size. A novel method of bioleaching at elevated pH was used in the bioleaching of Jinchuan ore. The results showed that elevated pH could significantly reduce the dissolution of Mg^2+ and acid consumption along with slightly influencing the leaching efficiencies of nickel and cobalt. A model was used to explain the leaching behaviors of high-magnesium nickel sulfide ore in different bioleaching systems. The model suggested that olivine will be depleted eventually, whereas serpentine will remain because of the difference in the rate-controlling steps. Bioleaching at elevated pH is a suitable method for treating high-magnesium nickel sulfide ores.

Semisolid A356 alloy feedstock poured through a serpentine channel

Fine spheroidal and equiaxed nondendritic microstructures required for semisolid casting can be formed through a serpentine pouting channel. Effects of the pouring temperature and the vertical section length of the serpentine pouring channel were studied. The results indicate that both favorable semisolid microstructures of A356 aluminum alloy can be generated by a serpentine pouring channel, and the solid shell inside the channel can be avoided when the pouting temperature is in the range from 660 to 680℃. It is also shown that the vertical section length of the serpentine pouting channel has a significant influence on the microstructure of the feedstock, namely both the microstructure of the feedstock and the microstructure uniformity in the radial direction get worse when the vertical section length is shortened; moreover, the pouring temperature for obtaining the feedstock with suitable microstructure decreases. The relevant mechanisms were discussed.

Effect of serpentine and sodium hexametaphosphate on ascharite flotation

Sodium hexametaphosphate(SHMP)was used to minimize the adverse effect of serpentine for improving aschariterecovery.The effects of particle size and content of SHMP,and serpentine on ascharite flotation process were investigated throughflotation,zeta potential tests,FT-IR analysis,XPS analysis and DLVO theory.Particles interaction and mechanism of SHMP werealso discussed.It was found that aggregation between serpentine and ascharite particles easily happened,and the particle size ofserpentine had a profound impact on the ascharite recovery.In particular,the fine serpentine with size less than38μm had thegreatest contribution to the deterioration of ascharite flotation performance.After SHMP treatment,the adverse effect of serpentinewas significantly reduced.The mechanism of SHMP showed that it could alter the surface charges of serpentine and ascharite toprevent severe interparticle aggregation,which resulted in a well-dispersed pulp and benefited ascharite flotation process.Theadsorption of SHMP on serpentine was due to hydrogen bonding and chemical adsorption,resulting in the formation of complex onserpentine surface to decrease its floatability.

Kinetic study of high-pressure acid leaching of Mg and Ni from serpentine

Inner Mongolian serpentine ore was subjected to sulfuric acid leaching tests,and the effects of the leaching process parameters on the leaching efficiency of different metals were investigated.The leaching efficiency of Mg,Fe,Al,Ni,and Co reaches 93.98%,60.09%,82.08%,90.58%,and 94.06%,respectively,under the leaching conditions of 5 mol/L H_(2)SO_(4),liquid/solid ratio of 4 mL/g,and leaching temperature 100℃.Hence,the valuable metals in serpentine were effectively recovered by sulfuric acid leaching.The leaching behaviors of Mg,Fe,and a small amount of Al were analyzed using X-ray diffraction.The results show that the unreacted Mg and Fe remained as MgFe_(2)O_(4),and Al formed Al_(2)Si_(2)O_(5)(OH)_(4) in the leaching residue.The kinetics of Mg and Ni in the leaching process was studied respectively.The leaching kinetics of Mg conformed to the shrinking core model with an activation energy of 16.95 kJ/mol,which was controlled by the combination of the diffusion and chemical reaction.The leaching kinetics of Ni accorded with the Avrami equation with an activation energy of 11.57 kJ/mol,which was controlled by diffusion.In the study,the valuable metal elements were extracted from serpentine minerals with high efficiency and low cost,which possessed important practical values.

Tensile properties and microstructure of rheo-diecast 7075 alloy prepared by serpentine channel process

A semisolid slurry of 7075 aluminum alloy was prepared by means of a serpentine channel process(SCP) and rheo-diecasting. The influences of pouring temperature during slurry preparation,the injection pressure and die preheat temperature on the mechanical properties and microstructure of a rheo-diecast 7075 aluminum alloy were investigated. The results show that the as-cast strength and elongation of the tensile samples were 210-260 MPa and 0.2%-1.7%,respectively,with an injection pressure of 130 MPa,a pouring temperature of 700-720 oC,a preheat temperature of 280-350 oC,and a plunger speed of 0.5 m·s-1. The results also show that the aged strength and elongation of the tensile samples were 420-453 MPa and 1.0%-1.4%,respectively,when the alloy solution was treated at 470 oC for 12 h and aged at 120 oC for 24 h. The substantial shrinkage porosity in the 7075 aluminum alloy tensile samples was the main cause of low elongation.

Preparation of semi-solid 6061 aluminum alloy slurry by serpentine channel pouring

The semi-solid 6061 aluminum alloy slurry was prepared by a serpentine channel pouring process. The effects of pouring temperature, bend number and bend diameter on the microstructures were investigated. Microstructural evolution mechanism of the semi-solid slurry during the pouring process was also analyzed. The results show that the grain is refined and the grain roundness is improved by controlling the pouring temperature close to the liquidus temperature, and the nucleation rate of primary α(Al) grains is effectively increased via increasing the bend number and decreasing the bend diameter. The primary grains are not only formed directly from the alloy melt via chilling nucleation and heterogeneous nucleation, but also evolved from the fractured dendrite fragments. Meanwhile, the heat exchange between the melt and the serpentine channel is increased by the “self-stirring” effect in the melt, which also promotes the refinement and spheroidization of primary α(Al) grains.

A cost-effective approach to recycle serpentine tailings:Destruction of stable layered structure and solvent displacement crystallization

In this work,the stable layer structure of serpentine,which seriously restricts the extraction of magnesium,was broken down,and a nearly 94%leaching efficiency of Mg was obtained by adding 5%fluorite powder.Compared with the system without fluorite,the Mg leaching efficiency increased by 36.42%.This result was achieved because the complexation of fluorinion(F)with Si in serpentine promoted a distorted tetrahedral orientation,which led to a loose crystal structure of serpentine and contributed to exposing more Mg for a remarkable increase in Mg recovery.It is suggested that fluorite powder could replace expensive assisted reagents in the leaching process,which would markedly decreased the cost.Moreover,an energy-efficient‘‘solvent displacement crystallization”(SDC)method was employed to efficiently recover magnesium(99.04%)from pregnant solutions.At the same time,the reuse of fluorinecontaining solutions was explored.

Refinement of primary Si grains in Al–20%Si alloy slurry through serpentine channel pouring process

In this study, a serpentine channel pouring process was used to prepare the semi-solid A1-20%Si alloy slurry and refine primary Si grains in the alloy. The effects of the pouring temperature, number of curves in the serpentine channel, and material of the serpentine channel on the size of primary Si grains in the semi-solid A1-20%Si alloy slurry were investigated. The results showed that the pouting temperature, number of the curves, and material of the channel strongly affected the size and distribution of the primary Si grains. The pouring tempera- ture exerted the strongest effect, followed by the number of the curves and then the material of the channel. Under experimental conditions of a four-curve copper channel and a pouring temperature of 701℃, primary Si grains in the semi-solid A1-20%Si alloy slurry were refined to the greatest extent, and the lath-like grains were changed into granular grains. Moreover, the equivalent grain diameter and the average shape coefficient of primary Si grains in the satisfactory semi-solid A1-20%Si alloy slurry were 24.4 μm and 0.89, respectively. Finally, the re- finement mechanism and distribution rule of primary Si grains in the slurry prepared through the serpentine channel pouring process were analyzed and discussed.